LSU Has Earned a Place In The College Football National Championship Discussion

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

After Bradley Dale Peveto and Doug Mallory didn't quite work out as co-defensive coordinators in 2008, LSU Head Coach Les Miles hired a new defensive coordinator who has 20 years of experience in the SEC—John Chavis.

Chavis, who has been at Tennessee for the last 14 years, will be in charge of restoring LSU's dominant SEC defense. It will start with the defensive line.

LSU has 16 defensive linemen on scholarship (19 total), even with the Tigers losing Tyson Jackson, Kirston Pittman, Rick Jean-Francois, and Marlon Favorite from last season. It will be important for senior Al Woods and junior Drake Nevis to set the tone for the younger players.

LSU’s d-line has set the tone over the past several seasons. When the d-line is giving up chunks of rushing yardage and not pressuring opposing quarterbacks, the team struggles to win games. LSU controls the game when the d-line’s play is solid (think Glen Dorsey when he was healthy).

Chavis has the experience to get the younger players ready to face SEC offenses. In his 14 years at Tennessee, the Vols finished in the top four in the SEC in total defense 10 times. He knows how to coach an attacking, dominant SEC defense. The question is how fast he can transform the talented youngsters.

Speed, Speed, and More Speed

Starting with Nick Saban in 2000-04, and now Miles, speed has been a priority for LSU recruiters. With burners like Trindon Holiday and Terrance Tolliver the Tigers receivers unleash track-and-field quality speed on opposing defenses.

Holidayis tied with Jeff Demps for fastest college football player. Each has posted a 100m time of 10.1 seconds while running track. Xavier Carter, a former LSU receiver, left the team in 2005 to pursue professional track and field.

Russell Shepard is one of LSU’s top recruits from last year’s class. He is listed as a quarterback, but the freshman will most likely line up as a receiver this season.

Shepard will fit right in with Holidayand Tolliver. Just watch Shepard’s highlights from his senior year at Cyprus Ridge High School in Texas. It is difficult to find a clip that doesn’t end with a touchdown for Shepard. He has incredible open-field speed. He doesn’t break many tackles, not unlike Holiday, but the two are a threat to score each time they touch the ball.

The discussions leading up to the BCS championship game the past several years have focused on which team has more speed. The SEC has proved the winner of that argument for three straight seasons.

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