In its first game against a physical, ball-control offense, the LSU defense exceeded expectations and caused South Carolina to exit the game with a goose egg in its rushing yards column.
The Gamecocks entered Saturday’s contest as the No. 2-ranked rushing offense in the Southeastern Conference with 187.7 yards per game on the ground, led by freshman standout Demetris Summers. But when the clock read zero, so did the Gamecocks’ rushing total for the game.
“We just never could establish a running game,” South Carolina coach Lou Holtz said Sunday at a press meeting. “I don’t know if we could have blocked them or not.”
The LSU defense forced the Gamecocks to abandon their running game and go to the air. But as the game played out, nothing South Carolina did on offense worked effectively.
The Tigers boast the No. 1-ranked rushing defense in the country, yielding just 53.1 yards per game, and they have the fourth best defense in the country, giving up 263.4 total yards per game. The Tigers’ defensive unit also ranks No. 1 in the country in scoring defense, allowing 9.9 points per game.
This week the LSU defense will prepare for another team that ranks No. 2 in the SEC in rushing offense – Auburn.
Auburn enters this game coming off a 405-yard rushing performance against Mississippi State, led by Carnell Williams (161 yards, 6 touchdowns) and Brandon Jacobs (182 yards).
Just like South Carolina, Auburn poses a different style of play than the Tigers have grown used to throughout the season. Instead of lining up with four and five-receiver sets like the Tigers saw so much of during the first half of the season, South Carolina and Auburn use the run to set up the pass.
“Auburn runs the ball a little differently than South Carolina,” said LSU strong safety Jack Hunt. “South Carolina ran the ball with one-back sets. Auburn lines up in the Pro-I [formation] and runs right at you. They’re not going to give up on the run [like South Carolina did].”
The Pro-I is a formation that uses two running backs, two receivers and one tight end as its base set. But many times throughout the game, Auburn may line up with two tight ends and one receiver.
LSU defensive end Marcus Spears said these are the types of games he looks forward to.
“I do like that type of game,” Spears said. “That’s what I like to do. Playing that run, holding guys up, making nice hits, that’s what you want to do as a defensive lineman.”
Last season, Auburn rushed for 216 yards against LSU in a 31-7 win. Williams sat out with an injury as backups Ronnie Brown and Tre Smith stepped in and combined for 175 yards in his absence.
This year, Williams is healthy and averages just more than 100 yards per game while Jacobs and Brown both average more than 50 yards rushing per game.
“They’ve got three good running backs,” Spears said. “Our defensive line, we’ve got four good guys there up front, and we’re ready to get after it.”
Although LSU was able to shut down the Gamecocks’ rushing efforts, Spears said he realizes Auburn is a different team.
“These guys have a little better backs, a little bit better offensive line,” Spears said. “So it’s going to be a challenge for us, and we’re looking forward to it.”