LSU Tigers
Preview 2009
By
Pete Fiutak
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2009 CFN LSU Preview |
2009 LSU Offense
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2009 LSU Defense |
2009 LSU Depth
Chart
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2008 LSU Preview |
2007 LSU Preview |
2006 LSU Preview
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Head coach: Les Miles
5th year: 42-11
8th year overall: 59-30
Returning Lettermen
Off. 23, Def, 23, ST 1
Lettermen Lost: 17 |
Ten Best Tiger Players
1. WR Brandon LaFell, Sr.
2. RB Charles
Scott, Sr.
3. OT Ciron Black, Sr.
4. LB Perry Riley, Sr.
5. DE Rahim Alem, Sr.
6. TE Richard Dickson, Sr.
7.
QB Jordan Jefferson, Soph.
8. DT Drake Nevis, Jr.
9. LB/S
Harry Coleman, Sr.
10. CB Patrick Peterson, Soph. |
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2009 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 10-2
2009 Record: 0-0
9/5 at
Washington
9/12 Vanderbilt
9/19 UL Lafayette
9/26 at Miss State
10/3 at Georgia
10/10 Florida
10/17 OPEN DATE
10/24 Auburn
10/31 at Tulane
11/7 at Alabama
11/14 Louisiana Tech
11/21 at Ole Miss
11/28 Arkansas |
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2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 9-3
2008 Record: 8-5
8/30
Appalachian St W 41-13
9/6 POSTPONED vs. Troy
9/13 North Texas W
41-3
9/20 at Auburn W 26-21
9/27 Mississippi St W
34-24
10/4 OPEN DATE
10/11 at Florida L 51-21
10/18 at So. Carolina W 24-17
10/25 Georgia L 52-38
11/1 Tulane W 35-10
11/8 Alabama L 27-21 OT
11/15 Troy W 41-30
11/22 Ole Miss L 31-13
11/28 at Arkansas L
31-30
Chick-fil-A Bowl
12/31 Georgia Tech W 38-3 |
Now that the bar has been set at National Championship Or
Bust in Baton Rouge, the spotlight is going to be on to see if LSU, and
more specifically, Les Miles, can get the groove back after a strange
and disappointing year full of missed opportunities.
The Tigers
have as much speed and athleticism as anyone in America, the shelves are
stocked with four and five-star recruits across the board, and the
coaching staff, now with the addition of former Tennessee defensive
coordinator John Chavis, is in place to do some big things. However, the
team might be a year away being at the special level it was at two years
ago and Florida appears to be at now.
While this might not be
the SEC's best team, it's good enough to have a puncher's chance against
anyone in the league (more specifically, Florida in an SEC title game
and on October 10th in Baton Rouge), and if you win the SEC title,
you're in the discussion for the national championship.
But this
year's team might need a break or three to move up the timetable.
Remember, LSU needed a minor miracle just to get to the 2008 BCS
Championship game, and this year's schedule is way too hard for anyone
to get through alive. Even with a conference slate (with Georgia and
Florida from the East, along with road trips to Alabama and Ole Miss)
that would force most teams to make plans to hang out with their
families for the holidays, there's reason to think this will be a
bounceback year that should reestablish LSU among the elite.
The
big problems of last year not only appear to be fixed, but might be
strengths. The quarterback play that was so lousy at times and was
directly responsible for two losses should be far better now that Jordan
Jefferson appears to be ready to be a leader and a playmaker, and not
just a caretaker. The defensive front that struggled to get into the
backfield should be far more aggressive with Chavis directing the way,
and that should help a fast secondary that didn't get a whole bunch of
help against the better passing teams.
Even the weaknesses going
into this season, like finding a sure-thing No. 2 wide receiver on the
other side of Brandon LaFell, aren't that big a deal (star recruit
Reuben Randle should shine early on and tight end Richard Dickson will
pick up the slack). The kickers that have to replace PK Colt David and
punter Brady Dalfrey, Josh Jasper and Derek Helton, respectively, are
expected to be good, and some of the other key losses, like DE Tyson
Jackson and OG Herman Johnson, aren't as glaring as they would be for
most teams. Yes, LSU is loaded.
Is this a sleeper team in the
SEC and national title chances? Considering the superpower that LSU is,
a little bit. The Tigers won't win it all, but they could keep some
others from realizing their dreams.
