The BCS No. 1 LSU football team could attribute its success to a multitude of statistical values, but many players find one statistic as important as any other — turnovers.
Sixteen takeaways to only three turnovers this season gives LSU an overall turnover margin of +13, tying the Tigers with Rutgers for the best mark in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
LSU’s turnover margin is the best in the Southeastern Conference. South Carolina ranks second with a turnover margin of +6.
Senior quarterback Jarrett Lee has thrown one interception this year in 132 pass attempts, second least among quarterbacks who have started all their team’s games. Freshman quarterback Chuckie Keeton of Utah State is the only regular starting quarterback without an interception on the season.
LSU has lost two fumbles this season. The first came on a bad shotgun snap recovered by Oregon and the other when Northwestern State fell on a fumble by redshirt freshman running back Jakhari Gore.
Sophomore running back Michael Ford said there aren’t many things more important than maintaining possession on offense.
“It’s very important because you’re milking time off the clock,” Ford said. “You don’t turn the ball over. You protect it with your dear coaches.”
Minter said trying to force turnovers has become second nature because of the drills the team practices.
“If [the ball carrier] isn’t to the ground yet we’re trying to strip the ball or were breaking on the ball as fast as we can to try and pick it,” Minter said. “[The coaches] tell the D-line to get their hands up and we always run to the ball because you don’t know what could