If you’re new to the series, David Billiot Jr. and I snake-draft to hand out Stripes of the Week for our podcast, Geaux Deep Dive. The first picks get three stripes, the second picks get two, and the last picks get one, highlighting our top performers of the week.
Five of the six players this week made their Stripes debut. So, here are Week 5’s Stripes of the Week:
Three Stripes: Harlem Berry (Zach) and Deuce Geralds (David)
It has been an interesting start to the season for Harlem Berry. Starting the season as RB3,
the former five-star recruit carried the ball only five times for 13 yards against Clemson and Louisiana Tech and did not record a stat against Ole Miss. One of the big things that Lane Kiffin has harped on is blocking, and Berry has shown more willingness to block, and he has been rewarded with more touches. When Texas A&M came around, Berry got the opportunity to play RB2 behind Dilin Jones, and he has averaged 8.3 yards per carry since. Against McNeese, Berry had 15 carries for 125 yards, including one touchdown, flashing that big-play ability Tiger fans knew he had. Berry understandably wants to be RB1, but the fact that Kiffin and Charlie Weis Jr. are forcing him to develop his game will make Berry a much better player in the long run.
Typically, in victories with a large margin, we like to highlight some players who may not be in the conversation every single week. That was the idea when Deuce Geralds was awarded three stripes in Week 1 against Clemson. Since then, Geralds has cemented himself in the conversation every single week. The true freshman has had an incredible start to the season. One sack on the evening puts Geralds’ total for the season at five, just 2.5 sacks shy of tying Harold Perkins’ freshman single-season record of 7.5. Let’s also not forget the rushing touchdown Geralds added to his resume from a direct snap on the goal line. The production and the personality have made the Georgia native a fan favorite quickly, drawing some high praise and elite player comparisons.
Two Stripes: Corey Barber Jr. (David) and Stacy Gage (Zach)
The leading receiver from Saturday was another true freshman, Corey Barber Jr., who tallied seven catches for 83 yards and two scores. His performance did not come late in the game either, as both of his touchdown receptions came from Sam Leavitt. With so much talent of a similar level in the wide receiver room, it can be difficult to break through and emerge as an option on this team, but Barber could very well be in line for some more playing time with the starters following his performance.
Judging purely by the box score, Stacy Gage could have been a candidate for three stripes, but most of his stats came when the game was already out of hand. That is not at all to diminish his six carries for 110 yards and two touchdowns. Gage had a very good performance, making some unbelievable cuts on his big runs. His blocking ability and his talent in the run game are why it has been so difficult for players like Harlem Berry and Caden Durham to get their touches. This run game has improved greatly from last season for many reasons, but one is certainly the three-headed monster LSU is building in the backfield.
One Stripe: Roman Mothershed (Zach) and Tylen Singleton (David)
Since LSU signed Roman Mothershed out of the transfer portal, he is someone I have had my eye on. A wide receiver who is 6-foot-5 and 208 pounds is not something you see every day, and his limited tape was very fun to watch, but there was certainly some development that needed to be done. Then Trey’Dez Green went down with an injury, and eyes quickly turned to Mothershed, whose size is comparable to that of Green, to fill the void. It took about a week, but Mothershed, with his two catches for 11 yards and a score from the one-yard line, showed why everyone quickly looked to him when Green went down. It was a play that LSU had run numerous times for Green in that situation. The one stripe may be a bit of forecasting or wishcasting, but seeing LSU run that play with Mothershed gives confidence that someone can fill portions of the void left by Green until he returns from injury.
With the linebacker room dealt a brutal hand of injuries, including Whit Weeks and Charles Ross, someone had to step up. Both Tylen Singleton and Zach Weeks played fairly well against McNeese.Singleton, Weeks and Dylan Carpenter tied for the team lead with five tackles, but Singleton gets the edge with four solo tackles and one tackle for loss. Singleton highlighted a smothering defensive performance that, had it not been for Jamaal Levi, would have been a near-perfect game for Blake Baker’s defense.
Honorable Mentions:
Zach Weeks: Five tackles
Dylan Carpenter: Five tackles
Dominic McKinley: One sack, two tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss
Tamarcus Cooley: One interception, one tackle
Jayce Brown: Four receptions, 52 yards
