Beyond the buzz about LSU facing Johnny Manziel and Texas A&M on Saturday in Tiger Stadium, the matchup is a new test for a John Chavis-led Tiger defense.
For the first time since the defensive coordinator arrived in 2009, LSU will face the same renowned mobile quarterback in consecutive seasons.
While dual-threat talents like Cam Newton, Jake Locker, Tim Tebow and Darron Thomas have all challenged LSU since 2009, they were one-shot deals for the Tiger defense.
The reigning Heisman winner is a different story. Manziel gets a chance to atone for arguably the worst performance of his career during last season’s 24-19 LSU win in College Station.
That day, he needed 56 passes to throw for 276 yards while tossing three interceptions and running for only 27 yards.
The LSU defense gets to prove that wasn’t a fluke.
“I would like to show that [we can do it again],” said LSU junior defensive tackle Anthony Johnson. “He’s a great talent. But even as arguably one of the best ever out there, we have a chance to limit his greatness twice.”
It’s not uncommon to hear the idea that the Tigers have been better in recent years against pro-style pocket passers than their speedy spread counterparts.
For the most part, that hasn’t quite been true. Only Auburn’s Cam Newton truly went off on LSU with his legs, as the Heisman winner tallied a whopping 217 yards and two touchdowns against LSU in 2010.
Other than that, running threats like Oregon’s Thomas, Tebow and South Carolina’s Connor Shaw found tough sledding against the Tigers, running for a combined 49 yards on 31 attempts.
The key to LSU’s relative effectiveness against those quarterbacks starts and ends with Chavis’ Mustang package, which features six defense backs, two linebackers and three down linemen.
“You’ll see that a lot [Saturday],” said freshman defensive back Dwayne Thomas. “It’s probably the most I’ll see the field so far. We have to get that speed out there to contain scrambles.”
On A&M’s first two drives last season, LSU employed the Mustang package on just two of 24 plays. The Aggies piled up 5.9 yards per play and scored 10 points during that span.
Once the Tigers switched predominantly to the Mustang, LSU held A&M to 3.8 yards per play and forced five turnovers while allowing only nine points during the final 70 defensive snaps.
Junior defensive end Jermauria Rasco said facing mobile quarterbacks like Manziel shifts the focus for the entire front seven.
“It’s more trying to press the pocket in front instead of getting upfield fast,” he said. “You stay in the lane to keep them from having a place to go.”
Manziel’s increased passing acumen makes him a more complete mobile passer than LSU has seen in recent seasons — his completion percentage and yards per attempt are up significantly from 2012.
“A year ago he was a runner,” said LSU coach Les Miles. “This year, he’s a much more capable quarterback. He steps back in there, understands what to expect and seems to be stronger in the ability to throw it.”
If LSU can manage to force throws instead of scrambles, the Tigers all emphasized getting their hands in the passing lanes, given Manziel’s relatively small 6-foot-1-inch stature.
“He reminds me a little of Drew Brees in how effective he can be without being tall, but Johnny does it out of the pocket,” Johnson said. “Him being a shorter guy will only matter if we can keep him there.”
With more passing, Manziel’s greatest weakness — turnovers — has been slightly exacerbated this year. He’s thrown 11 picks, already eclipsing his 2012 total.
Turnovers have traditionally been LSU’s best line of defense against mobile quarterbacks.
Against Locker, Jeremiah Masoli, Thomas, Shaw and Manziel, the LSU defense combined to force nine interceptions and three quarterback fumbles.
“I sometimes like to face a QB that can do a little bit of both, running and passing,” Rasco said. “You get a chance to make some more plays, forcing some turnovers. If the QB stays in the pocket, it narrows your focus to one goal, though.”
But this year’s Tiger defense has been unusually barren in the turnover department, coming up with just 12 takeaways in 10 games.
If the turnovers don’t come, that means LSU must rely purely on containing line play and the speed of the Mustang package if the Tigers are to slow Manziel.
That uncertainty is tough on a defense, even with LSU’s recent success against dual-threat quarterbacks, which prompted Johnson to say he’d prefer to see a dropback passer when he lines up.
“No offense to my guy, but I’ll play Mettenberger all day instead of Johnny,” he said. “I love Zach, but it’s difficult because running brings so much more. Look at the top quarterbacks in [the NCAA], like Manziel or Jameis Winston, it’s guys who make you work longer on every play.”
Jake Locker – 11 for 51 — 25 of 45 for 321, 2 TDs, 1 INT — 1 sack
Tim Tebow – 17 for 38 —11 of 16 for 134, 1 TD — 0 sacks
Cam Newton – 28 for 217 2 TDs — 10 of 16 for 86 — 1 sack
Jermiah Masoli – 11 for 64 2 TDs — 15 of 23 for 177, 1 TD, 2 INTs — 1 sack
Darron Thomas – 2 for 12 — 31 of 54 for 240, 1 TD, 1 INT — 0 sack
Connor Shaw – 12 for -1 — 19 of 34 for 177, 2 TDs, 2 INTs — 4 sacks
Johnny Manziel – 17 for 27 — 29 of 56 for 276, 3 INTs — 3 sacks