Tag: Whit Weeks

LSU vs South Carolina: What to watch for as Tigers open SEC play

Can LSU get it going on the ground? How does LSU manage personnel on defense? Here’s what to watch for when LSU faces South Carolina.

2024 continues to be a mirror image of 2023 for the LSU Tigers football team.

Both years opened with a neutral site loss on Sunday night to a big-name opponent. Both seasons followed that up with a Week 2 win over a Louisiana FCS school. Now, Week 3 features an SEC road trip against a team projected to finish near the bottom of the SEC.

Last year it was Mississippi State. This year, LSU travels further east to face South Carolina.

According to BetMGM, LSU is a seven-point favorite. A smaller line than the double-digit look-ahead spread posted in the summer. The loss to USC and first-half struggles against Nicholls brought the skeptics out, but head coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] reiterated his confidence in this team.

South Carolina shouldn’t be a measuring stick for LSU, but the Tigers need to show they can take care of business on the road against a less talented squad.

Here’s what to watch for when LSU and South Carolina kick off on Saturday.

When LSU has the ball

When LSU’s on offense, I’ll be looking for two things:

  1. Can LSU run the ball?
  2. Can LSU generate explosive plays?

The fact that we have to ask the first question is a surprise. LSU’s offensive line was projected to be one of the nation’s best, and while it has held up in pass protection, LSU is yet to get a consistent push on the ground.

LSU ranks 112th nationally in rushing success rate and 89th with 3.93 yards per carry. Both marks are below the gaudy numbers posted last year and short of what’s expected of a team with this much talent.

The Tigers miss [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag]’ dual-threat ability and lack a feature running back, but with two first-round tackles and veteran guards, the offensive line should be creating lanes.

South Carolina’s defensive front is strong, but it’s better at rushing the passer than it is at stopping the run. The Gamecocks stuff rate is in the 23rd percentile and their EPA/rush allowed is slightly above average.

If LSU can’t run the ball on Saturday, it signals concern for the remainder of 2024.

As for the second question, LSU needs to be more explosive. The Tigers are one or two more explosive plays from being 2-0. LSU struggled in the red zone vs. USC and the easiest way to fix that is scoring before you even get there.

LSU’s offense made its living on deep shots to [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag] in 2023. I understand the personnel is different, but Nussmeier has the arm to push it down the field.

With a defense that’s still finding its way, LSU needs to be explosive enough to keep up in a potential shootout.

Following the USC loss, Kelly said LSU needs to keep [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag] involved throughout the game. We’ll see if OC [autotag]Joe Sloan[/autotag] dials anything up for his top receiver on Saturday.

When South Carolina has the ball

That Week 3 game against Mississippi State was LSU’s best defensive performance in 2023. The Tigers took advantage of a defense that wasn’t as talented.

It didn’t mean much the rest of the year as the unit regressed back to what it was in the Week 1 loss to Florida State, but it showed LSU had the pieces to bully a less talented team.

LSU hopes for a similar result tomorrow.

South Carolina’s offense struggled last year and then lost Spencer Rattler and Xavier Leggette — its top two players. Rebuilding a unit is hard, especially when you lose the stars.

LaNorris Sellers took over for Rattler and is yet to show anything particularly impressive. The offensive line is improved, but they didn’t have to do much to cross the low bar set in 2023. When it comes to the pass catchers, South Carolina is still searching for the next WR1 after Leggette’s departure.

This is the rare opportunity for the LSU defense to face an SEC offense with an equal amount of questions and concerns.

I’ll be keeping an eye on how LSU manages its personnel. Kelly said that linebacker [autotag]Whit Weeks[/autotag] is too good to keep off the field and we could see [autotag]Major Burns[/autotag] play some safety, allowing LSU to get three backers on the field.

On the backend, [autotag]Sage Ryan[/autotag] is expected to play safety, opening time for [autotag]Zy Alexander[/autotag] and [autotag]PJ Woodland[/autotag] at corner.

LSU needs to ensure this isn’t the game South Carolina figures it out. The Tigers have the talent and speed to get stops here.

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Brian Kelly says LSU LB Whit Weeks is too good to keep off the field

Brian Kelly says LSU linebacker Whit Weeks is too good to be in a “platoon situation.”

Two games into 2024, LSU football’s head coach is impressed with linebacker [autotag]Whit Weeks[/autotag].

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] said Weeks “can’t be in a platoon situation.”

He added that Weeks’ play is forcing LSU to make some tough decisions regarding the linebacker position. Keeping Weeks out there every snap means altering the rotation and that playing time has to come from somewhere.

Weeks has been LSU’s most impactful defender so far. According to PFF, among SEC LBs with 60+ snaps, Weeks is the sixth-best-graded backer in the conference.

