Smart, tough, dependable: Deeper, mature LSU eyeing No. 1 defense

Smart. Tough. Dependable.

It isn't a revised introduction for any Ford truck commercial -- instead, a trio of adjectives Dave Aranda has used to ignite the LSU defense this summer. Aranda, entering his third year as the defensive coordinator in Baton Rouge, has been a model of consistency on one side of the ball thus far. In his first two seasons calling the shots, the Tigers have ranked inside the top 10 in scoring and total yards. In 2017, his group also finished among the nation's best in pass efficiency (No. 2), rush defense (No. 3) and total defense (No. 4).

Aranda intends on taking those statistics to a new level in 2018, and will do so by urging maturity amongst his players. LSU returns seven starters to a defense that finished inside the top-10 in multiple categories. Newcomers include former Texas Tech standout Breiden Fehoko and Stanford graduate transfer Terrence Alexander, who by no means lack experience -- they're only new to the venue.

In fact, nine of the 11 projected starters boast plenty of game experience. With that in mind, Aranda has pushed a new mentality and a new focus to vault the Tigers into rarified air in time for the season.

"He set the tone for us," senior safety John Battle said on Monday. "He expressed how he wants us to play for the season. He used three words: smart, tough and dependable. Those three keywords expressed how he wants our defense to be. From that day forward, we've been those three things. It's something we've all bought into and took to heart. People have run with it ever since.

"Maturity is the biggest thing. Guys understanding how important their role is and how to keep the tradition of LSU defense going. We don't want to be the group that falls off. Coach Aranda brought that up to us and some leaders on defense -- we took it and we ran with it. Our message: we want to be the No. 1 defense in the country. We want to be on top in the SEC. We just want to dominate each and every game."

Aranda met with the defense before the start of fall camp and expressed that being smart, tough and dependable would ultimately put this team on a path to contend for greatness. LSU's defensive leaders took that message to heart.

Locker-room leaders such as Devin White, Greedy Williams and Battle have served as Aranda's messengers. It's quickly translated to the unit's mental development, time inside the film room and willingness to learn.

Not one player has denied the talent of LSU's defense this year. But for the first time, players agree that the mental aspect has finally caught up.

"It's a mentality for us," redshirt sophomore linebacker Ray Thornton explained. "For us, it's never been a physical thing. It's more mental and being able to start fast, create something on the first play or being able to hunker down and get back to being solid as a unit. We don't blame each other or focus on why we've allowed someone to score a touchdown; it's a next-play mentality.

"It starts with our leadership on our football team. Devin isn't a vocal leader, but when he needs to, he speaks up. The leaders in our positional groups hold us accountable. We hold ourselves accountable."

Players are working feverishly to mature -- and do so quickly, especially as Miami prep gets underway.

Added motivation stems from the defense's success last season despite much creativity. Sophomore inside linebacker Jacob Phillips admitted that there were only four different schemes in 2017. As Aranda looks to dial up those numbers this fall, so do the expectations.

No. 1 or bust? This very mature, experienced group of defenders seem keen on the former.

"A lot is different," Phillips said. "Coach Aranda pushed being tough, smart and dependable, and in every room, every group, everyone is striving for those things. Everybody this year is really locked in. We can have the No. 1 defense in the nation. We all see it. We all believe in it. We're trying our hardest every day. It's definitely a goal.

"We finished in the top 20 last year and we barely ran four defenses. Our red-zone numbers weren't too good, but this year, we've been able to improve upon that, and if we were in the top-20 last year, then the sky is the limit for us."

Pressure yields diamonds. It's also the centerpiece of a Dave Aranda defense.

In Aranda's first two seasons as the Tigers' defensive coordinator, the team has amassed 75 sacks, which ranks 11th in the country among Power 5 teams in that span of time. Interestingly enough, LSU's sack totals improved in 2017 despite premier sack artist Arden Key in and out of the lineup.

LSU will look to continue its ascent in that department -- not only in quality, but in numbers. A deep group of outside linebackers has depth at an all-time high, where Aranda can roll out K'Lavon Chaisson, Travez Moore and Andre Anthony at B-linebacker and Michael Divinity, Jarrell Cherry, Dantrieze Scott and Thornton at the F.

For the Tigers in 2018, sack production will be a group effort.

"Expectations are high for everybody," said Anthony, who missed his first season at LSU due to an academic redshirt, then suffered an injury at the conclusion of camp in 2017. "We're going to be the best group that comes through here. Reason being: we don't lack anything. We all contribute in so many ways. It's exciting to see everyone contribute and we're anxious to show our talents. We'll all going to contribute in any ways that we can."

"The pass rush is always going to be our strength," he added. As the outside linebacker group, we want to affect the quarterback. We want that for ourselves, for the team, for everybody. It's our speciality. That's where we're going to make our money."

Both the B- and F-linebacker groups are especially deep entering the 2018 season. Anthony returns from injury to join a group headlined by Chaisson, a former Rivals250 defensive end, as well as junior college signee Travez Moore. Thornton and Divinity are battling for the starting F-linebacker job and both seem inclined to secure spots in the rotation.

