LSU has put September and October behind it, with six wins and two losses on its record.
The Tigers have destroyed six opponents and come short by a play or two in the two losses at Ole Miss and Kentucky. The team has played well.
Significant weaknesses haven’t continuously revealed themselves. Some serious strengths are emerging.
Let’s look at PFF’s grades through eight weeks.
HIGHEST GRADES
- Sam Leavitt, QB – 91.0
- Tamarcus Cooley, S – 87.1
- Jackson Harris, WR – 85.8
- Jordan Ross, DE – 85.8
- TJ Dottery, LB – 85.4
None of these grades are surprising. These five have shown up weekly on the highlight reels and stat sheets.
Show me a team with its quarterback as the highest graded player, and I’ll show you a team with a chance to accomplish some things.
Leavitt wasn’t great against Ole Miss and was poor against Louisiana Tech. However, he’s been fantastic since.
When adjusted for drops, Leavitt has a completion percentage of more than 79 percent. PFF has credited him with 13 “Big Time Throws.”
Leavitt has thrown eight interceptions and lost a fumble this season, but PFF credits him with only four “turnover-worthy plays.” I would quibble with that a little but this is a piece about PFF, not my eyes.
Cooley grades a 90.3 in coverage for the year. Ten of his 22 targets have been incomplete, and he’s got a pair of picks. He missed four tackles to his 24 stops. He’s broken up three passes and has a sack.
Harris is the new “go-to” guy. He’s averaging 17.6 yards per catch and has seven of LSU’s 19 touchdown catches. That’s top on the team.
He’s got two drops and has hauled in 9-of-12 contested throws. That’s an outstanding percentage. Also, he averaged eight yards after every catch.
Jordan Ross has been fantastic. All of his grades are over 80.0.
Overall Defense: 85.8
Run Defense: 81.2
Tackling: 82.2
Pass Rush: 81.0
That’s handling business.
Ross is credited with 9.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, six passes defenses, an interception he returned for a score, as well as a forced fumble. PFF credits him with 29 pressures, which is tied with Princewill Umanmielen who is going to set LSU’s single season sack record. Ross is rocketing up NFL Draft boards.
And Dottery has been very, very consistent. He leads LSU with 60 tackles and has only missed six. He’s also pressured the quarterback 12 times and forced a pair of fumbles.
His 70.1 run defense grade is solid. So is his 74.3 tackling grade. Blake Baker would love to get Whit Weeks back right next to him.
LOWEST GRADES
- Zach Grace, TE – 53.6
- Malik Elzy, WR – 53.9
- Weston Davis, RT – 55.4
- William Satterwhite, LG – 55.5
- Bo Bordelon, LG – 56.1
The lowest defensive grade among players with 100 snaps is Davhon Keys at a 64.3. The offense takes every spot here.
LSU has an All-American who just returned to take Grace’s snaps, and Elzy is a reserve wide out. The issue here, more than Davis at right tackle, is that both left guard options are struggling. LSU doesn’t have a great option there.
Satterwhite has been consistently average. He’s a 55.5 overall grade with a 53.6 in run blocking and a 53.5 in pass protection. It’s all mediocre.
Bordelon went through a nightmare in pass protection at Ole Miss and never really got his job back. He’s a 56.5 overall, a 64.7 in run blocking and a microscopic 28.5 in pass protection. He’s given up 11 pressures on 156 pass protection snaps.
Davis has improved in pass protection. He’s a 62.9 for the year in that department. Against Mississippi State, he didn’t allow a pressure on 38 passing plays. He has allowed a sack two of the last three games, Auburn and Kentucky, but those are the only two all year. In the running game, he’s struggled, just a 49.1.
This is still not a dominant offensive line, but the coaches, quarterback and running back can help them with their excellent play.
