LSU Football: 5 Questions That Need to Be Answered in Spring Ball

As is the case every spring, this spring will be full of excitement as LSU gets ready for another championship run in 2011. 

The Tigers come into spring practice with many questions unanswered, mainly at the quarterback position.

The Tigers open the season in Fort Worth against Oregon, so any unanswered questions need to be answered quickly.

Running Back

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ARLINGTON, TX - JANUARY 07: Running back Michael Ford #42 of the LSU Tigers runs the ball against the Texas A&M Aggies during the AT&T Cotton Bowl at Cowboys Stadium on January 7, 2011 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

As usual, the Tigers have a stable of backs that could be starters on most other teams, and they are undoubtedly going to share the load.

The biggest question for the Tigers is how that load will be divided.

Michael Ford, Spencer Ware and Alfred Blue will be the foundation of the LSU running game, with incoming freshman Kenny Hilliard trying to claw his way into the lineup to make a name for himself.

Barring injury, Les Miles should have a stable of fresh backs to rotate in to grind out games.

Offensive Line

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BATON ROUGE, LA - NOVEMBER 13: Jordan Jefferson #9 of the Louisiana State University Tigers prepares to take the snap during the game against the University of Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks at Tiger Stadium on November 13, 2010 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. T

The Tigers return Josh Dworaczyk, Will Blackwell, Alex Hurst and T-Bob Hebert from their 2010 offensive line.  With a solid core returning, the only question is who will replace Joseph Barksdale.

LSU has many potential replacements, including Evan Washington, La’el Collins and Trai Turner. With a new offensive coordinator, however, the Tigers will need to find a replacement quickly this spring to allow the newcomer to start developing chemistry with the four veterans.

Defensive Leadership

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ATLANTA - SEPTEMBER 04: Tyrann Mathieu #14 of the LSU Tigers forces a fumble by quarterback T.J. Yates #13 of the North Carolina Tar Heels during the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game at Georgia Dome on September 4, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. C

With the departure of Drake Nevis, Kelvin Sheppard and Patrick Peterson, the Tigers lost leaders at every level of the defense. 

The Tigers have a tremendous amount of young talent returning, but who will step up and be the leader on the defensive side of the ball?

Ryan Baker, Stefoin Francois and Ron Brooks are the seniors, but sophomores Tyrann Matthieu and Eric Reid showed a remarkable amount of ability as freshmen and could be the base of the Tiger defense for the next couple of years.

New Offense

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LOUISVILLE - OCTOBER 27: Head coach Steve Kragthorpe of the Louisville Cardinals argues with the referee during the game against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Papa John?s Cardinal Stadium on October 27, 2007 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Get

Gary Crowten is out, and Steve Kragthorpe is in as offensive coordinator.  What this means—among other things—is that the Tigers will be not only trying to find their leader at QB, but this leader will be learning a new offense.

Can Jordan Jefferson or Zach Mettenberger learn this offense quickly enough to compete at a high level from day one?

The Tigers have no time to waste as they meet up with Oregon, Mississippi State and West Virginia in the first four weeks of the season.

If Kragthorpe can get the chains moved more than last season, the Tigers should have an excellent chance of competing for a National Championship.

Quarterback

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ARLINGTON, TX - JANUARY 07: Jordan Jefferson #9 of the Louisiana State University Tigers looks to throw a pass during the game against the Texas A&M Aggies during the AT&T Cotton Bowl at Cowboys Stadium on January 7, 2011 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by

The QB competition will be fierce with veteran Jordan Jefferson being pushed by junior college transfer Zach Mettenberg.

The Tigers need to find a way to spark a passing game that was virtually non-existent in 2010.  A legitimate QB battle and the addition of new, pass-happy offensive coordinator Steve Kragthorpe should ignite a passing attack to compliment a solid running game and give the Tigers the offensive firepower needed to compete for the SEC Title.

Coach Les Miles needs to find his quarterback early to allow them to learn the new offense and be ready to take on Oregon in the season opener.