Pro Football Focus grades LSU vs. Florida

By Hunt Palmer

LSU’s defense propelled the Tigers to a win in the SEC opener.

The Tigers picked off DJ Lagway five times and produced a touchdown on Dashawn Spears’s interception return. It was another second half shutout for Blake Baker’s crew which continues to play some of the best football in the country.

Offensively, LSU did enough. The ground game was non-existent until Caden Durham’s late 51-yard run. The passing game hummed on one long touchdown drive but sputtered throughout the game.

The Pro Football Focus grades are out. Let’s dive in to LSU’s 20-10 win against Florida.

HIGHEST GRADES

1. Dashawn Spears, SS – 97.9
2. Mansoor Delane, CB – 80.1
3. Garrett Nussmeier, QB – 78.5
4. West Weeks, LB – 76.7
5. AJ Haulcy, FS – 74.8
6. PJ Woodland, CB – 74.1

Usually, we have a snap count minimum, and Spears wouldn’t qualify for the top spot. He only played nine snaps. He made them count with a pair of picks including one he took to the house to electrify Tiger Stadium. That warrants a mention.

Delane continues his exceptional play. He graded 79.1 in coverage. That’s excellent. He was targeted six times and only gave up two catches for 12 yards. He also pressured Lagway once and hit him.

Nussmeier continues to grade highly though he’s not stuffing the stat sheet. His passing game grade was 77.6. He made three “big time throws” and only had one “turnover worthy play”. That was a really poor decision to throw the ball across his body while LSU was in field goal range. There’s just no reason to do that on third and 27. However, PFF liked the rest of Nussmeier’s night.

West Weeks was an animal until he got hurt. He probably would have finished the game with 15-plus tackles. Because of the calf strain, it was just 12. His tackling grade was 83.7. He did not miss one. Weeks also provided a pressure.

Haulcy got his hands on the Lagway interception before the half that set up Damian Ramos’s field goal that put LSU ahead. His 74.7 coverage grade was great. Haulcy was dinged for a pair of missed tackles, but that interception was a huge key in the game.

PJ Woodland continued his breakout sophomore campaign with a great night. He graded 74.4 in coverage with a pass breakup. He jumped a slant and nearly intercepted it. Neither of his two targets were completed. Woodland also recorded a pressure on a blitz.

LOWEST GRADES

1. Weston Davis, RT – 34.7
2. Gabriel Reliford, DE – 38.7
3. Ju’Juan Johnson, RB – 48.9
4. Josh Thompson, RG – 49.5
5. Coen Echols, G – 50.4

The offensive linemen once again show up on the lowest grade list. Davis graded 44.1 in the run game and 65.2 in pass protection. He was flagged three times though two were declined or offsetting. Davis’s season-long grade is 40.0, and it’s 36.5 in run blocking. That’s a concern.

Reliford’s grade was hurt because he was targeted twice in the passing game and allowed a pair of receptions for 22 yards. His tackling grade was 75.2, so that’s a positive. On 23 pass rush reps he graded just 56.9 and didn’t notch a pressure.

What I liked about Johnson’s grade was a 77.2 pass blocking score. The staff likes Johnson on third downs because he worked with the quarterbacks all spring and knows how to set protections. He’s also plenty big enough to block and is dynamic in the receiving game. Holding up on four pass protection reps is a positive. He graded just 54.4 running the ball, and a lot of that is due to the fumble that put LSU behind the chains after the long pass play to Bauer Sharp.

Thompson scored 46.2 in run blocking and 60.0 in pass protection. The offensive linemen continue to score higher in the passing game than run blocking. That’s no surprise.

Echols was the exception. He graded 50.2 in the running game and 43.2 in the passing game. Echols played 16 snaps at left guard in Paul Mubenga’s place.