Tag: Andre Anthony

LSU has now had 10 players drafted after Andre Anthony’s selection by Tampa Bay

The Tigers’ sixth-year leader got the team to double-digit players drafted late in the seventh round.

The Tigers now have seen an even 10 players taken in the 2022 NFL draft. That list was capped off in the seventh round with a somewhat surprising selection as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected defensive end [autotag]Andre Anthony[/autotag] with the 248th pick.

Anthony was the sixth LSU player selected on Day 3 and second defensive lineman, joining defensive tackle [autotag]Neil Farrell Jr.[/autotag], who was taken in the fourth round.

A six-year player who graduated in 2020 with a degree in sports administration, Anthony appeared in 35 games with 16 starts in that span. Anthony started the first three games in 2021 before suffering a season-ending injury against Central Michigan.

He finished his LSU career with 55 total tackles (11 for loss) to go with 10.5 sacks. The path to making a roster as a seventh-round pick is far from straightforward, but Anthony has his shot and will look to compete for a roster spot on a talented Tampa Bay front seven.

[mm-video type=video id=01g1scbt300yym1dxt20 playlist_id=01eqbz5s7cf4w69e0n player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g1scbt300yym1dxt20/01g1scbt300yym1dxt20-932fd47aa58ec8ab781776892566a515.jpg]

[listicle id=51402]

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno

One major storyline to observe against Mississippi State

Plenty of storylines for the game on Saturday, one stands out above the rest.

There are plenty of notable storylines to observe in the game between the LSU Tigers and the Mississippi State Bulldogs. The road team is looking to return the favor to an embarrassment from a season ago. The Bulldogs came into Death Valley and racked up 44 points and over 600 yards of offense. Can Ed Orgeron and company return the favor?

The major storyline to observe is how can the LSU football team build on the last two victories at home as they try for the first road win of the season. They opened out in Los Angeles but fell to UCLA 38-27. Following that loss, the team outscored their opposition at Tiger Stadium 83-28. With a bevy of top opponents on the schedule, can the team get a much-needed win on Saturday?

[listicle id=25726]

LSU’s resounding 49-21 win over a tricky Central Michigan team was a good step forward. But with games against Auburn, Florida, Ole Miss and Alabama on the near horizon, a loss to Mississippi State could trigger quite a slide for the Tigers. – Bill Connelly, ESPN

To do so the Tigers will have to do it without two of their better defenders in all likelihood. The team lost Andre Anthony for the season due to a knee injury suffered against Central Michigan. This week in practice top cornerback Derek Stingley Jr re-injured his “camp” injury and is very questionable against Mississippi State.

[listicle id=25745]

The does get Jay Ward back and he will likely slide over to cornerback along with Dwight McGlothern who just returned to the team last week. They will be tested along with Eli Rick in slowing down the SEC’s top passing attack. To neutralize the offense the nation’s top pass-rushing unit will need to continue their dominance against an offensive line that allows two sacks per game.

[listicle id=25680]

BJ Ojulari and the defense will have a challenge in getting to Will Rogers but this unit has shown to be an attacking unit in three games.

LSU currently leads the nation in sacks and yards lost

When it comes to getting to the quarterback, LSU is among the best in the country.

The LSU Tigers had one area they needed to improve upon after last season. Their defense ranked 39th in the nation with 24 sacks a season ago. Bo Pelini exits and in comes Daronte Jones, the defense has already seen a bump in production when rushing the passer. The team went from 2.4 sacks per game to 5.7 this season through three games.

Their 17 sacks are tied with Marshall for the top spot in the nation. They are the top team in terms of yards lost on sacks with 118. At the top of the individual leaderboard, edge defender BJ Ojulari has 4.5 sacks. Tied with three others but he leads with 35 yards lost on sacks.

For his efforts against the Central Michigan Chippewas, Ojulari was named SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week.

