Peveto ready for challenge as defensive co-coordinator

• By SCOTT RABALAIS
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Jul 6, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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At the first defensive squad meeting before the start of spring practice, new LSU defensive co-coordinator Bradley Dale Peveto read aloud the list of great players the Tigers had lost to the NFL.

Players like Glenn Dorsey, winner of four postseason awards and the No. 5 overall NFL draft pick. Craig Steltz, the hard hitting All-American strong safety. And lock down cornerback Jonathan Zenon.

Peveto then read one more name: that of former defensive coordinator Bo Pelini, now head coach at Nebraska.

“The point I was making was not only are we all in this together,” Peveto explained, “but somebody has to step up and take those players’ spots. Somebody has also got to step up and take Bo Pelini’s spot. That’s pretty darn hard, but Doug and I have to get it done.”

Doug would be Doug Mallory, named after Pelini’s departure by LSU head coach Les Miles to share the coordinating duties with Peveto.

One could joke that Pelini was so good it takes two men to replace him.

One person making that joke just might well be the excitable and light-hearted Peveto himself.

“We lost a great coordinator in Bo Pelini,” Peveto said, “one of the best I’ve been around.”

So good that Peveto said he and Mallory still occasionally call Lincoln to pick Pelini’s brain about this formation or that coverage. So good that the defensive system Pelini left has remained essentially intact since the Tigers smothered Ohio State 38-24 in January’s BCS national championship game. A defense that finished third nationally last season in yards per game allowed.

“It’s a great system,” Peveto said, “especially when you look at where that system comes from. Bo’s got a pro background. He’s been around Monte Kiffin and Pete Carroll and the Stoops brothers.

“Why fix something that ain’t broke? The game changes, there are wrinkles year in and year out. That’s why we visit with Bo and make sure we’re staying on the cutting edge.”

If that sounds a bit strange considering the hyper-competitive nature of college football, one only has to recall that Ohio State coaches asked and were allowed to observe LSU’s spring practice in 2007.

One has to hope for LSU’s sake that keeping in touch with Pelini is more productive.