It drifts left, and he misses.
With South Carolina kicker Alex Herrera’s missed kick, LSU pulled off the 17-point comeback against the Gamecocks and improved to 2-1 on the season.
It was a game full of stress and adversity for the Tigers. With College GameDay in town in one of the toughest environments in the SEC, it was a steep hill to climb, and it looked like this game was over before it started.
However, LSU weathered the storm and scored 16 in the second quarter to make it an eight-point game. With South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers going down due to injury, the Gamecocks’ offense took a major step back. LSU took the lead in the fourth quarter, but the Gamecocks responded and retook the lead.
After a field goal and a pair of empty drives, LSU had one more chance with 3:28 left in the fourth quarter. The Tigers capitalized on that opportunity and scored the eventual game-winning touchdown after a two-yard run by Josh Williams.
After South Carolina’s kick faded to the left, LSU players cheered and ran onto the field. In a game full of excitement and big plays, one notable factor played a crucial role.
The turnover battle.
The Tigers’ defense has been still trying to figure things out with new defensive coordinator Blake Baker. One way they can have success is by getting the ball back on offense.
Although the team gave up some big plays and had trouble stopping the run, it forced three turnovers.
The game’s first turnover for the Tigers’ defense was an interception by cornerback Zy Alexander on a deep ball toward the end zone in the first quarter. Alexander had a step on receiver Jared Brown, and he was able to come down with the football.
The second turnover came from defensive back Sage Ryan. Ryan blitzed and sacked Sellers, which resulted in a fumble recovered by Harold Perkins in the second quarter.
The third and final one came on another blitz where defensive end Bradyn Swinson reached quarterback Robby Ashford on a crucial third down in the fourth quarter.
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LSU had trouble last season forcing turnovers as they finished the season with only 14, but so far this season, they are off to a better start with four in three games.
No one is expecting this defense to make a complete turnaround from last season to this one, but what they do want to see is improvement and identity.
During the press conference on Monday, head coach Brian Kelly was asked about the improvement of the pass rush to get big plays that can affect the game.
“More than anything else is to create havoc, and we did that,” Kelly said. “We got the ball out, we came up with turnovers, we came up with key stops.”
The turnovers are a step in the right direction. With the pressure being created and finding the right roles for certain players, it’s something we did not see in this team last year.
However, the big plays are something the team is going to need to fix, but Kelly is optimistic about his defense going forward.
“We’re not there yet, there’s no doubt, but we are making the progress necessary with the group of guys that we have,” Kelly said. “We’re making progress where I feel like we’re not there yet but we’re getting closer.”
Forcing turnovers is something that the LSU defense is going to have to do this season until they prove that they can limit big plays and give up a lot of points. Every turnover that occurred on Saturday was because of pressure created by the defense. Whether it was from blitzes from defensive backs and linebackers or the defensive line being able to reach home, the pass rush generated opportunities for the defense.
The aggressive approach that Baker incorporated into the defense is something that can help the Tigers and should be something to be on the lookout for.
