LSU defensive line coach Pete Jenkins was “chewing” offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger’s “butt.”
Tied with 10 points each at halftime, LSU (4-2, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) was initially sluggish on offense, and its defense allowed a touchdown in the first quarter for the first time this season. The Golden Eagles (4-3, 2-1 Conference USA) outgained LSU in total offense 135 to 121 in the first half and had nine first downs.
Then, Ensminger “let it rip,” LSU’s players said of the offense’s 28 unanswered points in the third quarter — continuously forcing LSU’s defense back on the field after quick scores.
“I said, ‘Hold up, Pete. Don’t worry about it. It’s okay,’” LSU coach Ed Orgeron said. “Yeah, we’re going to have to have some ball control to keep the ball away from them and have some longer drives.”
LSU’s defense was on the field for nearly 38 of Saturday’s 60 minutes and allowed 242 total yards.
After sophomore running back Derrius Guice scored a 61-yard touchdown, LSU’s defense jogged back onto the field with a seven-point lead and a fired-up group of defenders, ready to get “back to their style of defense.”
Junior safety Jamal Adams reciprocated the energy from offense to defense by forcing a strip fumble, leading LSU’s offense with solid field position.
“Me and Jamal talk all the time. We say we have to turn our defense into offense,” senior cornerback Tre’Davious White said. “We have to steal possession as much we can put the offense into a short field, and we’re going to capitalize.”
LSU outscored Southern Miss 35-0 in the second half, holding Southern Miss to 107 yards of offense.
Senior linebacker Kendell Beckwith led the Tigers with a career-high 15 tackles, and Adams was second with 11.
“I just wanted to rally the guys back and play LSU football,” Adams said. “We can’t do that against teams we’re about to play now.”
Without senior safety Rickey Jefferson, junior safety John Battle took the reigns as the starting free safety.
Battle, who had four tackles in the victory, said he wasn’t nervous about his first career start.
“He didn’t give up any deep balls,” Orgeron said. “Obviously we’ve got to watch the film, but he didn’t hurt us in any way. We knew when Rickey [Jefferson] went down that John was ready, and so I think he did very well.”
“He did good,” added White. “He communicated well. We didn’t have any busts in the secondary. That’s always a good thing … We got to go back to playing LSU defense.”