With the murderers’ row of the SEC schedule on the horizon, LSU put together a dominant performance in its final tune-up game until late November.
The Tigers faced New Mexico, a team that went into the game 2-1, but was heavily overmatched on paper. LSU made that clear from the start in this game.
New Mexico failed to get on the scoreboard in this game, and really never got close. Defensively, LSU was dominant, playing one of its best games in recent history on that side of the ball. The Tigers held New Mexico to just 88 yards of total offense and just two first downs all game.
“It’s difficult to shut out anybody in football,” Head Coach Brian Kelly said. “College football is set up for success on offense. We had three or four starters out on defense, and we had to juggle in the lineup. We had Jarrick [Bernard-Converse] playing safety, and the guys really rallied.”
BJ Ojulari, Major Burns and Jay Ward were all prominent starters who missed this game, but their absence didn’t seem to affect the defensive production. Freshman linebacker Harold Perkins stepped in and led the way on defense, tallying eight total tackles. He continues to emerge as someone who’s seeing a bigger role each week.
At safety, it was Jarrick Bernard-Converse who filled in for Burns, and he made the transition smoothly. This was a position Bernard-Converse hadn’t played in over two years, but according to him, it wasn’t a big change.
“It was a little different because of the offense that we played tonight. Overall, I feel like playing DB is all the same at the end of the day,” Bernard-Converse said.
He tallied just three tackles on the night but was a consistent presence in the back end of the defense. His performance stepping in at safety, though, warranted the game ball from the LSU coaching staff.
“I was thankful and blessed because I was in a position to where our team, our defense was able to trust me,” Bernard-Converse said on earning the game ball.
New Mexico committed to running the ball early in this game, meaning the LSU defensive line was going to be called upon heavily. They answered that call, holding New Mexico to just 41 rushing yards on 26 attempts. The Lobos struggled to move the ball at all in the game, only picking up two first downs on the night. Though the score wasn’t too lopsided early, the defensive dominance is what kept LSU firmly in control.
“I’ve been coaching for 32 years, so I’ve had some of those games,” Kelly said. “It was pretty clear that they were going to have a difficult time moving the football on us. I thought our plan was excellent and we felt pretty good going into halftime even though it was only 17-0.”
Even as the offense got going in the second half, LSU’s defense continued to dominate New Mexico. Astonishingly, the Tigers held New Mexico to just seven total yards in the second half. LSU had an answer for everything New Mexico tried, although that was not much. The Lobos attempted just seven passes on the night but totaled more yards there than they did rushing on 26 attempts.
The second half performance showed the emphasis that Kelly and the coaching staff placed on playing a complete game. Holding a team that is already being blown out to single-digit yards in a half is a sign of commitment and being locked in for four quarters.
Safety Greg Brooks Jr. was another player who shined in this game, and he echoed that point of playing a complete game.
“Coach [Matt] House made a big emphasis on that,” Brooks said. “Especially since we played a triple option he said, ‘so you guys can shut it down?’ We just do our job, we did our job and shut them down.”
This was yet another impressive defensive performance for LSU. Since the Florida State game, the defense seems to be steadily improving, which is key going into the next stretch of SEC play. The competition will get tougher, but the Tigers’ communication and comfortability seem to improve with each week.
Next week, LSU will face Auburn, and despite Auburn struggling early on this season, it’s an SEC game that LSU has struggled in the last couple years. Now is the perfect time for the defense to hit its stride, and that can really start next week in another SEC test. Especially when taking into consideration the players who missed this game, the stock of the defense is rising, and the next couple weeks will prove whether the optimism is warranted or not.
Overall, the momentum LSU carries into October is a positive sign for this still developing group. Stacking wins is the best way to build morale and consistency and that’s what LSU has done since the Florida State loss. Kelly echoed this point, vocalizing his confidence in the direction of the team with SEC play right around the corner.
“I told our guys one time’s an accident, second time’s a coincidence, third time’s a habit,” Kelly said. “They’ve won three in a row; they’re building good habits and we look to continue to build on that heading into SEC play.”
