LSU Football: Why the Tigers Shouldn't Abandon Their Offensive Identity

The LSU Tigers need to add wrinkles to their offense in 2012, but there's no sense in abandoning their true identity.

Running the football is LSU's bread and butter. It always has been and it always will be. And while the Tigers desperately need to add a passing game to their running attack, they need to continue to pound the rock repeatedly. Well, at least until they play Alabama. 

That's where Zach Mettenberger's gifted arm and LSU's talented receivers will come into play, but as for the rest of the season, there's no reason why the Tigers shouldn't ride the backs of their offensive linemen.

With four returning starters upfront and four capable starting running backs from a year ago, don't expect a whole lot to change in the Tigers' style of play.

The only real change to the offense will be a legitimate threat under center with a man possessing the arm strength of a JaMarcus Russell. Okay, maybe not that strong, but you get the point. Without Mettenberger's cannon, the offense was still effective in 2011. 

This bruising rushing attack averaged 202 yards per game which was the 22nd best in the nation a year ago, and that's including the defensive struggle against Alabama. Excluding the game the Tigers had against the Crimson Tide in the regular season, LSU averaged 224.5 yards per game and 37.4 points per game.

And for those that are losing their minds about the offensive performance against Alabama in the 2012 BCS National Championship Game, it's time to let it go and move on.

Yes, the game plan offensively was amateur and predictable, but Alabama also had one of the greatest defenses in college football history. After all, four players from their defensive unit were selected in the first round, yes first round, of the 2012 NFL draft. 

That unit was special, and the average points they gave up against their opponents was 8.2 per game. So, running the ball against a defense of that caliber that knows all you're going to do is run the ball won't exactly work in your favor.

Basically, what I'm getting at here is if it's not broke, don't fix it. Better yet, if it's not broke, don't break it. Throw the options out of the window, stretch the field more often and pound the rock.

Let your defense and special teams dominate the game while controlling the pace with Spencer Ware, Michael Ford, Kenny Hilliard, Jeremy Hill and Alfred Blue.

And if the rushing attack fails to get anything going, put the ball in the hands of Mettenberger. He's good enough to carry the team in critical moments, but the Tigers don't have to rely on his arm to win football games.

Rather, the Tigers should focus on what made them so good last season, and that was their fundamentals in all three phases of the game.

Considering the talent at running back and brute strength on the offensive line, being efficient shouldn't be a problem with the same identity.