LSU Football: Grading Each Positional Unit at Halfway Point of the Season
LSU head coach Les Miles has reached double-digit wins in each of the last four seasons. Unfortunately for Miles, that streak is now in danger considering the Tigers' troublesome 5-2 start in 2014.
LSU's win against Florida on Saturday was impressive, but the Tigers were handled in their other two SEC games against Auburn and Mississippi State. Miles' only other win against a meaningful opponent was the comeback victory against Wisconsin in the season opener.
Coaches can only do so much, as talent is the most important component for a team to be successful. Miles has seen some of his position groups have success while others struggle. He will need the entire team to hit its stride for the team to finish 5-1, which would add another 10-win season to his legacy.
Here is a review of how each position group has fared so far.
Quarterback
1 of 9
LSU needs better quarterback play.
Sophomore Anthony Jennings has started five of six games, winning all but one of them. Jennings has completed only 50 percent of his passes, but his clutch touchdown passes in the fourth quarter against Wisconsin and Florida have led to LSU victories.
Freshman Brandon Harris has played great in every game except one. Unfortunately for Harris, that was in his only start against Auburn.
Harris has thrown as many touchdown passes as Jennings with two fewer interceptions. Miles said he is leaving open the possibility of playing Harris against Kentucky, per Brett Martel of The Associated Press.
Jennings and Harris are both young and will only get better under offensive coordinator Cam Cameron. But as of now, they are both average playmakers in a division full of proficient signal-callers.
Grade: C-
Running Backs
2 of 9
Miles finally gave Leonard Fournette the majority of the carries against Florida. Fournette delivered with 140 yards and two touchdowns. After a slow start, he is starting to show why he was the No. 1 recruit in the country last season.
Seniors Kenny Hilliard and Terrence Magee are a step down from Fournette, as they struggle to make defenders miss. But both have been productive and are good guys in the locker room. Hilliard has been a viable option in the red zone with six touchdowns, and Magee is a sure-handed back who runs well late in games.
True freshman Darrel Williams has provided some depth to the group. Williams has rushed for 188 yards on 39 carries for three touchdowns.
Fullbacks Connor Neighbors and Melvin Jones have had great seasons as lead blockers thus far. Look for both of them to get larger roles in the passing game going forward.
Miles needs to continue to feed Fournette the bulk of the carries. Hilliard, Magee and Williams are not as talented as other backup backs in the conference, but they are reliable.
Grade: B
Wide Receivers
3 of 9
LSU's wide receivers have been the team's biggest surprise, led by sophomore Travin Dural.
Dural's 626 yards and six touchdowns both rank in the top five in the SEC. His 26.1 yards per catch lead the conference by just under nine yards. He has made Jennings look like an All-SEC quarterback late in games.
True freshman Malachi Dupre has lived up to his 5-star billing. Dupre's 257 yards and four touchdowns rank second to Dural on the team. Fellow freshman Trey Quinn's 14 receptions are second on the team.
Sophomore John Diarse is the only wide receiver on LSU's roster who has caught a pass. Diarse has been rather quiet since his remarkable touchdown against Wisconsin.
"John Diarse with a great TD!! I love that college football is back. #lsu https://t.co/SKRQabyZSZ via @vineapp
— Chew Chew (@LivingGloryBlog) September 3, 2014"
Grade: A
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Tight Ends
4 of 9
Travis Dickson has all three of LSU's tight-end catches on the season, one of which resulted in a lost fumble. The unit entered 2014 with 28 catches and no touchdowns in the past two seasons combined.
The lack of productivity at the position is alarming. DeSean Smith was expected to be a star this season, but the sophomore has yet to establish himself in the passing game.
Logan Stokes and Dillon Gordon have been underwhelming as blockers, which has opened up the door for Colin Jeter. The tight ends are key cogs in LSU's power running game, so they must play better.
Overall, the group has been a massive disappointment.
Grade: D-
Offensive Line
5 of 9
LSU's offensive line has turned in some mediocre performances so far this season against Mississippi State, Wisconsin and Auburn. But the group, under first-year position coach Jeff Grimes, played its best in last week's triumph against Florida.
