Young but talented Bayou Bengals find themselves high up in preseason polls
LOUISIANA STATE TIGERS
Coach: Les Miles (62-17 in six seasons at LSU, 90-38 overall)
Last Season: 11-2 (6-2 SEC), defeated Texas A&M in Cotton Bowl
Returning Starters: 15 (8 offense, 7 defense)
Season Opener: vs. Oregon in Arlington, Texas on Sept. 3
Expectations are high in Baton Rouge.
With 15 returning starters from last season's somewhat unexpected 11-2 campaign, LSU is currently No. 4 in the preseason coaches poll and expected to be a Top 5 team when the Associated Press preseason poll is released Saturday — a far cry from last season when it began at Nos. 16 and 21 in the two polls, respectively.
"It's a very different situation from last year," said quarterback Jordan Jefferson at SEC Media Days last month. "Last year we weren't in the top rankings, but this year we are. We still have to take a humble approach to the season. Nothing is set yet. It's just a preseason ranking. We have a lot to do to still be in the top ranking at the end of the year."
Offense: Jefferson has been embattled throughout his career. Every year, the backup quarterback becomes the most popular player in Baton Rouge as the offense struggles and Jefferson plays poorly. However, Jefferson is determined to finally come into his own as a senior.
"You always hear criticism, but it also motivates you," he said. "It helps me work out harder, but at the same time it helps me improve what people feel I lack at. I work at the things people say I lack at, and hopefully I can prove them wrong."
Jefferson will have the benefit of working with former Louisville head coach Steve Kragthorpe. Originally hired to be LSU's offensive coordinator, Kragthorpe is now the quarterbacks coach after announcing he has Parkinson's disease. However, his presence has already proven to be a positive one on Jefferson, who was one of the most impressive throwers at Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning's famed annual quarterback camp this summer.
"Jordan has really proved how resilient he is," said center T-Bob Hebert at Media Days. "He keeps fighting and working to get better. I'm really happy to have him as the leader of our team and our quarterback."
Jefferson will have a veteran offensive line in front of him, as well as dynamic receivers Rueben Randle and Russell Shepard. There's a bit of a question mark at tailback after Stevan Ridley jumped to the NFL early, but Spencer Ware was the star of the spring game with two touchdowns and looks capable of replacing Ridley.
Defense: Once again, defense is expected to be the cornerstone of LSU's team, despite a relatively young unit. What the Tigers lack in experience, they'll make up for in athleticism.
"Hopefully we can build on what we started last year and continue to do what we can," said linebacker Ryan Baker at Media Days. "We'd like to handle our weight and be a consistent defense."
All-Everything cornerback Patrick Peterson is gone, but his understudy is still in town. Sophomore Tyrann Mathieu starred as a nickelback last year with five forced fumbles, 4.5 sacks and two interceptions. He'll be called on to do the same as one of the strong points of LSU's young but talented secondary along with fellows corners Morris Claiborne (2010 team interception leader) and Tharold Simon and safeties Eric Reid and Brandon Taylor.
Baker, who led LSU in tackles and sacks last season, will key the linebacking corps, which should have the freedom to make plays en masse thanks to the strong defensive front led by senior Kendrick Adams and junior Josh Downs.
Special teams: The Tigers will have to replace both kicking specialists, including All-American kicker Josh Jasper. However, many are cautiously optimistic about his replacement, Drew Alleman, a junior who kicked a game-winning field goal in high school to lift Acadiana High to a Louisiana state 5A championship. Australian Brad Wing should be the punter. Mathieu should replace Peterson on punt returns, and Ron Brooks is expected to handle kickoffs.
Schedule analysis: If the Tigers are to compete for the SEC and BCS titles this season, they'll have to be road warriors. With the opener against Oregon and a trip to West Virginia in the nonconference and league games at Mississippi State, Alabama and Arkansas, LSU will have its work cut out for it away from Death Valley. However, some matchups may appear more daunting than they actually are. The Oregon game likely won't do much in the way of the national title picture for the winner nor hurt the loser, and LSU should be more talented than WVU and Mississippi State, which bodes well considering talent often decides many early-season contests. The game with the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa on Nov. 5 will likely be the game of the year in the SEC.
The final word: "We're in position annually, in my opinion, to play for a championship. We were last year. I think we're there again this year." – Miles