586 yards. LSU gave up 586 total yards to Missouri in a 45-41 loss yesterday. This Missouri is the same well oiled offensive machine that gained only 344 yards against Tennessee a week ago. “We lost so much.” “It takes time to learn a new defense.” “But Stingley was hurt.” Folks, we’re running out of excuses. There’s no excuse to be this bad defensively. I try to write honestly, without an effort to be overly positive nor negative. Honestly, this is the worst LSU defense I have ever seen, and I witnessed the Doug Mallory/Bradley Dale Peveto co-disaster of 2008. Going into the season I was prepared to deal with the growing pains that come with a new defense. I expect missed assignments, but not every drive. I expect missed tackles, but not every play. The defensive line was pushed back, the linebackers were nowhere to be found, and the secondary can’t tackle, nor identify their man. 

When you don’t have answers on defense, you have to find ways to compensate for their deficiencies. One way is to keep them off the field. It’s great to see Myles Brennan grow more confident and throw accurately in the pocket, but this team can not afford to abandon the run. Balance on offense helps both Brennan and the defense. I can not adequately explain how hard it is on the offensive line to throw the ball the whole game then suddenly expect them to get enough push to run 2 yards with the game on the line. Running the ball encourages a physical mentality. With this mentality the offensive line gets stronger as the game goes on while simultaneously demoralizing the defense. As we’ve seen from the LSU defense, if a team can run the ball then they can do whatever they want. Play action and big plays stem from players overcompensating to stop the run. LSU has to use the run to shorten the games and take some of the pressure off Brennan. 

On a more positive note, Brennan has grown leaps and bounds in three games. Now that he’s more decisive with the ball he’s able to show the arm talent that earned him 18 scholarship offers coming out of St. Stanislaus in Bay St. Louis, MS. Terrace Marshall is an unstoppable force playing against defenses that are geared to limit him. Ensminger has done a great job of moving Marshall around formations in an effort to prevent defenses from double teaming him. Even when lined up outside where it’s easier to double him, he’s simply out running coverages at 6’3”, 200 lbs. Arik Gilbert could not be covered. He is a matchup nightmare that will continue to give teams problems all year. I’ve seen knocks on him for his blocking shortcomings, but I’ve never seen a freshman tight end that was a great blocker. Let’s appreciate him for what he is, a constant mismatch. 

Kevin Steele is the defensive coordinator for Auburn. His defense held the 2019 LSU Tigers to 23 points. When he was the defensive coordinator for LSU in 2015, I felt his defense was too complex due to coverage busts in the secondary well into the year. That defense gave up 347 yards per game. Needless to say, I had no idea how good I had it as a fan. I’ll be the first to admit that I had high hopes for Bo Pelini this year. I like 4-3 defenses and more importantly, aggressive defenses. Pelini has a very short time to make dramatic improvements on the defensive side of the ball. In a year where no team seems to be able to get stops, LSU looks worse than any other SEC team I’ve seen. The players can’t control the way they’re coached or the defenses called, but they can control the pride they take when wearing an LSU jersey. They can control taking an angle to the outside shoulder when running down a ball carrier. They can control squaring up and making secure tackles. The players have to focus on what they can control, and show the pride to strive to get better every day. This season is not lost. In a year in which every team is vulnerable, the Tigers will have a chance in every game. At the end of the year I’d like to be able to say I saw the pride and fight in this team that made me become an LSU fan in the first place. Be accountable. Be strong. Be positive. Be relentless. Win or lose, GEAUX TIGERS!!!