What LSU Football Must Do to Slow Down Lane Kiffin, Explosive Ole Miss Offense
Matt Corral went from possibly not starting at the beginning of the season to being one of the nation’s most prolific passers. LSU will need a very good game plan to slow him down.
There’s no question that LSU must focus its defensive energy towards stopping Ole Miss’s talented quarterback, and that means keeping everything in front of them, as well as tackling well.
Defending a true dual-threat signal caller like Matt Corral presents unique challenges. Just aligning correctly will be critical. One misstep leads to a run-pass option throw for a touchdown. One poor read versus that same run-pass option and Corral takes off and uses his legs to extend a play or run for a first down. There’s no easy answers to stopping Corral and the Ole Miss offense.
During the past three games against Vanderbilt, South Carolina and Mississippi State, Corral threw 12 touchdown passes and no interceptions. Corral threw for 412, 513, and 385 yards in those same three games, equating to 1,310 yards. That’s about as good as it will get.
So how do the Tigers slow down Corral?
Continue to Pressure the Pocket from Multiple Styles of Defense
There needs to be continued variation from the blitz packages just like with the Florida game. Even veteran Kyle Trask was sacked and hurried several times when he did not expect certain LSU defenders to come at him. In fact, he looked confused at times. LSU needs to be able to dial up similar pressures against the Rebels.
When pressured, Corral has shown the propensity to throw into coverage. Case in point, the Arkansas game. The Razorbacks played a lot of zone and made Corral be patient, and he failed miserably. While it often took time to get to Corral, when the Hogs did get after him, he would throw into coverage. On the day, Corral threw six interceptions. Yes, six interceptions.
LSU is not a zone team, but against Florida LSU did show its ability to occasionally drop into zone coverage after being almost exclusively a man team for most of the season. If Corral is confused, the rush will eventually get to him, and he might once again throw into coverage. There are different ways to apply pressure to the signal caller and that’s just one of the variations that LSU is capable of utilizing.
Of course the Tigers must still get home with four rushers. Regardless of the opponent, that’s imperative. When the Tigers can pressure with four down linemen and drop seven into coverage, that will be a nightmare for even the best of quarterbacks. Just ask Trask. This scenario needs to happen against Corral.
Look for the Tigers to attempt to contain Corral in the pocket by not over running the backside of the pocket and leaving a pathway for Corral to escape to the perimeter. Staying in rush lanes and pushing the pocket towards him from four separate defenders is a way to surround Corral and make him uncomfortable. While the Tigers may gain some sacks by surrounding Corral, that’s also another way to potentially get Corral to throw up a few ill advised passes into coverage.
Continue to Disguise Coverage
LSU really surprised Florida Saturday night. The new looks caused errant throws, sacks, and a pick six. The Tigers were so successful with the new packages that it’s likely the Tigers will continue to mix it up against Ole Miss. The important part of the last sentence would be mix it up. They must continue to adapt.
Yes, the Tigers will play man coverage. It’s just that they need to consistently keep Ole Miss off guard prior to the snap. Once Corral becomes comfortable, he’s deadly. It’s paramount that LSU keep him out of rhythm and make him think prior to throwing. If he’s just throwing in rhythm all evening, he will scorch any secondary.
Bump and run one play, off man the next, fire-zone after that, and so on and so forth. LSU must be multiple with it’s pre-snap and post-snap looks. Corral is too good to play basic man coverage all night long.
Do not be surprised if LSU goes full on zone now and again. The reason is to frustrate Corral. It’s an extension of getting after the quarterback. Make them think and hold the football longer than normal. That’s when the football ends up being thrown at the wrong time and/or to the wrong place. There’s one final area for LSU to be very good.
Tigers Must Be Really Good at Tackling in Space
While containing Corral is one difficult task, if the Tigers allow the Ole Miss skill position talent to make extra yardage after the catch or run that makes Corral’s job even easier. Ole Miss certainly has the weaponry to burn a defense.
Sophomore running back Jerrion Ealy has 701 yards on the season and averages 5.2 yards per carry. He’s capable of running over or around a defender. He’s especially important because the Rebels love to utilize the run-pass option game with Corral and Ealy together.
If Ealy gets going with the zone runs and the Tigers need to collapse down on him, that will leave Corral to keep the football and move to the perimeter and run or pass as he sees fit. That’s when Corral can be especially dangerous.
The Ole Miss receiving core will also benefit if Ealy gets going, because that’s more single coverage for elite wide receiver Elijah Moore. The junior already hauled in 86 passes for 1,193 yards and eight touchdowns. Much of that production, as noted above, stems from the run-pass option looks.
The more the Tigers contain Ealy in the early going, the less run-pass option will be effective, and the less Moore will see single coverage. While not easy, it’s really important to tackle Ealy very well so that those opportunities for Corral and Moore do not take place.
Overall, LSU has the talent and scheme to slow down the Rebels. If the Tigers come out like they did against Florida, there’s no question that the final game of the 2020 season can be a victory for the purple and gold.
