Reveille The Daily
GAMEDAY SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2015
NO. 6 LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY VS. NO. 8 UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
LOCAL BLOGGERS FIND SUCCESS, PAGE 2 FORMER LSU RUNNING BACK REFLECTS ON 2007 VICTORY AGAINST GATORS, PAGE 4 TIGERS HOPE TO CHANNEL THRILL OF LAST SEASON’S FLORIDA WIN, PAGE 5
JAVIER FERNÁNDEZ / The Daily Reveille
The Daily Reveille
page 2
Saturday, October 17, 2015
Reveille The Daily
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Claire Plauche [top], Michaela Todaro [left] and Elizabeth ‘Lala’ Vied [right] express themselves through blogging. HASKELL WHITTINGTON, JAVIER FERNÁNDEZ and EMILY BRAUNER /
The Daily Reveille
Blogging isn’t just for fashion-savvy capitals like New York City and Los Angeles anymore. Fashion and lifestyle blogs are popping up all over the country, including Baton Rouge. For many, blogging usually starts as a hobby, but it has the potential to kickstart a career in the industry associated with the blog’s focus. Such was the case for fashion and lifestyle blogger Jennifer Palpallatoc. After working in local boutiques while studying at LSU, Palpallatoc said she felt inspired to begin a fashion blog to include in her portfolio for future job interviews. It quickly became an obsession, and she found it to be a fun hobby. But, while she became more involved in her website, she felt less motivated to finish her studies, she said. “My blog was giving me more opportunities than school was,” she said. Palpallatoc left LSU to focus on her website. She said companies began reaching out to her to feature products in her blog in exchange for payment, something commonly arranged in the blogging world. However, she noted that she would never feature a product that doesn’t align with her style. RewardStyle, a company helping bloggers monetize their content, changed the game for Palpallatoc, she said. RewardStyle’s app LIKEtoKNOW.it sends an email with outfit details and links to purchase the pieces to subscribers when they “like” one of Palpallatoc’s Instagrams. For each purchase through the app, Palpallatoc makes a commission.
Eventually, these ventures became so lucrative that Palpallatoc could leave her day job as a fashion editor at DIG BR magazine and pursue blogging full time, she said. Her daily blogger routine begins with a cup of coffee, a bowl of oatmeal and her laptop ready to post Instagrams and blogs. Her deadline for her daily post is at 11 a.m., when her pre-scheduled email newsletter sends to subscribers. While writing her post, she multitasks by promoting herself on social media and responding to emails. Throughout the day, she receives and organizes her daily packages from fashion and home brands that send her products to review and plans her next move on her website, she said. Despite her struggle in Information Systems and Decisions Sciences courses at LSU, Palpallatoc is completely responsible for her web domain, and she said she codes for her website herself. Her blog has provided her opportunities like traveling to New York, where she collaborated on a handbag design with Gigi New York. The bag became her namesake — the Jenn Bucket Bag. This type of work is a career goal for Claire Plauche, a Textiles, Apparel, Merchandising sophomore who runs her own fashion blog, Creme de la Claire. Currently, Plauche is on her way with her first big step in the blogger realm, something common for Palpallatoc — working with an accessories company. Rocksbox jewelry subscription service recently teamed up with Plauche, providing her a discount code for her followers, she said. This is her first sponsorship from a brand. “Whenever I got it, I teared
