One of actor Adam Sandler’s more memorable roles was his portrayal of Bobby Boucher, a linebacker at the fictional South Central Louisiana State University. Sandler’s character was a polite water boy from a small Louisiana town, who discovered he had an amazing tackling ability. One of LSU senior safety Craig Steltz’s more memorable moments this season could be the bruising hit he delivered to Alabama receiver Keith Brown in the fourth quarter of the LSU-Alabama game that forced an incompletion on fourth down ensuring an LSU victory. Steltz recalled the play. “It was fourth down, and I knew that if we got off the field we would win the game,” Steltz said. “So I just hit him as hard as I could to try and dislodge the ball and get off the field.” Boucher said in the film that he simply attempted to tackle the person with the football. Steltz’s tackles may seem to mimic those of the movie character but he feels only slightly. “[It parallels] a little bit; I just try and make plays and make sure receivers don’t catch the ball,” Steltz said. “It is part of defense to try to not let them have the ball.” Some of his teammates feel his play more resembles that of professional athletes. “I see the comparison. He is a real good hitter, but I don’t think of him as the water boy,” said junior safety Curtis Taylor. “He is a great player, but he reminds me of [denver broncos safety] John Lynch.” Sophomore safety Danny McCray said he doesn’t think Steltz’s personality mimics the water boy’s. “As far as how he hits,” McCray said. “I think he has a lot more sense than the water boy.” In the movie, Boucher would imagine his enemies and, in his mind, put their faces on his opponents heads. Then he’d tackle them. Hard. Steltz leads the team with 68 total tackles. But much like the movie character, he is a different person off the field. “You got to be able to go out there and hit people,” Steltz said. “It is true with a lot of people, like big [senior defensive tackle] Glenn Dorsey. He is a great guy off the field but on the field you don’t want to mess with him.” Senior linebacker Ali Highsmith said this was true of most players. “Everybody is a different person on the field,” Highsmith said. “The will to want to compete and be very competitive just brings it out of you. Everybody just goes out there with a different attitude and a different focus. It is about being the best while you are out there.”
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