LSU football: Tigers’ star defensive tackle out for the season

LSU football produces the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Regardless of who the coach on the sideline is or the players on the field are, this much remains true. Unfortunately, Sunday night provided fans with a bit of both feelings, the last action in the game leaving the Tigers’ faithful with the latter.

LSU was beaten by Florida State in heartbreaking fashion as Damian Ramos’ game-tying PAT was blocked as the clock hit zero. The Tigers were pretty atrocious for three quarters, but they really stepped it up in the last period of the game. It was not enough, despite a valiant effort. The mistakes were still there and the damage had been done. Perhaps the most upsetting part of Sunday night’s defeat was the negative news that LSU fans received after the game.

LSU football: Tigers’ star defensive tackle Maason Smith out for the season

Sophomore defensive tackle Maason Smith was poised to have a breakout year. The 6-foot-5, 300-pound athlete is seen as one of the best defensive prospects throughout college football. It didn’t take long to see why on Sunday as he shed blockers with ease on numerous occasions. Sadly, his night came to an end fairly quickly as he came off with a knee injury.

Smith was celebrating a massive tackle made by one of his teammates when he appeared to land on his leg and tweak something. He immediately pulled up injured and required assistance from the sidelines. When he came out for the second half with tears streaming down his face as he watched on in street clothes with crutches, the Tigers’ faithful began to fear the worst.

It was confirmed on Monday morning that Smith suffered a torn ACL and he will miss the remainder of the season as he recovers from surgery.

It goes without saying that this is a huge blow to Brian Kelly and his team. LSU was set to have one of the most explosive defensive lines in the country with Smith, Ali Gaye, BJ Ojulari and Jaquelin Roy. Luckily, Smith’s fellow stars can pick up the slack and the Tigers can adopt a ‘next man up’ mentality going forward.

Defensive coordinator Matt House will undoubtedly have some shuffling to do on his defense now. He’s got a plethora of options to help mask the injury, including some depth at linebacker in Micah Baskerville and Harold Perkins Jr., who can slot in behind the defensive line to help with defending the run.

As for who will step in for Smith during his absence, that question has seemingly already been answered. Sophomore Mekhi Wingo—a transfer from the University of Missouri—played a majority of the snaps on Sunday night.

LSU was still able to effectively get to the quarterback and contain a fairly explosive running attack with Wingo taking Smith’s place in the Superdome. Both will be huge factors in building a successful defense as the season progresses. Fans already saw positive progression from House’s unit in comparison to the defense that was put out in years past. The Tigers still gave up a couple of killer big plays and they couldn’t get off the field on third down, but the framework for a successful group has been laid.

Smith will be a huge miss for LSU going forward, there are those that are able to step up in his absence though. Death Valley Voice would like to wish Smith all the best in a speedy recovery!