up a little bit,” she said. But what sets Plauche’s blog apart from many others is its attainability and affordability, she said. She attributes a lot of her closet to stores like Target and Forever 21, since she’s on a college budget. However, she concedes her adoration for high-end, fashion magazines. Pages from Elle, Vogue and other fashion publications are precisely puzzled together along the wall of her room, serving as inspiration for her ensembles. Plauche said she covets fashion magazines, admitting to hoarding three years of Glamour magazines — none of which were harmed in her magazine collage. “There’s something about [reading magazines]. You don’t have your phone with you, your computer. You can’t get distracted,” she said. But besides the glossy pages of Glamour, her favorite fashion influence is her mother, who always supports the most out-there outfits she wears. She credits her mother for her fashion rule to live by, “Dress in what makes you happy.” But every fashionista has a fashion rule they break, hers being “Don’t wear white after Labor Day.” She said she brings bright whites into fall by wearing it with different textures and darker colors. One of her favorite looks for this transitional time is white linen shorts with a cheetah print top, a light camouflage jacket and brown ankle boots. Ankle boots are a great way to make nearly any summer outfit work in the fall, especially with a light jacket with rolled sleeves, a scarf and a dark lip color, Plauche said. She said she adores fall and she’s ready to see the summer
FERNANDA ZAMUDIO-SUAREZ Editor in Chief REBECCA DOCTER Co-Managing Editor JENNIFER VANCE Co-Managing Editor QUINT FORGEY News Editor ROSE VELAZQUEZ Deputy News Editor MEG RYAN Entertainment Editor JACOB HAMILTON Sports Editor CAROLINE ARBOUR Associate Production Editor
Four local women share their spins on blogging BY SARAH LEBOEUF @sleboeuf23
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JACK RICHARDS Opinion Editor ’70s trend transcend into fall with bell-bottom jeans, suede fabrics and boxy pieces. Fashion blogger Elizabeth “Lala” Vied shares Plauche’s excitement for this season’s trends, especially the different textures and fabrics that are mingling together this fall, like fur, leather and patterned fabrics. Vied began her blog Lala Land while she studied finance at LSU. Though she’s had a passion for fashion since she was a little girl reading children’s fashion books, she said she fell absolutely in love with the industry while enrolled at the University and decided she’d become a part of it while still a student. She landed an internship with luxury clothing and accessories brand Oscar de la Renta in New York City last summer. She said she adores the city and wishes to return to it someday, but she knows she needs more experience first. After graduating in May, Vied left her part-time job at clothing boutique Rodéo and became a junior’s department manager at Dillard’s, while keeping up her blog on the side. Clothing and accessory companies from across the world send her pieces to be featured in her blog, but Vied said she especially likes working with local boutiques and supporting southern businesses. Despite her success with fashion labels, Vied said she’s mostly touched by her blog’s followers.
Read the rest of this story online at lsureveille.com/ daily/entertainment
JAVIER FERNÁNDEZ Photo Editor KALLI CHAMPAGNE Radio Director SAM ACCARDO Advertising Manager
CORRECTIONS & CLARIFICATIONS The Daily Reveille holds accuracy and objectivity at the highest priority and wants to reassure its readers the reporting and content of the paper meets these standards. This space is reserved to recognize and correct any mistakes that may have been printed in The Daily Reveille. If you would like something corrected or clarified, please contact the editor at (225) 5784811 or e-mail editor@lsureveille.com.
ABOUT THE DAILY REVEILLE The Daily Reveille (USPS 145-800) is written, edited and produced solely by students of Louisiana State University. The Daily Reveille is an independent entity of the Office of Student Media within the Manship School of Mass Communication. A single issue of The Daily Reveille is free. To purchase additional copies, please visit the Office of Student Media in B-39 Hodges Hall. The Daily Reveille is published daily during the fall and spring semesters and twice weekly during the summer semester, except during holidays and final exams. Second-class copies postage paid at Baton Rouge, LA, 70803. Annual weekly mailed subscriptions are $125, semester weekly mailed subscriptions are $75. Non-mailed student rates are $4 each regular semester, $2 during the summer; one copy per person, additional copies 25 cents each. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Daily Reveille, B-39 Hodges Hall, LSU, Baton Rouge, LA 70803.
