Pro Football Focus grades LSU vs. Oklahoma

By Hunt Palmer

LSU rolled Oklahoma on Saturday night. The Tigers were the better team in every phase of the game. Before halftime the game was back and forth, but the LSU defense pitched a second half shutout, and Garrett Nussmeier piloted the offense up and down the field after returning from injury in the second quarter.

Oklahoma is a six-win team for a reason. They caught lightening in a bottle a week ago when they drubbed Alabama in Norman, but LSU didn’t allow Jackson Arnold and the Sooners much of anything in the regular season finale.

Pro Football Focus didn’t grade the Tiger offense very highly which is surprising considering the ease with which LSU moved the ball against a good defense. The expected names popped up on the defensive side of the ball.

Let’s dive into the numbers.

HIGHEST GRADES

1. Bradyn Swinson, DE – 89.5
2. Sai’vion Jones, DE – 82.1
3. Ka’Morreun Pimpton, TE – 77.2
4. Sage Ryan, S – 77.1
5. Whit Weeks, LB – 75.0

Swinson and Jones had Arnold running for his life the entire game. Rarely did the Sooner quarterback set up shop in the pocket to go to work. Everything was on the run. Swinson was credited with five hurries and a hit on the quarterback. Jones hurried Arnold four times and hit him once. That’s a load of pressure by a couple of guys who have had really nice final seasons at LSU. Their last game in Tiger stadium was a good one.

Pimpton hasn’t seen much action this year. Mason Taylor is steady as they come and rarely comes off the field. While Taylor played all 64 snaps for LSU on Saturday, Pimpton joined him for 27 of them. Joe Sloan did a good job of avoiding tendencies with Pimpton out there. The redshirt freshman tight end blocked for the run on 13 snaps, pass protected three times and went out in the route 11 times. He made a pair of catches for 53 yards. The run blocking grade wasn’t great, 56.3, but at least he was out there getting reps.

Ryan was gifted as easy an interception as he’s every hauled in when tight end Bower Sharp just hoisted a wounded duck up into the air. That wasn’t Ryan’s only contribution, though. He graded a 79.1 tackling and broke up a pass.

Weeks has been graded rather harshly at points this season, but Saturday night that wasn’t the case. He was flying all over the field to lead LSU with 15 tackles, nine of which were solo. Weeks’s 85.6 grade in run defense was especially encouraging. Effort and intensity are never in question with No. 40 in purple and gold. Weeks finished the regular season third in the SEC in stops with 117.

LOWEST GRADES

1. Gio Paez, DT – 49.7
2. Aaron Anderson, WR – 52.1
3. CJ Daniels, WR – 54.0
4. Dahvon Keys, LB – 56.0
5. Major Burns, STAR – 59.0

Paez played 32 snaps. He didn’t register a tackle and was credited with one hit on the quarterback. Oklahoma didn’t run the ball up the gut very much. Arnold did a bunch of freelancing. I’m just not sure this was a big defensive tackle game for LSU. Dominick McKinley had a pair of sacks, but not much else came from the defensive interior. The edges and linebackers made most of the plays.

Anderson had the highlight play of the day with a 100-yard kickoff return touchdown. He was only targeted three times. He made one catch. Here’s the rule, house a kickoff return and run some iffy routes, we’ll call it a good day. Grades be damned.

Daniels has been LSU’s best blocking wide receiver this year. He got dinged on Saturday with a 46.8 blocking grade. He had a touchdown catch within his grasp, but the ball was broken up.

Burns only played 21 snaps. Keys got 59. That’s an indication of where this has been going the last couple of weeks with these run-heavy offenses. To my untrained eye, Keys looked like he played well. He got back to Arnold for a sack and made nine tackles. Every year you look for freshmen to emerge in November, and Keys did that.