LSU Football: 10 Things to Expect for National L-Club Spring Game 2012

The LSU Tigers have been sweating it out in spring practice for a while now, and it's now time to get ready for the spring game to take place. For the Tigers, the spring game will take place on March 31, and it's a chance for players and coaches to really get after it. There's nothing that compares to actual game day, but the spring game is the closest thing you can actually get.

This provides the opportunity for players to move up on the depth chart and prove to the coaches that they deserve more playing time in the up-and-coming season.

As we inch closer and closer to seeing the 2012 Tigers in pads, here are 10 things you should expect to see in the spring game.

Fresh Start

We all know how disappointing the end to last season was, but the spring game is a chance for the entire LSU community to put that behind them. It will provide a fresh start to the 2012 season and give the players, coaches and fans something positive to hang their hat on:

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"This will be a great day for our fans to come out and celebrate the accomplishments of the 2011 team while also getting a look at what next year's team has to offer," head coach Les Miles said. "The National L-Club Spring Game is something that we want to grow into a special event each year on campus. We hope our fans come out and celebrate the day with us."

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Of course, the loss in the national championship game will provide motivation throughout the upcoming season. The spring game will help erase some of those painful memories as the Tigers move forward. 

Russell Shepard Shows Us Something

Wide receiver isn't exactly a deep position for the Tigers, but with a better quarterback leading the way, the talent may show a bit more than usual. Senior wide receiver Russell Shepard is a former 5-star recruit who hasn't exactly done much in his three years at LSU.

The good news is that he'll remain one of the top receiving targets in this offense, and he's still incredibly fast and is still 6'1". Hopefully this is the year he actually shows up and provides some type of hope for this passing game moving forward.

A big play in the spring game by Shepard would really get the chatter going throughout the offseason.

Jeremy Hill Makes a Case for Carries

We all know the Tigers have the most loaded backfield in the country, with several running backs who rushed for at least 300 yards last season. But with Michael Ford sitting out with a knee injury, it opens the door for another running back to add to the depth at this position.

Meet true freshman Jeremy Hill, who was a 4-star prospect in the 2011 class. He was arrested in January of last year and didn't play, but is ready to go this season. He should see a lot of action in the spring due to the Ford injury and the fact that Miles thinks really highly of him.

"If he loses a little bit of weight, he's going to be a very, very talented tailback," Miles said.

Hill is a bigger back at 6'1", 215 pounds. He runs with great power and isn't too shabby at catching the ball out of the backfield either.

Tahj Jones Shows He Has What It Takes

The linebacker position has always been a strong spot for this LSU defense, but with two of the three starters from last year no longer on the roster, there are questions. That's where somebody like junior linebacker Tahj Jones can step up and earn a starting spot on this defense.

He only started one game last season, but he finished the year with 27 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and an interception. The spring game will provide him the opportunity to really show he has what it takes to help replace leaders such as Ryan Baker and Stefoin Francois.

“Tahj is one of the hardest hitters on this team,” said junior defensive lineman Sam Montgomery. “That’s a major compliment on our defense.”

He's also a very athletic linebacker and has solid speed. He should have a great spring game this weekend.

Stephen Rivers Will Show There's Another QB on the Roster

We've heard a ton about quarterback Zach Mettenberger, but in case you didn't know, there is another quarterback by the name of Stephen Rivers on the roster. He's the younger brother of NFL star Phillip Rivers of the San Diego Chargers.

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"A backup seldom has a lot of experience until he gets into a season and gets to play," LSU Coach Les Miles said. "Rivers is getting a lot of quality reps for the first time since we've had him. It's making a difference. I think he's a guy who can go into a game and give you enough to win."

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He has remarkable size at 6'7" and reads defenses exceptionally well. The redshirt freshman won't become the starter this season, but he could very well earn the No. 2 spot and make Tiger fans a little more comfortable about the future of the quarterback position.

Craig Loston Makes a Nice Transition to Strong Safety

The secondary is going to look a little different than it did last season, and that's because Craig Loston will switch to the strong safety position. Well, there are other reasons, like Morris Claiborne, Brandon Taylor and Ron Brooks no longer on the roster, but this is a pretty big transition for Loston.

He's seen limited action in his first two seasons, but the transition shouldn't be a problem for the junior. He's a 6'2" physical safety who has fantastic speed and great instincts on the football field.

"I still have to work like I'm not [the starter]," he said. "I need to make sure I'm doing the things I need to do to hold off everybody else and help the team."

Seeing how this switch works will be one of the key things to keep an eye on, as the secondary is kind of a big deal for this defense if they expect to return to the national championship.

Jarvis Landry Shows He's More Than Just a Big Hitter

You may know Jarvis Landry because of his fantastic special teams play and his bone-crushing hits on kickoffs like this one.

But the sophomore wide receiver is actually pretty solid as a receiver, despite his sub-par numbers last season. There's a reason he was a 5-star prospect in the 2011 class, and that's because of his great route-running and his great hands.

"We all possess the same traits, so I leave it up to the coaches to put me in position to make plays and do the things that I do well," Landry said.

Expect to see more of him at the receiver position this season than he was last year.

Micah Eugene Shows His Ability

With several members on the defensive side of the ball banged up, some of the younger players are getting a lot of time to prove themselves. One of those players that should really turn some heads is redshirt freshman Micah Eugene, who is a former 3-star recruit from the 2011 class.

He's a smaller safety who's less than 6'0", but he figures things out quickly and is a sure tackler. He also has great speed, as he runs the 40 in the 4.5 range, and has great ball skills considering he was a running back in high school.

He's been making some noise in practice; the spring game will give him a chance to really impress coaches and fans.

Zach Mettenberger Impresses

We have yet to really see what Zach Mettenberger is capable of in a game atmosphere, but we do know he has the makeup of an elite college quarterback. He's got the size at 6'5", 222 pounds, has the strong arm and can make nearly every throw on the football field you ask him to. And it's pretty safe to say that Les Miles really likes what he's seen so far.

"I think we are competing in the passing game very, very well," Head coach Les Miles said. "I think Mettenberger is a leader there. I think he enjoys his role."

I expect Mettenberger to show that he can lead this team back to the national championship game and provide a different side to the offense that they've lacked for several years.

LSU Proves They Still Have What It Takes

There are a lot of rumors going around that the Tigers won't be as good as they were last season. Part of that may be true due to how great they were last season, but this is a team that still returns 11 starters, including the majority of the front seven that finished with 38 sacks last season.

They also are loaded at the running back position again and may have gotten even better at quarterback, which should make this offense even scarier to balance out the team. There simply aren't many questions to answer with this football team, and a solid performance on both sides of the ball this weekend will quiet those naysayers as the Tigers inch closer to the regular season.