By RON HIGGINS, Journal Sports
BATON ROUGE – LSU starting quarterback Garrett Nussmeier vouches that the defensive schemes of the new Tigers’ defensive coordinator, Blake Baker, aren’t easy to decipher.
“He’s definitely one of the more complex coaches I’ve faced,” Nussmeier said after the Tigers’ ninth preseason practice. “Every day, there’s a (new defensive) look. I have to make sure I’m in the right protection or reading the right guy. He challenges me and our offense in different ways.”
The essence of what made Baker’s defenses the last two seasons at Missouri so effective is no secret. He made his schemes simple and relatable so his defenders could react rather than become mentally paralyzed with too much rolling around in their heads.
It’s the opposite of how LSU defenders played the last two seasons under former Matt House.
Too much complexity resulted in miscommunication, misalignments and too many mistakes that made the 10-3 Tigers of 2023 rank 103rd or worse nationally in six defensive stat categories.
LSU head coach Brian Kelly took a look at Missouri’s defensive numbers under Baker last season – No. 4 nationally in fumbles forced (17), 11th in sacks (18), 16th in fumbles recovered (10) and 18th in tackles for loss – and made Baker college football’s highest-paid assistant at $2.5 million annually.
“Our scheme is very user-friendly and very player-friendly,” said Baker, who was LSU linebackers coach in 2021 on Tigers’ head coach Ed Orgeron’s final staff before he was fired. “It takes time (to learn). We really work hard as a staff compartmentalizing things, putting things in buckets, and trying to give them (the players) some word association. It’s clicking with them pretty quick.”
More than one LSU defender describes Baker’s defense as allowing them to play “free.”
“Free, like you don’t have to worry about a lot on your mind,” Tigers’ cornerback Ashton Stamps said. “You have one call, one check, and not like 14 different checks. Just being free allows you to do freakish things.”
LSU All-SEC inside linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. is all in on anything Baker can design.
“Coach Baker has a spectacular mind,” Perkins said. “He can come in here right now and draw up something (a scheme) that I like. He’s always bringing fresh stuff to the table. We may come out in a look we’ve already used, but we’ll run something totally different from it.”
One of Baker’s charges is making maximum use of Perkins’ spectacular athletic ability, which seemed vastly reduced last season when he moved to middle linebacker.
Perkins is playing in the box again this season as an inside linebacker but with more confidence and knowledge instilled in him by Baker.
“Harold Perkins right now is playing on fire,” Baker said. “We’ve put a lot on his plate. We have packages (for Perkins), and we move him all around. He’s not just playing on the inside.
“I’m very pleased with Harold and his development. If you talk about where he started this thing at the beginning of spring and where he is now, it’s night and day. I really think he’s not even scratching the surface of where he’s going to be.”
Monday began a run of 12 LSU practices in the next 13 days – six straight days this week, a recovery day on Sunday and then another six consecutive days putting the Tigers on the doorstep of season-opening game week preparation.
Baker is trying to solidify a starting lineup and playing rotation.
“We’ve been mixing a lot of people with a lot of different groups,” Baker said. “We haven’t settled into any type of depth chart. We’ve improved a lot physically since spring. The guys did a really good job in the summer on their own. We have about 90 percent of our playbook in and we’re calling it all so there’s a lot on their plate mentally.
“I’m pleased where we’re at, but we still have a long way to go. I’m still looking for more consistency. When we all do our job, we’re pretty good.”
Baker said this two-week stretch of six consecutive practices each week is huge for the defense leading into the Sept. 1 season opener vs. USC in Las Vegas.
“We’re looking for marked improvement,” Baker said. “I think the cream will start rising to the top.”
Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com