One on One with Al Woods

Elton native, Al Woods, is a senior defensive tackle for the LSU Tigers. Woods was considered the top recruit of the 2006 LSU signing class. He was rated amongst the top defensive tackle prospects in the country by every major recruiting publication. During his first three seasons at LSU, Woods only started three of the 28 games he played in. However, this season Woods is expected to make a major contribution as one of the Tigers two starting defensive tackles. In the Tigers season opening victory at Washington, Woods matched a career high with four solo tackles.

Lumpkin: When I talked to you last spring you told me that you were in the best shape of your life. Is that still the case here in late August?
Woods: Yeah, I weighed 310 pounds then, now I’m down to 304. It’s been nothing but good for me. We have been playing good up front (on the defensive line) collectively as a defense. This has been a real good August camp and I’ve been having a lot of fun. I just thank my coaches and teammates for making it a good experience for me for my last time.

LSU Senior Devensive Tackle Al Woods
Lumpkin: Can you believe that you’re a senior now? It seems like it was just last year that I was interviewing you on signing day in Elton.
Woods: I know! Time has flown by, but I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.

Lumpkin: During August camp, have you taken most of your repetitions with the first team defense?
Woods: Yes.

Lumpkin: How would you rate your performance during August camp?
Woods: I think it’s been good. As a defensive line and as a defense, we’ve been practicing really well together. And to be honest with you, I have to keep it going at a high level. I have Charles Alexander and Drake Nevis that’s playing on the side of me and behind me so I have to keep it up. The competition level is so high that if one of us has an off day and another one of us has a good day the depth chart could change. I’ve been playing extremely well, but the competition level is extremely high.

Lumpkin: John Chavis was hired as your defensive coordinator in January. Working with Chavis over the last eight months, are you and your defensive teammates extremely comfortable with him and his defensive philosophy?
Woods: Oh yeah! We all love coach Chavis because the way he comes to work with his enthusiasm, it’s contagious. You may come to practice one day when you’re hurting, kind of feeling sorry for yourself, and you don’t feel like practicing. But you see Chavis with his energy and you’re like, ok, well I’m ready to go to work.
Lumpkin: If you could be any dinosaur that ever existed, what dinosaur would you be?
Woods: (Laughs) Oh, man! I would have to say a Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Lumpkin: Why a Tyrannosaurus Rex?
Woods: Because I’m a meat eater (laughs)! I love to eat meat and T-Rexes love to eat meat. It’s a good combination there (laughs).

Lumpkin: Has a reporter ever asked you that question?
Woods: (Laughs) Uh, no.

Lumpkin: Well, now you have been asked that question. And I have to say, I thought you were more of a Triceratops.
Woods: (Laughs)

Lumpkin: Alright, back to football questions. Last year the LSU defense struggled (allowed 24 points per game). It wasn’t a typical year for the LSU defense. Would you agree?
Woods: Yes, I would agree.

Lumpkin: How much emphasis has there been on improving this defense for 2009?
Woods: To be honest with you, it’s like the whole team thing. We all took that role, saying as a team we have to get better. Not just the defense or the offensive line or the running backs. Collectively as a team we are trying to get better. We want to get back to where we were a couple of years ago when we were a dominant defense.

LSU's Three Quarterbacks

In 2008 the LSU Tigers only won eight games, which was their lowest win total since 2002. LSU fans probably knew they would be in for a difficult season due to a lack of experience at the quarterback position. Four months before the 2008 season opener head coach Les Miles kicked his troubled starting quarterback Ryan Perrilloux off the team.

That left Miles with the following options at quarterback: Harvard transfer Andrew Hatch, Redshirt freshman Jarrett Lee, and true freshman Jordan Jefferson. The QB trio combined to produce the lowest passing totals for LSU since Miles took over in 2005.

Jordan Jefferson
Needless to say, LSU is in a much better position at the most important position (QB) heading into the 2009 season which begins on September 5. At my deadline, Miles had not yet named a starting quarterback. However, unless something catastrophic happens to Jefferson before the season opener, he will be the starter.