What to watch for on offense: Better quarterback play. Jarrett Lee tried his best, and
was trying to get through his first season without collapsing after
Andrew Hatch had injury issues. He collapsed. The 16 interceptions
forced the coaching staff to adjust the gameplan on both sides of the
ball to hide him, and then enough became enough. Lee was raw, but
freshman Jordan Jefferson was really raw and extremely erratic. However,
he showed signs of becoming a playmaker. This spring, Jefferson was far
more consistent and far more accurate while top recruit Russell Shepard
was solid. If LSU's quarterbacks were better last season, the team
would've been 10-3 and would've beaten Alabama and Arkansas.
What to watch for on defense: More attacking.
It's not like the defense was awful last year, but it wasn't the
high-flying disruptive machine it was in previous years. This year's D
should make far more plays in the backfield, it'll come up with far more
takeaways, and it'll start to look a little bit like the defense that
now-Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini put together. The speed is there and
the talent is solid across the board, and now the defense that gave up a
not-that-bad 326 yards per game last year should be a brick wall.
The team will be far better if … the
passing game is more efficient. The quarterbacks will be better,
particularly Jefferson, who'll be the main man and should be better
after keeping the chains moving. If Jefferson is able to stretch the
field a little more, after the passing game averaged a pedestrian 12.7
yards per completion, then the holes will be there for Charles Scott and
the ground game after having major problems late last year. The Schedule:
LSU isn't exactly extending itself in the non-conference
slate, even though it's not the program's fault that Washington
stinks. The SEC schedule is nasty with Georgia and Florida to
deal with from the East, while trips to Alabama and Ole Miss in
November could end any hopes of winning the SEC West. Holding
serve at home, even against Florida and Auburn, will be a must
with three road trips in four weeks down the stretch. The battle
against the Gators on October 10th could be a preview of the SEC
Championship.
Best Offensive Player:
Senior WR Brandon LaFell. Considered by many
to be the No. 1 receiver prospect for the 2010 NFL Draft, even with
Oklahoma State's Dez Bryant likely to come out early, LaFell is in a
salary drive with the potential to be a top ten pick if he has another
season like he had last year. Even with mediocre quarterback play,
LaFell was able to catch 93 passes for 929 yards and eight touchdowns,
but he also had Demetrius Byrd to help take some of the pressure off. A
new No. 2 wide receiver will have to emerge, but LaFell will be great no
matter who's on him.
Best Defensive Player:
Senior LB Perry Riley. DE Rahim Alem should be the
team's star pass rusher and he should be an all-SEC selection, while
tackle Drake Nevis could grow into the special player to build around.
But it's Riley who has the size, range, and experience to be the biggest
playmaker in the more aggressive system and he should be a stat-sheet
filler on the outside in a veteran linebacking corps.
Key player to a
successful season:
Sophomore QB Jordan Jefferson. LSU is good enough
to win the West even if the quarterback play is as shaky as it was last
year. But is Jefferson is good, the Tigers could be a real, live threat
to win the SEC title, and if he's great, the national title isn't out of
the realm of possibility.
The season will be a
success if ... LSU wins the SEC West. Just getting to Atlanta
for the SEC title will require a war and a negotiation of landmines with
road trips to Georgia, Alabama, and Ole Miss to deal with, along with
home games against Florida and Auburn. But this is LSU, and to shoot for
anything less than the SEC title is selling the team short after loading
up with talented recruiting class after talented recruiting class.
Key game:
Nov. 7 at Alabama. The Tigers can split against
Georgia and Florida from the East and still win the West, but it'll take
wins at Alabama and Ole Miss to get the job done. If they lose to the
Tide, the game in Oxford will end up being to shake out the pecking
order for the bowls. If they can beat their old head coach, Nick Saban,
and get a little revenge after losing last year's thriller, then LSU
will be in the thick of the SEC title hunt.
2008 Fun Stats:
- Fumbles:
Opponents 26, lost 11 - LSU 16, lost 2
- Interceptions thrown: LSU 18
for 461 yards - Opponents 8 for 51 yards
- Kickoff return average:
LSU 19.5 yards - Opponents 17.6 yards
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2009 CFN LSU Preview |
2009 LSU Offense
-
2009 LSU Defense |
2009 LSU Depth
Chart
-
2008 LSU Preview |
2007 LSU Preview |
2006 LSU Preview