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Slowing down Leonard Fournette a top priority for Muschamp, Auburn
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Auburn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp has a tough task ahead of him: figuring out how to slow down LSU RB Leonard Fournette.
In a conference loaded with good running backs, Fournette has established himself as one of the best and as a potential Heisman Trophy candidate.
As a true freshman, the 6-foot-1, 230-pound Fournette battered and bruised opposing defenses for 1,034 yards and 10 touchdowns on 187 carries. One of those defenses was Muschamp’s previous team, the Florida Gators.
In the first round of Fournette-Muschamp, the defensive guru had no answers for the powerful running back. Fournette carried the ball 27 times, gashing the Gators for 140 yards and two touchdowns. That’s roughly 5.2 yards per carry against a UF team that ranked No. 13 in rushing defense by allowing an average of 3.3 yards per carry.
Auburn’s best hope might be that the players on the field matter more than the X’s and O’s. If that’s the case, the Plainsmen can hope for a repeat of Fournette’s pedestrian performance against Auburn a year ago (10 carries, 42 yards). But so far this season, both Louisville and Jacksonville State had no trouble running on Auburn, combining for 399 yards on the ground.
Containing Fournette might be for naught if the Auburn offense doesn’t figure out its offensive issues by Saturday. QB Jeremy Johnson has yet to meet expectations, throwing more interceptions (five) than touchdowns (three) through two games against Louisville and Jacksonville State. Passing is unlikely to get any easier against LSU, a team that prides itself as having one of the country’s best secondary units year in, year out.
When former defensive coordinator John Chavis left for Texas A&M, LSU coach Les Miles brought in former Alabama assistant Kevin Steele. Miles hired Steele for his familiarity with the SEC, attention to fundamentals and aggressive schemes. Steele’s last stint as defensive coordinator with Clemson, however, ended with a 70-33 loss to West Virginia in the 2012 Orange Bowl.
Steele’s first and only (complete) game as LSU defensive coordinator was this past Saturday against Mississippi State. The Bulldogs relied heavily on the pass against LSU and QB Dak Prescott came away with a statistically solid day in the loss (34-of-52, 335 yards, touchdown). In Prescott’s 10 carries, his longest run of the night was for 3 yards. As a team, MSU ran 26 times for a net gain of 43 yards.
There’s a number of ways the Tiger Bowl could go this Saturday night. If Auburn comes out ahead, it might be looked back on as the game that Johnson turned the corner. If LSU emerges victorious, expect Fournette to be the deciding factor.
LSU TIGERS CLOSER LOOK
Top returning player, offense: Leonard Fournette, So., RB – A difference maker in LSU’s wins last season over Florida, Ole Miss and Texas A&M, the Bayou Bengals will go as far as Fournette can carry them this season. In Louisiana State’s 21-19 win over Mississippi State, Fournette’s number was called 28 times in 61 plays.
Top returning player, defense: Kendell Beckwith, Jr., LB – Beckwith racked up 77 tackles, including 7.5 tackles for loss and two sacks last season. He’s also a vocal leader at the position frequently referred to as “quarterback of the defense,” middle linebacker.
Top returning player, special teams: Jamie Keehn, Sr., P – Keehn averaged 44.9 yards per punt last season, a top-10 average among NCAA punters. The Australian punter provides consistency for the LSU special teams.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
