The drama swirled all offseason and trickled into the playing calendar.
By the time boot met ball, it was time for execution. The game was decided on the field and largely by the quarterback on the other sideline. LSU’s offense started slowly and picked up steam late. The defense was overwhelmed in the first half but found a couple of answers in the third quarter.
Ultimately it wasn’t enough. LSU has some weaknesses up front on offense and failed to make enough plays on defense. That was all spelled out by Pro Football Focus’s data.
Let’s dive in.
HIGHEST GRADES
- Jhase Thomas, S – 80.1
- Deuce Geralds, DT – 74.5
- Whit Weeks, LB – 74.3
- Princewill Umanmielen, DE – 73.2
- Winnie Watkins, WR – 71.8
Jhase Thomas saw extended work after DaShawn Spears went out with an injury. He was officially credit with five tackles, four solo. He played 19 snaps at free safety, six in the box and five in thew slot. He made three “stop” which PFF constitutes as a “failure by the offense”. Thomas pushed Tamarcus Cooley hard in camp and may have to play significant snaps if Spears is seriously hurt.
Deuce Geralds feels like an emerging star as just a true freshman on the defensive front. He played 47 snaps and graded 71.7 against the run. That’s very strong. Almost all of his work came in the B-gap. He was credited with a hurry.
Weeks is having a great season through three games. He led LSU with eight tackles including a tackle for loss. The tackling grade was a stellar 83.9. He also hurried Chambliss once. The fourth-year linebacker was emotional after the game. He’ll be crucial to LSU’s emotional bounce back this week.
Umanmielen notched one of LSU’s two sacks. He’s going to threaten the single season sack record. Teams are going to have to account for No. 1 on every snap which should help Blake Baker’s unit win with numbers elsewhere.
Watkins made a tremendous catch for a touchdown on a well-thrown ball from Sam Leavitt. He was the only offensive player who graded over a 70. All three times Watkins was targeted resulted in catches.
LOWEST GRADES
- CJ Jimcoily, S – 37.3
- Jackson Harris, WR – 46.7
- Weston Davis, RT – 49.0
- Bo Bordelon, LG – 49.1
- Dashawn Spears, S – 51.2
Jimcoily filled in for Spears after the injury. He logged 25 snaps. Sixteen were in coverage, and he graded 34.3 in coverage. All four targets were catches. That has to be fixed.
Harris was targeted seven times and only made one catch. He did play 63 of LSU’s 72 snaps.
Weston Davis graded a 49.1 overall, 57.6 in pass protection and 51.1 in the running game. He allowed two hurries and was flagged for a false start on the first play of the third quarter.
Bordelon had a rough go. Will Echoles is a stud on that Ole Miss defensive line, and he got the better of this matchup. Bordelon’s pass protection grade was a 12.6 at left guard. That’s as low as I’ve seen. He allowed four pressures including a sack.
Spears missed a tackle, and his 27.6 grade in tackling showed it. Hopefully we haven’t seen the last of him this year.