The Daily Reveille
Saturday, October 17, 2015
page 3
GAMEDAY BREAKDOWN NO. 6 LSU VERSUS NO.8 UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 6 P.M. SATURDAY TIGER STADIUM ESPN
OFFENSIVE COMPARISON NO. 6 LSU
PLAYER TO WATCH
(5-0, 3-0 SEC) TOTAL AND SCORING OFFENSE
189 POINTS (37.8 PPG)
PASSING OFFENSE
610 YARDS
(122.0 YPG, 4 TDS)
RUSHING OFFENSE
1732 YARDS
(346.4 YPG, 18 TDS)
NO. 8 FLORIDA
PLAYER TO WATCH
(6-0, 4-0 SEC)
TOTAL AND SCORING OFFENSE
193 POINTS (32.2 PPG)
RUSHING OFFENSE
PASSING OFFENSE
(138.7 YPG, 12 TDS)
(246.0 YPG, 12 TDS)
832 YARDS
1476 YARDS
DEFENSIVE COMPARISON
#33 JAMAL ADAMS SOPHOMORE SAFETY 6 FEET, 1 INCH - 211 POUNDS (2015 STATS) 21 TOTAL TACKLES, 2 TACKLES FOR LOSS, 2 PASS BREAK-UPS, 2 INTERCEPTIONS
NO. 6 LSU TOTAL AND SCORING DEFENSE
110 POINTS (22.0 PPG)
PASSING DEFENSE
959 YARDS
(191.8 YPG, 9 TDS)
RUSHING DEFENSE
498 YARDS
(99.6 YPG, 4 TDS)
#1 VERNON HARGREAVES, III JUNIOR CORNERBACK 5 FEET, 11 INCHES - 199 POUNDS (2015 STATS) 19 TOTAL TACKLES, 1 PASS BREAK-UP, 3 INTERCEPTIONS
NO. 8 FLORIDA TOTAL AND SCORING DEFENSE
86 POINTS (14.3 PPG)
RUSHING DEFENSE
PASSING DEFENSE
(99.2 YPG, 3 TDS)
(197.2 YPG, 6 TDS)
595 YARDS
1183 YARDS
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The Daily Reveille
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Saturday, October 17, 2015
FOOTBALL
Hester, current Tigers reflect on Miles’ defining game eight years later BY MORGAN PREWITT @kmprewitt_TDR No matter the sport, every coach has a career-defining game. Despite his tendency to nibble on grass and his creative use of the English language, LSU coach Les Miles is no different. Of the 137 games the Mad Hatter paced the LSU sidelines, the top-ranked Tigers’ 28-24 comeback victory against then-No. 9 University of Florida on Oct. 6, 2007, stands out as the most memorable game of the Les Miles era to former players, current Tigers and fans alike. It wasn’t the highest-stakes game Miles coached during his LSU career, or even during the 2007 season as the Tigers brought home their third national championship with a 38-24 win against Ohio State University in the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game. And it wasn’t the Tigers’ perfect 5-for-5 mark on fourth-down conversions against the Gators. What transformed Miles and the 2007 squad into legends that October day is simple — their belief in one another no matter the odds. “It brought us together as a team,” said former LSU running back Jacob Hester. “Being in a battle like that on the football field is going to do nothing but help your
team. It was such nasty battle between us and Florida that it swung our season.” From the first snap, the Tigers’ offense struggled to convert scoring opportunities, while former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow trounced LSU’s defense for a passing touchdown and rushing touchdown in the first half, giving the Gators to a 17-7 halftime lead. Following former LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini’s halftime adjustments, the Tigers’ defense held Florida’s offense to only one touchdown in the second half and 147 total yards. Despite tallying just 162 offensive yards in the first half, Miles’ confidence in his offense to convert fourth-downs never faltered, fueling the Tigers’ 15-play, 70-yard touchdown drive to open the third quarter. With LSU facing fourth-and-5 from Florida’s 25-yard line, Miles sent then-junior placekicker Colt David, who missed a 43-yard field goal in the second quarter, out for the short kick. But when the ball snapped, then-senior quarterback and holder Matt Flynn tucked it for an eight-yard run on the fake, converting the Tigers’ second fourth down of the game and allowing LSU to cut Florida’s lead to three points five plays later. Although the Gators extended their lead to as much as 10 points in
