LSU Football: Twitter Reaction and Analysis from SEC Media Days

LSU head coach Les Miles is the headliner for Day 2 of SEC Media Days.
Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Wednesday is Day Two of SEC Media Days, and it will be action packed with six teams set to take the stage at the Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, AL—headlined by Les Miles and his LSU contingent.  

The defending SEC champs are likely to be favored to win the league again, with a loaded roster returning to try and capture the national title that eluded them last season. 

The Tigers will undoubtedly be a hot topic, with their clashes against fellow SEC titan Alabama sure to be a popular subject from the media hoard. 

Catch up with what observers in attendance and pundits around the country are saying about the Tigers from SEC Media Days. 

Follow @skirp1

Beckham Endorses Mettenberger

Joe Murphy/Getty Images

Odell Beckham, Jr. was able to put up a strong freshman season in 2011, despite having to adjust to the Tigers revolving door at quarterback.

This year, the sophomore receiver is confident in Zach Mettenberger's abilities to take the Tigers offense to the next level, per Jacques Doucet of WAFB in Baton Rouge.

"You can see it in his eyes, he's ready. He's going to lead us to a lot of victories." - #LSU's Odell Beckham on Zach Mettenberger.

— Jacques Doucet (@JacquesDoucet) July 18, 2012

Tigers fans are excited about the possibilities of opening the offense up in the passing game with a strong-armed passer like Mettenberger running the show. 

Secondary Youth Movement

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

With the loss of corner Morris Claiborne and safety Brandon Taylor, Reid and Tyrann Mathieu will be veterans in the LSU secondary.

The Tigers will be younger in the defensive backfield and may have to turn to freshmen to fill those gaps, but Reid said they will be fine if that is the case, per Russ Mitchell of collegefootballnews.com.

Eric Reid: On perhaps relying on freshmen in secondary in 2012 "We've been there before. I got a lot of playing time as a freshmen."

— Russ Mitchell (@RussMitchellCFB) July 18, 2012

 

Freshmen corners Jalen Collins and David Jenkins could be thrown into the fire this fall. 

Mettenberger Finally Gets His Chance to Start

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Mettenberger has also had the misfortune of being stuck behind some good quarterbacks at Georgia and LSU.

In Athens, he fell behind current Bulldogs starter Aaron Murray, and then had to bide his time waiting for upperclassmen Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee to depart in Baton Rouge, and now he's finally the big man on campus, per Garland Gillen of WWLT in New Orleans.

"Being the guy is something I've been waiting for my whole life," #LSU QB Zach Mettenberger

— Garland Gillen (@garlandgillen) July 18, 2012

The 6'5", 222-pound junior has all the physical tools necessary to become a big-time quarterback in the SEC. 

 

Georgia Still on Mettenberger's Mind?

Joe Murphy/Getty Images

LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger took a long road to end up in Baton Rouge, one that started with him attending Georgia out of high school. 

After being dismissed by Bulldogs coach Mark Richt for his conduct away from the field, Mettenberger admit he still thinks about the mistakes he made from his time in Athens, per Seth Emerson of the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer. 

Zach Mettenberger said he thinks "every day" about what went wrong for him at Georgia. Still texts with Mike Bobo. More on blog soon.

— Seth Emerson (@SethEmerson) July 18, 2012

LSU fans can only hope his mind is fully concentrated on helping the Tigers capture their third national title in the last decade. 

Reid Defends Honey Badger's Bravado

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Tyrann Mathieu made waves last week when he pronounced himself the best defensive player in college football. 

Unfortunately for journalists gathered in Hoover, LSU chose not to bring the "Honey Badger", but teammate Eric Reid stepped up to get his fellow secondary star's back, per ESPN's Edward Aschoff. 

#LSU S Eric Reid says he doesn't mind Mathieu's "best" tweet. Says thats just him and likes the confidence.

— Edward Aschoff (@AschoffESPN) July 18, 2012

The irony in this situation is that Reid may have a higher ceiling than Mathieu in terms of potential at the NFL level. 

 

LSU Contingent En Route to Hoover

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

The group of Tigers are en route to the SEC Media Days in Hoover, per LSU Football's twitter account.

Boarding the plane. Next stop: SEC Media Days! #LSU twitter.com/LSUfball/statu…

— LSU Football (@LSUfball) July 18, 2012

Bad weather in the metro Birmingham area could delay the scheduled times for Les Miles and his players, per Acadianas Sports.

At #SEC Media Day. RT @LSUBeatTweet:It will be closer to 3:30 today for Les Miles and company. #LSU

— Acadiana Sports (@acadianasports) July 18, 2012

Miles will have a tough task following interim Arkansas head coach John L. Smith, who has thus far been Wednesday's star (h/t Evan Woodberry, al.com).   

 

 

Arkansas Gunning for LSU in SEC West

Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

LSU and Alabama will undoubtedly be the favorites in the SEC West, and Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson was asked how the Hogs can jump ahead of the two reigning titans of the division. 

Per Travis Haney of ESPN, Wilson said the Razorbacks have to get the job done against them on the field.

Ark's Tyler Wilson on Bama/LSU: "Everyone wants to know how we leapfrog those guys. Well, we've got to beat them."

— Travis Haney (@TravHaneyESPN) July 18, 2012

Arkansas hosts Alabama on Sept. 15 and LSU will travel to Fayetteville on Nov. 23.

 

UF's Muschamp Likes LSU-Florida Matchup

Scott Halleran/Getty Images

Florida head coach Will Muschamp, a former LSU assistant, opened the second day's session at SEC Media Days.

Muschamp said that he's in favor of continuing the cross division rivalry with the Tigers, which is something Les Miles voiced his displeasure with earlier in the summer, per nola.com

LSU football: Florida Coach Will Muschamp likes Tigers-Gators matchup bit.ly/Nx9Fsq

— NOLATigers (@NOLATigers) July 18, 2012

The two teams have been permanent foes since the SEC split into divisions two decades ago.   



 

 

LSU Updates and Links

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

LSU fans can follow all the updates from day 2 of the SEC Media Days here, per NOLA.com.

SEC Media Days, Day 2 updates bit.ly/MwggFp

— NOLA.com (@NOLAnews) July 18, 2012

Les Miles is tentatively scheduled to take the podium at 3:20 p.m. ET, with quarterback Zach Mettenberger (3:30 p.m. ET), safety Eric Reid (4:00 p.m. ET) and wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. (5:00 p.m. ET) scheduled to follow afterward.