Carson Continues To Make Plays For Tigers

Carson

Defensive line coach Pete Jenkins has had lots of praise for the former high school quarterback this season. Last Saturday in Starkville, Carson had one of his strongest performances of the season in the 38-21 loss to Mississippi State. In addition to returning an interception 21 yards for a touchdown, Carson was in on eight tackles, with five being solo. He was credited with a quarterback sack, another tackle for a loss and two QB pressures. On a defensive front that played well from start to finish, the 6-3, 277-pounder was the top performer.

"Leo is one of the hardest playing football players I have ever coached," Jenkins says. "He obviously enjoys what he is doing and does it very well. He goes hard from start to finish."

Carson says he is sick of the losing and wants to get the season turned around after a 1-4 start. He adds that the Tigers need a good week of preparation as they get ready to face the 5-1 Gators Saturday in Gainesville. "It is important that we stick together as a team and continue to play hard," Carson says.

For the season, Carson is the team's fifth leading tackler with 13 solos and 14 assists. He has two sacks and four other tackles behind the line of scrimmage. Of the 18 quarterback hurries by the defense through five games, Carson has been credited for eight of the pressures.

"Leonardo's performance against Mississippi State is even more impressive considering that they tried to run their plays away from him," Jenkins says.

Carson and the Tigers face a Florida team that is 3-1 in league play and has a two-game winning streak with a road victory at Alabama and a home win over LSU. The game will kick off shortly after 2:30 p.m. with television coverage on CBS.

[an error occurred while processing this directive]