Maason Smith’s suspension results in huge impact on LSU’s secondary

The NCAA dealt a significant blow to LSU heading into their season with a one-game suspension of DT Maason Smith. Some already see it as an unfair ruling considering all things but it’s even more notable since the Tigers have to open up with Florida State rather than a less important opponent.

Now, with their contest with the Seminoles just over a week away, The Bengal Tiger’s Shea Dixon knows this is going to hit LSU’s secondary the hardest. As he recently said to Andy Staples on the On3 Roundtable, the Tiger’s inexperienced options at corner and few options at safety aren’t going to have it any easier without Smith in the game to pressure FSU QB Jordan Travis.

“That’s one of the biggest question marks right now on LSU’s team: the corners. And even if you branch into the safeties? They have experience but not a lot of depth,” explained Dixon. “At corner, they’re testing a lot of new guys, whether it be transfers or playing a true freshman. That’s the route they’re going in against a talented Florida State team. So losing Maason Smith was huge.”

“Like you said, he demands a double team at all times. If he doesn’t? He’s going to, more often than not, beat your guy on the offensive line and get into the backfield. He is a dangerous, dangerous pass rusher in the middle of the defense,” Dixon continued. “Now that that’s gone, does Jordan Jefferson bring that same element? No and not many guys in the country do, which is why Maason Smith is so highly regarded.”

In 2021, Smith finished with 19 tackles and four sacks as a freshman. However, Smith hasn’t seen any action in the last year after injuring his knee in their opener a season ago against the Seminoles. He will now be out a little bit longer, and end up missing both matchups with FSU, with this suspension.

As Dixon points out, there’s almost no way for LSU to make up for Smith’s loss on their defense. To him, the best that they can do is to unleash LB Harold Perkins, a force in his own right, a bit more to try and help out their questionable secondary.

“(Perkins) is the guy now that has to step up in this game,” Dixon said. “You say, ‘Okay, if you’ve lost that element of pass rush from Maason Smith, where do you gain it?’. I think that means maybe dialing it up more with Harold Perkins.

Again, this suspension is already frustrating for those in Baton Rouge. It also has many others scratching their heads considering the era of college sports that we’re in. Since it’s still in effect, though, Dixon says other areas of LSU’s defense will need to step up against Florida State in order to give their corners and safeties some relief.