LSU Football: Breaking Down Top 10 Individual Performances of the Year

Though the LSU Tigers fell short of winning an SEC championship, the team had yet another great season marked by fantastic individual performances.

Whether it was one of the best catches in LSU history, a shutdown performance by Sam Montgomery or Zach Mettenberger going all surgical on a defense, there were many bright performances from this team throughout the season.

In fact, the mere process of cutting the list down to 10 was a task in itself. But this top 10 list comes through in the clutch, much like Odell Beckham did against Ole Miss.

Here are the top 10 best individual performances from the memorable 2012 season.

10. Odell Beckham vs. Ole Miss

"When Odell Beckham was going, I felt like a bowler at the bowling lane."

Those were the words uttered by the one and only Les Miles following LSU's dramatic victory against Ole Miss. The LSU victory was highlighted by a sensational punt return by Beckham in the fourth quarter.

Had Beckham not returned the punt to the house, who knows how this wild game would have ended?

The 89-yard punt return tied the game at 35-35, and after a Jeremy Hill one-yard scamper with 15 seconds left in the game, the Tigers took home the victory. Wow, what a game! Right, Les?

9. Sam Montgomery vs. Washington

LSU fans are going to miss Sam Montgomery dearly.

Montgomery was a one-man wrecking crew at defensive end this year, but really, he'll be remembered as a great leader who wore his heart on his sleeve.

In 2012, Montgomery turned up his aggression even more and turned out quite a few sensational performances throughout the year.

One of Montgomery's best performances of the year came against Washington, where the junior defensive end accounted for four tackles and a sack against Washington to earn the SEC Co-Defensive Lineman of the Week award in Week 2.

8. Jeremy Hill vs. Texas A&M

Jeremy Hill's performance in 2012 embodies everything that LSU is all about—depth.

When one player goes down, such as Alfred Blue, LSU has plenty of talent on the bench to look to. One of the running backs that received an opportunity was the freshman Hill, and boy, did he ever deliver.

Against Texas A&M, Hill churned away at a defense that kept the Tigers contained for most of the game.

But then the fourth quarter came, and Hill had one of his finest hours. Hill ran 47 yards into the end zone to give the Tigers 24-12 lead in the quarter, and not even Johnny Manziel could rally the Aggies. Hill finished the game with 127 rushing yards and a touchdown.

7. Jarvis Landry vs. Arkansas

Yeah, Jarvis Landry had a great game against Arkansas, but we all know why this performance is on here.

Close your eyes for an instant and picture the greatest catch you've ever seen. Now open them and watch the video embedded in the slide.

Come pretty close? Landry's one handed snag against Arkansas is one of the best catches you'll ever see, and that in itself earned him a spot on this list.

Landry finished the game with eight receptions, 75 yards and a touchdown.

6. Sam Montgomery vs. Auburn

Montgomery's performance against Washington was impressive, but his performance against Auburn was his best of the season.

To put it simply and rather typically—Montgomery was an animal. Yeah, you have to love those good ol' sports cliches.

But how else would you describe a man who attained the SEC Defensive Player of the Week Award for recording 3.5 tackles for loss, including a sack?

We can all agree that Montgomery's performance was rather beastly.

5. Zach Mettenberger vs. Mississippi State

It took Mettenberger a while to get his feet beneath him, but once he did, he put together some really strong performances.

Statistics wise, Mettenberger saved his best for Week 11 against Mississippi State.

The sophomore gunslinger threw for 273 yards and two touchdowns in the 37-17 victory.

He was accurate and on point throughout the game, and more importantly, he was starting to look like a real quarterback by scanning the secondary and making key reads.

4. Ronald Martin vs. Idaho

Child, please.

Seriously, where do these young players come from? After the Tigers lost Tyrann Mathieu for the season, LSU placed a true freshman in the starting lineup without hesitation. Jalen Mills had a wonderful season as a result.

But when Craig Loston went down with an injury, the Tigers looked to sophomore Ronald Martin to pick up the slack. Well, he did more than that against Idaho.

Martin finished the game with not one, but two interceptions. LSU truly is DBU.

3. Zach Mettenberger vs. Alabama

Sure, his performance against Mississippi State was probably his best of the season, but given the weight of the circumstances, this was Mettenberger's finest moment of the season.

Going into the game against Alabama, fans had very little confidence in Mettenberger. They had reason for that.

Before the game, Mettenberger had only 572 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in SEC competition. More importantly, he looked uncomfortable in the pocket and had a few sack fumbles.

But everything clicked in the Alabama game. Mettenberger lit the Crimson Tide up with 298 passing yards and a touchdown. That one game changed his image as an LSU quarterback, and the future is looking bright for this offense because of him.

2. Jeremy Hill vs. South Carolina

South Carolina never saw it coming.

Going into the game against the Gamecocks, Hill was but an afterthought in the mind of LSU's opponents. That all changed after the game.

Hill came in and ran through and around this defense. With great cuts and powerful running, Hill broke the 100-yard mark for the first time in his collegiate career.

The true freshman finished the game with 124 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Did I mention the future is bright for this offense?

1. Kevin Minter vs. Florida

Fans simply do not appreciate how good Kevin Minter is.

He's undoubtedly one of the best linebackers in the country, and against Florida, Minter had the game of a lifetime.

Just take a second and think about this. Minter made 20 tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble in one game. Is this real life?

Enough can't be said about Minter's performance against Florida, and it took Minter's absence for Florida to take the lead and beat the Tigers 14-6. The game he had against the Gators will surely go down as one of the best defensive performances in LSU history.