Three Defensive Keys for the LSU Football team as they look to beat the USC Trojans

The LSU Football team struggled on defense in 2023 and that's not a secret, the Tigers bring in an entirely new defensive staff heading into the 2024 season. The new staff will be thrown right into the fire against the USC Trojans as they face off against one of the game's best offensive minds in Lincoln Riley.

While the Trojans replace a Heisman winner in Caleb Williams, there is a ton of optimism around this offense in part due to Miller Moss' performance in the Holliday Bowl. The Trojans will certainly field a high octane offense, and if the Tigers are going to slow them down they'll need to achieve these three keys.

3. Get out to an early lead

One of the most important things for LSU in this football game will be scoring first and jumping out to an early lead. In every one of USC's losses in 2023, the opposing team scored on their opening possession of the game while in four of those five games the winning team scored first.

The goal will be to take an early lead as this will cause USC's offense to become one dimensional. The Tigers have some concerns in the secondary and while there is a ton of excitement with the changes made, this game becomes much easier if the Tigers are able to sit back in coverage and forget about the run.

Blake Baker has a ton of ways he can get creative with this Tigers defense and if the group is able to pin their ears back and get after the passer there will be a ton of excitement. If the Tigers are defending the lead, we'll see Harold Perkins as a pass rusher more often while a player like Whit Weeks or an extra defensive back can come in to focus on pass coverage where they excel.