Down 24-20 in the second half, Ole Miss was deep in LSU territory and threatening to take the lead.
Rebels QB Jaxson Dart took the snap and faked a handoff to Quinshon Judkins before looking for Malik Heath on a fade route in the end zone. Under pressure from [autotag]Micah Baskerville[/autotag], the throw came up short well short of Heath, who was tightly covered by [autotag]Jarrick Bernard-Converse[/autotag].
[autotag]Joe Foucha[/autotag], playing under Heath, made a break on the ball. He extended one hand and reeled the ball in, picking off Dart.
The pick stopped any momentum Ole Miss had gotten back and put LSU in a position to pull away. [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] and the Tigers offense made the most of the ensuing drive, scoring a touchdown to go up 31-20.
Game-Defining Play pic.twitter.com/w2xQNQbaQf
— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) October 23, 2022
Foucha missed the first four games of the season due to academic suspension. He returned against Auburn, playing 36 snaps. He saw significantly less time against Tennessee, getting just 6 snaps.
But over the last two weeks, Foucha has seen 160 snaps, taking over a full time role. Per PFF, Foucha was LSU’s highest-graded defender against Ole Miss.
Foucha was targeted four times and allowed just four catches for two yards. He had a 17.7 passer rating when targeted. Without [autotag]Major Burns[/autotag], LSU needed Foucha to step up at safety and he did.
Foucha and [autotag]Greg Brooks Jr.[/autotag] aren’t guys that will fly around on the back end and run with speedsters in man coverage, but they’re competent veterans who provide LSU with versatility at the position.
Foucha played 15 snaps in the box, 30 at free safety and 31 in the slot. On a few occasions, he even crept up on the edge.
Against Auburn, Foucha struggled in pass coverage, allowing three catches for 63 yards. Against Florida, he missed a couple of tackles but was better in pass coverage.
Foucha is an experienced player, but it’s understandable that it could take some time to settle in. It appears he’s now done just that. LSU had been getting solid performances from its corners, but safety had been inconsistent.
Burns was good, but his injury raised some questions. The staff tried putting Bernard-Converse back there, but his talents are best served on the outside. Brooks and [autotag]Jay Ward[/autotag] have gone back and forth between nickel and safety, but Ward seems to have found a home at nickel.
There’s a chance LSU has Burns back against Alabama, and his skillset is something LSU misses on the backend. But the emergence of Foucha gives LSU some comfort. This is the most well-rounded the secondary has been all year.
[autotag]Mekhi Garner[/autotag], Ward, [autotag]Colby Richardson[/autotag] and [autotag]Sage Ryan[/autotag] allowed just four combined catches against the Rebels.
LSU’s going to need all hands on deck with Bryce Young coming to town in two weeks. Saturday wasn’t perfect, and the Tigers defense still has some big play issues.
A secondary that was once a major question mark is continuing to round into shape and Foucha’s performance only lends more reason for Tiger fans to be optimistic about this defense.
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