Jacobian Guillory focused on journey with Pete Jenkins, LSU D-line

LSU defensive lineman Jacobian Guillory spoke with the media ahead of the Auburn matchup to break down where things stand with the defensive line.

Q: Coach Kelly said you guys are shifting to more of a 4-man front going forward. Do you think that fits your personnel and who you guys have on that D-line?

Guillory: “I think that’s just to give our guys basically more 1-on-1 matchups, so we can affect the quarterback more. So I think it is not necessarily a 4-man front. It’s just going to consistently just rush four men. So just to get our guys more 1-on-1s so we can create those highlight plays, like be LSU, like the D-line that we know we can be. I’m excited.”

Q: D-line probably had their best game of the season really last week. Y’all really seemed to step up across the board. What kind of impact has Pete Jenkins made so far in the D-line room?

Guillory: “The most impact he’s made, like he’s tuning up the little things, but the thing he teaches the most is the first thing he said when he walked in is, it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey. So we’ve been honing in on each practice trying to get better technique wise, just trying to be better every time we go on the field than we came off. Just trying to be better, you know what I mean? So just trying to be better every day is what he’s really taught us. That’s really what it is.”

Q: Missouri had a real good rushing attack coming into that game. You guys by and large part shut them down. What was the biggest difference from the Ole Miss game where they could get the run game going versus this one?

Guillory: “I mean, shoot, the D-line played better. That’s really what it is. We know that we have to play at a high level. But not only does the D-line have to play at a high level, the whole defense has to play at a high level. So when the D-line’s playing better, the whole defense plays better, we win games. It’s not that hard of a formula, you know what I’m saying, to win games, because the offense is gonna go out there and do what they do. As long as the defense, if we do what we know we can do week in and week out, no one’s gonna be able to mess with us. And I still believe that.”

Q: How’s kind of the communication on the defense in those passing down situations? You have not the most experienced defensive backs in the SEC. You’ve got a lot of experience in that front four. How do you guys kind of help shoulder the burden?

Guillory: “Like I said, like, getting out of the quarterback, you know, affecting the quarterback helps our guys in the back half out. So, like I said, when the defensive line plays better, it makes everybody else’s job easier. So, I know that every week, I know that our DBs and back there, they’re looking for us to start fast. 

“When we start fast, the defense starts fast, and when the defense starts fast, the offense starts fast, and it’s just a trickle down effect. Just being able to, ‘I know I got to have his back,’ just like he has my back when that ball goes in the air. It’s like a mutual respect for both of us. They don’t believe that no quarterback is going to pass it, and we don’t believe no quarterback is going to catch it. I mean, it might not be what it is every week, but, you know what I’m saying, we just have to trust with each other.”

Q: You’re facing Auburn this week. They get a pretty good O-line, but you know at practice you’re facing LSU’s O-line, LSU’s offense. How does going against an offense this good every day in practice help you guys be better during game day?

Guillory: “What I’ve been taught since the day I first came here, iron sharpens iron. Going against Will and Charles and like the big three, going against those guys in the middle and even the tackles like Emery and Will and Garrett, I named the whole O-line. Just going against those guys every day I know that definitely makes me better. I know without a doubt because I know what they’re doing while they’re in game. They’re giving it all they got. Also at practice they’re giving it all they got. If you’re giving me all I got right now in practice it’s gonna make the game so much easier. So having practice being like you know 10 times harder than the game is what you really want so the game could just be second nature.”