Glance at LSU’s defensive stats from 2014, and you’ll find no evidence of a unit in need of improvement. The Tigers were excellent against the pass last year, solid against the run and led the SEC in total defense.
But drill down deeper and you’ll see symptoms of the inconsistency that played a role LSU’s disappointing 8-5 campaign.
- Four teams ran for at least 260 yards against the Tigers last year. In those games, LSU went 1-3 and gave up an average of 32.5 points per game.
- The Tigers finished with 19 sacks last season. It’s the team’s fewest since 2000, and ranked 13th in the conference.
- Though the Tigers finished plus-3 in turnover margin, they ranked 10th in the SEC with 20 turnovers forced on the season.
These intermittent issues give new defensive coordinator Kevin Steele some very clear directives entering 2015. And after opening the season on Sept. 5 hosting McNeese State, LSU has a pair of big-time tests against SEC West foes.
Mississippi State, which defeated the Tigers last season in Baton Rouge, will host LSU for a night game on Sept. 12; the following week, conference favorite Auburn will visit LSU. No season is made or broken by Week 3, but before the first month is done, Tigers fans should have a clear indication of what to expect from this year’s team.
Much of the preseason focus has been on the battle at quarterback, and improvement at the position is vital to the Tigers’ success. But the back-to-back conference games in Weeks 2 and 3 could be just as telling for LSU’s defense.
Mississippi State returns first-team All-SEC quarterback Dak Prescott, who led the Bulldogs to 268 passing yards and 302 rushing yards in last year’s win. Auburn has some major pieces to replace in its backfield, but coach Gus Malzahn’s offense found room for 298 rushing yards against LSU a year ago.
The Tigers defense improved after the Auburn loss as young players took over starting roles and the unit coalesced into a pretty stingy group. Nonetheless, those games figure to be a challenge for an LSU team still getting acquainted to a new defensive coordinator.
Speaking of, exactly how Steele plans to fortify the LSU defense remains somewhat of a mystery. Team practices are closed after a short media viewing period, and players and coaches have been tight-lipped regarding any changes from predecessor John Chavis’ schemes.
Traditionally, Steele, a 35-year veteran of the profession, has preferred a 3-4 scheme. But don’t expect LSU to make the switch away from the base 4-3 immediately.
“We don’t have 3-4 personnel,” Steele told Gannett reporter Glenn Guilbeau. “That’s not what this was built with. It’s not what it was recruited to.”
That said, Steele has mentioned some specific parallels between the Tigers dime/Mustang set and the 3-4, and has also mentioned a 4-2-5 package in addition to the traditional nickel. Such sets are becoming increasingly common, mirroring the proliferation of multi-receiver looks on offense.
Regardless of how the Tigers line up, Steele’s philosophy takes direct aim at some of the weaknesses from last year’s defense.
“It’s a mentality; we emphasize effort, tackling and turnovers,” Steele said at LSU Media Day. “If you do those three things, you’re going to have a chance. We emphasize it every day. We start the meeting with it every day. We have a video with the turnovers from the day before.”
Perhaps the most interesting aspect to keep an eye on will be how Steele adapts his scheme to better fit the talent he has on hand. NFL consultant Chris Landry expounded on that in an interview with NOLA.com.
“Chavis preferred to play the run with numbers. Steele is more about controlling the line of scrimmage with assignment football. What’s going to be important this year is how he utilizes the speed. He will have to adjust his thinking with the speed-oriented defense Chavis left behind.”
Brent Holloway is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers Georgia, LSU and Mississippi State.