Left tackle La'el Collins has been the unit's best player all season. Collins did a fantastic job against the Gators setting the edge in the running game and will likely continue his high level of play.
"That is an NFL block right there RT @Goldkamp247 LSU's La'el Collins blows Jon Bullard 5 yards off LOS https://t.co/DLlDuSo0S2
— Derek Tyson (@DerekTysonESPN) October 13, 2014"
It looks as if Miles and Grimes will stick with Collins, left guard Vadal Alexander, center Elliott Porter, right guard Ethan Pocic and right tackle Jerald Hawkns going forward. They have been average thus far, but their stock is trending upward.
Grade: C+
Defensive Line
6 of 9
LSU's experienced defensive end duo of Jermauria Rasco and Danielle Hunter has combined for 68 tackles and nine tackles for loss. Backup defensive end Tashawn Bower has performed admirably when either Rasco or Hunter has needed rest.
Defensive tackle has been a different story. Sophomore Christian LaCouture's and true freshman Davon Godchaux's inexperience cost the Tigers dearly against Mississippi State and Auburn. Quentin Thomas is still looking to get back to full speed after an offseason injury. Miles said Thomas has practiced all this week in preparation for Kentucky, per Ross Dellenger of The Advocate.
LSU's defensive tackles will need to keep playing better. Most of the Tigers' remaining opponents are superb at running the ball between the tackles.
Grade: C
Linebackers
7 of 9
LSU weakside linebacker Kwon Alexander's 46 tackles tie him for ninth in the SEC. Alexander has been the defense's best playmaker, evidenced by his forced fumbles against Florida and Mississippi State.
Alexander hasn't had much help, though. D.J. Welter has had an average campaign thus far in 2014 and has lost some of his snaps to sophomore Kendell Beckwith. Lamar Louis has done little as the starting strongside linebacker. Debo Jones and Duke Riley have shown flashes of greatness and should get the opportunity to see more playing time going forward.
The linebackers were stretched out against Wisconsin, Mississippi State and Auburn, which is part of the reason why the Tigers' run defense is last in the SEC West.
Grade: B
Secondary
8 of 9
LSU's secondary was supposed to be one of the country's best. Instead, it fell apart against Auburn and Mississippi State.
Auburn's Nick Marshall and Mississippi State's Dak Prescott are both spectacular quarterbacks, yet they were allowed to do whatever they wanted through the air and on the ground. The Tigers' defensive backs missed open-field tackles and allowed the opposing receivers to win jump balls.
The unit played efficient football against Florida and Wisconsin, but the quarterback play was poor in both games. The Tigers will not play a signal-caller the caliber of Marshall or Prescott until the final game of the season against Texas A&M's Kenny Hill, so the group should improve. But it will still have challenges until then against Ole Miss' Bo Wallace and Alabama's Blake Sims, both of whom have talented receivers to target.
LSU needs safety Jalen Mills and cornerback Tre'Davious White to help lead LSU's talented secondary where it should be, which is atop the SEC.
Grade: B
Special Teams
9 of 9
LSU kicker Colby Delahoussaye is a perfect 5-of-5 on field goals, highlighted by a 50-yard game-winner against Florida. Kickoff specialists Trent Domingue and Cameron Gamble have had 27 of their 43 kicks result in touchbacks.
"VINE - Colby Delahoussaye HITS the 50 yd FG! Putting #LSU up by 3 with 3 seconds left! https://t.co/e7iYuVq8Nw
— FanSided GIF (@FanSidedGIF) October 12, 2014"
Punter Jamie Keehn has developed more consistency after sporadic play last season. Keehn's 45.6 yards per punt is third in the conference.
White and Fournette have handled the punt- and kick-return duties respectively, with neither having much success. Special teams coach Bradley Dale Peveto could look to make a change in the next couple games, especially considering White's and Fournette's importance at their respective positions.
LSU's kick coverage is rarely tested due to Domingue's and Gamble's ability to sail the football through the end zone. The punt coverage is a different story, as the unit is last in the SEC in yards allowed per return.
Grade: B
Stats, rankings and additional information provided by CFBStats.com and LSU Sports Information. Recruiting information provided by 247Sports. Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
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