LSU Football: Defense Will Lead to Another “Ship”

Most die hard college football fans that bleed their favorite team’s colors are all giddy with excitement for the upcoming 2009 college football season. 

The talk around the water cooler is a bit longer. The local sports talk shows are crackling with spring practice news and results.   

With a new season, brings to life new hope and new goals for each program.

LSU is no exception.

It was hard to watch how the Tigers fell from glory after being crowned national champions the year before. I can’t tell you how many TV remotes I had to replace, but as I sat there and witnessed the failure, I knew that LSU is committed to winning and change would be imminent in the offseason.

The biggest change that will have an immediate impact on the Bayou Bengal's quest for excellence, was the hiring of John "Chief" Chavis.   

When Bo Pellini was hired as head coach at Nebraska, I think there was an underlining amount of concern among Tiger faithful. Pellini brought a fire and a "take no prisoner" type of an approach. It was his way or no way. 

That fire was lost when co-defensive coordinators Bradley Dale Peveto and Doug Mallory took the reigns. Both coaches were outstanding, but were clearly out coached last year. The defense, in comparison to the past Pellini led squads, looked confused and sluggish. 

Not that having Jared Lee throwing a pick every possession had anything to do with that, but the Tigers were not themselves to say the least. Many a game against SEC foes I would sit there and wonder if Tulane body snatched some of our best players. 

The double mint defensive coordinators who based their defensive scheme on the game "Battleship"—C4?  Miss!—complicated the objective. Seek and destroy is the objective—has been and always will be.

Coach Chavis will get these Tigers on track to do some major damage on Saturdays.

Defensive lineman Charles Alexander said that this year with coach Chavis has been even more intense that Pellini's system. 

That could mean trouble for LSU opponents. 

Coach Chavis is streamlining the defense and if history is representative of his former squads—more "tools in the shed," regarding LSU's overall speed, size, and talent—it should mean bigger results than he experienced with Tennessee.

The world of college football may witness a resurgence of the "Chinese Bandits." 

LSU averaged over 31 points per game last year. Pepper in a stingy, nasty defense, you got the making of another run to the "Ship." 

Geaux Tigers!