The phrase, “games are won and lost in the trenches,” is one most athletes have heard at some point in their career. It discusses the importance of linemen and their impact on the game. However, for LSU’s defense, its trenches start and end with Maason Smith.
The 6-foot-5 defensive tackle is a serious issue for teams. Smith made his return versus Grambling State, and his dominance was obvious within minutes.
The trentch battle normally consists of five offensive linemen against three to four defensive linemen. Automatically, the defense is at a disadvantage. Due to this, teams invest a lot into their defensive line, increasing the value of dominant linemen.
Often times, skilled linemen face a double team whenever one defensive lineman takes on two offensive linemen. This double team helps negate the disadvantage, creating a more productive line.
All elite linemen share one trait: They require a lot of attention. For instance, Aaron Donald, arguably the greatest defensive tackle in football history, consistently requires three offensive linemen to guard him. He’s a true disruptor, and his presence alone raised the Rams’ defensive productivity from 27th to first.
In Smith’s return, he had four offensive linemen matched against him within minutes. T
The Tigers have to apply pressure against Mississippi State, and he best way is to remove the linemen disadvantage.
Smith’s presence opens up opportunities for other defensive linemen to make plays. This becomes a sort of snowball effect where more availability means more potential plays, more potential plays mean more pressure and more pressure means more potential turnovers. This compounds and slowly increases LSU’s win percentage.
His presence on the field potentially raises the Tigers’ chance of victory. Unfortunately, that isn’t to say Smith is without issues.
He’s incredibly gifted, being arguably the most athletic prospect in this draft cycle. He weighs over 300 pounds and has the fluidity of a wide receiver. But just like Harold Perkins, he’s a very raw prospect.
He has a few problems with his technique: the direction he drives guards, his hand placement and not stuffing running lanes. His issues are fixable but prevent him from consistently dominating. In the same game that Smith was quadruple teamed, he was also responsible for a couple of big runs by Grambling.
With 6:55 left in the first quarter and Grambling pinned on its 21-yard line facing a third-and-15, LSU rushed both Perkins and Smith. Grambling opted for a running play designed to gain a couple of yards to give them better defensive field position.
From a birds-eye view, it appeared Perkins was responsible for the quarterback and Smith the running back. A half-second into the snap, Smith was in the backfield; his aggression caused him to completely whiff on the runner.
The quarterback took the snap and handed it to the running back. As mentioned, Smith has issues filling the running lanes. In this case, the mistake allowed Grambling to convert and gain 36 yards in the process.
Smith’s aggression and athleticism allowed him to enter the backfield in a split-second, but his lack of technique caused him to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
A step to his right and he most likely causes a forced fumble. His inexperience as a prospect is the only thing preventing him from constantly dominating games.
He made costly mistakes against Southwest Atlantic Conference competition, and now he’s facing a Southeastern Conference team. Most likely, Mississippi State will look to take advantage of his inconsistency. On the surface, LSU should be worried about how its star defensive tackle will perform this week.
The Bulldogs have a quarterback expected to be drafted and, within the Southeastern Conference, they have one of the more formidable lines. Their main issue lies with how well their line gels. They retained the majority of last year’s offensive line, but half of them play a new position.
They’re also starting a new center this year — someone Smith will most likely match up with. If the Tigers can cause false starts and force bad snaps, the advantage instantly favors the LSU defense. Smith has the potential to successfully apply interior pressure and disrupt the entire offensive line. His presence should help the Tigers jump out in front early.
LSU understood that Smith’s return wouldn’t be without issues; it just needed to see the potential. Athletically, he never lost a step. Attention wise, it’s clear teams are still concerned about the effect he’ll have.
Smith had a couple of mistakes against Grambling, but it’s the reason he played last Saturday. Any player coming off a serious injury will have rust. Giving Smith limited snaps to see if he can make an impact means the Tigers aren’t concerned about his performance.
They were looking for athleticism and potential. The technique can be cleaned up as they gear up to face the Bulldogs. And, as for playing him, they did so to prevent his mistakes from being made against a tough opponent.
Smith’s performance isn’t a concern for LSU right now. His first week may have had some problems, but as the Tigers gear up to face Mississippi State, he should become more consistent and dominant.
