Football may never stop in Baton Rouge, but a 10-day spring break may be a sight for a sore eyes for the LSU football team.
In fact, LSU only has three more practices before the National L-Club Spring Game on April 18 in Tiger Stadium. As the weather continues to warm up and drills get repetitive, a chance to show off the hard work put in the offseason and give fans an early glimpse of what the 2015 Tigers will look like is a welcoming sign for players.
Despite most of the talk surrounding who will lineup at quarterback next season, sophomore defensive end Maquedius Bain especially wants to prove how good the newly-directed defense can be later this month.
“[I] can’t wait [for the spring game],” Bain said. “I want to show the fans that it’s not all about the offense. It’s all about the defense this year, the next year and further. With [former LSU defensive end Barkevious] Mingo and [former LSU defensive tackle Michael] Brockers, everybody loved the defense. That’s what we are trying to get it back to.”
Bain’s excitement for the spring game is warranted. As coach Les Miles said after the third spring scrimmage on Saturday, he expects Bain to start at one of the defensive end spots. After not starting any of the Tigers’ 13 games last season and recording nine tackles combined, Bain and fellow defensive end Lewis Neal are expecting major upgrades in production this season.
With junior Tashawn Bower, sophomore Sione Teuhema, and sophomore Deondre Clark all competing for playing time and highly-touted freshman Arden Key arriving in the summer, Neal expects defensive end to be a position with quality depth.
“We’re all having a great spring,” Neal said. “It’s all about us coming together, so we’ll have more depth and keep the rotation alive. Because no matter who starts, we all keep each other fresh. We’re all making plays that we should be making.”
Domingue, Delahoussaye focused through close bond
Kickers often go from hero to goat from week to week, even quarter to quarter. Junior place kicker Colby Delahoussaye perhaps knows this as well as any kicker in the country.
He drilled all seven of his attempts through the first eight games of last season, including the game-winning, 50-yard field goal against Florida on Oct. 11. The New Iberia, Louisiana, native was actually 23-of-25 for his career heading into a bitterly cold night in Fayetteville, Arkansas on Nov. 15.
That’s when the wheels fell off.
Delahoussaye missed both his attempts in a 17-0 loss to the Razorbacks. He then missed his first attempt the following game against Texas A&M and was replaced by junior kickoff man Trent Domingue before Delahoussaye came back into the game when Domingue faltered in the fourth quarter.
“Usually for a kicker, if you miss one, you’re supposed to forget about it,” Domingue said. “But it can be hard sometimes, especially if it’s in a game.”
Though Delahoussaye connecteded on his 43-yard attempt late in the game against the Aggies, he didn’t appear in the bowl game against Notre Dame, where Domingue’s only attempt was blocked.
Delahoussaye said it wasn’t anything physically that led to his struggles in his final two appearances of the season.
“As far as mechanics, no,” Delahoussaye said. “[It was] nerves. I had bad nerves. I was just more worried about missing and making instead of just going out there and doing what my body has been trained to do.”
But Delahoussaye and Domingue weren’t necessarily competing for the spot. They’re actually close friends and want each other to succeed. The football field wasn’t where the first two met.
“Me and Trent have been knowing each other before football, way before,” Delahoussaye said. “We played soccer together. Me and him are like brothers … I take criticism from Trent every day of the week, because he gives good, honest criticism.”
Their brotherly relationship not only keeps each other focused during the grind of the offseason but allows Delahoussaye to talk kicking with one of the few players on the team who understands it.
Like it was at the end of the season, the key for Delahoussaye next season is the mental side of the game.
“Just relaxing and going to have fun,” Delahoussaye said. “This game is not going to last forever, so just having fun with it. It’s a game, and at the end of the day, it’s going to be a game.”
You can reach James Bewers on Twitter @JamesBewers_TDR