The LSU football team has some big shoes to fill on special teams, having lost its top kicker and punter from last season’s squad.Junior kicker Josh Jasper is replacing Colt David, LSU’s all-time points leader, as place kicker. Jasper has experience in the role, as he filled in for an injured David during the 2008 season opener against Appalachian State when he drilled kicks of 21 and 33 yards.”You’ll never be able to replace a guy like [David],” said special teams coach Joe Robinson. “But Josh just has to be himself. He is the starting field goal kicker.”The two kicks against Appalachian State are the only two attempts of Jasper’s LSU career. Though Jasper doesn’t have any proof on the stat sheet he is comfortable hitting long-range field goals, he said he relishes the challenge presented to him by longer shots.”I prefer the longer kicks. Not that I dislike the short ones, they’re not gimmes, but I would rather have the longer ones,” Jasper said. “So far this summer, the longer ones have been going through.”Jasper has served many times as a kickoff specialist in his two seasons at LSU. During the 2008 campaign Jasper averaged 60.9 yards on kickoffs, including a whopping 69.2-yard average against Georgia Tech in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. But Jasper may be only called upon for his place-kicking duties this season because of strong competition among the team’s place kickers.”Kickoffs will have some competition as [Drew] Alleman has had a good summer,” said LSU coach Les Miles.Alleman, a redshirt freshman, was the highest-rated high school kicker in Louisiana in 2007 and was a walk-on last season.”Alleman improved in all areas, especially with his kickoffs,” Robinson said. “I have been very satisfied with his progression this fall.”LSU is also replacing last season’s starting punter, Brady Dalfrey. Jasper was the second punter last season; however, for him to concentrate on kicking this season, junior college transfer Derek Helton is slated to take over the punting duties.”He’s right on target where we want him,” Robinson said. “We recruited a fine punter in him.”LSU was in the middle of the pack in the Southeastern Conference last season in punting average, ranking No. 5 in the league at 37.3 net yards per punt. Dalfrey averaged 40.1 yards on his 59 punts in 2008, and Jasper averaged 43 yards on four punts. Jasper said he will stay prepared as a punter in case his skills are needed by the team.”I always keep punting. Just because I’m not the starter doesn’t mean that I’ve given up on it,” he said.But Miles seems to believe he has found a viable replacement for Dalfrey in Helton.”Helton has had a very good summer,” Miles said. “So far he’s been punting the ball extremely well.”Kick return duties will be handled by some familiar faces. Senior Trindon Holliday and junior Chad Jones should see most of the returns, and sophomore safety Ron Brooks could be running some back as well.Holliday and Jones combined to return 29 punts for 374 yards last season. The rest of the team had a combined six punt return yards.The team is looking to improve their average on their kickoff returns this season after finishing with the worst kickoff return average in the SEC in 2008. The Tigers completed their first season without a kickoff return for a touchdown since 2005.—-Contact Luke Johnson at [email protected]