Coming out of week five, everything was going wrong for the LSU football defense. Nothing seemed to be going right, and just about the entire country had seen enough. However, that group came up big vs. Missouri and gave coach Brian Kelly some confidence heading into the rest of 2023.
LSU football defense came up big when it was needed most vs. Missouri
The LSU football defense might have hit an all-time low in week five vs. Ole Miss. They looked lost practically all game, allowing 706 total yards on the day, and it didn’t seem like anything could help.
To make matters worse, they were set to go on the road just one week later to face off against an excellent Missouri offense.
However, the group heard the panic and didn’t back down. In fact, the Tiger defense ended up being a big part of why LSU football was able to come away from Saturday with a victory.
While they still allowed 527 total yards on the day, the Tigers held firm in the second half, stopping the Missouri offense on four of their final drives of the game.
Additionally, with less than a minute remaining in the game and a chance for Missouri to take the lead, senior safety Major Burns said no and took an interception back for six, sealing the game for the purple and gold.
It was a big moment for the LSU football defense and one that could continue momentum into the remainder of 2023. Additionally, it gave coach Brian Kelly some confidence in his team as they look to continue improving.
Coach Brian Kelly likes the confidence he’s beginning to see out of the group
Sometimes, all you need is a play or two to boost your team’s confidence. For coach Brian Kelly and the LSU football defense in 2023, this was very much needed following a rough start to the season.
While it wasn’t perfect by any means, the Tigers’ win over Missouri might have done exactly that. They showed vulnerability throughout the game, but after giving up 25 points in the first half alone, they stood tall, allowing just 14 in the second.
When coach Brian Kelly spoke on the defense following the big-time win, he seemed encouraged.
“Absolutely. Confidence is one where – you need to make some plays to gain confidence too,” coach Brian Kelly said while speaking to the media Saturday afternoon. “So, they saw that happening for the first time against a really good opponent. Back-to-back weeks, the two offenses that we’ve seen are really, really good offenses. They’re top offenses in the country, and we’ve been challenged.”
“And we certainly know that we have to be better, but these kids now are starting to see that they can make some plays. And as you know, we made another change at corner; we moved Sage Ryan out to corner. He gives us a real good tackler out in the big field. And we just need to continue now to work on that and getting some consistency.”
There’s still a long way to go for the LSU football defense in 2023. However, this game was a necessary step that could lead to much-needed momentum going forward into their game against Auburn.
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