When the BCS national title kicks off in just a few days, one theme to follow will be the defenses of LSU and Alabama. Statistically two of the top defensive units in the country, touchdowns were impossible to come by during Nov. 5’s “game of the century” -- a 9-6 overtime win by the Tigers over the Tide.
These two teams know each other like the back of their hands. Will anything change come Monday?
LSU’s defensive coordinator John Chavis hopes not, at least on his end. Chavis has been the man behind the Tigers’ stifling defense this season, and it sounds like he’ll be sticking around. According to Knoxville radio show host and reporter Jimmy Hyams, Chavis turned down a chance, and $1 million, to return to Tennessee as the defensive coordinator again after he wasn’t retained as part of Phillip Fulmer‘s firing in 2008.
“I won’t ever forget,” Chavis said Thursday. “Loyalty is supposed to be a two-way street. That’s one of the lessons I learned at Tennessee. It isn’t always like that.
“I learned that it doesn’t matter where you are or what you’ve done, sometimes you’re nothing but a commodity in this business. When you’re hot, they want you. When you’re not, they don’t. Those were some of the lessons I learned. I’m blessed to be at LSU, and I’m staying here.”
If true, that’s good news for the Tigers and bad news for, well, just about everybody else. LSU ranked in the Top 10 of every major statistical category on defense this season.