LSU Football: 7 Reasons the Tigers Will Improve over Last Year

It is hard to build on a 13-1 record and a second-place finish, but the LSU Tigers didn't quite get the job done, so there is room for a slight improvement.

The Tigers return 13 starters from a year ago, including eight on the offensive side of the ball. Many would argue that this year’s team is more talented than last year's, which has many college football fans and opposing teams in the SEC shivering in their boots.

Could this LSU team get the job done that last year’s team couldn't?

Here are seven reasons why the LSU Tigers will have a better season than they did last season.

Motivated Football Team

Going through the most difficult schedule in the country, winning on the road several times, winning the SEC championship and then losing to a team in the national championship that it already beat in the regular season will have this team ready. LSU also made sure to remind its players of the way the season ended by adding this to their SEC championship rings.

A talented team is scary enough to deal with; a team that has a chip on its shoulder makes the LSU Tigers even scarier in 2012. The only way to get that sour taste out of their mouth is to return to the big game and take care of unfinished business. This team has not forgotten what happened.

Secondary Is Still Extremely Talented

LSU only returns five starters on defense, but that doesn't mean this unit will be a liability in 2012. The Tigers will have a to find replacements for future NFL star cornerback Morris Claiborne, strong safety Brandon Taylor and cornerback Rob Brooks.

The good news is that Tyrann Mathieu is still in the backfield. Yes, the guy who is also known as the Honey Badger and who was a Heisman finalist last season. He finished with the most tackles on the team with 76, and that's with missing a game due to suspension. He will continue to be the playmaker in the secondary and provide a spark whenever needed.

Redshirt freshman Jalen Collins has the potential to be a shutdown corner on this team. He is a former 4-star recruit who has ridiculous size at 6'3", 185 pounds.

Junior Tharold Simon is already building a reputation of a shutdown corner, intercepting two passes last season and breaking up 10 passes in limited playing time.

Then you have experience in junior safeties Craig Loston and Eric Reid, who is a member of the Lott Impact Award watch list.

Overall. this is a unit that will miss Claiborne, but has more than enough talent to compare to last year's defensive backfield.

Best Backfield in the Country

No team in the country is as deep in the backfield as the LSU Tigers. This team has four running backs who are capable of starting on many teams, making this a ground game that even the toughest defenses have to respect.

Spencer Ware, Michael Ford, Alfred Blue and Kenny Hilliard will all get plenty of touches this year, as the coaching staff will rotate throughout the game, keeping the running backs fresh but the opposing defense tired. The Tigers also plan to use freshman Jeremy Hill as well. He was a 4-star recruit from the 2011 recruiting class.

Last season, LSU had the second-best rushing attack in the conference and 22nd-best in the country. You can expect similar production this season as well.

Defensive Line Is Still Legit

While the secondary will handle its business, the Tigers have arguably the best two defensive ends in the entire country coming off the edge.

Both juniors Barkevious Mingo and Sam Montgomery are nearly unstoppable, combining for 17 sacks and 28.5 tackles for loss a season ago. The Tigers as a team finished with 38 sacks, which was the best in the SEC and tied for 12th in the country with South Florida.

LSU will miss Micheal Brockers, who was drafted in the first round of last year's NFL draft, but many players picked up experience last season that will pay off this year.

Jermauria Rasco played in several games as a freshman, picking up two sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss and 17 tackles. Bennie Logan is a returning starter at defensive tackle, finishing his sophomore season with 57 tackles, three sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss. Seniors Lavar Edwards and Josh Downs both have experience as well.

It doesn't really matter who you throw in the middle of this line. With speedsters such as Mingo and Montgomery coming off the edge, opposing SEC offensive lines will continue to have nightmares about this LSU defense.

Special Teams Is Special

One of the main reasons for the Tigers' success last season was because of its incredible special teams. When you have a defense like LSU has and can combine it with mistake-free special teams, you have yourself a deadly combination.

Sophomore punter Brad Wing returns after having the 11th-highest punt average at 44.37 yards per attempt. He earned All-American honors as a freshman and pinned 27 of his 59 punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line.

Senior Drew Alleman returns to handle the kicking duties. He was a 2011 All-Conference player and made 16 of his 18 field-goal attempts. He also only missed one extra point out of 63 attempts and finished the year making 10 straight kicks.

These two guys may not get a ton of credit, but they are extremely important members of the team, especially if the Tigers are going to return to the national championship.

Finally a QB Who Can Throw

The last three seasons, LSU has been ranked in the bottom half of the SEC in passing offense. Things may change this season with Zach Mettenberger taking over the quarterback position. He has terrific size at 6'5", 222 pounds, has great accuracy and a cannon for an arm.

He has everything you look for in a true quarterback, which is why head coach Les Miles likes him a lot.

"Zach had a very good spring. He's a very talented thrower. He worked hard in initiating how the team would throw the ball this spring. If he maintains that effort and enthusiasm, I think he'll have a very good fall," Miles said, via ESPN.

With the unstoppable running game and now a quarterback who can throw the football, LSU is now more than a ground-and-pound team.

Schedule Is Easier

LSU won't get much of a break because they play in the SEC West, but this year's schedule is still nothing compared to last year's. Sure, the Tigers will have to go on the road to Auburn, Gainesville and Fayetteville. But that's easier than going to Morgantown, Starkville, Tuscaloosa and playing Oregon at a neutral site, as well as having to play Arkansas and Georgia in the SEC championship.

The Tigers had without question the most difficult schedule of any other football team in the country. And while this year's will once again be challenging, it isn't nearly as hard as what they went through last season.