Weeks already has nine stops and is yet to miss a tackle. That stop rate is one of the best in the conference and Weeks’ run stops come at an average of one yard.

When Weeks is involved, good things happen for LSU’s defense. DC [autotag]Blake Baker[/autotag] has a knack for developing impact players at inside linebacker and Weeks looks like the next breakout.

https://twitter.com/whalexander_/status/1833927940569985140

According to On3, Weeks was a four-star and top 150 overall recruit in 2023. He showed flashes as a true freshman but wasn’t consistent enough to see the field in a full-time role.

LSU is counting on younger classmen like Weeks to be the cause for a defensive turnaround and once LSU figures out how to optimize the lineup, the defense should take another step.

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Sai’vion Jones a standout for LSU’s defense in season-opening loss to USC

Sai’vion Jones was a bright spot for LSU’s defense on Sunday night as he totaled five tackles and two sacks.

Though the defense looked improved overall, it wasn’t exactly a confidence-inspiring showing for LSU in its 27-20 season-opening loss to USC on Sunday night.

The Tigers gave up 450 yards of total offense and were picked apart by quarterback Miller Moss. But the front seven seemed to be the bright spot, and one player in particular stood out.

Defensive end [autotag]Sai’vion Jones[/autotag] is a veteran on this defense and one of the few players who started every game last year. He certainly impressed in the first game of his final season, finishing with five tackles and two sacks.

That caught the attention of his teammates.

“Outstanding,” Linebacker [autotag]Whit Weeks[/autotag] said of Jones’ outing. “I was telling those guys up there I think he had the best performance on our defense, and to see a guy like him who a lot of people look up to on the defense play like that it brings everyone else up around him. So it was great to see him play like that.”

For Jones’ part, he’s not thinking about it too much and remains focused on the bigger picture entering the Tigers’ Week 2 home opener against Nicholls on Saturday night.

“The key for me is to just not get a big head,” Jones said. “Just as people can have one bad game and the rest of the season be good, somebody could have a good game and the rest of the season be bad. And I feel like I understand that, so I just need to continue working on the little things and try to be consistent.”

If LSU is going to be improved on defense this fall, it seems Jones, who is already just half a sack away from matching last year’s total, will be a major reason behind it.

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Whit Weeks thinks LSU’s defense has made ‘a lot of progress’ despite Week 1 loss to USC

Whit Weeks remains confident that LSU’s defense will be much better in 2024 despite its struggles in the opener.

Entering the 2024 season, the defense was arguably the biggest question for LSU.

The unit struggled last fall, but there was optimism with new coordinator [autotag]Blake Baker[/autotag]. After one game, however, it’s unclear how much the group has improved.

The front seven looked more impactful than it did last season, getting some pressure on Miller Moss and holding the USC run game in check. But Moss torched the secondary to the tune of 378 passing yards in a 27-20 win.

Despite the showing, sophomore LSU linebacker [autotag]Whit Weeks[/autotag] said the group has improved quite a bit since the 2023 campaign when he spoke to the media on Wednesday.

“A lot of progress,” Weeks said when asked how much progress the defense has made. “I think we have a lot more confidence, which is the main thing that I can see from last year. We have a lot more confidence in not only our abilities but knowing the playbook. So that’s huge for us.”

Only time will tell how the defense fares when the Tigers get into the SEC schedule, but it has the chance to work some kinks out this weekend when LSU hosts Nicholls State for its home opener on Saturday night.

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Brian Kelly says an illness going through LSU locker room

The Tigers will need to be 100% healthy if they want to win their first season opener since 2019.

If LSU wants to have a shot at winning another SEC Championship and competing for another national championship, the Tigers must stay healthy. I mean that in more ways than just being the usual football injuries. The players have got to be able to fight off illnesses.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] recently revealed that a few players on the team have been dealing with an illness that has kept them from participating in practice. It is hard enough to deal with any illness, but add to that practices in full pads on what could be a 100-degree day and you have a recipe for disaster.

“So, we’ve had a bug going around, a lower GI bug. Through the o-line. And Emery Jones was affected greatly from it today. You saw he was in and out. He probably shouldn’t have been out there, but you couldn’t keep him from practice. That’s what he was suffering from. We sent him home,” Kelly said, per On3.

“I don’t know how Whit Weeks and West Weeks made it through practice. They had a similar bug. We’ve sprayed the offices. We’ve cleaned them down. But you know, we’re fighting that now with a number of guys.”

The Tigers will need to be 100% healthy if they want to win their first season opener since 2019.

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Where does LSU’s linebacker unit rank entering 2024 season?

LSU doesn’t have many positions on defense where it feels good about its two-deep, but linebacker is one of them.

There aren’t many positions on LSU’s defense where it can feel pretty good about its two-deep, but the linebacker spot is one of them.

