Why Tyrann Mathieu Will Be the Key to LSU Winning the National Championship

LSU CB Tyrann Mathieu may have finished fifth in the voting for this year’s Heisman Trophy, but the fact that Mathieu was able to overcome the negative stigma attached to defensive players in the voting process and make it all the way to New York City is still a great accomplishment in and of itself.

Mathieu didn’t exactly go home empty-handed last week, either. The sophomore DB took home the Chuck Bednarik Award, which is given to the top defensive player in the country, at the annual College Football Awards Show on Thursday night.

His performance in 2011 earned him not just Heisman consideration and a coveted defensive award, but his exploits have also earned him All-American honors and accolades from numerous different media outlets.

Now, though, the pressure will be on Mathieu’s shoulders to live up to the reputation he’s built for himself, when undefeated No. 1 LSU travels down to New Orleans for the rematch of the “Game of the Century” against Alabama in the BCS National Championship Game.

Mathieu will once again have the opportunity to show off his skills and make his presence felt against an Alabama offense that’s led by fellow Heisman finalist, RB Trent Richardson.

The Honey Badger showed no fear in the first meeting between these two teams, and he even got in a little trouble for clubbing Alabama CB Dre Kirkpatrick in the head on a punt return.

For LSU’s sake, hopefully Mathieu plays with that same type of intensity, but also plays a little smarter in the title game.

The Tigers will need Mathieu to once again contain Alabama’s top wide receiver Marquis Maze, who was held to just 61 yards on six catches in the first game. They’ll also need him to keep an eye on the Tide’s other dangerous receiving threats like Darius Hanks and Kenny Bell.

It also wouldn’t hurt if Mathieu could find a way to come up with one of his patented game-changing turnovers at a crucial time in the game, something he failed to do in the first meeting.

This could be the type of game where one momentum-swinging play could have a huge effect on the outcome. And luckily for the Tigers, they’ve got the most opportunistic defensive playmaker in the country to help better their chances of making that one key play.

Losing out on the Heisman should serve as extra motivation for Tyrann Mathieu. The last thing that Alabama needs or wants is an angry Honey Badger hunting down ball-carriers in the title game.