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Dan Mullen on Finebaum: LSU defense can ‘match up against just about anything’
By Ryan Black
Published:
When Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen looks across LSU’s defense, all he sees is talent.
And that’s the case regardless of the position group. And that, Mullen said, allows the Tigers to be as versatile as any defense in college football.
“They can put big guys on the field and be really big and physical against the run. If they get you in a passing situation, you don’t want to be in that because they have possibly the best pass-rusher in all of college football coming off the edge,” Mullen said, referring to pass-rush extraordinaire Arden Key, via the Finebaum Show. “But he’s not alone. They have multiple guys that can go rush the passer. Then you get in the back end with their corners and they can play man (coverage), but they have length in zone. So they can take away a lot of different parts of your game and play different styles against you to match up against just about anything.”
That’s why it will be up to all-everything quarterback Nick Fitzgerald to be at his best Saturday for the Bulldogs, which host the Tigers at Davis Wade Stadium at 7 p.m. ET. Fitzgerald was one of the best players in the SEC last season in his first go-round as the starter.
Now, Mullen says Fitzgerald is more comfortable with his role as the leader of the team.
“This year now, he has that down,” Mullen said. “He knows what it is to be a starter. He knows what the week of preparation is going to be like, how to prepare, what I need to do. He knows what gamedays are going to be like, he knows the type of atmosphere he’s going to be walking into here on a Saturday night with our fans.”
As dazzling as he can be, Mullen says there are always areas where Fitzgerald can improve.
“We all know he can run and he can make some spectacular plays happen,” Mullen said. “But it’s learning how to consistently make the unspectacular play.”
You can watch the full segment here.
Ryan Black covers Georgia football for SaturdayDownSouth.com. Follow him on Twitter @RyanABlack.
