Detiller Q&A on Dandy's site on LSU’s defense in light of recent injuries

On Christian LaCouture

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Mike: First of all, not having a quality defensive lineman hurts and this team has little experience depth-wise. However you cut it, you have talent, but many have never taken a snap at the college level. One area where they will really miss Christian is as the communicator up front. He knew this defense back and forward and would make sure everyone up front knew what to do. So, you lose his talent as a player and you lose a defensive QB. Coach O had confidence that LaCouture could get everyone lined up in the right gap for the play called. Losing his talent, his intelligence, and his leadership… that hurts

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Makes it sound like Aranda's defense is easy to learn for the players if the above statements are true.

On Godchaux and Valentine:

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Mike: Well, if Davon Godchaux plays the nose guard spot, where they have worked him, I put Travonté Valentine in LaCouture’s spot. They may have to reshuffle that alignment, but Godchaux handled most of the snaps at nose guard in the spring. Frank Herron would seem to be the guy who gets the first shot at Christian’s spot. Rashard Lawrence is also in the mix there. Now, the situation with Valentine is again confusing academically. You would think that he would have been cleared by now. On Travonté, he is a huge man who can run. My biggest concern is his weight and conditioning. He could play on the nose or at end. Focus is the key here. He is super talented, but he always seems to have that cloud around him. I would be very interested to see how he survives the first couple of days of drills under Coach O. If he is eligible, focused, and in shape, Valentine is a difference-maker.

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Not mentioned in the Q&A but Dandy said that TV may still have another class he has to take and pass. Scott also said that he had talked to Michael Bonnette but I am not sure this is where the TV information comes from.

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LSU’s Sports Information Director Michael Bonnette has confirmed to me that Valentine has, in fact, been cleared to practice with the team, and you will find that he is now added to the roster on LSUSports.net (listed at a concerning 356 pounds, I might add). However, when I prodded further about Valentine’s eligibility, all that Bonnette could confirm at this point is that Valentine has been cleared to practice. Reading between the lines, it would appear that perhaps he needs to complete a course in the summer intercession, which began Monday and ends August 20th, in order to become eligible to play in a game.

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Lot of other stuff covered in the Q&A and daily update.

LINK