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the second half, the Tigers trailed by only three points when Hester and company took over possession at their own 40-yard line with 9:20 left in the fourth quarter. After an offensive pass interference penalty threatened to end the Tigers’ comeback, Flynn kept the drive alive with a 15-yard scramble to set up a fourth-and-1 on the Tigers’ 49-yard line, which Hester converted with a two-yard rush. After Flynn connected with then-sophomore tight end Richard Dickson for a first down and Hester broke a 19-yard run, Hester got the call again on a fourth-and-1 at the Gators’ 7-yard line. “I remember being in the huddle of the Florida game and thinking, ‘I don’t want to let coach Miles down because he’s trusting us on these fourth-downs with no hesitation to make the call,’” Hester said. Hester notched his second fourth-down conversion on the same play call, setting up LSU with first-and-goal on Florida’s 5-yard line. Three plays later, Hester and the rest of the team waited in the huddle for Flynn to walk up with
the expected play call for thirdand-goal from the Gators’ 2-yard line. “Matt Flynn comes in the huddle, and he said, ‘You know what the play is, and you know how to run it,’” Hester said. “He didn’t even call a play. It was that for sure we knew exactly what we were running. Not any other time in my football career did I have a situation like that.” Seconds later, Hester plowed through the Gators’ defense to score the go-ahead touchdown, capping the game that defined his LSU career. Looking back at the Tigers’ comeback, Miles stressed the role the Tiger faithful played, especially when Stanford University’s 24-23 upset of then-No, 2 University of Southern California was announced during the final drive. “The stadium erupted,” Miles said. “That was the dangest thing I’ve ever been a [part of] because I actually asked somebody, ‘Why are they celebrating? We haven’t taken the lead yet.’ It made a difference, it really did. There was some juice and some energy in that stadium that these Tigers feed
off of.” Although they weren’t on the team that year, the 2007 Florida game holds a sacred place for today’s Tigers, propelling the LSUFlorida rivalry to new heights. “That’s like the game of the year watching it as a kid,” said senior linebacker Deion Jones. Senior linebacker Lamar Louis, junior safety Rickey Jefferson and Jones all remember exactly where they were when they watched the Tigers and Gators face off in 2007. Jefferson said he “didn’t really appreciate” having to watch the game on TV after his father took a friend, instead of him, and his older brother, former LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson, to Baton Rouge for a recruiting visit. Jones said he remembers watching the 2007 game at his uncle’s house with his mom and dad. “We were sitting there watching it,” Jones said. “[I remember] the fourth downs that Jacob got, and then punching it in at the end.” Of the trio, Louis was the only one to be in Tiger Stadium to experience the game firsthand. “That was one of the greatest experiences of my life,” Louis said.
The Daily Reveille
Saturday, October 17, 2015
page 5
FOOTBALL
Last season’s Florida win memorable for Jefferson, Fournette BY JAMES BEWERS @JamesBewers_TDR Of all the highly-competitive games between the University of Florida and LSU, two schools tied together as permanent, crossdivisional opponents, the Oct. 11, 2014 contest proved to be more than just an LSU win for two select Tigers. When the No. 8 Gators (6-0, 4-0 Southeastern Conference) and No. 6 Tigers (5-0, 3-0 SEC) tangle at 6 p.m. Saturday at Tiger Stadium, the league matchup presents LSU with a chance to build on its strong performance against Florida last year, including sophomore running back Leonard Fournette and junior safety Rickey Jefferson, heroes of the 2014 matchup. Both teams are in different situations than last year as both enter the game undefeated and at the top of their respective divisions in the SEC. However, Jefferson said one thing remains constant, the Tigers’ drive for the sweet taste of victory once again. “It was amazing,” Jefferson said. “The most thing I remember is just trying to get that feeling back soon — soon.” At the time of last year’s matchup, the Tigers were in need of a win. LSU had just come off the widest margin of defeat of LSU coach Les Miles’ tenure, a 41-7 stomping at Auburn University the week before to move to 0-2 in the SEC. A quarterback conundrum lingered as now-sophomore starting quarterback Brandon Harris struggled mightily on The Plains, forcing LSU coach Les Miles to hand the reins back to then-sophomore signal caller Anthony Jennings. For Florida, it walked into Ben Hill Griffin Stadium without would-be freshman starting quarterback Treon Harris, the starter for Saturday’s game, due to an indefinite suspension for an alleged sexual assault. The charges were dropped before the game, but Muschamp decided to stick with junior Jeff Driskel against the Tigers. When it was all said and done, LSU left Gainesville, Florida, with 30-27 victory, but it hardly
