After watching LSU engage in a season-long shootout with every opponent it’s faced so far, it was good to see Les Miles and company could still pull a hammer out of their tool bag and win a low-scoring, defensive struggle.
Zach Mettenberger had his first off-game, but Jeremy Hill and the offensive line dominated the line of scrimmage to grind out the 17-6 victory against Florida. Considering the Gators have the best defense in the Southeastern Conference, Hill’s 151 total yards was his most impressive performance thus far.
It was a hard-hitting battle, but Hill wore down the Gator defense late in the game. He accumulated 64 of his rushing yards in the fourth quarter to ice the game in a performance eerily similar to what Mike Gillislee did to LSU in last season’s Florida game.
Hill is a special player, and it isn’t breaking news to anybody that he can play the role of the hammer in a physical game. The bigger surprise was the much- maligned Tiger defense being able to hold up their end of the bargain.
But Rome wasn’t built in a day. I don’t think the defense is ready to shut down Alabama and Texas A&M just yet, but after limiting opponents to just nine points in their last six quarters of football, the unit is making undeniable progress.
The defensive line made the largest leap forward. They stuffed runs at the line of scrimmage, sacked Florida quarterback Tyler Murphy and rushed him into throwing a number of absolute ducks that — through some kind of divine intervention — were not picked off.
Since his interception against Georgia, Anthony Johnson has looked like the monster in the middle we all thought he would be. “Freak” beat his blocker and bulldozed Murphy for one of the Tigers’ four sacks on the afternoon.
But like Hill, watching Johnson be good at tackle football is not a shocking development. The play of LSU’s defensive ends, however, is.
Danielle Hunter got the start and something just clicked inside of him. It was like the 6-foot-6-inch sophomore finally realized he’s a scary combination of speed and length, recording seven tackles and batting down two passes at the line. Miles mocked a reporter for asking if this was the first time the coaches told Hunter to put his arms up, but to the reporter’s credit, that’s what it looked like.
Jermauria Rasco added four tackles and four quarterback hurries of his own on the other side in what was easily the best pass rush the Tigers have mustered this season.
The linebackers missed some tackles but played well overall. Lamin Barrow and Kwon Alexander were active throughout the game, and true freshman Kendell Beckwith sacked Murphy and forced a fumble that effectively ended the game.
Craig Loston returned from injury, and the secondary didn’t allow any big plays, but don’t pin any ribbons on them yet. The uber-conservative Gator offense didn’t test the back end of the defense like it did the front seven.
Now if the Tigers’ secondary can slow down the Ole Miss passing game next week, perhaps they can permanently shed their status as the nail.
Either way, Miles has to be thrilled his team showed it can win the occasional slugfest. Having the versatility to win games in different ways is key because it makes LSU able to adapt and play well in whatever type of game it finds itself in.
The shootout has been the most common style this season. But on the day Tiger Stadium held the reunion of the 2003 BCS National Championship team, LSU turned back the clocks with a vintage physical performance.
James Moran is a 21-year-old mass communication senior from Beacon, N.Y.