In a year where the LSU football defense continues to show improvement from top to bottom, coach Brian Kelly had plenty of praise for the Tiger pass rush ahead of this weekend’s matchup vs. Ole Miss.
Brian Kelly wants as much pressure on Ole Miss quarterback Jackson Dart as possible
Coming off an abysmal showing during the 2023 campaign, the LSU football defense had plenty to prove heading into the 2024 season. From pass coverage, to the entire defensive line, everything needed to improve.
In turn, coach Brian Kelly looked for a change, completely restructuring his defensive coaching staff to defensive coordinator Blake Baker, defensive line coach Bo Davis, edge rushers coach Kevin Peoples and secondary coach Corey Raymond.
Now, as we look at the team five games into the year, there’s no denying the fact that it hasn’t been perfect. Allowing chunk plays and struggling to slow down opposing rushing games have been prevalent, but at the same time, it’d be near impossible to say they at least haven’t shown promise.
Even despite losing major contributors such as defensive tackle Jacobian Guillory and linebacker Harold Perkins Jr, the group has flashed some big-time plays, and it even drew some recent praise from head coach Brian Kelly on Thursday while speaking with the media.
“I think we’re doing really well on the edges,” LSU coach Brian Kelly said when asked about the pressure his defense is getting without Harold Perkins Jr. “Both Sai’vion [Jones] and Bradyn [Swinson] are doing a great job; I think we’re getting some pressure from the inside, whether we bring Whit [Weeks] or not. I think the complementary pressures have been good, and we’ll have to continue to do that because Harold [Perkins Jr]’s not playing this year. So, we’ve been pleased with the pressure that we’ve gotten with our front, and we’re gonna need to continue to do that.”
Interestingly enough, despite ranking among the country’s very worst in sacks per game just one season ago, LSU football currently ranks tied for 14th in the FBS with 3.0 sacks per game. Still, while the purple and gold haven’t exactly faced a light schedule by any means, Ole Miss is another animal, as far as stopping their passing game goes.
“Now, the ball comes out really quick,” the Tiger head coach continued while discussing the Rebel offense. “This is not an offense that’s susceptible to a lot of sacks because the game is such that the ball comes out so quickly from Jackson Dart’s hand. You’re gonna have to go chase him down.”
Through six games, the Rebels rank 2nd nationally in passing yards per game (372.8), and 13th in total passing touchdowns (13). For the sake of comparison, the Tigers are currently allowing 236.4 passing yards per game, ranking 93rd overall.
So naturally, it’s only fair to assume that Brian Kelly and his football squad won’t exactly be able to stop quarterback Jackson Dart and the Ole Miss passing offense. Instead, the biggest question facing LSU is a matter of how do you at least slow them down?
“You’re looking for pressures, and batted balls, and things like that, and we’re gonna need to affect some throws too.”
The purple and gold will next take the field in less than 24 hours against the Ole Miss Rebels in Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, LA. The game is set to kick off at 6:30 p.m. CST, and will be available to watch live on ABC and ESPN+.
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