Multiple outside linebackers have cross-trained at both positions, which lends us to think that Aranda could experiment with exotic blitz packages more often in 2018 than any year prior.

"We hold each other accountable," Thornton said. "You're going to see a lot more F (linebackers) on the field. As an outside linebacker group, we've worked hard this camp and this summer to take a step forward. We've set our standard, our goals and we're going to reach it. We're seeing a lot more blitzes, add-ins from the F side and the B side, which surprises me. Hey, if the F (linebackers) are going to be rushing more this year, then we're going to be rushing a whole bunch."

"From seeing stuff through fall camp, being with these guys every day in practice day to day, there's nothing we lack," added Anthony. "We help each other out. We help each other get better. When we see each other go out, we watch from the sideline and we're all here for each other. If one of us gets in the game and another one comes out, you won't notice. We all bring so much to the table."

Much of the reason for optimism heading into the season is the emergence of Chaisson, who has generated quite the buzz through LSU's first two preseason scrimmages. In the first, the sophomore notched seven tackles, including one for loss, to go along with two sacks and two quarterback hurries.

Behind the scenes, Chaisson has been enforcing his will in practice, leading veterans such as Fehoko, Divinity and Foster Moreau to predict record-setting performances in 2018.

LSU's season sack record was set just more than two years ago when Arden Key, Chasson's predecessor, registered his 12th n the owl victory against Lamar Jackson and Louisville. Should everything fall into place this season, there's a strong sense Chaisson could contend for similar accolades.

"For years coming in with Lewis Neal, Tashawn Bower ... Arden Key, there's been a bunch of guys that will be playing on Sundays in the NFL for a long time," Moreau said. "There's been a lot of great players, and the next one is K'Lavon Chaisson. The guy is a freak. We love him in the locker room. He's a great player, a funny guy, a great dude, but when he gets on the field he's a freak. He might break the sack record.

"He's strong, but he's fast. He's fast -- I can tell you that. We do tempo runs in the summer, and they aren't that taxing or too hard, but that guy is sprinting ... K'Lavon has been doing a great job."

While LSU returns a wealth of experience to its defense this season, there's plenty of nuances as well. For one, Aranda enters the year as the highest-paid defensive coordinator in the country, earning a four-year, fully guaranteed $10 million contract, a pay day for one of college football's most celebrate play-callers.

On the field, Aranda has even more weapons to work with. A 2018 signing class provided the coordinator with a quartet of freshmen linemen, reinforcements in the middle of his defense and pass-rushers to plug in on the edge, as well as an All-American ballhawk vying to start opposite Williams at cornerback -- not to mention Fehoko and Alexander to bolster the defensive front and back end of the unit.

Aranda has preached maturity and focus. Pair that with talent, depth and versatility, and LSU's defensive reveal seems bound to turn heads right away.

"I call him the mad scientist," Battle joked. "He may show you his hand on one card, but have an ace on the other, so you never know what you're going to get with Coach Aranda."

Intrigue is sky high.

New blitz packages and Peso defenses have been the talk of camp. Pressure is a constant theme. For the mad scientist himself, it's hard to predict what exactly could be in store.

"We're going to be great," Thornton said. "One thing that we've focused on is not only knowing our position, but knowing someone else's position. We can help fix things or play a little bit faster or make split-second decisions ... being versatile as a defense in total, not just individually or as a position group is a great advantage."

The debut of Aranda's new twists will be on display Sept. 2 when No. 25 LSU takes on No. 8 Miami at AT&T Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 2.

--Terrence Alexander, Kelvin Joseph, Damone Clark and Chasen Hines were among the newcomers that have grabbed Moreau's attention through fall camp. Alexander, a grad transfer from Stanford, has worked at nickel, while Joseph, a former Scotlandville defensive back, is in the mix to start opposite Greedy Williams at corner. Clark, who was Moreau's cold-tub partner, has impressed early on. As has Hines, who has spent time on both the defensive and offensive lines, and has settled in at guard to help replenish the depth in the midst of Ed Ingram's indefinite suspension.

--Quarterbacks Justin McMillan and Lowell Narcisse announced their intent to transfer out of LSU last week. On their departures, Moreau said: "Guys were upset. You hate to see guys like that go. Justin, Lowell were brothers, teammates, great guys to be around. High-character, high-quality, stand-up dudes. It's tough to lose a brother, a family member. We need to be pros about it. We put it behind us the best we can."

--Ed Orgeron called a players-only meeting. The last time this occurred was after LSU's 24-21 loss to Troy on Sept. 30. "Coach O calling a players-only meeting was a good decision for the team," sophomore linebacker Jacob Phillips said. "It's a way for us to jell and get everything out n the air. Since the meeting, we've been alee to get everything off the table, elephants out of the room and jell again."

--Senior David Ducre has shifted positions again. The former fullback and H-back is now taking reps at tight end after the team lost Jamal Pettigrew to a torn ACL and JaCory Washington has been in and out of practice. "He's been a running back, a tight end and a Matt Canada H-back," said Moreau. "He can go line up outside a run a 9-route. He's accepted his role in the offense. When times get tough, he never complains." Moreau added that in the second preseason game, Ducre caught about three balls for first-downs. "