LSU Football: What to Watch For in Tigers' Spring Game
Whether LSU will end the 2016 season in triumph, tribulation or somewhere between, the road starts this Saturday inside Tiger Stadium.
The Tigers have been under the offseason microscope as much as any major team in college football this offseason, and for good reason. Even after the bizarre hot-seat saga of head coach Les Miles late last season, LSU has the talent to win big in the cutthroat SEC West.
But a veteran-laden team still has plenty of new faces who could be difference-makers in 2016, from early enrollees to new assistant coaches Dave Aranda and Dameyune Craig.
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On Saturday, LSU will provide its first glimpse of 2016 in Death Valley with its annual spring game, which will kick off at 3 p.m. local time on the SEC Network.
Which areas will command the most attention when Miles' Tigers take the field? Here are three things to watch for this weekend.
The progress of the passing game
On paper, LSU should be primed for championship contention in 2016. The Tigers are tied for the most returning starters in college football, return the nation's No. 1 rusher from a season ago and are built on a streak of top-10 recruiting classes.
Experience and talent are everywhere for LSU, but all of it seems to hinge this offseason on the development of the passing game—more specifically, quarterback Brandon Harris.
Harris shined at times last season and fell flat at others. The offensive struggles of 2015 proved that even with Leonard Fournette in the backfield, LSU needs to at least be a threat through the air.
This spring, the passing game has been a high priority for Miles and Co. According to Ron Higgins of NOLA.com, Cam Cameron's playbook has been expanded, and offensive practice work has been split 50-50 between passing and running plays.
All that extra emphasis on taking it to the skies has reportedly worked well for Harris, who threw four touchdowns in a recent scrimmage. Miles thinks he's ready to go for 2016.
"Brandon probably had a sharper scrimmage the scrimmage before, but he still threw for [227] and threw for a good percentage," Miles said, per David Ching of ESPN.com. "I just felt like he’s kind of ready to be the quarterback."
Harris could lock up the starting job with another good day of work Saturday, this time in front of thousands of hopeful eyes at Tiger Stadium. Purdue transfer Danny Etling has pushed Harris this spring and could be a valuable backup in case anything happens to Harris this fall.
Both quarterbacks will have plenty of playmakers to spread the ball around to this fall. The receivers, led by returning starters Malachi Dupre and Travin Dural, also have pressure to perform at a higher level after last season.
This offseason, LSU snagged former Auburn assistant Craig to be its new wide receivers coach, and fans will be excited to see what kind of effect Craig has had on the likes of Tyron Johnson, D.J. Chark, Jazz Ferguson and Derrick Dillon.
"With so much talent at the position and two receivers coming in that are huge, Jazz is stepping up and doing a good job," Dupre said, per Sam Spiegelman of SEC Country. "As long as we keep improving on it and working on it, I don't see a reason why we shouldn't be one of the best passing offenses in the country."
Expect to see LSU air it out a good bit on Saturday in order to build more confidence in Harris and give some of the younger talents at wide receiver a chance to shine in front of the fans.
New-look offensive line play
LSU's offense is loaded with returning experience everywhere except for two crucial positions: left tackle and right tackle.
According to Ching, sophomore Toby Weathersby is the only Tiger on the roster who has started a single game at offensive tackle. He had a spot start against Ole Miss last season and is the leader for the right tackle job.
Returning left guard starter Maea Teuhema has bounced to the outside at left tackle during spring camp. However, Teauhema could find himself on the inside this fall, depending on the development of Chidi Okeke on the blind side.
Okeke could have the highest ceiling of any LSU offensive lineman currently on the roster. The 6'6", 311-pound redshirt freshman is extremely athletic for his monstrous size, and the tools are there for him to be a dominant left tackle.
However, Okeke is still relatively new to football, having only played two seasons in high school. A native of Nigeria, Okeke was picked up in the Class of 2015 by the Tigers for his raw ability and potential, but he's progressing well in the eyes of Miles.
"He continues to make plays," Miles said earlier this spring, per Jim Kleinpeter of NOLA.com. "He's exceptionally quick-footed, comes off the ball and he's learning at a real rapid rate, as opposed to being awash with so much information."
If Okeke can impress on Saturday in front of the LSU faithful for the first time, he could move a step closer to locking down a key role in the fall.
But the tackle spots aren't the only ones receiving shakeups this spring. Due to injuries to returning starters Ethan Pocic (center) and William Clapp (right guard), the Tigers have had opportunities to develop more quality depth on the interior.
Andy Dodd will be one to watch Saturday as he takes first-team center snaps, and where K.J. Malone lines up will be an intriguing storyline. Due to the injuries, Malone told Ching he's lined up at guard and both tackles this spring.
LSU won't be full strength across the front four until it hits fall practice, but how well this makeshift line can protect the passers on the edges and open up holes for the powerful rushing attack will be huge boosts for the team in 2016.
Lining up the linebackers
As one of the campuses that proudly proclaims itself as "Defensive Back U," LSU should be just fine in the secondary this season with the return of Tre'Davious White, Jamal Adams, Kevin Toliver and several more emerging stars.
And even though the defensive line is going through a big transition into Aranda's preferred 3-4 scheme, the Tigers have plenty of talent in the trenches.
The key area under the microscope for this new scheme, though, will be at linebacker—a position that lost a couple of names from last season. The linebackers have even bigger responsibilities now in the new defense and need some new starters.
Tackle machine Kendell Beckwith will be the man in the middle for the Tigers, and running back-turned-linebacker Devin White has been a breakout playmaker this spring with his athleticism. White has repped with Donnie Alexander at times with the first team at inside linebacker.
The outside spots—"F" linebacker and "Buck" linebacker—are a little trickier to figure out in terms of depth.
According to Billy Gomila of And The Valley Shook, Arden Key is the projected leader at Buck, which combines the pass-rushing duties of an outside linebacker and a traditional defensive end. Key had 6.5 tackles for loss last season and has the look of a future star.
Duke Riley, Tashawn Bower and Corey Thompson are experienced seniors who could be leaders for LSU in 2016, but they have to make the same kind of transition to the new scheme as their younger teammates. Early enrollee Michael Divinity has broken through at F-linebacker with the trio.
Right now, Aranda is looking to plug the right players in the right spots, no matter where they played in the past for LSU. He's moved defensive ends and safeties into the linebacker room this spring.
"It will help the team putting people in positions they can perform in and excel at and really getting all of the best guys on the field," Bower said, per Ross Dellenger of the Advocate. "We're trying to fit pieces in certain places to see what we can do and maximize our defense."
What LSU puts out on the field defensively Saturday will be far from a finished product, as the installation process is still going on in Baton Rouge.
Aranda has a puzzle on his hands, but fans and media members alike will get to see how the pieces are starting to come together ahead of what could be a huge 2016 in Death Valley.
Stats courtesy of CFBStats.com. Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.
Justin Ferguson is a National College Football Analyst at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.
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