Secondary motive

• By GEORGE MORRIS
• Advocate staff writer
• Published: Oct 15, 2008 - Page: 1C - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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Coming out of spring practice, LSU coach Les Miles looked at his defensive backfield and said he was confident about his safeties, less so about his cornerbacks.

After five games, his assessment was half right. Unfortunately for the Tigers, it was the wrong half.

The Tigers secondary was already a cause for concern when Auburn and Mississippi State made big passing plays with quarterbacks ranked ninth and 10th in the Southeastern Conference.

Florida’s Tim Tebow turned concerns into alarm bells.

Tebow’s 10-of-17 passing for 159 yards and two touchdowns staked Florida to a 20-7 first-half lead, and although the Gators relied on a running attack to chew up the clock in the second half, his 4-of-4 included a 37-yard strike to Louis Murphy that set up the touchdown that broke LSU’s comeback momentum.

LSU defensive backs reject suggestions that Florida’s swift receivers were the problem. They blame themselves.

“They’ve got good speed. We’ve got good speed, too, but we’ve just got to make the play,” said free safety Curtis Taylor. “It wasn’t (that) they were a step quicker. We could match their speed. They just made the big plays, and they capitalized on our mistakes.”

Taylor was identified by Miles — a surprise from a coach whose obtuseness neared Alan Greenspan levels this week — for covering the wrong receiver and instead of doubling on Percy Harvin on Florida’s first pass.

Nickelback Danny McCray got his hand on that one, but it bounced to Harvin, who took it in for the game’s first score.

Taylor is the lone returning starter from last season’s base secondary unit, though McCray started games as the nickelback. Junior Chris Hawkins and sophomore Jai Eugene have replaced Chevis Jackson and Jonathan Zenon as the left and right cornerbacks, respectively, and Harry Coleman took over for Craig Steltz at strong safety.

“I think it’s some young guys playing some key positions who are not necessarily in a groove at this point,” Miles said. “I can tell you that some of our veterans in my opinion are not playing the style of football that they’re used to playing.”

Coleman proved that Harvin could be covered. Twice in the first half, Tebow looked for Harvin to convert third downs, with Coleman breaking the pass up each time. The first forced Florida to kick a field goal; the second led to the Gators’ first punt.

“Watching a lot of film on Florida, I know they have a tendency for Percy Harvin to be the third receiver and run a corner route, so I was kind of anticipating them throwing that on third down,” Coleman said. “I was kind of playing the route.”