After graduating its two-time leading tackler in First-Team All American linebacker Kelvin Sheppard, some wondered who would take the reins as top the Tigers’ top tackler.
Very few eyes turned to the Tiger secondary, which has taken on the task as a unit.
The top five tacklers for the Tigers are all defensive backs, led by sophomore cornerback Tyrann Mathieu with 24 tackles, three for a loss.
“Tyrann anticipates making the play,” LSU coach Les Miles said. “He is a guy that sees each opportunity as incredible and tries to throw his body around it. I think it is a pointed focus that Tyrann Mathieu has. I think there are some other guys that are similar in that way, but it is just a little bit more obvious with do.”
LSU’s other top-25 duel came Thursday at Mississippi State, which entered the game ranked No. 31 in the nation with 267 pass yards per game and boasted the No. 4 total offense in the nation.
The Tigers’ secondary held Mississippi State to 141 yards passing and came away with two Morris Claiborne interceptions – his first two picks of the year.
“To tell you the truth, I really don’t know what happened,” Claiborne said after the game. “The guy ran a post, I was over the top of him. He threw the ball, I jumped and I thought it was too high but I ended up with the ball in my hands. The second one, he just threw it up with the pressure from Ryan Baker and I was fortunate to come up with that throats.”
Even with the departure of former cornerback Patrick Peterson to the NFL, the Tiger secondary is on par with last season’s numbers.
Through three games, the secondary is allowing 160 pass yards per game, besting the mark set by last season’s squad, which allowed 169.8 yards per game through the air.
 
____
Contact Mark Clements at [email protected]