DeKalb products step up for LSU

By LEE FEINSWOG

For the AJC

Baton Rouge -- LSU coach Les Miles knows what it’s like to be from one football-rich state and play in another. After all, he grew up in Ohio as a huge Ohio State fan, but played for Michigan.

So when No. 4 LSU (4-0) goes to 18th-ranked Georgia on Saturday, Miles understands the emotions that will be running through Stephenson High products Perry Riley and Kelvin Sheppard. Riley, a senior linebacker, was the MVP of last season’s Chick-fil-A Bowl victory over Georgia Tech. He’s LSU’s second-leading tackler with 28, 14 unassisted. Sheppard, a junior linebacker, is right behind with 26, also 14 unassisted.

“Those guys will know a lot of players on the other team and will really be looking forward to playing them,” Miles said. “It will be for bragging rights and neighborhood bragging rights. It will be a lot fun for those guys from Georgia.”

Stephenson High coach Ron Gartrell isn’t surprised by their success.

“They’re competitive young men and extremely dedicated young men,” Gartrell said. “They took on leadership roles very well. They basically did everything they were asked to do both on and off the field. They’re genuine guys who left their mark here at our school and helped us win a lot of games.”

And while it’s pretty special for one school to have two players on the fourth-ranked team in the country, Gartrell is quick to point out, “We have one on the first-ranked team in the country as well,” pointing out that Florida senior defensive end Jermaine Cunningham is also a product of the DeKalb County high school.

“We’re pretty happy for those three of the 10 or 12 we’ve had in the SEC the past seven or eight years.”

LSU is coming off a 30-26 victory at Mississippi State in which the Tigers put forth a four-down goal-line stand to preserve the win. Riley led LSU with 11 tackles; Sheppard had seven as the Tigers improved to 2-0 in the Southeastern Conference and moved up three spots in the rankings.

“I think Perry Riley is rounding into a great leader and very strong linebacker for us,” Miles said of the 2008 Butkus Award finalist.

Miles was very complimentary of Sheppard’s play, especially on special teams.

“He’s playing better and better each week.”

LSU coaches wouldn’t necessarily say the same of the Tigers’ up-and-down defense. After smothering Vanderbilt and Louisiana-Lafayette the previous two weeks, Mississippi State ran 86 plays to LSU’s 59 and outgained the Tigers in total yardage, 374-263.

“Things are pretty good but could be better,” LSU senior defensive tackle Al Woods said. “We had a lot of mistakes on the defensive side of the ball. Coach came in today (to the team’s Monday-morning meeting) and said we have to be better, all-around, and we have to practice that way, not as undefeated and the fourth-ranked team in the country, but to get better.”

LSU’s challenge against Georgia goes further. For starters, Georgia is the only SEC school Miles hasn’t beaten. While the two schools don’t play every year, LSU hasn’t won in Athens since 1986, when only seven Tigers were even born. And last year, LSU went 0-for-5 in games broadcast by CBS, including the 52-38 thumping from Georgia in Baton Rouge.

So with this game on CBS and many pundits wondering if LSU is anywhere near worthy of a No. 4 ranking, the Tigers have a lot to prove.

One area of particular concern for Miles is LSU’s runnig game. Against State, the Tigers had a net 30 yards rushing, drawing plenty of criticism for LSU’s offensive line. One standout, however, has been center T-Bob Hebert. Hebert, who has made a remarkable recovery from reconstructive knee surgery, played at Greater Atlanta Christian High School. His father, Bobby, is the former Falcons quarterback, but all their family and roots are in Louisiana.

“Our quarterback (sophomore Jordan Jefferson) is playing extremely well,” Miles said, “but the reality is we should be protecting him better.

“I still want to run the football. I want Charles Scott and that offensive line and Keiland Williams to come off the football.”

Scott, who rushed for 1,174 yards in 2008, had just 15 yards at State, while Williams had 20. Miles credited State’s stop-the-run strategy, which led to Jefferson completing 15 of 28 passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns. Jefferson has only been intercepted once this season while completing 61 percent of his passes.

“The defense can choose to play everyone inside and that makes it much more difficult to run the football,” Miles said, “so I wanted to throw it.”

Jefferson expects Georgia to employ a strategy similar to State’s.

“I think they’re going to pack the box in and try to stop the run,” said Jefferson, who has run for 83 yards himself this season, which includes the times he’s been sacked. “That will put pressure on me, but we’re going to work around that and try to be effective on offense.”