Entering Saturday’s game against the University of Louisiana-Monroe, the big question mark on the LSU football team was the safety position.
During the offseason, free safety Jack Hunt moved to the strong spot and former cornerback Travis Daniels moved to free safety. Not only were they in new positions, but the players listed behind them on the depth chart were both true freshmen.
Throughout the Tigers’ 49-7 win against the Indians, the LSU secondary answered those questions in grand style. Hunt was all over the field, leading the team with seven tackles and true freshmen Jessie Daniels and LaRon Landry played “real good,” LSU coach Nick Saban said.
In the third quarter, Hunt leapt into the air, intercepted a Steven Jyles pass, raced 31 yards and dove into the endzone for his first-ever touchdown as a Tiger.
“They always tell you that you should try to imagine yourself making a big play,” Hunt said. “I imagined myself making a play like this. I dropped in the zone, and I guess [Jyles] never saw me. I was right there.”
For his efforts, the LSU coaches named Hunt the Tigers’ defensive player of the game.
“Jack is the glue, he’s the leader,” Saban said. “He makes all the calls, has total understanding of what we’re doing and has improved himself as a tackler.”
Last season, LSU play-by-play announcer Jim Hawthorne announced Hunt as being on the receiving end of “The Bluegrass Miracle” instead of Devery Henderson in the Tigers’ win against Kentucky. Hunt found the missed call rather humorous and wondered if Hawthorne made the same mistake this time.
“Everybody told me to go up to Hawthorne and ask him if he announced Devery Henderson when I scored,” Hunt said with a chuckle.
Saban said Hunt had an excellent fall camp and is a versatile player who knows the defense really well.
“We feel more comfortable with Jack in there,” Saban said. “He gives us the most stability, and at strong safety he is getting more involved on running plays.”
The Tigers stayed in a nickel or dime package for most of the game, forcing the inexperienced secondary to get some time under their belts.
Jessie Daniels started in his first game as the Tigers opened up in a six-man defensive back set.
Daniels played most of the game and had five tackles, one pass break up and two quarterback hurries while Landry, who also played a lot, had three tackles including a bone-crushing sack on Jyles.
“The young guys did a real good job in the game,” said LSU cornerback Corey Webster. “It was a good chance for them to get some first-time experience. It was a real good first game.”
Saban was pleased with the play of the two freshmen safeties but said they still have some things to learn.
“I’m a stickler for detail when these guys play,” Saban said. “I want them to be in certain positions all the time. The young guys have a tough time with that.”
LSU defensive back Randall Gay injured his arm during Saturday’s game and will miss at least two weeks, allowing Daniels and Landry to continue getting the experience they need.
“We’re awfully thin in the secondary,” Saban said. “If you count them up as they go in the game, you get to the freshmen pretty quick. Young players need to get in there and make mistakes so that they can learn from them. You can see we have quite a lot of good, young players out there, but they lack experience.”