LSU Football: 5 bold predictions for Tigers in October 2019

1. LSU defense rises up

The LSU defense of yesterday hasn’t been seen thus far this season. The numbers aren’t bad but there are some glaring performances that you don’t expect from the Tigers. Vanderbilt put up 38 points against the Tigers. That is a statement that I thought I would never put on paper. They did grab some points in garbage time so the numbers are skewed a bit there.

I believe that LSU’s defense goes back to familiar form in the month of October. There are several reasons why but the biggest is the fact that they are still very stout in the red zone. They are currently ranked 10th in the country in red zone defense. That tells me that even in these games where they’ve given up more points than usual, they are standing firm when it matters. Busted plays are things that can be corrected and I believe head coach Ed Orgeron does just that.

The LSU player of the year on defense thus far has to be linebacker, Jacob Phillips. He has 35 total tackles on the season and is a force to be reckoned with. His leadership and actions on the field are going to be the leading example that LSU uses to shut down the competition this month. The LSU defense will hold their competition to an average of 20 points or less this month.

It’s easy to see that I’m high on the Tigers at this point in the season. If the predictions that I’ve stated here come true, the Alabama matchup in the first game of November will have the highest of playoff implications.