mattered in the grand scheme of things. The Tigers finished the season 3-3 in SEC matchups and 8-4 overall, including a Music City Bowl loss to Notre Dame. The Gators won their bowl game, but former Florida coach Will Muschamp was fired before the regular season concluded as the team ended the year 7-5. Both teams’ seasons were a far cry from their best laid plans, but the Oct. 11 meeting with Florida may have been the turning point for Fournette and Jefferson — for different reasons. In Fournette’s case, it was his coming out party. The former No. 1 prospect in the nation had just one 100-yard game at the time, and Florida had only given up one rushing touchdown, ranking as the No. 15 team in the country against the run up to that point — until they met Fournette for the first time. “I think Leonard Fournette is a sleeping giant that’s ready to wake up,” said ESPN analyst Jesse Palmer after the freshman found a lane and ran for 16 yards late in the first quarter. Fournette proved Palmer right on the very next play. The tailback surged up the middle, plowing into then-sophomore safety Marcus Maye for a 12-yard touchdown. Fournette finished the game with 143 yards on 27 carries and two touchdowns, and he continued posting big numbers for the rest of the season, finishing with 1034 yards and 10 touchdowns. He’s eclipsed his number of touchdowns and nearly the number of yards from 2014 through the five games this season, but that night in Gainesville may have been his moment of clarity. “I don’t know, man, I guess I was just on that game,” Fournette said. “...It just came to me, pretty much. For Jefferson, who never started for LSU last season, that game brought the thrill of making an impact when his team needed it most. In a tie game with under a minute remaining, Driskel and the Gator offense were on the move, sitting at the LSU 45-yard line as the clocked ticked down toward the 30 second mark.
JAVIER FERNÁNDEZ / The Daily Reveille
LSU then-sophomore safety Rickey Jefferson (29) celebrates a defensive play on Oct. 11, 2014 during the Tigers’ 30-27 victory against the University of Florida at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Driskel stared down thenjunior receiver Latroy Pittman, Jr., on a slant route, but Jefferson and former LSU linebacker Kwon Alexander read the first-and-10 pass all the way. “Kwon really hit [Pittman, Jr.], and the ball like tipped someway — tipped off him, tipped off me,” Jefferson said. “I spinned around and caught it.” It was Jefferson’s second-career interception, but a more important one to him, considering a dropped interception against Auburn the previous week. Not only did he intercept the pass,
but he returned it 23 yards to the Florida 36-yard line. Three plays later, then-sophomore kicker Colby Delahoussaye nailed the 50-yard, game-winning field goal. Jefferson, however, wants to score when he comes up with a turnover like that. “When I get my hands on the ball, my goal is to score,” Jefferson, who is now an every-game starter, said. “Even now, my goal is to get a pick six. It’s not just to get an interception.” As the 2015 squads head into Saturday’s game, looking to distance themselves from the
rest of the conference, it may take a similar performance from Fournette or another critical play from Jefferson to secure victory. In this heated rivalry, every game is bound to come down to the wire. “[Last year] was a physical game,” Fournette said. “Their whole defense is fast. Their whole team is fast, pretty much... They’re a great a team. They’re defense looks the same as last year. They have a lot talent all across the board. We’re going to have to come out and compete.”
