The Ultimate Weapon: Isaiah Simmons could be Joe Burrow’s kryptonite

Joe Burrow has been Superman all year for LSU, but Clemson’s Isiah Simmons may be his kryptonite in the National Championship Game.

No one has been able to stop Heisman winner Joe Burrow all year, but Clemson’s do-it-all defender, Isaiah Simmons could be the first.

The Clemson Tigers enter the National Championship game just one victory away from extending their impressive winning streak to 30 games. The Tigers are coming off a dramatic, come-from-behind win over the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Playstation Fiesta Bowl, but there’s still another huge obstacle in the way of winning back-to-back National Titles: The LSU Tigers.

LSU comes into the game averaging 48.9 points per game (No. 1 nationally), 397.2 passing yards per game (No. 2 nationally), 564.1 total yards per game (No. 1 nationally), and converting 50.8 percent of its third down attempts (No. 5 nationally).

Overall, the Tigers have transformed themselves into an offensive juggernaut and that was clearly on display in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl when they put up 63 points against the Oklahoma Sooners without even batting an eye.

Clemson is tasked with finding a way to slow down that prolific offensive attack, led by Burrow, and the Tigers might just have the answer in Simmons. Clemson Defensive Coordinator Brent Venables is going to use Simmons in multiple packages as a way to better defend that LSU defense and potentially confuse Burrow.

As an outside linebacker

Simmons will line up in the SAM role at linebacker and will be tasked with several assignments. Throughout the season, Venables has used Simmons as a ‘spy’ and he’ll need to do that as a way to slow down Joe Burrow’s running ability at times.

However, we’re going to see Simmons more times than not line up in coverage as LSU spreads the field. LSU Offensive Coordinator Steve Ensminger uses four-wide and five-wide sets to spread the defense out and Simmons will be tasked with taking away a tight end or slot receiver.

Because of his speed and freakish athleticism, Simmons is basically an extra defensive back on the field. He’ll likely take away LSU’s third option at wide receiver, which could prove to be a big blow for Joe Burrow, who likes to get the ball out quick to receivers who sit down in the coverage.

In addition to using Simmons’ athleticism in the passing game, Clemson will rely on the linebacker to provide physicality in stopping the run and pressuring Burrow when Venables dials up blitzes. Throughout the season, we’ve seen Simmons slow down offensive attacks with his versatility and ability to get in the backfield and stop plays before they even get started.

Though LSU has plenty of talent, the Tigers don’t have a blocker capable of slowing Simmons down and he’s more than able to provide solid coverage. That said, Clemson will also take advantage of Simmons’ athleticism with another package.

As a safety

Venables isn’t going to just line Simmons up as a linebacker, he’s going to drop Simmons back and play him as a third safety. We saw the Tigers use this package against Ohio State– and several other times throughout the season- and it has worked to perfection.

Clemson elects to go with three-down linemen, three linebackers and three safeties, one of which is Simmons. Putting him with the safeties gives the Tigers extra physicality and athleticism to deal with the deep ball and complex routes while adding another linebacker on the field gives them extra speed.

In the Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State, Venables relied on Simmons to play that safety role and help take away the deep pass, which he did, and he used reserve linebacker Baylon Spector’s speed to spy quarterback and Heisman finalist, Justin Fields.

Look for Clemson to use a similar package here. Using Simmons as a safety helps prevent the ‘top from being blown off’ and allows the Tigers to have a guy on the back-end who can deal with tall, physical wide receivers while running stride-for-stride with them.

Versatility is key

When Clemson takes on LSU in the National Championship game, we’re going to see Simmons line up all over the field by design. While it’s true Clemson hasn’t faced an offense with as many talented options as LSU, the Bayou Bengals haven’t faced a more prolific defender than who’ll they’ll face Monday night when Simmons lines up against them.

LSU will be tasked with noting where Simmons is on every single play because if he goes unaccounted for, he’ll make them pay. Simmons has the athleticism and speed to run stride-for-stride with any skill position player in the country, but he also has the strength and explosiveness to be a hard-nosed running-stopper and get into the backfield and create pressure on the quarterback.

No defense all season has been able to stop that LSU offense, but Clemson may very well have the kryptonite to the Tiger attack and he’s wearing No. 11.

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