55 Days and Counting

The 2008-2009 LSU athletic calendar has come to an end. Just weeks ago, the Tigers added another national championship banner to their resumé when the baseball team won its sixth national title. It was a sweet ending to a year that started off on the wrong foot. Sure, the gymnastics, golf, tennis, track & field, swimming & diving, and softball teams have all had their share of success in national competition; but when we discuss LSU athletics at www.collegefanatics.com, we mainly focus on what I call "The Big Three." Football, basketball, and baseball.

A year after winning the school's third national title in football--and second in five years--the football team fell short of expectations. Blame it on the co-defensive coordinators, Coach Miles' questionable decision making at times, or the fact that we lost some key players on both sides of the ball; either way you spin it, the outcome was not up-to-par. Rest assure, the players and coaches are well aware of it; not just the fans. And to alleviate the tension circulating throughout Tiger Nation, Les Miles went out and snagged John Chavis, arguably one of the better defensive coordinators in the country. "He's going to bring to LSU a style of coaching and an ability to relate to our players that will breed success." --Les Miles

We sure hope so. Ron Cooper, first-year secondary coach, has some amazing talent to work with. Patrick Peterson was arguably the nation's top cornerback coming out of high school, and luckily for LSU, he decided to bring his game to Baton Rouge. It wasn't until the final four games of the regular season that Peterson made his presence known. At the other cornerback position is Chris Hawkins who will be entering his final season with the program. I remain optimistic that Hawkins will blossom this season and lay his critics to rest. He had his share of great plays, but he also had his share of blown coverage assignments as well. Hopefully he'll bring a more consistent game with him this season to boost the secondary's ability to shut down opponents' passing games. Chad Jones returns for his junior season and will assume the free safety position. It's still unclear who the starting strong safety will be at this time. There were high hopes for Loston until reports of a wrist injury began to circulate. Karnell Hatcher is another one whose name is on the list. Jai Eugene hasn't really done enough to live up to the hype he had coming out of high school, but hopefully, with this revamped defensive coaching staff, he'll come around and reach his potential. According to what I've read, he has already passed Chris Hawkins on the depth chart, but nothing is ever set in stone until we see it for ourselves. Ron Brooks will be in his second season with the team, and should he live up to the expectations of Chavis and Cooper, we should have pretty good depth in the secondary.

Hopefully Chavis lives up to his promise to turn Jacob Cutrera into an all star linebacker. If he is going to be the starter, I expect to see much better production from him. He showed that he has the ability to make plays in the bowl game, but his issue is inconsistency. Perry Riley taking over as MLB would come as no surprise to me. He's got the size--a little shorter than Cutrera--but he's way more athletic than Cutrera. He works sideline to sideline very well, good lateral movement, a solid tackler, and he brings an intensity that I just do not see in Cutrera. Kelvin Sheppard and Harry Coleman are the other two outside linebackers that will see the most playing time, mainly due to their athleticism and experience. Coleman led the team in tackles last season, and I think he'll be a good addition to the linebacking unit. Playing weak side is a position that needs an athletic player that can work sideline to sideline well, and also the ability to run down the ball carrier. It's going to be interesting to see how this transition plays out. Another player everyone has their eyes on is Ryan Baker. He's a head hunter on special teams, delivering some bone-crushing blows, but is he disciplined enough to be on the field at LB? Time will only tell.

Along with Chavis, Miles brought in Brick Haley, who spent the past two seasons with the Chicago Bears. "It was very important that we hire a defensive line coach with a great background... Brick has experience in both the SEC and the NFL, which speaks to his ability to coach at the highest levels of the game." --Les Miles

Haley has only one returning starter (Charles Alexander) on the defensive line, but he's got some nice talent to work with. Al Woods will join Alexander inside, with Drake Nevis sure to get his share of playing time. Rahim Alem and Pep Levingston are the projected starters. Alem is a given. Levingston will have to battle it out with incoming freshmen Sam Montgomery and Michael Brockers. Other possible contributors that will be in their first season with the team are defensive tackles Chris Davenport, Joshua Downs, and Akiem Hicks--all highly-touted recruits. The defensive line has a big question mark, mainly because of some of the guys we lost; however, we've got a good crop of recruits coming in, so in the ensuing years, LSU should be back near the top of everyone's list when it comes to the nation's best defensive fronts.

Besides Chad Jones and Rahim Alem, I don't know if there were any other defenders that played with the tenacity we grew accustomed to seeing in years prior to 2008. Alem's motor was always running, and that's why he led the team in sacks with 8. Of course, we didn't put much pressure on the opposing QBs due to the lack of blitzing. You can't get it done with only a four-man rush for four quarters. That's not to say we didn't blitz at all, because we did, but we didn't have a guy like Glenn Dorsey up front that could take on two blockers and still break through the line and wreak havoc. Jones, in my opinion, may be the smartest player we have. Two plays that stand out to me are: 1) When he forced a fumble just short of the goal line against Alabama, and; 2) When he broke up a sure TD pass against Georgia Tech in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. I love the tenacity the two of these bring with them, and with a new coaching staff on defense, and a more aggressive mentality being instilled in this unit, I'm hopeful that we won't see repeats of the Georgia and Florida games last season.

