Former LSU Stars Devin White, Leonard Fournette Shine in Divisional Round of NFL Playoffs
While the evening was a forgettable one for New Orleans Saints fans everywhere, for two former LSU Tigers and Louisiana natives, it's a performance they'll never forget. In the 30-20 win for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, linebacker Devin White and running back Leonard Fournette were the stars of the game.
Fournette, who appeared in his second straight game as a starter for the Buccaneers, rushed for 63 yards and brought in five catches for 44 yards and a touchdown while White recorded 11 tackles, one tackle for a loss, an interception and a 28-yard fumble recovery. For LSU fans who have long waited for the Saints to invest in former Tigers, watching two of LSU's very best dominate from start to finish was a tough sight to behold.
White, in just his second year in the league, is proving to be one of the NFL's budding defensive stars and Sunday night's performance became what can be described as a "breakout" performance on a national stage.
"I said, ‘Man, I’m going to take my guys over their guys.’ I know one thing — we might be young, but we can get after it when we’ve got our minds set to it," White said. "Everybody’s saying it — ‘Where’s the Tampa Bay defense from the Green Bay game?’ We were really feisty with them, we were really challenging them at the line of scrimmage and we were really getting after the quarterback. I think we had that same mentality [tonight].”
After a 140 tackle season that also included 9.5 sacks, White, LSU's only linebacker to win the Butkus Award, was a second-team All-Pro selection but was snubbed from the Pro Bowl after a stellar sophomore campaign.
Now the duo will take on the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship while Tre'davious White, Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Tyrann Mathieu will square up in the AFC Championship next week.
