LSU Defense Showing Strides But Coach Ed Orgeron Still Not Satisfied With Explosive Plays
Watching the film, LSU coach Ed Orgeron was pleased with the way the defense played against Arkansas "for most of the game." How could he not as the Tigers forced the Razorbacks into eight three-and-outs throughout the course of the game, clamped down on the running attack and made some good strides as a whole.
But as the season has progressed, it's been pretty clear that the bar has been exponentially lowered than in past years and for good reason. Heading into the game, the LSU defense ranked dead last in program history in total yards (478.6), passing yards (335.2) and yards per play (7.2). Yet the unit was able to find some positives to grow on as the team heads into its first game against a top 25 opponent on the schedule.
"I thought we had our cleats in the grass, we had a great plan but I'm still not pleased with the deep balls, still not pleased with the rub routes," Orgeron said Monday. "Definitely not pleased by the way we've played most of the season. We need to improve to be a championship defense and everybody knows that."
It's going to be a shortened week because of Thanksgiving but the Tigers will get in an early morning practice on turkey day before being released to spend Thanksgiving with family. That means that the work on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday will be instrumental in getting the defense where Orgeron and the coaching staff want it.
Texas A&M comes in with the top rushing attack in the conference, averaging 189 yards on the ground per game while the Tigers have struggled with consistency in stopping the run all season. Their most recent performance, however, showed great improvement as the front seven proved to be properly aligned throughout the contest, allowing Arkansas running backs to rush for 61 yards in the 27-24 win.
Orgeron said it was the first time all season where he felt the LSU defensive line dominated an opposing offensive line. But the Aggies feature a much more stout group up front which will be the ultimate indicator in the Tigers' improved play. The running back group is also led by Tommie Robinson, who Orgeron and the LSU staff know quite well after coaching the LSU backs for three years.
With more of a pro style offensive approach, Orgeron said to expect plenty of 21 (two running backs and one tight end) and 12 (one running back and two tight ends) personnel packages throughout the course of the game.
"We had some little run stunts in there that we did very well, we played with good technique and we tackled well," Orgeron said. "Texas A&M has a great running attack, [Isaiah] Spiller is an outstanding player and they have some speed out there. Their run game starts with their offensive line. This is one of the best offensive lines we've faced this year."
Despite the strong performance on the ground from the defense against Arkansas, Orgeron wasn't overwhelmingly enthused with the defense's performance. Week in and week out the explosive plays continue to plague this young LSU secondary and with that still being an issue six weeks in, one has to wonder if it can be fixed.
The first touchdown of the game, for example, was a rub route where the slot receiver bounced to the outside while the outside receiver was able to entangle both LSU’s Cordale Flott and Derek Stingley Jr., leaving an ocean of room for an easy 65-yard touchdown connection.
"When you get a slot like that and two guys rubbing you it's gonna be hard," Orgeron said. "We got better at it, the first one was a touchdown which was a rub route but you've gotta put them [the cornerbacks] at different levels and maybe help with a safety on top."
What Orgeron is essentially saying here is that the defensive backs need to be lined up differently. For example in man coverage, the outside corner can be right up on the line of scrimmage while the slot corner could be lined up five yards off his man to make the rub route a little more spread out and difficult to pull off.
The unit proved throughout the course of the game what it takes to get stops consistently with the multiple three-and-outs, which is one of the primary takeaways that it can build on this week in preparation for the Aggies. Orgeron did say that down the stretch the defense started to find its confidence and the closing stop in the fourth quarter was a momentum boost the unit needed.
"We still have a ways to go but we have some young players that are believing and hopefully making the play at the last play of the game gave our guys some belief and some confidence to fight through it and they can win," Orgeron said.