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JAVIER FERNÁNDEZ / The Daily Reveille
LSU then-freshman running back Leonard Fournette (7) runs the ball Oct. 11, 2014 during the Tigers’ 30-27 victory against the University of Florida at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
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The Independent Florida Alligator
Saturday, October 17, 2015
Third down is indeed the money for Gators’ defense BY JORDAN MCPHERSON ALLIGATOR STAFF WRITER The signs are present on the field. On third down, UF assistants jump up and down, holding posters with dollar signs high into the air as they work to pump up the crowd. To the Gators, third down is the money down, the time for them to prove their worth. It’s a chance for the defense to stop opponents dead in their tracks. Third-down efficiency can make or break a team, and that one down can be the difference between a touchdown, a field goal or a punt. Through six games this season, the Gators made opposing offenses uncomfortable on third down — regardless of the score, distance or play formation they go up against. “They play the game fast,” UF coach Jim McElwain said of his defense. “They’re definitely one heck of a unit.” In Florida’s 21-3 road win against Missouri on Saturday, the Gators stopped the Tigers on 13 consecutive third-down attempts, with Missouri’s lone third-down conversion coming on its secondto-last play of the game, a 12-yard run by junior running back Chase
Abbington with less than a minute to play. “We got off the field,” McElwain said. “That’s huge.” So far this year, the Gators’ defense has been getting off the field on a regular basis. At the midway point of the regular season, Florida is allowing opponents to convert just 31.9 percent of their third-down attempts, almost seven percentage points lower than the 38.7 percent conversion rate they allowed in 2014. In conference play, that conversion rate dips to 30.6 percent. In 2014, Southeastern Conference teams moved the chains on 43 percent of their third-down attempts against UF. Florida’s third-down success this season, in part, can be attributed to its ability to stymie opponents on first and second downs. Out of 94 third-down attempts the defense has faced this season, opponents have faced third-andlong — a third down with at least 7 yards to go — 50 times, moving the chains just 11 times (22 percent). Conversely, Florida has allowed offenses into third-and-short scenarios — needing 3 yards or less to pick up a new set of downs — just 19 times. On average, opposing offenses are about 7.9 yards away from the first-down marker when third
down rolls around. And with the Gators giving up a mere 3.8 yards on the money down, the special teams are usually trotting out one play later. “(We) just worry about winning that play, whatever that play is,” McElwain said earlier this season. “Go do the best you can that singular event.” With Missouri trailing Florida 14-3 midway through the third quarter on Saturday, freshman quarterback Drew Lock was eyeing his chance to make a big play. The Tigers had gone threeand-out on their last four drives, and their offense became stagnant after making a field goal on their opening drive. Facing a third and 10 from his own 36 and needing some sort of spark, Lock dropped back, looked to his left and fired a dart to redshirt sophomore tight end Jason Reese. But UF sophomore cornerback Jalen Tabor was locked in on the play, intercepting the pass and returning it 40 yards for a touchdown, his second of the season. “Coach Mac preaches situational football,” the sophomore said. “The game of football is based on all situations. You see on third down, the money down, that’s the down we got to get off the field.” And Florida has done so by creating chaos and big plays on its
L.G. PATTERSON / The Associated Press
Florida defensive back Jalen Tabor (left) celebrates after he returned an interception for a touchdown during an NCAA college football game against Missouri on Oct. 10. most important down. Ten of Florida’s 21 sacks and three of its seven interceptions — including both of Tabor’s picksixes — have come on third downs. Quarterbacks are completing just 46.9 percent of their thirddown passes against Florida’s secondary and averaging just 4.7 yards per pass. “We’ve got to make sure we make teams uncomfortable on third down,” linebacker Jarrad Davis said. With six games under its belt, Florida’s defense has shown it has what it takes to win. It steps up when needed and
has no problem creating scoring opportunities of its own. “Sometimes they lose focus on the prize, the prize being what we do on Saturdays, and I haven’t seen that lately,” McElwain said. The road doesn’t get any easier, with the Gators traveling to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, this weekend for a top-10 matchup against LSU. But McElwain has seen enough from his defense. When the money down comes up, he knows they’re ready to play. “They’re tuned in, they’re locked in, they’re challenging each other, they’re challenging the offense,” he said. “It’s fun to watch.”
