The football program in Baton Rouge has often been dubbed “Defensive Back University,” or “DBU” as playmakers like Patrick Peterson, Morris Claiborne, Eric Reid and Tyrann Mathieu have all sprinted through the tunnel in Tiger Stadium over the past decade.
But LSU’s 2013 corps of cornerbacks and safeties brought in a different breed of defensive back — they were young, inexperienced and looking to carry on a tradition of solid secondary play for the Tigers.
Nowhere was it more evident than in Athens, Ga., where miscommunication, blown assignments and lack of experience plagued the LSU secondary Sept. 28.
In Sanford Stadium, Georgia senior quarterback Aaron Murray torched the young Tiger defensive backs for 298 yards and four touchdowns in a 44-41 shootout victory for the Bulldogs. It was a contest that had fans wondering if the 2013 LSU defense would ever revert back to its dominant ways of the past.
Three weeks after the debacle against Georgia, though, it appears the poor game against the Bulldogs was more of an anomaly than a sign of things to come.
The LSU pass defense currently ranks third in the Southeastern Conference, allowing opposing quarterbacks to complete 54.3 percent of their passes and surrendering 196.3 yards per game.
Murray remains the only quarterback to throw for more than 250 yards against the Tigers’ secondary. Auburn junior quarterback Nick Marshall was the only other passer to hit the 200-yard mark, finishing with 224 against LSU on Sept. 21.
LSU’s secondary is showing its potential in 2013, and the squad will only continue to grow as it matures.
“We’re very comfortable, even after the games we’ve had,” said sophomore cornerback Jalen Mills. “Guys are really stepping out of their shells and being the player that they want to be and we know that they can be. Confidence is really high, and guys are really playing with the swagger that’s been played with here over the years.”
After Mills and sophomore cornerback Jalen Collins made their marks during their first season a year ago, players like freshman corners Tre’Davious White and Rashard Robinson and sophomore defensive backs Micah Eugene and Corey Thompson have begun do the same.
White, Robinson and Eugene have all been used in various roles in 2013, with Eugene lining up in the nickel spot and White getting starts over his sophomore teammates.
Even Thompson recently received a starting nod after junior safety Ronald Martin was unavailable against Florida, making seven tackles against the Gators.
Thompson’s start could have created more miscommunication issues. Instead, the secondary responded by playing one of its most complete games of the season, holding Gator junior quarterback Tyler Murphy to only 115 yards passing.
“This past game, [Thompson] showed what he could do,” said senior safety Craig Loston. “He made some checks out there and made a couple of tackles and was able to help us do what we needed to do in order to win.”
The secondary has been an assembly line of sorts, with pieces and parts being inserted throughout the course of the season.
Because of this, communication issues were likely to occur early, and it showed against the veteran Murray in Athens.
Loston said the secondary continues to be a work in progress, and the improvements will only continue as the team moves through SEC play.
“It’s a little different trying to make sure you’ve got everybody on the same page and trying to do your job, too,” Loston said. “It can be a little stressful at times, but we’re getting better back there. It showed this past game … and I would say we’re getting better with it.”
“Guys are really stepping out of their shells and being the player that they want to be and we know that they can be. Confidence is really high, and guys are really playing with the swagger that’s been played with here over the years.”
-Have held opposing quarterbacks to a 54.3 completion percentage
-Have allowed seven passing TDs in seven games
-5 INTs
-Have allowed only 196.3 yards per game through the air