LSU delivers defensive gem vs. Ole Miss, raising interesting Harold Perkins question

Garrett Nussmeier played what he dubbed “the worst game” of his career. LSU’s offense remained one-dimensional, as the Tigers couldn’t run the ball better than just 3.5 yards per carry. They went 3-and-out with a horrible interception on their first three possessions. 

And yet: LSU 29, Ole Miss 26. 

Huh?

In a semi-playoff elimination game, LSU upset the Rebels because of their *checks notes* defense?

That’s right. That’s not a typo.  

Brian Kelly’s massive offseason investment in Blake Baker (the highest-paid DC in the country), Bo Davis (how about LSU’s defensive line improvement this season despite a lack depth up front) and Kevin Peoples (hello, pass rush) paid off in spades Saturday night in Baton Rouge, as the Tigers were able to withstand a woeful offensive showing for three quarters because their defense bowed up time and again. 

Despite the rough start offensively, LSU allowed zero points after the first three series. The Tigers gave up plenty of yards (464) and struggled to get off the field on third down (Ole Miss was 11 of 22), but every-time the Rebels crossed midfield, LSU mostly held the line. It forced Ole Miss into four field goals. It got a pair of stops in the red zone. 

The Rebels scored just 13 points on five opportunities inside the 20. Lane Kiffin’s offense lacked rhythm and efficiency. Seemingly every time Ole Miss made a big play, Baker had a counter that resulted in a TFL, sack or takeaway. 

The Tigers — which entered the game 97th nationally in yards per play allowed — were led by their three stars at every level of the defense: Pass rusher Bradyn Swinson (2 sacks, 2.5 TFLs, two battled balls), linebacker Whit Weeks (18!!!!! Tackles, one sack, 2.5 TFLs, one forced fumble) and corner Zy Alexander (one pick, one PBU and just four receptions allowed on 10 targets). 

The same defense that allowed 55 points to the Rebels in 2023 delivered the program’s most encouraging defensive performance in three seasons.    

“We were looking forward to this team. We got the calendar out and marked Ole Miss so we were ready for that game,” Alexander told reporters after the game. 

“We don’t talk about last year but we had it on our minds. What they did to us last year, it was a revenge game so we just went out and played with that mindset and got it done.”

It’s just one game, so it’s far too soon to declare that LSU has undergone some defensive renaissance. But if the Tigers can deliver similar performances against Arkansas this weekend, and Texas A&M and Alabama down the stretch, then suddenly Kelly’s team becomes a much scarier bunch in 2024. 

Is LSU’s defense better without Harold Perkins? 

One of the prevailing sentiments after the game was the LSU’s defense is actually better now that former 5-star Harold Perkins Jr. (torn ACL) is no longer available. 

Is that true?

No, and yes. 

Perkins is an amazing athlete who simply has been miscast as a hybrid inside linebacker. He’s still too light to play edge on a down-to-down basis, but he does provide real juice as a pass rusher. Taking that element out of the equation still hurts LSU’s depth, versatility and optionality. 

At some point, Blake Baker was going to figure out how to best deploy Harold Perkins — even in a situational role. 

But Perkins’ absence has opened the door for Weeks and Greg Penn III. That inside tandem is much better suited for what Baker wants to do defensively. 

In the opener loss to USC, Weeks played just 21 snaps — far and away a season-low — ceding playing time so that Perkins could mostly remain at inside linebacker. Splitting time with Weeks, Penn III saw 42 snaps against Trojans — his lowest output in 2024, too.

But since the South Carolina game, Weeks has became the mainstay at inside ‘backer and he played a season-high 87 snaps in the win over Ole Miss. 

While Perkins is a freak, Weeks and Penn III are much more natural “see ball, get ball” linebackers. And with the way LSU’s defensive line has steadily improved this season (not only with Swinson, 7.0 sacks, and Sai’vion Jones, 4.5 sacks, providing significant pass rush but also blowing up run lanes), having instinctual linebackers who can run free and make plays is a huge boost for a unit that has struggled to get stops the last three seasons. 

“Whit had 18 tackles and that’s virtually impossible in the game nowadays,” head coach Brian Kelly said. 

“He was all over the field. He had great energy, great fire. He runs so well he can cover down the field. Then Greg Penn is getting everyone set up. He’s our glue guy. It’s a great combination those two guys working together right now.”

On the defense as a whole, Kelly added, “They’re so much better than they were in week one. They are also playing with a better awareness on third down and in the red zone.

“Their understanding of the defense is so much better. They are doing their job. It’s really been a consistency in messaging in executing at the highest level when you need to and to do that, you have to be able to stay locked in one play at a time. We were not great at that early on. The communication is better. We don’t have those one-play mistakes anymore. We’re much more focused on doing our job consistently.”

At minimum, LSU’s defense should have a lot of confidence after the way it performed Saturday night. In their first SEC game without the preseason All-American, they didn’t miss Perkins. That doesn’t mean they might not wish they had him later in the season. 

For now anyways, a unit that still looked like a mess against South Carolina has a lot more promise a month later.