BEVO BEAT Football
#tbt: Sam Ehlinger, K’Lavon Chaisson and the Class 6A, Division I title game
Posted September 5th, 2019
When No. 9 Texas hosts No. 6 LSU this weekend, keep an eye on a match-up that will pit Longhorn quarterback Sam Ehlinger against Tiger linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson.
A team captain and Heisman Trophy contender, Ehlinger has developed into the face of UT’s football program. Chaisson wears No. 18 for LSU, and that jersey is traditionally given to players who “best represent LSU football – on and off the field.”
Texas and LSU last met during the 2002 season. This weekend, however, is not the first time that Ehlinger and Chaisson have battled. Nearly four years ago at NRG Stadium in Houston, Ehlinger and the Westlake Chaparrals played Chaisson’s Galena Park North Shore team in the Class 6A, Division I championship game. On Dec. 19, 2015, North Shore earned a 21-14 victory in overtime.
After compiling six tackles, 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery, Chaisson was named the Defensive MVP of that game. Ehlinger threw for 219 yards and ran for 82 yards in the loss, but he was not tied to either of Westlake’s touchdowns. LSU safety Eric Monroe also played on that North Shore team and he blocked a 32-yard field goal in the waning seconds of regulation.
“It was a really good game,” Ehlinger recalled on Tuesday. “It came down to the wire.”
K'Lavon Chaisson asked about seeing Sam Ehlinger again(they played vs each other in high school in the 6A State Title game in 2015)
"I don't find him too much of a threat, that's not a shot at him…he uses his legs more than his arms"#txhsfb #LSU #HookEm pic.twitter.com/njsHiOmB0J
— Brian Holland (@BHollandSports) September 1, 2019
Chaisson recently told local reporters over the weekend that he wasn’t threatened by Ehlinger. According to Chaisson’s scouting report, Ehlinger “uses his legs more than his arms.” This wasn’t the first time that Ehlinger has been publicly criticized. And much like he did with Terry Bradshaw and Baker Mayfield’s comments this summer, Ehlinger wasn’t taking the bait.
“(It’s) completely irrelevant,” Ehlinger said. “Don’t really care about the outside noise. I’ll say it again, just like all of the other criticism, we’re going to focus on the things that we can control and game-plan for them, not specific comments.”
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