It’s by no means a glorified position on the field. It’s characterized by the grind and sweat of fall camp and practices, the meticulous study of the playbook, holding off double teams, finding their man and basking in someone else’s glory when they come up with the big plays. That’s how defensive tackles thrive.
They say numbers don’t lie, and they don’t, but often they don’t show everything. For sophomore Davon Godchaux and junior Christian LaCouture, their chemistry on and off of the field has allowed them to soar into one of the best defensive tackle duos in the nation, combining to hold offenses to south of 100 rushing yards per game.
However, their journeys to get to LSU and create such a dynamic duo are quite the different story.
Born in Boston, LaCouture lived a nomadic lifestyle, losing track of how many times he has moved around the country with his parents, but during one of his latter moves, he found a home on the football field in Odessa, Texas, learning from the older defensive players and becoming a true student of the game.
His last stop was in Lincoln, Neb., home of the Nebraska Cornhuskers, a storied member of the Big 10 conference that drew LaCouture’s attention—that is until he found LSU.
LaCouture took a visit to Baton Rouge, and he immediately began to take an interest in the renowned football program and historic university, but his commitment to LSU required him to transition from defensive end to nose guard.
Eating many of his mother’s home-cooked meals and sticking to a strict workout regimen allowed him to gain about 20 pounds prior to entering LSU, putting in every effort he could to ensure that he could morph into the best defensive tackle possible, learning from the likes of Anthony Johnson and Ego Ferguson.
The transition from defensive end to tackle is about as similar as LaCouture and Godchaux’s stories get.
Godchaux grew up in the backyard of LSU football and aspired to don the purple and gold one day 15 minutes down the road in Plaquemine, La.
With offers pouring in, Godchaux knew that he had the opportunity to go wherever he wanted to go out of high school until the first game of his senior season at Plaquemine High School when he tore his ACL.
Some schools backed out of their offers, others stopped showing interest, but LSU remained.
When coach Les Miles told Godchaux that LSU was going to stay on board with him, he knew he had to act.
“I knew I really couldn’t turn my attention away from them if they stuck with me,” Godchaux explained. “They stayed loyal with me, so I had to stay loyal with them.”
That’s when LaCouture stepped up as a mentor for Godchaux, checking in on him and taking the time to ensure that Godchaux would not be left behind, tutoring him on the playbook and working with him in the weight room once he arrived at LSU.
Godchaux was going to prove that he wouldn’t need to redshirt his freshman campaign. He wouldn’t allow his injury to hold him back and neither would LaCouture.
“He is like a big brother,” Godchaux said.
Working diligently to return, Godchaux came back stronger and more disciplined than before, but with LaCouture only a year older than Godchaux, and the departure of Ferguson and Johnson to the draft, it left an inexperienced defensive line to take on the 2014 season.
Who was going to be the next man up?
LaCouture earned his first career start in the 2014 season opener against Wisconsin.
“I got thrown into the fire a little bit, but we had to step up,” LaCouture explained.
On the practice field, Godchaux showed he wasn’t far behind LaCouture and made his debut in the starting lineup against Louisiana-Monroe, starting alongside LaCouture in 10 contests during 2014.
The duo quickly started to gain from their experience, running into a few bumps along the way. There were glimpses of their ability, but when they started clicking, they were running on all cylinders.
With 1:44 left in the fourth quarter against Ole Miss last season, quarterback Bo Wallace went to the line of scrimmage and the Tiger tandem lined up in a 2-1 technique and stuffed the center so that Jermauria Rasco could make the play. LSU would hold on to the 10-7 lead in Death Valley, and the game marked LaCouture and Godchaux’s coming-out party.
Defensive line coach Ed Orgeron joined the LSU staff for the 2015 season, helping the duo to pick up right where they left off in 2014.
“He really emphasizes knowing everything about your man when you come up to play and go against him—his mother, his father,” LaCouture laughed. “Know his height, his weight, what he does and what his strengths and weaknesses are because if you don’t these guys in SEC play can make you look really bad.”
LaCouture continued, “The mental approach has to be just as much as the physical approach. You have to maintain your weight, know what is going on out there and keep your body healthy to play in the SEC.”
The tandem has a combined 13-5 record when starting for the Tigers, including a 7-1 mark and a Top 10 ranking this season.
In the season opener, LSU’s defense held Mississippi State to 43 rushing yards, only allowing 1.7 yards per carry, while snapping Mississippi State’s 15-game streak with 100-plus rushing yards and limiting quarterback Dak Prescott to -19 yards on the ground.
LaCouture and Godchaux have been key providers in a defense that only allowed 93.7 rushing yards per game through the first seven games of the season to rank sixth nationally and second in the SEC.
The duo has combined for 51 tackles, eight tackles for losses and four sacks, but that hasn’t come without more adversity.
LaCouture was sidelined for the Western Kentucky game after having surgery on a stress fracture in his foot, which typically requires a four-week recovery, but not in the heat of the SEC West race. LaCouture wasn’t going to let that stop him.
As LaCouture rehabbed for six and seven hours a day to get back into playing condition, Godchaux took on a role reversal and worked with LaCouture to make sure that he was able to return, mentally, much like LaCouture did for him when he was sidelined.
“When you walk in a room and see a guy like that doing his job, it motivates the other three men on the defensive line to do their jobs,” Godchaux said of LaCouture, explaining the leadership role he embraces among the defensive line and his work ethic.
“We are lunch pail guys. There’s a lot of dirty work, but we try to make as many plays as we can to help this team win,” LaCouture said. “It’s not a glory position.”
Improving each and every game is on this duo’s list of what to work on day-in and day-out on the field. They will not be satisfied until LSU is No. 1, and even that won’t be enough for these defensive tackles.