FSU football: Will LSU have an elite defense in 2022?
By Kelvin Hunt
FSU football will take on LSU Sunday night in primetime, a game between two teams looking to ascend to national prominence again.
LSU enters the game as a slight betting favorite, playing on a neutral field in their home state. Most people feel the battle within the battle will be in the trenches.
The biggest question seems to be, can FSU’s much-maligned offensive line hold up against LSU’s defensive line? FSU brought in a ton of transfer offensive linemen while developing some players that redshirted in 2021.
The unit is better than last year and has better depth, though that depth got tested before the first game of the season last week.
FSU’s offensive line played against two top-tier defenses in 2021, NC State (No. 12) and Clemson (No. 4), according to FEI advanced metrics, and likely would have won had they had better personnel. LSU’s defense finished No. 44 (one spot behind FSU).
This begs to question of why so many people think LSU’s defense will wreck shop against the Noles? There’s no question they have a ton of talent, but the production last year doesn’t match the hype. Let’s delve into it.