Preview Of The 2009-2010 LSU Fighting Tigers (Part 2 of 3)

In the first part of this three part preview, I covered LSU on the offensive side of the ball (article here: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/230728-a-preview-of-the-2009-2010-lsu-fighting-tigers-part-1-of-3)

In this second section I will cover the opposite side of the ball. In 2008 LSU's defense, which for several years has been the pride of the team, was confused? disoriented? lost? Whatever it was wasn't working and part of the problem was the co-defensive coordinators.

In steps John Chavis for 2009, and with him a new and simplified system, which should eliminate some of the confusion that seemed prominent last year.

Much like part one, this segment will be broken into sections: D-line, LB, CB, Safeties.

D-Line: The biggest question is who will replace Tyson Jackson. Early reports from Scout.com have Chancey Aghayere filling that spot, and although Aghayere is smaller than Jackson, his pass rushing skill are better, making him a more versatile at the DE position. On the other side of the line will be Rahim Alem, who steps in to replace Kirston Pittman. Alem was an integral part of the defense last season, and recorded eight sacks in the playing time he did see.

The new superstar of the defensive line will be DT Drake Nevis, who recorded 11 tackles with 5.5 tackles for a loss last season. He has a very quick first step, and will excel as an interior pass rusher for the Tigers this season. The only returning lineman for LSU will be DT Charles Alexander, who will be the anchor of the defensive front, he came back for his sixth year of eligibilty after injury ended his season last year.

LB: This season the Tigers had to replace Darry Beckwith, and found his replacement in Jacob Cutrera, who has had significant time as a back-up in the past few seasons, he now steps in to lead the defense at MLB. The biggest surprise was Harry Coleman's move from safety to linebacker. He has surprised the coaching staff with his strength especially for his size. He has shown stopping power on the strong side, and a huge range on the weak side. The other linebacking spot will be filled by Chik-fil-A Bowl MVP Perry Riley, who is coming off a huge 2008, he was third on the team in tackles with 60 and had one interception last season. He will be playing the Buck (strong side) Linebacker position this season.

CB: Chris Hawkins will return as the teams left cornerback. As his name suggests, Chris is a ball-hawk, and can track the ball down very efficiently, last season he had 12 broken up passes and a team high three interceptions. The other corner position could be one of two players, it seems Patrick Peterson will get the nod over Jai Eugene, but the two could split reps early on this season. Peterson did start the final two games of last season and finished the year with 41 tackles and an interception as a freshman, he was one of the top recruits in last year's class and could eventually become the teams shut down corner.

Safety: With Coleman switching to linebacker and Curtis Taylor moving on, LSU will need some talent to fill both safety positions. Chad Jones is going to step into Coleman's position if Coleman really does move to linebacker. Jones came up big when he played in the dime package last season, and finished the year with 50 tackles and an interception. It will be interesting to see how productive Jones can be as a full time safety.

To fill Taylor's place will be a little tougher, but the spot will be filled by Ron Brooks, who was originally recruited as a cornerback, and for good reason; his sub-4.4, 40 speed means that at safety he will be able to cover a lot of ground, and will be a hard hitter when he gets up a head of steam.

Kicking was covered in the last segment, but I will mention the it will be Josh Jasper doing the punting this season for LSU.

What does 2009 hold for the LSU defense? Only time will tell, but in order for LSU to compete for the SEC West, and maybe an SEC title, the defense will need to step it up and play much improved over last years team.

In the final segment of this preview, I will discuss coaching, schedule, and intangibles.