Louisiana Tech is on the horizon, but LSU football coach Nick Saban talked about long-time LSU equipment manager, Jeff Boss, before anything else at his weekly Wednesday press gathering.
Boss, who was 54, lost a 10-month battle with brain cancer when he passed away Monday. He had been LSU’s equipment manager for 24 years. His funeral was Wednesday.
“He is really a guy that is well-respected by a lot of people,” Saban said. “I think that the admiration and the high esteem that all the players hold him in is a lesson to all of us. We say kids change and people change and guys aren’t like they used to be. I always tell the players they don’t make them like they used to be. But you know what they always point to.
“[Jeff Boss is] someone who is selfless, cares about them, does stuff for them and tries to help them take advantage of their gifts and really is about as selfless as you can be.”
Saban said a person like Boss does not come around too often on this earth.
“We don’t have many occasions in this world to meet somebody who never, ever thinks of himself,” Saban said. “He always does for someone else, he is always willing to sit back. But I think [his death] certainly put him in a better place than where we are now.”
On the subject of football, Saban said practice and preparation for the fast break attack of Louisiana Tech has gone well this week, and the players seem to be pumped up about meeting their in-state rivals.
“The players seem to be into it,” Saban said of practice. “It is a difficult preparation for us on defense because of all the different things they do on offense like no-huddle, and it’s always more difficult to practice that way. I think it’s a little harder on the players. It’s a little harder to coach because you’re trying to get reps and pace and all that type of stuff.”
Saban said he hopes his offense will continue to make strides after putting up 64 total points on respected defensive teams Auburn and South Carolina.
“Hopefully, offensively, we’ll continue to be able to make the improvements and put things together like we’ve been able to do the last two games,” Saban said. “And maybe try to throw a couple big plays in there somewhere, that even though we’ve played well, we’ve only had a few of those, and with the kind of players that we’ve got, that’s certainly something that we’d like to do.”
Saban said he likes the fact LSU played a no-huddle offense three times last year and once this year against Florida because it gives the Tigers experience defending the no-huddle.
“I think the experienced players are able to deal with it a little bit more than the inexperienced players,” Saban said. “I think it hurt us a little bit in the Florida game not having [safety] Jack Hunt in there with the stability [he brings].”
LSU plays the Bulldogs on Saturday night in Tiger Stadium at 7:00 p.m. for the Homecoming game.