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LSU defensive coordinator Dave Aranda could not be heard. Not even for a 10 or 15 minute conversation for this story. Not even with the extra week to prepare. He had a clicker in his hand with which he simply could not separate.
Talking has never been his thing anyway. Beside, he had work to do.
Now, to be clear, this is not a hard blow for Aranda or the school's public relations department. It is the simple fact that, in the spirit of Aranda, he had no time to chat, to consider with Tua Tagovailoa and his caliber Heisman Trophy arm. A home game against Alabama, No. 1, was such a big deal that he naturally demanded two full weeks of his attention.
Think about it: In addition to Tagovailoa's extraordinary talents at quarterback, Aranda was accountable to Jaylen Waddle and a triumvirate of sophomores, Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs III and DeVonta Smith; he had to study a half-tails assembly line, including, but not limited to, Damien Harris, who has already ridden 1,000 yards twice in his career; and he had to figure out what to do with an offensive line with at least a future franchise material to Jonah Williams, which averaged 6 feet 5 inches and 310 pounds.
In addition, Aranda had to do all this while knowing perfectly the implications of the SEC championship and college football playoffs. And on top of that, he had to do it with essentially one hand tied in the back, as his linebacker star and defense defender, Devin White, had to serve a half-match suspension as a result of a penalty of targeting (controversial).
So no, we politely told ESPN that Aranda could not get to the phone at the moment. He was somewhere squatting, occupying potential replacements for White, subclasses Patrick Queen and Micah Baskerville, who have an early career together. No pressure, but if they would do it all for only half, the game would be over. After all, Alabama averages 38.7 points per game before the start of the intermission, which is about 8.4 points more per game than the LSU average for the four quarters.
Do not cry for Aranda, though. This is why LSU pays him a lot of money. Alabama and its seemingly unstoppable offense represent the ultimate challenge for the $ 10 million Tigers coordinator. His contract setting a record spreading over four years is guaranteed.
Is it worth it? It depends on your vision of higher education, of course. But if you're sitting high on Tiger Stadium on Saturday night, dressed in purple and gold and praying once in three, it's definitely worth it. Just ask the LSU coach, Ed Orgeron, who has proudly called it "the best defensive coordinator of the whole country" at SEC media days this summer.
Like many sport surveyors, Orgeron is in love with Aranda. He called it a "crazy scientist" day and boasted of being "a cool cucumber".
This sounds very true when talking to players and former coaches. They say that Aranda has a gift for defense and calling games, and statistics confirm it. But you have to start with that aura of fresh intensity that he possesses. With a shaven head and clean eyes, he looks like a sergeant instructor. He never really seems to smile, either, when you think about it. He is inflexible and methodical, which contrasts sharply with Orgeron, a ball of energy and emotion with a red face and bust.
One sometimes has the impression of being a monk standing next to a carnival barker. But anyway, it works for the Tigers in third place (7-1, 4-1 SEC).
Gary Andersen, who hired Aranda as a defensive coordinator when he was head coach at Utah State and Wisconsin, knows this personality dynamic better than anyone else. During the years when the infamous old center let its emotions surface, Aranda was somehow a soothing influence, a yin for the yang of his head coach.
Andersen, who is now an assistant coach in Utah, was an "emotional caller". In the meantime, as he said, "Dave is going to be Dave". "He has a consistent approach and this approach works," Andersen tried to explain. "It's not a firehose, it does not turn on and off."
Thinking back to those early days at Utah State, Andersen can see the big picture of what would become of Aranda. He still marvels at how Aranda, immersed in the understanding of a quarter-line defense down, has steered the transition from the program to a strange front (three line players down) . Aranda went out, studied it and came back with some extra wrinkles, adding what Andersen called "climbing plants".
But more importantly, Aranda knew how to teach what he had learned. Although he has a detailed game manual and is "extremely detailed", according to Andersen, he has the ability to take complex patterns and summarize them into simple concepts that players can understand. The result: in 2012, the Aggies moved from 73rd place to sixth place in defense by scoring the previous season.
"Dave is the guy who went out and studied that," Andersen said of the change in defensive philosophy. "He's just a tenacious studier, he's very thorough in his teaching, he's very deep, there's not a stone that goes unnoticed."
He added: "I've gained great respect for Dave during the transition to Utah State.These are not easy transitions because that's what you've been for so long, what you're for so long, and now you're going to change that because you're working to get your best kids out there. "
From Utah State to Wisconsin via LSU, Aranda is suitable for its staff. But its productivity has never faltered. Every season from 2012 to 17, from Mountain West to the Big Ten via the SEC, he coordinates defenses that rank among the top 25 in terms of points and allocated yards allowed. This season, LSU ranks 24th in yards per game (330.3), seventh in points per game (15.1) and sixth in turnovers (19).
Despite a rush of otherwise mediocre passes – with Arden Key left and K Lavon Chaisson absent for the season due to an injury, LSU only amassed 18 sacks. The Tigers are tied for the largest number of interceptions (14) in the FBS and have yielded only half the number of touchdowns. ).
"I call him Mr. Brainiac," said LSU defender John Battle. "I do not know what's going on in his head, but whatever it is, it works."
Linebacker Michael Divinity said, "The Aranda coach is a great coach, the scheme he puts in place, he gives us all the keys and we go out to run."
Tagovailoa, who Orgeron compared to Michael Vick, said that LSU had the best in front of seven and the best secondary Alabama has seen so far. And for those who do the calculation at home, this means that the Tigers have the best defense, period when the Crimson Tide (8-0, 5-0) had to face.
"I think they're very elitist in many ways in terms of defense," said Alabama coach Nick Saban.
Saban particularly commended Aranda, stating that he "has a very good system" and that "his players understand him and do a very good job within the system".
Tagovailoa & Co. will test this system, which still relies heavily on a strange front. Even on the road, Alabama remains the prohibitive favorite. Las Vegas sportsbooks give the tide 14 points more than the Tigers. .
But if anyone can slow down the walk from Tagovailoa to the Heisman, that is Aranda.
LSU started studying Alabama in the summer, and Aranda and his team had two weeks to isolate themselves and develop a game plan to combat offensive striker Mike Locksley's stratagem, which puts a strain on options. of passes.
"Now we're going to have to play a full game in defense to stop their running game and their passing game, nobody has done it yet," Orgeron said. "If there is anyone who can do it, it's our defensive staff, I believe in them."
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