Pass Rusher Sacks TFLs Pressures QB Hits
Ojulari 4.5 4.5 9 2
Anthony 3.5 4.0 7 0
Smith 3.0 3.5 10 0
Gaye 1.0 1.0 2 0

Maason Smith has really come on strong in the early going and the team is going to rely on him off the edge. After losing Andre Anthony for the season due to a knee injury, it is going to be all hands on deck for this one. Ali Gaye is expected back against Mississippi State, so his return will be huge.

Head coach Ed Orgeron stated they will use a three-man rotation at defensive end with Gaye, Smith, and Ojulari. The trio will get their opportunities as the Bulldogs have allowed a total of 34 pressures through three games. Will Rogers has been sacked six times this season, on average twice a game.

Mississippi State’s offensive line will be tested as they are tasked with slowing down the No. 1 pass rush in the country.

LSU edge defender Andre Anthony done for the season

Per Ed Orgeron, Andre Anthony is done for the season.

During the game against Central Michigan, the LSU Tigers lost one of their top defenders in Andre Anthony. During his weekly press conference, coach Ed Orgeron stated that Anthony is done for the season. It is a devastating blow to the defensive front.

The Tigers will use a three-man rotation of Ali Gaye, BJ Ojulari, and Maason Smith that moved outside due to need. The sixth-year senior will be severely missed upfront. Ojulari will continue to be relied on playing opposite of Gaye for the most part with Smith getting worked in.

Ojulari was named SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week on Monday.

Ojulari is tied with two other defenders for the most sacks in the nation. The move for Maason Smith will be an interesting one, he primarily played on the interior but moved outside and did well against Central Michigan. Orgeron stated that Smith has a chance to be dominant playing on the outside.

This group will be challenged to get to Will Rogers on Saturday when the team travels to Starkville.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Patrick on Twitter: @PatrickConnCFB

Instant Analysis: Takeaways from the LSU Tigers 49-21 victory over Central Michigan

Five instant takeaways from the LSU Tigers victory over Central Michigan on Saturday night in Death Valley.

The LSU Tigers came out guns blazing against the Central Michigan Chippewas on Saturday night. The team was looking for a better start than they have seen over the last two games, it was much more like what we expected from the Bayou Bengals offense.

Max Johnson and the offense were ready to roll in the first half as they built a four-touchdown lead into halftime. One of the bright spots of the game, Jack Bech was extending drives that allowed Johnson to find Deion Smith for the first two offensive touchdowns.

The defense built on their game against McNeese, after giving up just one touchdown to the Cowboys on a long play it happened again. They had the offense shut down except for the one long touchdown on what appeared to be a miscommunication in the secondary.

Overall it was a good showing for the home team as they won big over Central Michigan. We break down the five instant takeaways from this game.

The good, bad, and the ugly from LSU’s win over McNeese

It wasn’t all sunshine and daffodils for the LSU Tigers on Saturday night in the 27-point victory.

The LSU Tigers responded in the way you would hope coming off the loss to UCLA, by getting the win in their home opener. Head coach Ed Orgeron is 15-1 coming off a loss with the lone loss coming last year against Alabama after losing to Texas A&M the week prior. The Tigers defeated McNeese 34-7 but the win felt more like a loss.

When it comes to playing an FCS team, you either dominate the game or expect a lot of questions to follow. This game served as the first opportunity to address the warts that showed against UCLA. The team couldn’t protect the quarterback or run the ball effectively. They couldn’t stop the big plays down the field or in the running game. Some of those issues were corrected, while others need a magnifying glass as we look under the hood of this team.

Since LSU won their game, we will start with the good from the 27-point win over the Cowboys from nearby Lake Charles, Lousiana.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4

LSU Tigers 2021 Game-by-game predictions from Athlon Sports

A look at how the Athlon Sports team has the LSU Tigers finishing the 2021 season.

Count it down, we have just over a week remaining until the LSU Tigers kick off the 2021 season against the UCLA Bruins. This is the first time that the Tigers have faced off against the Bruins but not the first time for head coach Ed Orgeron.

