David Pollack explains why Sam Leavitt struggled against Ole Miss inside ‘big atmosphere’
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
David Pollack terrorized quarterbacks during a decorated career at Georgia. So he knows what it’s like to see a signal-caller knocked out of rhythm.
During LSU‘s 32-24 loss to Ole Miss, Sam Leavitt never really found his groove. In the first half, he was 9-of-13 for just 51 yards. He went 7-of-14 for 101 yards and a touchdown in the second half — and ran for a score in the third quarter — but compared to the job Trinidad Chambliss was doing on the other side, it ultimately didn’t matter.
Leavitt finished with 63 yards rushing, but Pollack argued that his willingness to run may not always be a good thing, especially when it’s at the expense of passing up open receivers.
“When you go back and look at it, you’re going to see there was guys open time and time again,” Pollack said on his “See Ball Get Ball” podcast. “And when he got settled down in the third quarter and he realized he had to take those and they had to run the football a little bit more, I thought they came back.”
The environment may have been a little too much for Leavitt, too.
“Sam Leavitt’s eyeballs might have been the size of spoons. I mean, it was definitely a big atmosphere,” Pollack said. “He was so juiced up leaving the pocket.”
One particular moment that stood out, though, came with the Tigers looking to pull within a two-point conversion of tying the game. But Leavitt missed an open Zach Grace in the end zone on third-and-goal from the 6 before a game-ending interception.
“He’s a great athlete. He’s tough. He’s got all those things. Can you slow this down just a little bit, man?” Pollack said. “And he ain’t the only one, but just trust the protection’s going to be there.”
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
