re: Wish I could post this whole article

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So what would these coaches do in retrospect if facing LSU’s offense, or what do they think Venables might try?

“You have to defend five guys in routes on every play,” says one of the defensive coordinators. “Not a zone exists that allows for that. Which means you better be able to get rush with four and be able to play man to man. Ohio State would have had the personnel on every level to have a shot to do that. I don’t know Clemson personnel.”

The other defensive coordinator sounded less optimistic.

“I thought we did things the right way,” he says. “We probably tried to tweak things a little too much. We were doubling Chase and bracketing Edwards-Helaire with our linebackers and playing that into spy on Burrow. But the game just goes a little too fast. There were a few times early we kinda stopped the play but it still turned into a plus-30 because Joe just did something.

“What would I do differently? Just not play ’em.”

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“They don’t have anybody on the D-Line that scares you like Alabama had with Quinnen Williams last year,” says an offensive assistant from outside the SEC. “I thought we’d be able to run the ball well, and we really couldn’t. Orgeron and (LSU defensive line coach) Bill Johnson are really good with the D-line. Their guys are very well coached. They’re great using their hands and have an assortment of pass rush moves. No. 18 (edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson) is one guy we were most concerned with. He’s really twitchy and can bend. His second and third effort is so good. He gets blocked but then puts his foot in the ground and re-traces and makes a play that he has no business making.”

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Several of the coaches were split on a few of the LSU players, and the two that got reactions all over the board were junior nose guard Tyler Shelvin and senior cornerback Kristian Fulton.

“(Shelvin) was a game-wrecker at Florida,” said an SEC head coach. He and (Rashard Lawrence and Glen Logan) are huge space-eaters and do a really good job of holding their gaps, and they’re surprisingly active.

“You can’t run right at ’em, and they’re so fast as a defense they can run it down is you run wide. They also do a good job just of mixing up edge pressure to discourage you from the edge runs.”

On the flip side, an offensive line coach who saw the Tigers in the first half of the season was less impressed with the 340-plus pound Shelvin. “I think he’s OK. He’s massive. He’s one of those guys who you can wear out.”

That coach was more impressed with Lawrence, a senior, who was praised for his smarts and savvy. “You hate playing against him.” Backup defensive end Neil Farrell also is one of the better reserves these coaches saw this season.

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