The Daily Reveille
Saturday, October 17, 2015
page 7
FOOTBALL
Lineman Arden Key hits stride mid-season for LSU defense BY C.J. RUCKER @Ruckmatic
He warned us. At LSU Media Day on Aug. 16, freshman defensive linemen Arden Key said things would get interesting midseason. “When I become an everydown guy, it’s going to be scary,” Key said. Key, a four-star recruit from Atlanta, Georgia, saw increased playing throughout in his first five games as a Tiger. He started each of the team’s last two games against Eastern Michigan University and the University of South Carolina. The 6-foot-6-inch Under Armour All-American has 15 total tackles, five quarterback hurries, one sack and one pass-breakup. However, some of the things Key does aren’t always depicted on the statsheet. Although he is a true freshman, Key is already starting to draw double teams, allowing his teammates to put pressure on the quarterback and make plays of their own. Senior linebacker Deion Jones said he felt the Key effect when the Tigers played Eastern Michigan on Oct. 3. Jones intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown after Key pressured the quarterback into making an errant throw. Key recorded an impressive 15
sacks in his senior season at Hapeville Charter Academy. He wasn’t able to participate in summer workouts with the LSU (5-0, 3-0 Southeastern Conference) football program because of academic issues that kept him from enrolling until early August. Key said not being able to join the rest of his teammates in June took a toll on him mentally. “I gave myself a week and a half,” Key said. “I was like, ‘Man, do I still want to play football?’” When Key arrived on campus, he played as if he participated in every summer workout. Defensive line coach Ed Orgeron said Key was his first target when he accepted the position as LSU’s defensive line coach, but he didn’t know just how gifted Key was. “Coach [Orgeron] said he didn’t realize how good I was,” Key said. “That wasn’t a knock on me. I went to train with Chuck Smith, so he taught me a lot of things that a lot of people didn’t see until camp started.” Before he was Key’s mentor, Smith played in the NFL for nine seasons and earned 58.5 sacks over the course of his career. Since retiring, he’s worked with some of the premier pass rushers in the game, including former New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan, former Baltimore Ravens
linebacker Ray Lewis and Ravens linebacker C.J. Mosley. Smith said Key has a few traits that don’t come from coaching or studying film. “He’s a great competitor — he’s got that dog in him,” Smith said. “He’s a guy that’s never going to quit.” Smith got Key ready for SEC football by adding a variety of moves to his repertoire. Key said Orgeron also equipped him with a few techniques since arriving in Baton Rouge. “[Orgeron] worked on different techniques for me to beat [offensive tackles],” Key said. “It’s a lot of techniques, and that’s what I love. I love to learn new things and try them.” Key made the decision to attend LSU after the Tigers added defensive coordinator Kevin Steele and Orgeron to the coaching staff. Steele’s base defense involves a four-man-front that allows pass rushers to develop their skills, Smith said. Last year, LSU finished the season with 19 total sacks. This year, the Tigers brought the quarterback down 12 times in their first five games. “Arden Key wouldn’t have been at LSU last year,” Smith said. “There was no pass rush. The best decision LSU ever made was bringing Kevin Steele and
JAVIER FERNÁNDEZ / The Daily Reveille
LSU freshman defensive end Arden Key (49) stands on the field during the Tigers’ 45-24 victory against the University of South Carolina on Oct. 10 at Tiger Stadium. Orgeron in and letting them run a four-man-front.” Key is starting to draw comparisons to an LSU great, defensive end Barkevious Mingo. Many of the comparisons might stem from the two sharing the same number, but Orgeron said the two share the same speed as well. “Athletically, he looks like [Mingo] but obviously you got to produce,” Orgeron said. “That’s a good comparison, and hopefully he can become as good
or better.” Smith said Key can play both defensive linemen and linebacker at a high level, and Key showed that versatility against the Gamecocks, staying in the game as a stand-up defensive lineman when LSU opted for its nickel package. “People haven’t seen Arden scratch the surface of what he’s going to be,” Smith said. “If he stays healthy, he has a chance to be the number one pick in the NFL draft one day.”
