LSU's defense stands tall in convincing win over Georgia

It had all the makings to be the turning point in the game for Georgia.

The Bulldogs had driven 75 yards in 7 plays, going the length of the field in just 2:53.

Georgia’s offense seemed to be getting into rhythm as it hit a big pass down the sideline, forced another pass interference call and began chipping away at LSU’s defense on the ground en route to its first touchdown of the night.

The Bulldogs followed that up by forcing a three-and-out from LSU on a drive that took just 28 seconds off the clock, and return man Mecole Hardman took the ensuing punt back 27 yards down to the LSU 38.

Georgia just needed to punch it in one more time on a short field to swing the momentum in its favor and bring the Bulldogs back within striking distance.

“The momentum was changing,” said LSU coach Ed Orgeron after the game. “It was swinging their way a little bit. You could feel it.”

But the LSU defense wasn’t having it. And as it did six times Saturday night, the Tigers forced a three-and-out.

They put the ball back into the hands of their offense, which ate up huge chunks of the field on its way to a six-play, 86-yard touchdown to flip the script and put LSU back ahead by three scores.

“That was a great drive,” said LSU safety Grant Delpit. “We had a lot of three-and-outs on defense and that’s always a good thing. It gets the ball back into our offenses hands and they put up 36 points. That’s what happens when you do that.”

That drive summed up the night for the Tiger defense, which paved the way for the LSU offense as the Tigers pulled off a 36-16 upset of No. 2 Georgia in Tiger Stadium.

LSU held Georgia to 322 yards on the night, which is 163 yards shy of their season average. The Tigers also limited the Bulldogs to 113 yards on the ground, which is less than half of their season average of 245.2 yards per game.

“We just accepted the challenge from their offensive line,” said defensive end Rashard Lawrence. “They have a great offensive line that’s very physical, and we pride ourselves on being physical as an LSU defensive line. We were knocking heads. The thing is we just had to play our gap and play our scheme. Once we do that, we’ll be hard to beat.”

It didn’t always seem like it’d be smooth sailing for LSU’s defense though. Georgia racked up 69 of its 113 rush yards in the first quarter alone, with tailback tandem D’Andre Swift and Elijah Holyfield averaging 8.2 and 7.0 yards per carry, respectively, to open the game.

So what changed?

“We were playing one certain defense, and it wasn’t working,” Orgeron said. “So we changed it and it worked this time.”

More specifically?

“We were shading one way, and then we went and shaded the other way. That was the change,” the head coach said with a wink.

Ask Lawrence and he’ll say it was just tackling.

Ask linebacker Michael Divinity and he’ll tell you it was guys making plays.

Fellow linebacker Devin White may have given the best answer.

“(The coaches) just told Devin White to get in the gap,” he said, speaking in third person before expanding. “They were just running the draw. We hadn’t really seen the draw from them, but they put it in and made it to where I or Jacob (Phillips) overtook the gap.”

Whatever White did seemed to work. The stud junior led the game with 13 tackles as the only Tiger to hit double digits in that department.

As strong as his day was, the highlight of the night came early in the 3rd quarter when junior cornerback Kristian Fulton made a remarkable diving interception against Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm.

Fromm rocketed a pass over the middle of the field from his own endzone, where Fulton somehow managed to get a hand under it to reel it in. It was so close that the play was reviewed and ultimately upheld, giving Fulton his first interception of his LSU career.

“It felt good to have the ball in my hands again,” Fulton said. “It’s been a long time since I caught an interception. I knew they were backed up, so I was kind of expecting a shot. I was reading my receiver and he broke off, and that’s when I saw the ball coming.”

It’s been a long time coming for Fulton, who has had quite the journey in his time at LSU.

After sitting out a full year (and almost two) for his well-documented NCAA suspension, going through his appeals process that was rejected and then ultimately overturned, this was the moment he’s been waiting for.

“It meant a lot,” he said. “From me not supposed to being out there, it was a fun thing to do. I expect to get a pick every week, but it was one of those days where I got it.”

Fulton wasn’t the only one excited about his big day either. The rest of DBU couldn’t keep the smiles off their faces when talking about Fulton’s big moment, which was only just a matter of time.

“We knew it was coming,” said fellow corner Greedy Williams. “We always told him just to be patient it was going to come, and it came in a big game.”

The Tigers turned his interception into three points, and also capitalized on a pair of Bulldog fumbles, wining the turnover battle 4-0 and scoring 13 points off turnovers.