Arden Key cleared to play LSU’s SEC opener vs. Mississippi State

LSU Tigers pass rushing extraordinaire Arden Key will make his season debut Saturday. Tigers head coach Ed Orgeron made the announcement on Monday that Key will play in the SEC opener against the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Key is coming off an 11-sack season in 2016 as a sophomore. The LSU star was named to the All-SEC First Team in the offseason and is widely regarded as one of the best pass rushers in the country. After missing the Tigers’ first two games, it shouldn’t be a surprise if Key comes out hungry in Starkville.

The Tiger defense will certainly be happy to have Key back aboard. Having him on the field only helps to free up the other defenders with the opposing offenses locking in on him. With that said, LSU’s defense has been able to still be as brilliant as ever. They’ve only given up 10 points through their first two games, all of which came in their win over Chattanooga. They had pitched a shutout in their season opener against the BYU Cougars two weeks ago.

The Fighting Tigers have gotten plenty of help in the sack department in Key’s absence. As a team, LSU has racked up eight sacks from six players. Senior linebacker Corey Thompson already has a team-best 3.5 sacks this season. Freshman K’Lavon Chaisson is off to a fast start himself, having gotten two sacks. Greg Gilmore, Devin White, John Battle and Rashard Lawrence have each gotten at least 0.5 sacks this year too.

We’ll see how the addition of Arden Key can aid LSU in their quest to get off to a hot start in SEC play. They travel to Starkville to take on the Bulldogs this Saturday in a game that kicks off at 11 a.m. CT.