In 2013 as the interim head coach of the USC Trojans, Orgeron lost that match up 35-14. This game will be a good early-season test for the Bayou Bengals to gauge exactly where they are ahead of the home opener against McNeese State on Sept. 11.

What should we expect from the Tigers this season?

Athlon Sports’ analysts Steven Lassan, Mark Ross, and Juan Jose Rodriquez each gave it a shot at predicting the Tigers’ 2021 season. Here is how they compared to our game-by-game breakdowns:

Four ‘what ifs’ that could turn LSU football into a title contender in 2021

A look at four ‘what ifs’ for the Louisiana State Tigers to become title contenders in 2021.

We know the expectation level for the Lousiana State Tigers football program for the upcoming season.

After a perfect campaign in 2019, the Bayou Bengals didn’t have a great follow-up season. They came into the year as the No. 6 ranked team in the country and that lasted all of one week. After Mike Leach’s Air Raid picked apart the defense, they fell to No. 20.

The Tigers finished with a record of 5-5, they played three ranked opponents going 1-2 in those games.

They knocked the Florida Gators out of playoff contention with the 37-34 victory ahead of the shootout with Ole Miss. With the changes made over the offseason, can the Tigers return to form and challenge for the SEC Championship?

According to ESPN’s Bill Connolly, there are four “what ifs” the Tigers need in order to become a title contender. According to BetMGM, LSU has the eighth-best odds at winning the College Football Playoffs for 2021. This is how ESPN sees how the Tigers can become title contenders (subscription required):

It all starts at the quarterback position

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5

Four ‘what ifs’ that could turn LSU football into a title contender in 2021

A look at four ‘what ifs’ for the Louisiana State Tigers to become title contenders in 2021.

We know the expectation level for the Lousiana State Tigers football program for the upcoming season.

After a perfect campaign in 2019, the Bayou Bengals didn’t have a great follow-up season. They came into the year as the No. 6 ranked team in the country and that lasted all of one week. After Mike Leach’s Air Raid picked apart the defense, they fell to No. 20.

The Tigers finished with a record of 5-5, they played three ranked opponents going 1-2 in those games.

They knocked the Florida Gators out of playoff contention with the 37-34 victory ahead of the shootout with Ole Miss. With the changes made over the offseason, can the Tigers return to form and challenge for the SEC Championship?

According to ESPN’s Bill Connolly, there are four “what ifs” the Tigers need in order to become a title contender. According to BetMGM, LSU has the eighth-best odds at winning the College Football Playoffs for 2021. This is how ESPN sees how the Tigers can become title contenders (subscription required):

It all starts at the quarterback position

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5

What must LSU do defensively to defeat Texas A&M?

LSU’s defense already looks much-improved, and forcing turnovers against Texas A&M could be the key to earning a win on Saturday.

The LSU defense looked much-improved last week at Arkansas, but the unit has a tough task awaiting them on Saturday.

The home team Texas A&M Aggies average 33.7 points per game and 443.7 total yards of offense. LSU’s enters the game allowing 32 points per contest and 472.7 yards to opposing teams.

Andre Anthony had a breakout game last week at the linebacker position, and could very well show up big for the Tigers again this weekend. The Aggies have not seen the field in three weeks due to COVID-19.

It seems as if Bo Pelini’s defense in Baton Rouge is finally beginning to come together and play more efficient in tough situations. But playing in College Station against the No. 5 Aggies will be no east battle.

Here’s a look at what LSU must accomplish defensively to secure a win in College Station.

Win on third down

Last week against Arkansas, the Tigers held the Razorbacks offense to 0-of-10 on third down.

While the defense gave up big plays, one reason LSU left with a win was because the unit held strong on every third down situation.

Against Texas A&M, the Tigers defense has to come out with the same energy as last week.

The Aggies are 49-of-79 on third down. Texas A&M has converted 62% of its third down situations this season.

If the defense is going to get off the field, winning the third down battles are key on Saturday against a solid Aggies offense.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3