Divinity intervention: What Michael Divinity return means for LSU defense

Michael Divinity returns to start for LSU in the National Championship Game vs. Clemson after missing time for personal reasons. His return comes at the perfect time for the Tigers.

LSU gets their sack leader, Michael Divinity, back for the National Championship Game and it couldn’t have come at a better time.

The last time we saw Divinity, LSU was sneaking by Auburn at home. The Tigers got some defensive help from the senior linebacker who just so happens to be one of the best pass-rushers in the nation to bring down a third top-10 opponent to start the season.

In those three games against top 10 foes, Divinity had 17 total tackles and two sacks. He was a menace to opposing offenses and a reason there was hope LSU’s defense would return to elite form.

However, he was suspended after the Auburn win for off-the-field reasons but Ed Orgeron stuck with him and said if LSU made the national title game, he could return to the field.

And here we are.

LSU is getting set to take on the defending national champion Clemson Tigers in the 2020 National Championship and Divinity has returned to the starting lineup.

Why is this such a big deal for LSU?

For a defense that has underwhelmed for most of the season, another puss-rusher is more than welcome. The Tigers are finally hitting their stride on defense as players get healthy, but adding Divinity to that mix and he may be the missing piece to the national title puzzle.

When Divinity appeared in 12 games as a junior, he had 54 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and four sacks. He looked to be on pace for that type of output, maybe even better, this season with 23 tackles, four tackles for loss and three sacks in five games. He’s going to be as hungry as ever to get back on the field to make up for lost time and prove his worth against Clemson.

With Trevor Lawrence playing his best football of the season at the perfect time and Clemson boasting an offense filled with weapons at every position, led by Tee Higgins, Justyn Ross, Travis Etienne, Lyn-J Dixon and Amari Rodgers. In order to stop this offense — or rather slow it down — LSU needs to be at full-strength so Divinity’s return is huge.

He will put added pressure on Lawrence and help slow down the elite run game. And since Lawrence has shown the ability to run the ball, too, Divinity’s presence as an edge-rushing linebacker with athleticism to run the talented quarterback down or keep him in the pocket.

Orgeron said he could use Divinity on the outside or wherever the defense needs him with Patrick Queen and Jacob Phillips playing well on the inside. It’s the versatility that makes him a true weapon on defense and a perfect addition for a group finding its identity before the biggest game for the program since the 2012 BCS National Championship Game.

Life hasn’t exactly been smooth-sailing since Divinity’s departure as the two games following the suspension saw Alabama and Ole Miss score 78 total points. There just wasn’t a true threat of a pass rush without him and Tua Tagovailoa was able to sit back and make the throws while John Rhys-Plumlee ran wild over the defense.

Since those two games, the Tiger defense has settled down and getting back to its old ways, allowing 65 total points in the last four games. It may not sound all that impressive, but you have to consider the opponents during that span. LSU allowed just seven points to Texas A&M, 10 to Georgia in the SEC Championship Game and 28 points to a red-hot Oklahoma offense which ranked near the top of every category this season.

With Thorpe Award winner Grant Delpit feeling healthy again and Derek Stingley Jr. emerging as a future All-American at ‘DBU’, it almost feels unfair to add Divinity back to the mix.

Dave Aranda’s defense has figured things out, recording 14 sacks over the past four games. Plugging Divinity in will ensure the Tigers will constantly get pressure on Lawrence and you have a unit resembling those elite LSU defenses in the past.

If there was one knock on LSU this season, it was the defense wasn’t as dominant as it had been. The play of Joe Burrow and the record-setting Tigers offense helped mask some of those deficiencies.

As LSU prepares to win their first national title since 2007, Divinity could be the difference in a game that figures to see a lot of points scored. While LSU would be fine without Divinity, he’s the cherry on top of the LSU sundae which could wreak havoc on Clemson in the national title game.

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