“Killer D’s” help to anchor LSU defense

By Darrell Laurant  |   Wednesday, August 30, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

LSU Tigers
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One is a senior, another a junior, the third a sophomore.

You may not have heard much about them if you live outside of Tiger Country, but the performance of this trio will be crucial to the overall defense thrown up by the Louisiana State football team this fall.

Jessie Daniels. Glenn Dorsey. Derry Beckwith. Call them the "Killer D's."

Daniels, in his third year as a starter at strong safety, has performed largely in the lengthening shadow of free safety LaRon Landry, a sure-fire first-round NFL draft pick. But rest assured, the pros know about Daniels, too.

Solidly built (6-foot, 205 pounds), with 4.5 speed, Daniels is the prototype strong safety, able to attack the run as well as defend the pass. In last year's Tennessee game, for instance, he had six solo tackles, 1 ½ tackles for loss, forced a fumble and broke up a pass.

The fact that his defensive numbers diminished markedly from his sophomore to junior seasons (64 tackles in 2004, 39 in 2005) is a tribute to the overall strength of the Tigers' defense, not a reflection on Daniels' personal development.

A product of Breaux Bridge, LA (which also produced Jake Delhomme), Daniels is an avid duck hunter and credits that with improving his reaction time on football Saturdays.

Dorsey played behind NFL draftees Claude Wroten and Kyle Williams on the d-line last season. Now, it's his turn. From Gonzalez, LA, which bills itself as the "Jambalaya Capital of the World," Dorsey added 10 pounds of muscle during the offseason and has been a dominant force in fall practice. So dominant, in fact, that head coach Les Miles almost sounded frustrated with him.

"Glenn Dorsey created some problems for us," Miles said after one scrimmage when asked about the progress of his offense. "He was always in the backfield."

Finally, there's Beckwith, one of just two true freshmen to see playing time last season. The 6-1, 232-pounder from Baton Rouge paid his dues on special teams and is now penciled in as a starter at outside linebacker. He forged to the top of the depth chart with a spectacular spring that showcased his speed. As a high school senior at Parkview Baptist, Beckwith made 135 tackles, 20 for losses.

NOTES: Is RB Alley Broussard going to play in Saturday's opener against Louisiana-Lafayette? It depends on whom you ask -- and when you ask them.

"Oh, yeah," said Broussard prior to a recent practice.

"He could take some carries in the (Louisiana-Lafayette) game," Miles said.

But later, the coach added: "I wouldn't be surprised if he got none."

Broussard is coming off knee surgery that sidelined him for most of last season, but he's been asserting himself more and more in scrimmages.

His progress, plus the apparent full recovery of Justin Vincent (who also underwent knee surgery) leaves Miles with the problem of what to do with highly touted recruit Keiland Williams. Considered one of the top three running backs in the country at Hargrave (VA) Military last season, Williams was recently given the green light to play by the NCAA eligibility committee and has been impressive in practice.

The question, if you're Miles, is whether or not to hang a redshirt on this wunderkind. True freshman Charles Scott is in the same boat, listed No. 3 behind Vincent and Broussard.

In all, eight Tiger freshmen are ranked No. 3 on the depth chart.

Louisiana-Lafayette, by the way, is not necessarily a pushover. The Ragin Cajuns have an excellent double-threat quarterback in Jerry Babb, a pro-caliber o-lineman in 6-7, 330-pound Brandon Cox and one of the Sun Belt's best running backs in Tyrell Fenry, who went over 1,000 yards as a freshman.

The contest is a sellout.
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