A good magician never reveals his secrets, and LSU football coach Les Miles still refused to show any tricks up his sleeves after the squad’s 11th practice Thursday at the Charles McClendon practice facility.
The Tigers suit up for their second major spring scrimmage Saturday at Tiger Stadium, and Miles said the squad must execute better than it did a week ago.
“I liked the practice today,” Miles said. “We had some energy, and I look forward to the scrimmage Saturday. [There must be] the understanding of what we’re going to need — offense, defense, special teams — to win. It’s a pretty simple recipe. Understand the situation and execute.”
After last week’s scrimmage, Miles said the Tigers needed more consistency from every position. Two practices later, the players have shown a “rhythm of great play” through “sustained intensity” both physically and mentally at every position, Miles said.
“The two practices that we’ve had this far, we’ve improved,” Miles said. “I just think it was a productive day.”
The offensive line continues to come together piece by piece, Miles said.
Brett Helms has emerged from the pack for a significant amount of time on the line this spring, Miles said. The 6-foot-2-inch red-shirt freshman started at offensive guard and defensive tackle at Stuttgart High School in Arkansas.
“They’re getting better,” Miles said. “Helms is a nice addition in there. His playing time has improved. The line is coming together.”
Senior center Rudi Niswanger leads the unit at center and has gotten the kinks worked out on the center-quarterback exchange since the Tigers started practicing in pads, Miles said. He moved there from guard last season after Ben Wilkerson injured his knee to end his college career.
“He plays with an aggressiveness. He’s going to be a good center for us,” Miles said. “He can practice at several spots, but he’s been primarily at center this whole spring.”
Defensively, senior Ronnie Prude will fill one of the Tigers’ open slots at cornerback, Miles said. The Shreveport native played in all 12 games for the Tigers last season with 28 tackles, a sack and an interception.
“Ronnie Prude is going to be a really good corner for us,” Miles said. “He’s had a good spring to this point. And I think there are a number of guys that could end up playing at the other corner.”
Both positions were left open after the regular season with Corey Webster and Travis Daniels departing after graduation. Miles refused to name any possible starters at the other cornerback.
Senior Mario Stevenson and junior Keron Gordon are the only other players listed as cornerbacks on the spring roster.
Miles said Stevenson, who played in one game last season, made a nice interception in last week’s scrimmage. He played in one game last season. Gordon played in nine games last season with four tackles and an interception.
Very few experiments have been made on either side of the ball during scrimmage to simplify the new system in this transition period, Miles said.
“We’re trying to get them comfortable in the spots they’re at,” Miles said. “We’ve moved a couple of guys at linebacker around just to have a look at them”
Notes:
The Tigers have not sustained any major injuries during spring practice, Miles said. Junior offensive tackle Paris Hodges returned to the practice field Thursday after missing a few practices. Junior offensive tackle Brian Johnson did not practice. Miles refused to specify their injuries.
LSU has four practices remaining and will conclude with a spring scrimmage open to the public April 16 at 11:30 a.m. in Tiger Stadium.