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LSU CB named Bednarik Award National Player of the Week

On3 imageby: Matthew Brune09/03/25MatthewBrune_
Syndication: The Greenville News
Louisiana State University cornerback Mansoor Delane (4) reacts during the third quarter at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, S.C. Saturday, August 30, 2025.

Coming off of the massive road win to start the season, the accolades have been pouring in for LSU over the past few days and the LSU defense is now getting some love from national outlets.

Cornerback Mansoor Delane has been selected as the Bednarik Award National Player of the Week for his performance in LSU’s 17-10 win over No. 4 Clemson on Saturday.

In his first game as a Tiger after transferring from Virginia Tech, Delane tallied two tackles, an interception and broke up two other passes in helping the LSU defense to one of its best performances against a Top 10 opponent. The win marked the fifth time in program history that LSU beat a Top 4 ranked team in a true road game.

Delane intercepted a Clemson pass on the LSU 46-yard line in the third quarter and then broke up a pass on fourth-and-5 at the LSU 33-yard line with just over nine minutes remaining in the contest.

In his LSU debut, Delane played 55 defensive snaps, allowing only one catch in eight targets.

LSU’s defense limited Clemson to only 13 first downs, 261 total yards, including just 31 on the ground. Clemson also went just 3-of-13 on third-down opportunities and only converted two of its four fourth down attempts.

It marked only the fifth time since 2016 a Clemson offense was limited to fewer than 50 rushing yards. 

In addition, the 10 total points were the fewest by Clemson in a home game since they scored six against Georgia Tech in 2014.

Delane joins quarterback Garrett Nussmeier with national honors for the Tigers following the win over Clemson. Nussmeier earned Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week.

LSU returns to action on Saturday, hosting Louisiana Tech at 6:30 p.m. in Tiger Stadium. The game will be streamed on SEC Network-plus and ESPN-plus.

*LSU press release

Postgame Q&A with LSU CB Mansoor Delane

On the performance of the secondary…

“We’re just trying to get back to what LSU is known for — that’s DBU and continuing the legacy that’s already there.”

Your interception — can you take us through what happened?

“I was in Cover 3, just reading the quarterback’s eyes. Credit to the defensive line, they got pressure and forced that throw.”

All these new additions, to come in and mesh like you have, what’s been the key?

“It’s been easy because we’ve always have the same goal to win a championship. When you have like-minded guys, it makes it easier to mesh. That started back in January, and we’ve built it from there.”

How did it feel to see Harold get off like he did?

“He set the tone for the defense, mentality-wise. He’s a brother you don’t want to let down. His fight-to-the-end mindset brings everyone up with him. I love that about him.”

How big was this? It’s a tough place to win.

“That’s why Coach Kelly brought us here, to handle business. That’s what we’re here for, and we did our job.”

How much did it help that you played them last year?

“It helped a lot. Going back on film, I saw a lot of the same things we saw before. I’m big on film guy, so picking up on tendencies makes the game easier for me and allows me to play fast.”

Did it help you as a defense that they returned so much production from last year?

“Actually it did because as defensive backs, we sat down without coaches and went over film together. We were calling out plays before they even happened. They returned 80% of their production, but that worked in our favor.”

What about [LSU’s] defensive line’s ability to affect the quarterback, did you guys feel that in the back end?

“For sure. We have coach Baker calling it up. We’ve got some great guys up front. I’m real close with all of them, and I know our jobs work hand-in-hand. They make my job easy.”

What did you think of DJ out there?

“I’ll have to go back and watch the film, but I trust DJ. He was out there for a reason in game one. Not a lot of people can say they did that on such a big stage.”

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