Guessing at what’s behind LSU’s curtain

Published 10:02 am Friday, August 5, 2016

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">OK, let’s play along.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">LSU has opened August football camp, which can be frustrating as a spectator sport, what with the lack of real news and the potential for minutiae to get blown out of proportion.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">But there’s a long standing tradition of playing “What to look for” while coaches do everything in their power to keep things behind gated practice fields and the players are universally optimistic.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">So August for the college football consumer is not an exact science.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">It’s almost a mixture of the “talking season” of July, since most of what is speculated is just that, and the regular season, since there is actual blocking and tackling going on, though not in anger.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">But let’s trudge on anyway to what should be you paying attention as the Tigers prepare for the season opener at Lambeau Field against Wisconsin.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Here’s a few to ponder.</span>

<span style="font-weight: bold; text-transform: uppercase; font-family: ‘Myriad Pro’;" class="R~sep~ACopyBody">QUARTERBACK:</span> <span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Well, duh, of course. What else would be the big question mark? Right now, they’re in the talking stage, which is to say it seems that everybody in the whole program has gotten their stories straight: the transformation of Brandon Harris is complete, a done deal.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">He gets it now. Coaches see it, teammates feel it, most of the ships at sea have telegraphed into shore with the news.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">When, exactly, this metamorphosis took place, nobody is quite so sure. Those details are a little fuzzier.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">But even at Thursday’s first practice, witnesses were abuzz with the news of how he’d taken charge of the offense, at least vocally.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">That apparently is the working plan to build up Harris’ confidence and work from there. It’s not an unusual ploy in quarterback-rearing.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">It’s a good story. He seems like a nice, polite kid, which makes it strange that coaches shy away from letting him near the media.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Bottom line: Don’t look for the party line to change much during August. Not saying take everything with a grain of salt, but don’t put too much into these uplifting tales — particularly the coach-provided stats that will come out of those closed scrimmages.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Curb your enthusiasm. Be hopeful if you must, but with eyes wide open. This one, we’re going to have to see with our own eyes come September.</span>

<span style="font-weight: bold; text-transform: uppercase; font-family: ‘Myriad Pro’;" class="R~sep~ACopyBody">SECONDARY:</span> <span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">DBU it is, and talent is across the board. But confusion (blown assignments) often got this bunch in hot water last year.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">New defensive coordinator Dave Aranda supposedly brings a more versatile yet far simpler defense, particularly on the back end.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">By all accounts, the defensive backs seem to be having more fun, which seems a sure sign that it’s less confusing.</span>

<span style="font-weight: bold; text-transform: uppercase; font-family: ‘Myriad Pro’;" class="R~sep~ACopyBody">OFFENSIVE LINE:</span> <span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">It’s a veteran group, but with important holes to fill at both tackles.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Maea Teuhema (at least when he gets out of his walking boot) moves from guard to take the left tackle and Toby Weathersby should be fine at right tackle.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">The question, probably the most hotly contested position battle in August, is to replace Teuhema’s guard spot opposite veteran Will Clapp.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">It’s between senior Josh Boutte, sophomore Garrette Brumfield and junior K.J. Malone.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Clapp is an interested observer. He can play either guard, but Malone is more comfortable on the left side, while Brumfield and Boutte would fit in better on the right side.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Once they get that sorted out, Clapp will know which side he’s on.</span>

<span style="font-weight: bold; text-transform: uppercase; font-family: ‘Myriad Pro’;" class="R~sep~ACopyBody">DEFENSIVE LINE:</span> <span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">No shortage of bodies here, but if the spring was any indication, the brain trust never was really settled on a nose guard in the Aranda’s new 3-4 alignment. They hadn’t really been recruiting that kind of fire plug and it seemed they kept auditioning traditional defensive tackles for the spot.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Bottom line: my guess is that this will get sorted out with a lot of options.</span>

<span style="font-weight: bold; text-transform: uppercase; font-family: ‘Myriad Pro’;" class="R~sep~ACopyBody">FRESHMEN:</span> <span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Miles loves to play them, but this team returns 18 starters.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">It was telling that only two true freshmen ?— linebackers Devin White and Michael Divinity, both of whom enrolled early and also went through spring drills — joined the veterans Thursday morning while the youngsters practiced separately in the afternoon.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">There will be chances — if they can help anywhere, Miles will play them.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Best opportunities may come in that defensive line where Edward Alexander and Rashard Lawrence were recruited with nose guard in mind.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Bottom line: it’s not like spring when there are always tales of a phenom in the making (often false alarms).</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">If an unheralded freshman starts getting chatted up in August, however, there’s usually something to the story.</span>

<span style="font-weight: bold; text-transform: uppercase; font-family: ‘Myriad Pro’;" class="R~sep~ACopyBody">SPECIAL TEAMS:</span> <span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Not the sexiest thing to hand-wring over, but the Tigers’ traditionally monster coverage teams were terribly inconsistent last year, although they did improve late.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">It was almost like they had to take a crash course at midseason to remember how to get downfield and tackle.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Not sure how to keep up with this other than perhaps rumors of renewed emphasis during August.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">That’s all it should take with the kind of athletes LSU has at its disposal.</span>

<span class="R~sep~AZaphdingbatdot7pt">l</span>

<span style="font-weight: bold;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">Scooter Hobbs</span> <span class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">covers LSU</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">athletics. Email him at</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">shobbs@americanpress.com</span>