LSU GM Billy Glasscock wants the money on the field.
It was on Saturday.
LSU’s high-dollar players balled out at Auburn, and the Tigers cruised to a 38-17 win on the Plains. The defense held quarterback Byrum Brown and Auburn in check for the entire afternoon, and the offense scored 31 before halftime.
It was hard to nit-pick watching in real time. Pro Football Focus generally does. We’ll leave that to them. But the Tigers reached a much-needed BYE week with a big win at Auburn.
HIGHEST GRADES
- Jackson Harris, WR – 90.2
- DJ Pickett, CB – 84.6
- Sam Leavitt, QB – 84.0
- Jordan Ross, DE – 74.0
- Princewill Umanmielen, DE – 72.0
Harris is LSU’s new No. 1 wide receiver. He’s making big plays weekly and did so again at Auburn with a pair of scores. His 70-yard catch and run showed a different style of playmaking ability. He caught 9 of 14 targets for 178 yards and the two scores. He made 71 yards after the catch and didn’t drop a pass.
Pickett is a stud. He was targeted five times and only allowed one catch which went for one yard. His 83.9 coverage grade checks out. He also graded 76.6 in tackling which has shown up time and time again this year. Pickett was recruited to cover, but he’s a really good tackler, too.
LSU needs elite play from quarterback Sam Leavitt, and he’s delivering. Again, Leavitt was turnover-free. Thankfully, his one interception was overturned by replay. Aside from that throw, he was awesome.
Leavitt was 32-for-45 for a career-best 387 yards and two touchdowns. He used the middle of the field really well, 17-for-22 for 233 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Former LSU quarterback Matt Flynn always says the middle of the field is the fastest way to the end zone and the Tigers found it a lot on Saturday.
Auburn did not, and some of that was due to Jordan Ross. The Tennessee transfer graded a 77.4 against the run and got to the quarterback twice. He also produced two hurries. Princewill Umanmielen was great on the other side, too. This is what Glasscock and Kiffin imagined when they paired these two. Umanmielen’s 68.9 pass rush grade was the best on the Tiger team. He pressured the quarterback seven times and only came away with one sack. There were four hurries and a hit. Those two are terrors off the edge.
LOWEST GRADES
- Winston Watkins, WR – 54.8
- William Satterwhite, LG – 58.4
- Braelin Moore, C – 59.4
- Zach Grace, TE – 61.6
- PJ Woodland, CB – 61.9
Winnie Watkins has a drops problem. That one hurt on Saturday. He did catch four of his six targets and finished with 40 yards. But he dealt with a case of dropped balls that hit him in the belt buckle.
Satterwhite and Moore need to be better. LSU’s offensive line shows up in the lowest grades every week and is the soft spot of the team. Satterwhite only allowed one hurry in the passing game and graded 73.0 there. In the running game, he was just a 52.5 grade.
Moore graded a 54.0 run blocking. LSU managed to establish the run to a degree with 165 yards on the ground, but the offensive line has room for growth there. To his credit, Moore did grade a 72.5 in pass protection.
Grace’s snaps will probably take a downward turn in two weeks when Trey’Dez Green is healthier. His 71.5 grade in pass protection is a plus. The 42.9 in run blocking is not. Grace caught all three of his targets for 33 yards.
Woodland missed a tackle, and five of his six targets were caught. The one he broke up he had was impressive, though. His 48.2 run defense grade hurt him, but he was solid much of the game. Pickett and Woodland make a damn good cornerback duo.