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The Daily Reveille
page 8
Saturday, October 17, 2015
BATON ROUGE COMMUNITY
Local barberhop Dorm Room Kutz serves LSU students, athletes
BY KEVIN MINER @KevinMiner_TDR
Dorm Room Kutz is not your typical barbershop. Everything about the shop bleeds purple and gold — from owner Jamel Bowser’s customized LSU chair to the LSU athletes’ signatures on the wall. Bowser is referred to as an “LSU legend” even though his barbershop Dorm Room Kutz, located on Nicholson Drive, has no affiliation with the university. Since the shop opened in August 2013, Bowser has cut the hair of more than 3,000 students and more than 100 student-athletes. “When I started barber school, I was unemployed,” Bowser said. “I was homeless. I didn’t have a car. I was at my lowest point in life, period.” Bowser moved to Baton Rouge in January 2011 to join his wife, Metadell Bowser, who is currently a nutrition and food sciences sophomore. He began cutting hair for free out of their apartment. Recognition of his business quickly spread by word of mouth, and before fall 2011, he had cut hair for more than 200 different clients. Bowser entered the military following high school and has never received a formal college education. Regardless, his shop has become a staple in the
LSU community. “Once you get bit by the Tiger, that’s a wrap,” Bowser said. “I just love being around LSU. It’s just a feeling you can’t even describe”. At first, the idea of writing on his barbershop wall didn’t appeal to Bowser, but over time, it became a tradition for LSU athletes. The first athlete to sign the wall was Jordan Jefferson, an LSU quarterback from 2008 to 2011. “I always wanted to cut Jordan Jefferson’s hair. That was a personal goal of mine,” Bowser said. Bowser also cut Jordan’s brother’s, junior safety Ricky Jefferson, hair and let him sign the wall, with the intention of leaving the wall untouched after that. But shortly after the Jeffersons signed the wall, former wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. came in to get a haircut and noticed the signatures. “I didn’t really have time to tell him no,” Bowser said. “You know he runs like a 4.3 [40-yard dash], so he got from the door, to the sharpie, to the wall pretty quick. After that it was a wrap.” Having LSU’s biggest stars come through the shop is a distinction not many businesses can claim, but the athletes are no more important than the next customer, Bowser said. When children come in and see LSU athletes, Bowser said it brightens their day.
Bowser also wants everyone who leaves his shop looking good. “When I cut an athlete, I’m trying to get you what I like to call ‘ESPN fresh,’” Bowser said. “I don’t like to see my clientele on TV without a cut because I care so much about what I do.” One of Bowser’s regulars, communication studies senior and LSU basketball guard Keith Hornsby has been going to Dorm Room Kutz since arriving on campus a little over two and a half years ago. Hornsby said Bowser turns the mundane experience of getting a haircut into something fun. Bowser even supports Hornsby at his games and meets with him afterward. “I’m pretty close with him,” Hornsby said. “It’s not [about] whether I am an athlete or if I’m not.” Another regular of Bowser’s, former LSU running back Odell Beckham Sr. said he admires how professional Bowser is. Beckham Sr. began getting his hair cut at Dorm Room Kutz while his son, Beckham Jr., attended LSU and continues to return to the shop whenever he needs a touch up. “I definitely respect him for his craft because he definitely takes pride in it,” Beckham Sr. said. Bowser, who is the father of two children, stresses the impor-
ARI ROSS / The Daily Reveille
Jamel Bowser cuts a customer’s hair on Sept. 21 at Dorm Room Kutz, located on Nicholson Drive. tance of a family atmosphere in his shop. He said his staff is family-oriented, dedicated and passionate, and they don’t believe in taking days off. “I got to get up and go work because I’m not where I want to be yet,” Bowser said. “I find time for my family … but it’s still going to be a work day regardless.” Though Bowser has found a home on Nicholson Drive, he said he would like to open a barbershop in the LSU Student Union and on other SEC campuses. His goal is
to open a shop at the University of Florida by 2023 followed by one at Auburn University. Without the support system of LSU, specifically the class of 2015, there would be no Dorm Room Kutz, Bowser said. “If Dorm Room Kutz was not here tomorrow, the student body at LSU would feel it,” Bowser said. “Every nationality, every different walk of life, black, white, Hispanic — we have so many different people come in here, but they all have one thing in common — they are coming from LSU.”
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