Mathieu ties for most forced fumbles in school history

It's normally the seniors on a team who are flirting with school records.

But if there's one thing LSU fans have learned the past two seasons, it's that sophomore cornerback Tyrann Mathieu is anything but normal.

Mathieu, who was named the Walter Camp Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts against West Virginia on Saturday, has been hurdling his way into the LSU history books.

After stripping the ball from West Virginia wide receiver Brad Stark in the first quarter of Saturday night's showdown, the New Orleans native brought his total to seven forced fumbles, which ties him with former Tiger linebacker Ali Highsmith for the most in LSU history.

Highsmith, who wore Mathieu's No. 7 and was a 2007 first team All-American, started 38 games for the Tigers and spent two seasons in the NFL playing for the Arizona Cardinals.

In comparison, Mathieu, who has played in 17 games for the Tigers, tied Highsmith's record on just his fifth career start.

"I just try to go out there and play hard and play tough and make those plays for my team," Mathieu said. "We practice [stripping] a lot and we have a whole strip period, so it's really just about us practicing how we play."

Mathieu's five forced fumbles last season tied him for the most in one season with former safety Mark Roman's 1998 mark, and set him fourth on the list all time as a freshman.

The 5-foot-9, 180-pound defensive back has since surpassed the four-year efforts put up by former Tiger greats like linebacker Kelvin Sheppard, defensive tackle Drake Nevis and cornerback Harry Coleman.

"You can't say enough about Tyrann," said junior cornerback Morris Claiborne. "He's always going to come up with a play. You can't count him out – not at all."

Entering Saturday's game, Mathieu had two interceptions to go along with his forced fumbles.

He added a third interception to an already lofty set of accomplishments when he tipped a pass from West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith to himself and returned it 16 yards to the one-yard line, leading to a Tiger touchdown two plays later.

"I just try to anticipate the play," Mathieu said. "I knew they were going to try to get the ball to [wide receiver Tavon Austin]. It was really just about me getting up the field and getting my hands on the ball. I always joke about Eric Reid in the Cotton Bowl letting the quarterback tackle him, and this year I let the quarterback tackle me. I can't joke anymore."

Joking or not, it's still all smiles for Mathieu.

He began drawing comparisons to former Tiger All-American Patrick Peterson last season after racking up 57 tackles, seven pass breakups, five forced fumbles and two interceptions.

Peterson, who was drafted at No. 5 by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2011 NFL draft, encouraged the resemblance when he passed down his No. 7 jersey to Mathieu in the offseason.

After Mathieu's two turnover night Saturday, Peterson tweeted, "Tyrann mathieu is the NEXT Tyrann mathieu. I love the way he plays the game. He will be where I am very soon."

At the rate Mathieu is going, "very soon" could come sooner than some think.

In Peterson's first 17 games, he earned 45 tackles, seven pass breakups, two interceptions, one forced fumble and zero sacks – all numbers Mathieu has exceeded.

But Peterson isn't the only former Tiger standout to which Mathieu's numbers compare.

Less than halfway through his sophomore campaign, Mathieu has more sacks – five – than All-American defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey did after two full seasons. Dorsey finished with 13 sacks before he was drafted No. 5 overall by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2008 NFL Draft.

Mathieu's 87 tackles are also two better than former All-American linebacker Kelvin Sheppard had after his sophomore season.

"It's never routine," said LSU coach Les Miles. "When guys make exceptional plays and when incredible is routine, that's a problem. The things that he does, it's incredible."

But Mathieu said the records mean nothing to him.

As he continues to put up numbers comparable to former national championship team members, he said the one thing that does matter is the one thing he doesn't have – a ring.

"We're just trying to win a championship this year," Mathieu said. "We definitely have a target on our back now. We aren't perfect as a team or as a defense so we need to correct our mistakes in practice."

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Contact Mark Clements at mclements@lsureveille.com