Tag: Neil Farrell Jr.

Report: Neil Farrell Jr to skip the Texas Bowl and prepare for the NFL draft

LSU loses their top-rated defender for the bowl game.

The LSU Tigers defense took a hit on Monday after it was reported that defensive tackle Neil Farrell Jr would opt out of the bowl game. Fox Sports analyst and college football insider for The Athletic reported the news on Monday afternoon.

Farrell was a key part of the interior defensive line that showed vast improvement throughout the season despite losing key contributors down the stretch. He appeared in all 12 games for the Tigers with 45 tackles, 9.5 TFLs, two sacks, and two passes defended.

Farrell appeared in a total of 48 games in his five seasons with the Bayou Bengals. That included playing in all 15 games during the 2019 National Championship season under the guidance of defensive coordinator Dave Aranda.

He leaves the team with 143 total tackles, 22 TFLs, 7.5 sacks, four passes defended, and one forced fumble.

This will likely mean that Jaquelin Roy, a sophomore will be tasked with stepping into his spot on the starting rotation. Farrell was the highest-graded defender this season according to Pro Football Focus. If healthy enough to play in the bowl game, freshman Maason Smith could slide inside as well.

The LSU Tigers will play the Kansas State Wildcats in Houston on Jan. 4, as they represent the SEC in the Texas Bowl.

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Trio of LSU Tigers named to PFF’s All-American Team

Three LSU selections to the PFF All-American team.

With the regular season firmly in the rearview mirror, we review the All-American teams being announced from various media outlets. Next up is the Pro Football Focus All-American team. Three LSU football players were named among the four team selections. Not a single offensive player made the cut and neither did Damone Clark. However, we see a familiar name on the list with one of the best kickers in Tigers’ history. We start with the first-team selection.

First Team All-American, Neil Farrell Jr

Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

No surprises here as Neil Farrell Jr was the highest-graded LSU Tiger for Pro Football Focus. His ability to wreck the interior and cause disruption was on full display this season. In a year that was ravaged by injuries, Farrell proved to be one of those consistent bright spots on the team. As a nose tackle, Farrell’s job is to eat blocks and allow the linebackers to flow to the ball. However, he proved that he could do that as well as create disruption in the backfield.

What PFF Says…

The player tied with Wyatt for highest-graded Power Five interior defender is none other than Neil Farrell Jr. The fifth-year LSU Tiger’s 24 run stops rank fourth, and 10 were for a tackle for loss or no gain. He has played a high rate of nose tackle and remained productive in doing so. When playing zero- or one-technique, Farrell is the sole leader in PFF grade at the Power Five level.

How about a special teamer?

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Who were the top defensive players for the LSU Tigers in 2021?

Who were the top defenders for LSU?

Earlier in the season, it felt like there were going to be issues on the defensive side of the ball. Not a shocking development based on how the unit performed in 2020. Bo Pelini was replaced by Daronte Jones after Ed Orgeron whiffed on Marcus Freeman.

Following the open week when the team was coming off a loss to Ole Miss, they flipped the switch. A conversation with Orgeron’s friend Lane Kiffin just might have been the difference. They switched to a 3-4 defense that utilized more pressure on blitzes. They held Alabama to just 20 points, Arkansas to 16 points, and Texas A&M to just 24 points. In today’s college football world you will take that every single time.

Who would you say was the best defender of 2021? You would be hardpressed to find anyone who wouldn’t start with linebacker Damone Clark, who is a finalist for the Butkus Award.

Looking at the regular season grades for LSU, here is how they graded out on Pro Football Focus:

PFF’s All-SEC team lists seven LSU Tigers, omits Damone Clark

A total of seven LSU Tigers on the PFF All-SEC team, but one glaring ommission.

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Pro Football Focus has released their All-SEC team with seven LSU Tigers making the list. Only one made the first team, but not the player expected. One of the biggest omissions on this list is the conference’s leading tackler and Butkus Award finalist Damone Clark.

