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SEC
A childhood trauma fuels Dorsey's play.
A childhood trauma fuels Dorsey's play.
Todd Kirkland/Icon SMI
Fast Facts
COACH: Les Miles
2006 RECORD: 11–2 (6–2 in SEC)
FINAL AP RANK: 3
RET. STARTERS: Offense 6, Defense 8
Other Returnees
WR Early Doucet (Sr.)
Had 59 catches for 772 yards and eight TDs in '06
RB Keiland Williams (So.)
May double last season's rushing total of 436 yards
CB Jonathan Zenon (Sr.)
Led team with four interceptions

A top defender puts off the NFL for a shot at a title

When Glenn Dorsey grows tired late in a game, when the muscles in his legs are burning with fatigue, he is often inspired by memories of his childhood. As a three-year-old, Dorsey was so severely bowlegged that he had to be fitted with leg braces. For a year after that he was only able to watch longingly while the other kids in his Gonzales, La., neighborhood played games like tag and hide-and-seek. "I swore to myself that when I got those braces off, I was never going to be the weak link in anything I did," says Dorsey, a 6' 2", 299-pound senior defensive tackle. "And now, whenever I need a little extra motivation, I think about those braces and how hungry I was to get those things off. That's helped me become the player I am today."

And what kind of player is that? Well, although Dorsey has started for only one season, coach Les Miles calls him the best interior lineman he's seen in his 27 years of coaching.

With 64 tackles and three sacks in 2006 -- despite facing constant double teams -- Dorsey would likely have been a first-round pick had he declared for the 2007 NFL draft, but he returned to Baton Rouge for one reason: to play in the BCS championship game. And considering that the Tigers have 14 starters coming back from a team that finished 11–2 and pounded Notre Dame 41–14 in the Sugar Bowl, Dorsey may well get his wish.

"It's a big boost to have Glenn back because his combination of power and athleticism is rare and very, very special," says Miles. "He'll be the leader of our defense."

The leader of the LSU offense will be quarterback Matt Flynn, a fifth-year senior who has spent his career backing up the likes of Matt Mauck, Marcus Randall and JaMarcus Russell, the No. 1 pick in the '07 draft. Flynn's lone start came in the '05 Peach Bowl, in which he threw for two touchdowns in the Tigers' 40–3 win over Miami and was named the game's offensive MVP. Flynn doesn't have Russell's arm strength, but Miles raves about his ability to manage games and minimize mistakes. Plus, Flynn is a run-pass threat in the same mold as Mauck, who was the last quarterback to lead the Tigers to a share of the national title, in '03. "Matt Flynn has waited a long time for this year," says Miles. "That [one start] was a big one, and it's given him a quiet confidence that he can get the job done. He's ready."

And Flynn can always look to Dorsey for proof that patience has its rewards. In his first two years at LSU, Dorsey played behind Kyle Williams (currently with the Buffalo Bills) and Claude Wroten (St. Louis Rams), but after his breakout season in '06 he's now arguably the most disruptive interior defender in the nation. Dorsey was nicknamed Putt as a baby because the only time he would get up and try to walk was when he saw a commercial for a local miniature golf course on the family TV. Needless to say, he's found something else to motivate him as he marches through his senior season. "My job at LSU won't be done until we win the national title," Dorsey says. "I'm going to go after it like nothing I've ever done before." -- Lars Anderson

Issue date: August 20, 2007
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