LSU sophomore defensive end Arden Key didn’t want to miss out on his second opportunity.
Mississippi State quarterback Damian Williams rolled out to his right, spotted an open receiver, planted his feet to throw — and found himself on the ground, confused and searching for the football.
Key had just hopped onto Williams’ back, causing a game-saving — and possibly season-saving — sack as the Bulldogs, down by three points, were marching on offense with less than 1:35 remaining in the fourth quarter.
LSU (2-1, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) junior defensive end Davon Godchaux wrestled the ball away from Mississippi State offensive lineman Devon Desper to secure LSU’s 23-20 victory against Mississippi State.
The cause of this disorientation was from Key, who used his speed to take down Williams on fourth down and end any chance of a comeback for Mississippi State.
On the previous play, Key was just a few seconds short of making another sack.
“I got real close,” he said. “I said ‘OK I got to get him.’”
Key has a lofty goal of 20 sacks this season, and he’s on pace to complete it — and then some.
After three games this season, Key has five sacks, already matching his entire 2015 total.
“We love getting after the quarterback,” said senior defensive end Lewis Neal. “That speed is hard to stop. [Key] knows his strengths. We love getting him on the edge and getting all of us on the edge.”
Key wasn’t the only defensive lineman that “got after” the quarterback.
The LSU defensive line racked up six sacks and eight tackles for loss against the Bulldogs.
“We had some guys that can fly,” said LSU coach Les Miles. “Lewis Neal, certainly Arden Key, Kendell Beckwith — those guys can hit the quarterbacks, and they’re a devastating weapon on third down.”
LSU’s defense, behind the pass rushers, allowed a mere three points to the Bulldogs in the first half. Mississippi State accounted for 80 total yards of offense through the first 30 minutes.
“That’s something that we always stress,” Neal said. “We anchor a lot of the team, and we’re a spark to the team … It’s hard to lose when you win the line of scrimmage.”
Defensive coordinator Dave Aranda showed multiple defensive fronts throughout the game, but what was most successful for the Tigers was getting to a similar style of play.
“We blitzed a lot and went back to the original 4-3 front,” Key said. “That’s what we do best.”
Mississippi State entered the game rushing for more than 200 yards in its first two games, but stopping the run helped free up the pass rush for the Tigers.
Sophomore nose tackle Travonte Valentine and junior nose tackle Greg Gilmore clogged up running lanes. LSU kept Mississippi State to only rush for 56 yards.
Fun ensued.
“We stopped the run so it was time to have some fun,” Neal said.
Though Mississippi State outscored LSU 17-0 in the second half and nearly rallied to win the game, Miles thought this game was one of LSU’s most complete outings of the season. But he believes they have potential to be better on defense.
“I thought this was a very solid outing,” Miles said. “But they can be so much more; we finished the game on offense.”