I read that Valentine has been demoted to third team because of his poor practice habits. I don't recall seeing him at all out there. I like the accountability. The LB's are a much better unit. We knew what Beckwith could do but Riley has been playing very well recently.
Very much so. He was excellent in coverage, he flies to the ball against the run. In two weeks we will see some true big boy football. I feel good about this game. I think Bama is beatable. The D is good but not nearly as good as '11. Their offense is better and more dangerous. We just have to start well..
The D is a year or two away from being what we want, but the trend is absolutely in the right direction. We looked great in the second half yesterday, but I suspect that we will still have a very hard time against the heavier teams like Bama and Ark. Our DL and LB's are still very light in the ass compared to most, and that is going to hurt us against better teams (though we look good against the teams that want to spread you out, just like we did with Chavis). When the freshman that Aranda liked for his system are Juniors, and presuming we can continue to recruit well, we will be a great D.
After a poor start, the defense gave up essentially 3 points for the last 3 1/2 quarters. Damned impressive against a very talented Ole Miss offense.
I do like a lot of the youth on the DL, particularly at DT. We do need some young edge rushes to fill the void when Key leaves next year. I really like Lawrence and Alexander. Next year we bring in Shelvin, plus a redshirted Logan amongst others.
Looking like DBU; the coverage we're seeing this year is among the best we've seen at LSU. It's interesting how Aranda seems to bend early in the game, kinda like he's rope a doping.
We need better play from the other safety. I also don't know what Kevin Tolliver is doing out there. He can cover with the best of them but he can't seem to make a play on the ball in the air. Linebackers have improved, they are going to have their work cut out for them trying to keep Hurts contained. He is way more elusive than Chad Kelly.
