Nothing in football sends a crowd to its feet like a huge hit.
It can happen anywhere on the field. Pads crack on pads and tens of thousands of fans either roar or fall completely silent.
Many players on No. 8 LSU have delivered these kind of hits this season, but one question remains: Which Tiger hits the hardest?
Several Tigers said they thought it was junior safety Eric Reid.
Fans still chatter when the Tiger Stadium video board shows Reid’s monster hit on former Mississippi State running back Vick Ballard from last season.
Others said that it is not Reid, but the other starting safety, junior Craig Loston.
“I think Craig is the most consistent hard hitter on our defense,” said junior defensive end Barkevious Mingo. “He goes to make the big hit every time.”
Both safeties are fast, weigh more than 200 pounds and punish opponents for going over the middle against the Tigers defense.
Reid acknowledged being the hardest hitter is something the two safeties had thought about before.
“Craig and I compete in everything,” Reid said. “That includes who can hit the hardest. It’s a weekly competition between us.”
Despite that competition, Reid did not name himself or Loston as the biggest hitter. He gave his vote to junior linebacker Kevin Minter.
“He’s one of the hardest hitting linebackers in the [Southeastern Conference],” Reid said.
Minter, who leads the team with 90 tackles, had to agree with Reid.
“Yes, I think I am the hardest hitter on the team,” Minter admitted. “I’m not trying to be cocky or anything, it’s just you have to have that demeanor when you are a linebacker.”
For further proof, see Minter’s back-to-back sacks of Florida quarterback Jeff Driskel in the second quarter from the game against Florida on Oct. 6.
The first play he jumped the snap, went between the guard and center and buried Driskel before he could even start his play-action fake. The next play, he ran untouched between the right guard and tackle then knocked Driskel backward for the sack.
On offense, it was a pretty clear choice for most of the Tigers.
“J.C. Copeland,” said senior wide receiver Russell Shepard. “He is the punisher, man.”
Copeland, a junior, is a 272-pound former defensive tackle who has served as the lead blocker for the Tigers’ stable of running backs.
“I don’t get hit by J.C. in practice, but I see how hard he hits other people,” Mingo said. “A couple of times I’ve seen him get on those linebackers and just bully them. It was kind of bad, but he really brings it every day.”
Within that stable is the second most mentioned candidate for hardest hitter on the LSU offense, junior running back Spencer Ware.
“Spencer Ware could be an outside linebacker if we needed him to be,” said senior offensive lineman Josh Dworaczyk.
At a dense 225 pounds, Ware is a violent, straight-ahead runner who has put his shoulder down and run over a number of would-be tacklers who have tried to bring him down.
“I definitely think the hardest hitter on the offense is Spencer Ware,” Reid said. “I remember when I met him in the hole in practice one time, and it wasn’t pretty for me.”
LSU junior safety Eric Reid (1) tackles MSU junior quarterback Tyler Russell (17) during the Tiger's 37-17 win over the Bulldogs on November 10, 2012.
