LSU Football: 3 things we need to see vs. Grambling State
By John Fye
LSU Football must put Harold Perkins in the right position
The plan to put Harold Perkins at inside linebacker looked great on paper. Perkins excelled from the edge in 2022, but moving him inside enables more action. Teams will have a tough time avoiding Perkins if he’s lined up between the hashes. The sophomore defender will also be able to rush the quarterback through multiple gaps.
Wrong.
Hindsight is 20/20, and LSU Football moving Harold Perkins to inside linebacker was a poor decision. I know the sample size is small, but I’ve seen enough.
Perkins did none of what we expected him to from the inside linebacker position. The Week 1 numbers are out there, and they show that LSU’s best defender dropped into coverage more times than not. Obviously, the scheme was a bust because Jordan Travis carved up the Tigers’ defense in the second half of last week’s clash in Orlando.
LSU’s secondary is their Achilles’ heel; thus, dropping athletes like Perkins into coverage seems like a good idea. However, a superior pass rush is the best remedy for a weak passing defense. In other words, the Tigers must make the quarterback throw the ball before he wants to.
We must also remember that Perkins’ football career is incredibly young, and he has a lot to learn with defensive scheming and coverage responsibilities. The learning curve is steep, and Perkins would not master the inside linebacker position in one offseason.
Ultimately, we need to see LSU Football move Perkins back to a spot that allows him to chase the quarterback. By the sounds of it, we’ll get more of Perkins at the JACK linebacker spot against Grambling State.