Defense and the Dreaded Lack of Focus

How a lack of intensity shows up in the numbersGoing into the season, the plan for success for LSU was the same as it always has been: solid, ball-control offense paired with a great defense. LSU's fortunes have largely mirrored that of the defense over the course of the Miles era, relying on the defense to generate wins. That's been the plan, anyway.

Well, a funny thing happened on the way to Tiger Stadium. The offense is moving the ball at a rate better than any other team in the SEC, while the defense is hanging out in the middle of the pack. LSU allows 4.81 yards/play, 6th in the SEC, and 315.9 yards/game, 5th in conference.

The question for LSU is: what is the root cause of this decline?…