The Tigers bring quite a bit of experience to the table despite losing starter [autotag]Omar Speights[/autotag] this past offseason. The group is headlined by [autotag]Harold Perkins[/autotag], a projected first-round pick who began his career playing on the edge but spent 2023 off the ball. He’s expected to play off the ball again this fall, albeit in a more varied role.

Playing alongside Perkins is [autotag]Greg Penn III[/autotag], LSU’s second-leading tackler in 2023 who has as much experience as anyone on the team having started 27 of the last 28 games for the Tigers. Depth-wise, brothers [autotag]Whit Weeks[/autotag] and [autotag]West Weeks[/autotag] have both shown impressive flashes so far in their careers.

Phil Steele ranked that group inside the top 25 entering the 2024 season, placing it at No. 22. With new defensive coordinator Blake Baker’s background being as a linebackers coach, it’s fair to expect that unit will be a strength this fall.

The Tigers need more production out of Perkins this fall for the unit to live up to the expectations, but the starting duo is solid, and Whit Weeks especially looks poised for a breakout entering his sophomore season.

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How can LSU fix its defense in 2024?

Harold Perkins is the key to a successful defense, but the defensive line has to step up as well.

[autotag]Matt House[/autotag] orchestrated one of the worst LSU defenses in 2023.

The Tigers had some good athletes on that side of the ball, but there were times when watching the defense was like agony. Don’t fret, because there is hope on the horizon. There is light at the end of the tunnel.

[autotag]Blake Baker[/autotag] is back on campus in Baton Rouge after being the defensive coordinator for Missouri the last two seasons.

[autotag]Harold Perkins[/autotag] is about to be one of the most dangerous men on the planet in Baker’s defense. [autotag]Whit Weeks[/autotag] is also in a great position to be successful.

On3’s Jesse Simonton recently discussed what LSU will need to do to fix the defense next fall.

“I think the key is are they going to unleash Harold Perkins and can they get better production out of these blue-chippers that they have on the defensive line?” Simonton said. “Because those guys just have not delivered the results.”

Perkins is the key to a successful defense, but the defensive line has to step up as well. With [autotag]Maason Smith[/autotag] declaring for the NFL draft, LSU now has two returning defensive linemen from last year’s team as well as the recruits in the 2024 recruiting class.

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Stock Up, Stock Down: LSU finishes with another 10 win season

With a 10-win season on the line for LSU, the defense stepped up and stopped Wisconsin to secure the victory.

With a 10-win season on the line for LSU, the defense stepped up and stopped Wisconsin to secure the victory. On the offensive drive before that, [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] led the Tigers on an eight-play, 98-yard touchdown drive to give the Tigers a 35-31 lead with three minutes to play.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] has won 10 games in back-to-back seasons at LSU and has had a player win the Heisman Trophy. [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] broke the LSU career receiving yard record as he eclipsed 3,000 yards receiving against the Badgers.

[autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag], Nabers, and [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag] are all projected to be first-round picks in the 2024 NFL draft and the future on the Bayou is bright with Nussmeier at the helm.

Here’s how things are trending as the 2023 season winds to a close.

LSU signs one of the top 10 linebackers for 2024 according to On3

One of the best linebackers in Louisiana, Tylen Singleton, signed with LSU.

On3 has released a list of the top 10 linebackers in the 2024 recruiting class and the schools that they signed to. LSU signed one of those players.

One of the best linebackers in Louisiana, [autotag]Tylen Singleton[/autotag], signed with LSU and is the No. 10 player on On3’s list. Singleton, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound, four-star linebacker from Many, Louisiana, played his senior season for Many High School. He helped lead the Many Tigers to the state quarterfinals in Louisiana’s Division III Non-Select playoffs.

Singleton was ranked as high as the No. 9 linebacker in his class by Rivals and he was ranked as a top-five player from Louisiana on 247Sports, ESPN, and Rivals.

He will come to LSU with a chance to shine beside fellow linebackers like [autotag]Harold Perkins[/autotag] and [autotag]Whit Weeks[/autotag]. The Tigers boast a really strong linebacking core that does a great job in coverage and at rushing the passer when they need to.

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These 5 LSU players are poised for big performances in the ReliaQuest Bowl

With the bowl not counting against redshirts, some young players will get the chance to step up.

LSU will be taking on the Wisconsin Badgers in the ReliaQuest Bowl on January 1st. We will get a chance to take a look at the future of the program as this game does not count towards burning a redshirt for any freshmen on the team.

Five guys who I think could have a big game against the Badgers are [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag], [autotag]Whit Weeks[/autotag], [autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag], [autotag]DaShawn Womack[/autotag] and [autotag]Kaleb Jackson[/autotag]. Those are five guys that are the future of LSU football and they are all poised for a breakout game.

Let’s take a closer look at the five aforementioned players.