Defending Tebow

• By GEORGE MORRIS
• Advocate staff writer
• Published: Oct 10, 2008 - Page: 1C - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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Last season, possibly the fiercest part of LSU’s stout defense was its pass rush. The Tigers recorded 37 sacks, an average of 2.6 per game, and applied enough pressure at other times to severely disrupt opponents’ passing attack.

Through four games in 2008, the sack totals are down: six through four games, an average of 1.5, which is 11th best in the 12-team Southeastern Conference. Tackles for loss are down, too. Through four games in 2007, LSU had 33 for 195 yards in losses. This year, it’s 20 tackles for 80 yards.

The statistics don’t lie. Do they mislead?

“Numbers can give accurate depictions of what’s going on, but our defense is playing solid,” said junior Rahim Alem, who rotates regularly at defensive end but is even more frequently called on in obvious passing situations. “We’re helping our team and we’re doing what our team needs to do.”

But Alem recognizes they’ll have to do it even better this week at Florida, where Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Tim Tebow is the centerpiece of an offense that leads the SEC in scoring (36.0 points per game).

Much of Tigers fans’ concern has focused on the defensive backfield. LSU is eighth in the conference in pass defense (191.8 yards per game), and receives have gotten open — sometimes wide open — for big gains in wins over Auburn and Mississippi State. Both of those teams rank in the bottom half of the SEC in passing offense.

Regardless of the secondary, the Tigers also know that one way to tighten pass defense is by giving quarterbacks less time to throw. Last season, Georgia was the only SEC team with more sacks than LSU, which had a defensive line anchored by senior All-American Glenn Dorsey. His seven sacks were second on the team to right defensive end Kirston Pittman’s eight.

Of course, pass rush involves more than the defensive line. Of last year’s 37 sacks, 12.5 were credited to blitzing linebackers or defensive backs. The question becomes how much blitzing is wise.

“Certainly, we’d like to get more pass rush,” said LSU head coach Les Miles. “You can always have more pass rush, but at what price? I think that’s a very significant issue when you look at a guy who’s a very talented quarterback.”

This is particularly true because Tebow is a gifted runner with a big body that makes him hard to bring down, and because Florida’s spread offense gives him several advantages.

More often than not, Tebow gets the snap in the shotgun formation, allowing him to focus downfield and get set to throw more quickly than when he lines up under center. Florida also has an abundance of receiving targets. Eleven Gators have caught passes, led by wideouts Percy Harvin (19 catches, 284 yards, 3 TDs), Louis Murphy (17 catches, 257 yards, 2 TDs) and tight end Aaron Hernandez (13 catches, 140 yards, 2 TDs).

“I think they have six or seven guys who have under a 4.4 (second) 40 (yard dash), so it’s really scary,” Pittman said. “That’s where the defensive front is going to come into play, and the linebackers, just really getting a good pass rush on Tebow, and when we blitz the blitz has to get to him so he doesn’t have time to sit back there and pass the ball. If you give the quarterback five seconds to pass the ball, anybody can run a route and get open in five seconds. There’s really going to be a lot of pressure on the defensive front this week to get to the quarterback.”

Florida’s 31-30 loss to Ole Miss on Sept. 27 showed the impact an athletic defensive line can make. The Rebels, led by defensive end Greg Hardy, harassed Tebow throughout the day and stuffed him on a fourth-down conversion attempt to secure the victory.