Eleven guys on defense and LSU coach Les Miles singled out the freshman in his first college start. Miles didn't know Major Wright by name but he sure knows that No. 21 can play. That's a statement to how impressive Wright was in the loss to Auburn.
"Their defense is fast and stingy and plays extremely well," Miles said. "The one that stands out to me is their freshman safety, No. 21, played extremely well against Auburn."
Wright's biggest play against Auburn came in the third quarter when he popped the ball away from running back Ben Tate and freshman cornerback Joe Haden recovered the fumble. Florida scored on its next two drives to tie it at 17 before freshman Wes Byrum kicked the game-winning field goal as time expired for the 20-17 Auburn victory.
Wright took over the starting safety job last week from senior Kyle Jackson. He's expected to hold onto that spot when ninth-ranked Florida visits No. 1 LSU Saturday night. Kickoff is set for 8:28 p.m. The freshman from Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas – the same high school as Byrum – is third on the team with 25 tackles and he has forced two fumbles.
"Our defensive coaches are very excited about him," Florida coach Urban Meyer said. "He's a very good tackler, a very aggressive tackler. He caused a fumble that put us back in the game. He had some violent hits on the sideline.
"He's a good player, but he has to practice. He's like a lot of young players. That was his first start. Is he the starting free safety at Florida? No, he's got to have a great week of practice and continue to improve, but he could be an excellent player."
Wright will be needed to step up even more this weekend along with everyone else in Florida's secondary. Senior safety Tony Joiner's status is in question after his arrest early Tuesday morning. Sophomore cornerback Markihe Anderson (knee) is not expected to play. Meyer said redshirt sophomore Dorian Munroe would probably start at safety if Joiner does not go. Haden and sophomore Wondy Pierre-Louis are expected to start at corner.
Miles concerned about Tebow's running
Meyer said one reason junior running back Kestahn Moore carried it only three times for seven yards against Auburn was because he was not pleased with the offensive line's blocking. It won't get any easier this week. LSU's defensive line is first nationally in rush defense, giving up only 39 yards per game and 1.3 yards per rush.
Sophomore quarterback Tim Tebow leads Florida with 433 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 89 carries. Moore has 286 yards and four scores on 56 touches. Miles said it's always a concern to defend a running quarterback, especially one like Tebow who is 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds and has an arsenal of wide receivers to defend as well.
"We understand this is a very talented Florida team, a very capable team," Miles said. "You tackle (Tebow) any way you can tackle him. Obviously, everybody says low and it makes great sense to wrap up a very strong running back and/or quarterback. It's not only tackle low but you want to get 11 hats to the ball. Swarming that quarterback is what we have to do."