AUBURN, Ala. — What looked like a guaranteed six points suddenly wasn’t.
After watching the LSU offense methodically maneuver itself down the field on its opening possession, only to fumble away its opportunity on the goal line, junior defensive end Sam Montgomery got a stern message before he ran on the field.
“Destroy.”
Montgomery heard strength coach Tommy Moffitt’s message loud and clear.
On the next play, Montgomery smothered Auburn sophomore tailback Tre Mason in the end zone to put LSU on the board. His safety would set the tone for the stalwart defensive performance that ensued.
Limiting Auburn to 183 total yards and applying constant pressure on sophomore quarterback Kiehl Frazier, LSU’s defense made up for its sputtering offense in a 12-10 slugfest in Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday.
Penalties and turnovers plagued the visiting Tigers, who entered the game as a 20.5-point favorite.
“It’s one of those things where you have to buckle down, grit your teeth, and go ahead and roll with the punches,” Montgomery said.
Montgomery, who finished with 3.5 tackles for loss and one sack, lauded fellow teammates Lavar Edwards and Micah Eugene for their key roles in the victory.
Redshirt freshman Eugene finished with two sacks, which more than pleased Montgomery.
“I’m so proud of him,” Montgomery said. “Nobody will know the joy that comes to my heart.”
Edwards chipped in with a tackle for loss of his own, all the while helping to shoulder the load during junior quarterback Zach Mettenberger’s inconsistent play throughout the game.
“Words can’t describe what I feel for how our defense played tonight,” said senior offensive tackle Josh Dworaczyk. “When it comes down to the crucial times for the stop, we can do that and that’s what they did tonight.”
Senior safety Eric Reid echoed Dworaczyk, praising the front four for doing what they seem to always do.
“They were able to get to the passer and force him to make some throws he didn’t want to make,” Reid said. “They came up huge for us once again.”
After a lackluster first half that saw Mettenberger lose two fumbles and squander red zone opportunities, Montgomery noticed a number of his teammates hanging their heads in the LSU locker room at halftime.
Montgomery urged the downtrodden players to raise their heads.
“I didn’t like that from my team,” Montgomery said. “I had seen that before and I refused to have it again.”
LSU coach Les Miles praised his veteran defensive end’s locker room presence, calling it a “great leadership” moment.
“I believe that during times of adversity, the older veteran players have to get everyone’s head on straight to go out and play for victory,” Miles said.
Though visibly displeased with the nine penalties his team accumulated, Miles said the nail-biter will be an effective learning experience as the Tigers progress in SEC play.
“This is a tremendous lesson for us which is something that we’ll certainly be able to teach from in a very aggressive manner,” Miles said.
Aided by interceptions from junior cornerback Tharold Simon and junior linebacker Luke Muncie, the LSU defense held firm despite a raucous Jordan-Hare Stadium crowd.
Though the score wasn’t flashy and the spread wasn’t covered, Muncie said simply, “a win’s a win.”
“We’re 1-0 in the SEC, and we’re trying to make a push for the western division championship and the SEC Championship,” Muncie said. “If we can do that, that’s all that matters.”
LSU head coach Les Miles sings the alma mater with his team after the Tigers' 12-10 victory over the Auburn Tigers on Saturday Sept. 22, 2012 in Jordan-Hare Stadium.
