Point of No Return

Published 8:32 am Thursday, November 12, 2015

By all accounts, LSU freshman Derrius Guice survived the Alabama ordeal with his facilities and ligaments intact, and should go to have a long and productive college career.

Chalk it up to improved equipment protection over the years.

Guice had only one carry against the stout Bama defense, but he also apparently drew the short straw to return kickoffs against the Tide.

It was no place for the faint-hearted.

There were three touchbacks among Bama’s seven kickoffs last Saturday — with left four for near-decapitations of Guice.

To his credit, he kept bringing the seemingly perfectly spotted kicks — high, and just a yard or two deep usually — out into the melee, risking life, limb and peace of mind.

“Guice will run it out of any end zone,” head coach Les Miles said.

Maybe taking a knee would have been the better part of valor.

Guice’s four return attempts only got him to the 9-, 9-, 7- and 10-yard lines — and all ended quite violently.

It wasn’t just the mass of crimson engulfing Guice almost immediately.

“We did not block them, OK,” Miles said.

Thus the Bama kickoff infantry for the most part arrived unimpeded with a full head of steam to take dead aim at young Guice, with predictable results usually reserved for the Roman Colosseum.

“Guys ran free and whacked our returner.” Miles said. “That is a source of concern for me … blocking.

“Seemed like our field position … we could not improve on (it) and were backed up all night.”

With the exception of field goals — which Trent Domingue is a perfect 10-for-10 — special teams have been a season-long adventure for LSU.

Miles said he saw some progress in the punting and punt coverage — at least there were no major incidents against the Tide.

But kickoff returns and coverage — a major factor in field position — have been a head-scratcher.

The Tigers are 13th in the Southeastern Conference in kickoff returns, 12th in kickoff coverage. Even with improved punt coverage last week, LSU is 13th in net punting.

Coaching? Bradley Dale Peveto was also the special teams coach last year when LSU led the SEC in kickoff returns and was a decent sixth in coverage. The Tigers were fourth in punt returns and third in net punting.

Not this year.

After a while Saturday, LSU had blood-thirsty Alabama fans leaning forward on kickoffs in anticipation of Guice’s next suicide mission.

“Really, this kickoff return team has got to come of age,” Miles said. “I mean, we have guys back there that are very capable that can return it, we just got to give them some seams.”

With the kickoff coverage, at times it was tough to figure out what LSU was trying to do. Cameron Gamble handled all four Saturday.

LSU’s first three kickoffs went to the Bama 11, 2 and out of bounds — the Tide returned the first two to the 29- and 35-yard lines, and by rule the out-of-bounds kick was set up at the 35.

The fourth kick by most laws of physics should have also gone out of bounds, but somehow took an odd U-turn after the Bama returner ignored it and pinned the Tide at the 4-yard line.

That one might be hard to recreate.

It would seem there’s a simple solution — just kick deep in the end zone and be done with it.

“We would like to kick it … through the back line, period,” Miles said. “But sometimes our guys can do that and sometimes they can’t. It doesn’t have to do necessarily with leg strength as it does to do with field conditions and weather conditions.”

LSU has 12 touchbacks in 54 kickoffs. Opponents, with 17 few attempts, have 16. Cameron’s duck hook Saturday was also the fourth out-of-bounds kick of the season, which Miles called a classic unforced error.

Opponents have but one out of bounds — and it was an attempted onside kick.

“Execution,” Miles said. “That’s the only remedy that I can figure.”

Domingue, automatic with accuracy, doesn’t have as strong of a leg as Gamble, but was sharing kickoff duties early in the season. He might be summoned again.

“He may be a guy that comes on,” Miles said, “because he’s competing there as well. I wouldn’t be surprised at times to see both kickers kick.”

Meanwhile, keep Guice in your thoughts.