Clark has tallied 137 total tackles this year, an average of 11.42 tackles per game. He ranks No. 2 in the nation, the next closest SEC player was Arkansas’ Bumper Pool with 120 tackles. Pool was listed on the third team. It isn’t just the tackles for Clark as he was all over the field for LSU. He accumulated 15 TFL’s, five sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and one interception. His two sacks against Texas A&M sealed the win.

The breakdown of LSU Tigers on the three teams and honorable mention list:

First Team

Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Defensive Lineman: Neil Farrell Jr

Farrell finished with 25 tackles, 9.5 TFLs, and two sacks. He also had two passes defended on the year.

Next, a pair of second-teamers

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Top grades and snap counts from LSU-Ole Miss

A look at snap counts and top grades from LSU-Ole Miss.

Not a whole lot to write home about following the LSU Tigers 31-17 loss to the Ole Miss Rebels. The 14-point margin doesn’t represent how one-sided the game actually was.

The Tigers snapped a five-game winning streak against Ole Miss and gave Ed Orgeron his first loss against the Rebels as the head coach. A look at the top grades according to Pro Football Focus and the snap count distribution from the game.

Top Offensive Grades

Garrett Nussmeier QB 79.8
Malik Nabers WR 76.7
Austin Deculus RT 71.3
Corey Kiner RB 68.9
Trey Palmer WR 68.0

Offensive Snap Counts

Liam Shanahan, C 70 Jack Mashburn, TE 34
Austin Deculus, RT 70 Jack Bech, TE 31
Ed Ingram, LG 70 Brian Thomas Jr, WR 29
Max Johnson, QB 51 Malik Nabers, WR 27
Anthony Bradford, LT 51 Devonta Lee/Jontre Kirklin, WR 24
Garrett Dellinger, LT 46 Corey Kiner, RB 22
Jaray Jenkins, WR 46 Garrett Nussmeier, QB 19
Ty Davis-Price, RB 43 Marcus Dumervil, LT 19
Trey Palmer, WR 42 Kole Taylor, TE 6
Marlon Martinez, RG 41 Josh Williams, RB 5

Top Defensive Grades

Neil Farrell Jr DT 95.6
Jaquelin Roy DT 79.4
BJ Ojulari DE 78.6
Glen Logan DT 78.4
Mike Jones Jr LB 77.0

Defensive Snap Counts

Cameron Lewis, FS 79 Glen Logan, DT 41
Jay Ward, SS 73 Neil Farrell Jr, DT 39
Damone Clark, LB 68 Raydarious Williams, CB 29
Dwight McGlothern, CB 60 Cordale Flott, CB 29
Sage Ryan, CB 56 Soni Fonua, DE 27
Maason Smith, DE 53 Jarell Cherry, LB 26
Jaquelin Roy, DT 52 Jacobian Guillory, DT 25
BJ Ojulari, DE 52 Mike Jones Jr, LB 25
Micah Baskerville, LB 49 Greg Penn III, LB 16
Darren Evans, CB 49 Todd Harris Jr, FS 15

 

LSU vs Florida: Snap counts and top graded players

Ty Davis-Price and Neil Farrell Jr lead the Tigers list of top graded players.

The LSU Tigers were able to find a way to fight off the No. 20 Florida Gators on Saturday. Despite losing a long list of starters on both sides of the ball, the Tigers were able to make the plays to come out win for the home crowd.

The player of the game without a doubt was the running back, Ty Davis-Price. The offensive line deserves a lot of credit as well, they have been under fire all season long but they put together the most complete performance of the season. According to PFF, Ed Ingram was the best of the group with his offensive grade.

A look at the top PFF grades and snap counts from Saturday’s win:

Top PFF Offensive Grades

Ty Davis-Price RB 95.4
Brian Thomas Jr WR 82.5
Ed Ingram LG 80.2
Max Johnson QB 75.5
Jaray Jenkins WR 75.4

Most Offensive Snaps Played

Max Johnson QB 71
Liam Shanahan OC 71
Austin Deculus RT 71
Ed Ingram LG 71
Ty Davis-Price RB 63

Next, the defense

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