When it came time for Brian Kelly to give out the game ball after LSU’s win over Ole Miss, there were a lot of worthy candidates. Linebacker Whit Weeks had 18 tackles and defensive end Bradyn Swinson was a monster off the edge, but the game ball went to cornerback Zy Alexander.
Alexander led the charge as the secondary played its best game of the season, containing an explosive Ole Miss passing attack and helping the Tigers pull out the 29-26 overtime win on Saturday night. The defense as a whole was the reason LSU got the win as players stepped up across the board when it mattered most.
“The defense played great tonight,” Alexander said. “All year, we’ve continued to improve and we showed tonight that we’re one of the best defenses in college football. Our mindset is to come out and dominate the offense. Coach Baker puts us in the best positions to execute.”
Alexander ended the game allowing just 27 yards while being targeted 10 times with one pass breakup and one interception in the win.
Last year, this game had a different result as Ole Miss defeated LSU 55-49 in perhaps the worst defensive performance of this century. With that on their minds, the Tigers came out ready to play and got better as the game went on.
“We don’t like talking about last year, but we had it on our minds,” Alexander said. “We just came out and said this is a revenge game. With that mindset, we just went out there and got it done. We were ready for this game. Since we got the schedule we circled Ole Miss.”
The improved play at defensive back has been led by Alexander along with sophomore Ashton Stamps at cornerback who did an excellent job staying in phase, finding the ball, and tackling in the open field. Corey Raymond is starting to leave his mark in this defensive overhaul and the Louisiana talent is hungry to continue to grow.
“Ashton has played great,” Alexander said. “Ashton and I have put in countless hours outside of football and it translates to the field. We ignore all the media and everything, we just keep working and show why they call it DBU.
“Corey Raymond is the truth. I’m happy he came back. He changed up the scheme and technique and it’s similar to what I did at Southeastern. I’m just grateful to be here.
Up front, LSU ended the game with six sacks and nin total tackles for loss, dominating the line of scrimmage and harassing Jaxson Dart throughout the night. All three phases were in step on Saturday night for Blake Bakers’ defense, but the pressure off the edges was paramount.
“They were one of the main reasons we won,” Alexander said. “They got pressure on the quarterback and he was just throwing it up. We just had to control Jaxson Dart. They were a pass first team so we had to control him. Everybody was doing their job and playing with confidence.”
Just 11 months since tearing his ACL against Army last year and a couple of weeks removed from a concussion, Alexander is once again delivering for LSU in key spots. The veteran is one of the most reliable players on the team and will continue to have top assignments moving forward as he represents his home state.
“It boosts my confidence, but I’ve been working for this moment,” Alexander said. “We’re going to celebrate this win, but we’ll come in and recover tomorrow, then Monday we’ll watch film and move onto Arkansas.”
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