Offensively, the Tigers have some question marks. They have a talented backfield with Charles Scott and Keiland Williams coming back; a seasoned veteran at wideout in Brandon LaFell; a tight end with big play abilities in Richard Dickson; and a pair of all-conference-caliber tackles in Joseph Barksdale and Ciron Black. So where are these question marks?

The interior of the offensive line lost BIG Herman Johnson and center Brett Helms. Lyle Hitt is back at his right guard position, but who's going to fill Johnson's shoes? The left side of the line was perhaps one of the most dominant in the conference last year (Johnson and Black). Josh Dworaczyk will be the one called upon early on in the season to fill the void of the former All-American--and I must note, the largest baby ever born in the state of Louisiana. T-Bob Hebert receives high acclaim, mainly because of his name, but after season-ending knee surgery last season, it's going to be interesting to see how he holds up. Now, going back to Lyle Hitt; I understand he's a three-year starter, and he did record 45 pancake blocks last season, but he's nowhere near the mauler I wish he would be. Hopefully in his final season, we'll see a Lyle Hitt that doesn't disappoint. Offensive line health is a big concern, mainly because the guys behind the starters have little to no experience. Incoming freshmen Carneal Ainsworth, Chris Faulk, and Stavion Lowe will hopefully live up to their four-star ratings by the time they see the field. For an offensive line to gel, it's going to take great communication--which should not be a problem, being that we have three returning starters--combined with discipline, and a mentality that no matter who lines up in front of them, they're going to be punished just for standing in the way. I have high hopes for this offensive line, even with the departure of Johnson and Helms. We'll need them to gel early, because it's nice seeing a running back rack up over 1,000 yards rushing every season. Charles Scott is hungry, and I'm sure by now, he's foaming at the mouth.

Some of the "X-factor" players I need to mention are Trindon Holliday (the fastest player in college football), Rueben Randle, and Russell Shepard. It's uncertain what role Shepard will play in this season, but the possibilities are endless. Crowton is good at getting the ball in the hands of his playmakers and getting them involved as much as possible. It's going to be very interesting to see just how big of an impact Randle and Shepard have on the offense this season. We need to find another target besides Dickson and LaFell that we can rely on to make plays. Chris Mitchell is best remembered for the touchdown catch against Auburn, but aside from that, he hasn't done anything all that impressive. The potential is there, so hopefully he'll emerge. The same can be said for Terrance Toliver. Toliver didn't catch a pass until the Mississippi State game, and his only TD was against Ole Miss. You can never have too many sure-handed targets to throw to. If Toliver and Mitchell can follow the lead of LaFell, and improve their game as drastically as he has, we could be in for a treat.

Finally, the QB debate. Jarrett Lee or Jordan Jefferson? I think the obvious answer is Jordan Jefferson. He showed tremendous poise and leadership in the bowl game, and should he build off the performance against Georgia Tech and remain consistent throughout the year, the offense should be very productive. Jefferson is a natural pocket passer, but his mobility is what I like about him. Having a mobile QB enables an offense to do so many things. It facilitates the offense's ability to stretch the field, and it opens up the playbook even more--and we all know Crowton has an eclectic blend of plays hidden in that book of his. IF we see Jarrett Lee take the field, I hope he can overcome a turbulent season filled with pick-6's and other blunders, and turn it around in the best possible way. He's got the raw talent and a stronger arm than Jefferson, but I think he relies too much on his abilities at times. Too many times I've seen him never take his eye off his primary target and force a throw into coverage. Both QBs have the intangibles to be effective, but as far as football instincts and I.Q., I give the edge to Jefferson.

Josh Jasper will assume the role of place kicker this season, and Derek Helton, a JUCO transfer from Kansas, will assume the role of punter. Special teams are often overlooked, but having a reliable kicker and a punter that can pin a team deep are helpful tools for any team at any level. I'm just ready to see Ryan Baker rip someone's head off on kickoffs.

Overall, this team is in decent shape. Think of a car that needs a jump start. Chavis will provide that on defense, and with some fresh new faces on offense, we could be in for a hell of a ride. The games against Alabama and Ole Miss are obviously the most crucial games against Western Division foes, but Miles seems to have a problem with Arkansas, and Auburn always poses a tough challenge. We've got four games before the trip to Athens to take on Georgia, and then a week later we get Florida at home. I know fans are anxious to avenge the embarrassing losses from last season, and hopefully the team will have their heads on straight for those showdowns. A week off before getting Auburn at home, then a tuneup game against Tulane before the epic clash with Alabama, followed by another in-state foe, Louisiana Tech, before finishing the season with a road trip to Oxford to face Ole Miss, and the home finale with Arkansas, which will be on a Saturday this year. Every game is winnable, but by the same token, every game can be easily lost. Parity is here to stay in college football, and this team needs to treat every game like it has national title implications. It's way too early to talk about that, so I'll lay off of it for now. The West should be the first priority of this team, and we are well capable of taking it. I don't buy into the Ole Miss hype, mainly because Houston Nutt is notorious for not following up with another good season after he had one the year before. Alabama will be the one to watch. They brought in a solid recruiting class, and if they find some consistency at QB, they should be set for a good run. There's no reason we can't compete with them, and after losing a heartbreaker in overtime last year, it's just another loss we need to avenge.