LSU vs. A&M: Blogger Q&A with And The Valley Shook

Howdy. T-day is almost upon us. Before we stuff ourselves with various meats, starches, and salty vegetables, time to bone up on the football and other important aspects of LSU. I shot the shit with Billy Gomila, ATVS’ resident chef and co-managing editor. He was gracious enough to answer all sorts of questions. Bon appetit!

1) Other than Fournette, are there any key players nicked up? Say, the entire defensive line for example? Maybe?

Starting middle linebacker Kendell Beckwith will definitely be missing this game, which could possibly hurt more than having Fournette out. Beckwith has been great this year, a finalist for the Butkus Award, and the depth behind him isn't great. Junior Donnie Alexander and true freshman Devin White will rotate at the spot, and while both have had their moments, last week we watched Florida 4.8 yards per carry on the ground after Beckwith's injury. They had been averaging 2.2 before he went down.

2) Any surprises in store at the QB position this week? Will we see Fournette in the wildcat or a series where there is no QB, just direct snaps to a fullback? What is a fullback? Sorry that is a lot of questions.

What is a fullback? It is the best of us. All of us. It is the heart and soul of this country. It is the sound of the wind rustling the fruited plain. The first sip of bourbon after a good meal. A fullback, sir, is a luxury.

And Danny Etling will remain LSU's starter. He's been the kind of game-manager that LSU fans have longed to at least find for the QB spot over the last few seasons. He's not going to wow you, but he makes nice decision and he's a tough SOB. He took a few big shots against Florida, but still led a pretty gutsy drive at the end to get down to the goal-line, including a fourth-and-10 conversion.

3) Is Fournette going to try to fight our assistant coaches before the game? He might want to steer clear of Larry Jackson.

As long as Kevin Sumlin doesn't try to say Baton Rouge deserves bad things happening to it a few months after a thousand-year flooding event, I think we'll be okay.

4) What are the odds Coach O is head coach for 2017?

Well, if y'all would like to maybe roll over and let us win by a few touchdowns that would definitely help his cause. Right now, he's still a candidate, but last week's loss likely puts him behind Florida State's Jimbo Fisher in the perceived pecking order. Tom Herman is a lot of people's first choice, but I'm not sure he's available really.

I think this just comes down to a negotiation with Jimmy Sexton, which, hey, those never go bad for anybody, right?

5) Best and worst Thanksgiving sides?

I'm a fan of dressing, first and foremost. Preferably oyster dressing, although I know some prefer cornbread or sausage -- personally I'd rather combine those two with cornbread and some good smoked andouille. After that, I'm not a huge fan of the usual cream of mushroom soup green bean crap, I think we can do better. Use a good bechamel, or saute them bad boys with some smoked ham, garlic and red potatoes. Sweet potatoes are great as well. Use all the butter and sugar products you like, it's still a vegetable. You can look it up.

Whatever you do, don't stuff a turkey. That's just sick. Even by Aggie standards.