Tiger Watch: Five LSU Football Players to Keep an Eye on vs No. 4 Oklahoma
When it comes to the College Football Playoff, there are no bad teams. There is only elite talent on both sides of the ball with no shortage of entertaining matchups to follow.
Those matchups have been closely dissected as part of the lead up to arguably the most important game for LSU since 2011, and coach Ed Orgeron knows it.
"Obviously, when you have the amount of talent we have on this football team, and the great coaches that we have, these are expectations that you have to meet at LSU," Orgeron said. "Obviously, proud of our football team. This is not our final destination. We came here for a playoff game. We're looking forward to playing a great Oklahoma."
Whether in the backfield, up front or in the secondary the Tigers will need all hands on deck to make sure a depleted Sooner team doesn't pull off an upset. Here are five LSU players to watch come Saturday's Peach Bowl.
Tyrion Davis-Price (freshman running back)
Coach Ed Orgeron provided a further update for running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire on Thursday. Orgeron said Edwards-Helaire had yet to practice but the team was hoping he'd do some light work, calling the junior running back a “game-time decision.”
"Clyde has not practiced yet. He ran a little bit yesterday, ran straight ahead," Orgeron said. "Medically, hopefully, he's cleared to practice. I don't know if he will. It would be the first day he would. I think he may try something today. It's going to be a game-time situation. Knowing Clyde, if he can play, he's going to try."
With the uncertainty around Edwards-Helaire, the freshman Davis-Price will be asked to step up as he's been the primary backup to the star running back all season. Davis-Price has rushed for 270 yards and six touchdowns in 2019, good numbers considering the limited amount of work he's been given since Edwards-Helaire's explosive second half of the season.
Chris Curry (freshman running back)
Another member of the three man horse at running back should Edwards-Helaire not suit up is Curry. Curry hasn't been a workhorse in either of his two years with the Tigers but according to quarterback Joe Burrow, he's made some great strides in practice this week.
"Yeah, they're getting a lot better, and it comes with reps, and I think Chris Curry, like I said earlier, is having a great week of practice," Burrow said. "I'm super comfortable with all those guys in there, but Chris has really jumped out this week, and he and Ty I think will do a great job if they happen to be in there."
Orgeron has said that Davis-Price, Emery and Curry will likely share the workload against the Sooners should Edwards-Helaire not be able to go. From Burrow's perspective, it sounds like he's comfortable with all three but if one should assert himself over the others, it would make sense for the Tigers to ride with the hot hand.
"Clyde does it all. Now, we've got three backs that are strong in each one of those areas,"Orgeron said. "We're going to have to use them. Tyrion, John Emery, and Chris Curry. You can expect all three of those backs to play in different situations."
K'Lavon Chaisson (sophomore outside linebacker)
Chaisson and the rest of the LSU defensive line will face the toughest task of the day in trying to keep Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts in the pocket and not let him beat the Tigers with his legs.
"It's about rushing him, keeping consistent pressure on him all game but don't rush past the quarterback and create wide open lanes," Chaisson said. "Just level rush, that's it. Don't slow your rush down. Don't bull or anything. But keeping conscious and keep in mind don't rush past the quarterback and give him a lane to run the ball."
Chaisson mentioned the gameplan the defense had for Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger, who was also known as a threat with his legs. Ehlinger was able to beat the Tigers with his arm but not so much his legs.
The improvement in the secondary's coverage skills is what gives the defensive line confidence and excitement. The hope is Hurts will hold on to the ball long enough for them to make plays in the backfield.
"We trust our defensive backs enough, where they're going to make him hold the ball long enough," Chaisson said.
Derek Stingley Jr. (freshman cornerback)
Outiside of the defensive line trying to contain Hurts in the backfield, the freshman Stingley faces the biggest challenge on the outside in trying to limit Sooner wide receiver Ceedee Lamb.
Orgeron has said the gameplan is two fold, stop Lamb and keep Hurts from making plays on his legs. If Stingley is able to do his job, it allows LSU to put one safety (JaCoby Stevens or Grant Delpit) closer to the line of scrimmage to help keep Hurts from gashing the defense with his legs.
Lamb is a Biletnikoff finalist for a reason with 1,208 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns. But it's also fair to assume he hasn't gone up against a more polished defensive back in what he will face with Stingley Saturday.
"Yeah, I mean if it ends up like that, like without defensive play call, then it will be a nice matchup, in my opinion," Stingley said. "His [Lamb] ability to make people miss in the open field. He's strong and fast so it will be kind of hard to tackle him if you're not in the right position."
The Lamb-Stingley matchup is one that's been anticipated ever since the College Football Playoff committee announced the final four teams and will be a must follow.
"He's a freshman with a senior mindset," Lamb said of Stingley on Thursday. "He knows the game well, plays his technique very well and seeing him on film you say 'wow, no way is he a freshman.' Honestly, he'd definitely, by far going to be the best DB I go against this year."
Grant Delpit (junior safety)
If Stingley is able to hold Lamb in check on the outside, the second part of the defensive equation becomes much easier as the Tigers will be able to move JaCoby Stevens and Grant Delpit closer to the line of scrimmage.
Delpit has really shown off his playmaking ability tlast two games for the Tigers, getting back to that roaming safety position that made him a unanimous All-American in 2018. In his last two games, Delpit has combined for six tackles, a sack and an interception.
With that extra man in the box, it takes away running lanes from Hurts, making him have to beat you with his arm. This season Hurts has had no problems doing that, completing 71.8% of his passes for 32 touchdowns. The key will be to get Hurts to make some throws on the run and in pressure.
Delpit has that ability when rushing from the outside and will be an x-factor player come Saturday.
