Things change on third down.
A dull roar creeps over the stadium, and a backs-against-the-wall mindset settles into the thoughts of players as they prepare for an all-or-nothing battle.
“It’s one of those downs where your adrenaline picks up, your mind starts to change and you realize, ‘OK, it’s not first, it’s not second down anymore — either I get this or I go off the field,’” said sophomore offensive lineman Trai Turner. “You look at the scoreboard, you look at how far you have to go and you say, ‘OK, it’s time to go.’”
The LSU football team has seen a significant jump in the success of third-down conversions in 2013 as it leads the Southeastern Conference with a 58 percent conversion rate.
The offense converted 42 of the 72 third downs it has faced this season, up from 40 percent in 2012. LSU has also converted 40 percent of its third-and-long situations — meaning seven yards or farther — this season.
Senior quarterback Zach Mettenberger said he feels third down is a place where he’s seen his game mature and improve during his time in Baton Rouge.
“We’re finding the voids in the defense,” Mettenberger said. “We’re understanding coverages, and I think third and long, we may be backed up, but we’re all confident that if it is third and 15 we can still get 16 yards and get the first down. We’ve done that a lot this year and we don’t want to put ourselves in that situation this week, but we know if they are approached, we have the opportunity to get first downs.”
Possibly the largest factor for the productivity boost has been Mettenberger finding reliable outlets in junior wide receiver duo Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry.
Landry and Beckham are involved in 38 percent of all third-down plays for the Tigers, and Landry leads the team with 17 targets on the season.
“It’s kind of everything we practice day-to-day,” Beckham said following LSU’s loss to Georgia. “Zach is always able to find the seam and find his receivers open and convert on third down.”
Landry’s game seems to have taken a step up on third downs this season, with 46 percent of his receiving yards in 2013 coming on third down. He also hauled in a team high of five third-down touchdowns.
“[Working with offensive coordinator Cam Cameron] is the most important thing right now,” said sophomore running back Jeremy Hill. “He does a great job with the little things and the details, which is something we didn’t really focus on last year.”