Jefferson played well in his only two starts of 2008. In the regular season finale at Arkansas he threw for a pair of touchdowns in a loss. Then one month later he led LSU to a 38-3 Chick-Fil-A Bowl victory over Georgia Tech.

Jarrett Lee
In that game Jefferson seemed to have command of the offense as he completed 64 percent of his throws with one touchdown pass and zero interceptions. And since that game at the end of December, Jefferson has made marked improvements to his game.

“He’s bigger and stronger,” Miles told me back in July. “He won’t go into a game that he hasn’t experienced in one way or another. He played on the road, and he played on the road in a bowl game and won. Really this summer he has probably shown more leadership than what’s due for a young guy. I think he’ll be much improved this fall.”

Jefferson’s teammates are equally impressed with the quarterback’s growth during the off-season.

Russell Shepard
“He’s quicker in and out of the huddle and has us going with a better tempo,” said LSU senior wide receiver Brandon LaFell. “He’s getting to the right checks quicker and faster and is just getting the ball to us way better than he did last year.”

“He came into this season with a lot of confidence and you can really see that because he is working hard,” said LSU sophomore center T-Bob Hebert. “He knows his calls. He has a quick mind and makes quick reads.”

“As far as a player Jordan has really matured,” said LSU junior offensive tackle Joseph Barksdale, who is Jefferson’s roommate. “Everything from making adjustments on certain play calls to calling audibles at the line of scrimmage. He definitely has a much broader knowledge of the offense.”

Jarrett Lee, who played the most of any LSU quarterback in 2008, will likely be second on the depth chart behind Jefferson. Lee may not have been ready to play as much as he did last year, but Miles was left with limited options after the Perrilloux fiasco.

Lee did some good things like leading the Tigers to comeback wins against Auburn, South Carolina and Troy. There were also some bad moments. Lee threw more interceptions (16) than touchdowns (14), and the Tigers lost four of the eight games that Lee started. And there was the downright ugly as seven of Lee’s 16 interceptions were returned for touchdowns.

“There were times in games where I would hear the boos and things being said in the crowd, but that’s just part of being a football player,” said Lee. “Our fans are passionate and sometimes that happens when you make mistakes.”

Lee said his teammates were behind him during the tough times. However, last January he contemplated transferring to another school.

“At the first of the year it was in the back of my mind,” said Lee. But that was it. It was only in the back of my mind and never did I want to go through with it. I wanted to stay with this team because I could tell that everyone was focused and really wanting to improve from last year.”

Lee said he has put a lot of focus into becoming a better quarterback, and learning from his mistakes of 2008. It’s a long season and Lee could be counted on to play a big role at some point.
Much of the talk concerning the LSU quarterbacks has focused on the Tigers prized recruit Russell Shepard. Shepard was widely considered the nation’s top duel-threat quarterback in the 2009 recruiting class. He is expected to make an immediate impact for LSU.

The question is, where will he line up?

Shepard took limited snaps at quarterback in each of the Tigers three fall scrimmages. However, he has received more repetitions at wide receiver and running back.

LSU cornerback Jai Eugene has had to defend Shepard during spring workouts and August practice, and he is a believer. Shepard came to LSU with lots of hype, and apparently the rookie is living up to it.

“You are going to have to watch him no matter what position he plays,” said Eugene. “Sometimes he lines up at running back. Sometimes he lines up at wide receiver. Sometimes he lines up at quarterback. His quarterback game is developing, but most likely we’re going to use him at receiver or running back, or to run the option.”

I don’t expect Jordan Jefferson to explode and put up JaMarcus Russell numbers, but I do think that he will manage games well. Also, I promise that he will not throw seven touchdowns to the opposing defense. Jarrett Lee says he has learned from his mistakes, and his experience is a plus.

If Lee does play significantly, I expect him to play smarter than he did in 2008. Russell Shepard adds a completely different dimension to the position with his speed and quickness. I expect to see Shepard come in on option plays, similar to the way that Miles used Perrilloux in 2007.
Winning games in the SEC is not easy, and it’s much more difficult to win without good, consistent quarterback play.

The Tigers should get much better production out of their quarterbacks this year. Will that result in more victories?

Only time will tell.