LSU Football: The 2-Deep at Every Offensive Position
With one of the deepest rosters from top to bottom in the nation, LSU goes into the 2011 season with high hopes and expectations.
Like many of the top teams in the nation, LSU has players on their bench that would be starters on many other teams.
Starting at the quarterback position, where incumbent starter Jordan Jefferson finally has legitimate competition, the battles at many positions were heated throughout spring practices and will continue through the summer.
Here are the top two contenders at each position for the Tigers in 2011.
Tackle
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One position where the Tigers are not very deep is at offensive tackle.
Starters Alex Hurst and Chris Faulk lead a small crew of capable starters with Evan Washington and Greg Shaw behind them.
The Tigers also have incoming freshmen La’el Collins and Trai Turner who they hope will be the cornerstones in the near future.
Collins comes in as the top rated offensive tackle of the 2011 class.
Alex Hurst
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Junior tackle Alex Hurst leads the offensive tackles in both seniority and attitude.
A ferocious blocker, Hurst has recorded 42 pancake blocks in his one season as a starter.
Taking over for Joseph Barksdale at right tackle as he moved to left tackle, Hurst came in and played like a veteran immediately.
Hurst alongside veteran guards will help lead the Tigers’ great running attack again in 2011.
Chris Faulk
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For now, Chris Faulk is the starter opposite of Alex Hurst at offensive tackle, but incoming freshman La’el Collins will be arriving this summer to compete for that spot.
Faulk is a solid option as a starter but head coach Les Miles is quick to say that he is not 100 percent sold on Faulk as the starter.
Summer practices will determine whether or not Faulk will hold onto his starting spot.
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Guard
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LSU returns two senior guards in T-Bob Hebert and Josh Dworaczyk.
Behind the returning starters is a short list with senior Will Blackwell junior Matt Branch, sophomore Josh Williford and incoming freshmen Corey White and Jonah Austin.
Not deep at guard, the Tigers will need to keep their senior starters healthy.
Josh Dworaczyk
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Dworaczyk is a little bigger than his counterpart T-Bob Hebert at 295 lbs but more importantly he is one of the Tigers’ best blockers on the offensive line.
Dworaczyk is a definite starter at left guard for the Tigers in 2011 and should be a solid contributor.
Light on his feet as a pass blocker and ferocious as a run blocker, Dworaczyk is among the best offensive linemen in the SEC.
T-Bob Hebert
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Hebert is a versatile offensive lineman who will be the starter at right guard as well as the backup center behind P.J. Lonergan.
Hebert started 11 games at center his sophomore season but moved to guard in his junior campaign where he started seven games.
Hebert is one of LSU’s smallest linemen at 280 lbs but plays with an attitude and more than holds his own.
Center
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LSU’s deepest position on the offensive line is at center with returning starter P.J. Lonergan and his backup T-Bob Hebert who started 11 games at center for the Tigers as a sophomore in 2009.
Hebert will be the starting right guard but could make the switch if necessary.
Behind Lonergan and Hebert are sophomore Ben Domingue and redshirt freshman Cameron Fordham.
P.J. Lonergan
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Junior P.J. Lonergan returns as the starting center in 2011.
Lonergan started all 12 games for the Tigers in 2010 and recorded 64 knockdowns as he blocked on every as if his life depended on it.
As solid as they come at the center position, Lonergan is consistently explosive with his run blocks.
T-Bob Hebert
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Hebert is a versatile offensive lineman who will be the starter at right guard as well as the backup center behind P.J. Lonergan.
Hebert started 11 games at center his sophomore season but moved to guard in his junior campaign where he started seven games.
Hebert is one of LSU’s smallest linemen at 280 lbs but plays with an attitude and more than holds his own.
Tight End
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LSU has a deep depth chart of tight ends with a variety of skill sets.
Senior Deangelo Peterson will lead the Tiger tight ends in 2011 as the best past catching tight end but is not the strongest blocker.
At 6’5” 265-lbs, Senior Mitch Joseph is the best blocking tight end for the Tigers.
Joseph has more “knockdown” blocks in his Tiger career than he does receptions.
LSU also has a redshirt freshman tight end with the genes for the position in Travis Dickson, whose brother Richard holds school records for receptions, yards and touchdowns at the tight end position.
Deangelo Peterson
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Senior Deangelo Peterson will be looking to finish his career with a bang after a disappointing junior campaign in which he missed three games due to an ankle injury.
Peterson is the Tigers’ best receiving option from the tight end position with the speed and agility of a wide receiver and the size to create mismatches.
Peterson should have a career season under the new passing game of Steve Kragthorpe.
Mitch Joseph
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Joseph is no threat in the passing game, but as a blocker he ranks amongst the best.
Joseph is a powerful blocker that plays with an attitude and finishes every block.
A big reason for the Tigers’ strong running game, Joseph blocks with authority and delivers pancake blocks often.
Although Joseph will rarely get recognized for his performance, his presence on the goalline and in the two-tight end formation is priceless.
Wide Receiver
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The Tigers are pretty set at the top of the depth chart at wide receiver with Rueben Randle and Russell Shepard returning.
Behind the top two is a slew of contenders for the No. 3 spot with Jarrett Fobbs, Kadron Boone and Chris Tolliver leading the way.
The Tigers will also have highly touted recruits Odel Beckham, Jr. and Jarvis Landry joining the team this summer.
Rueben Randle
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Rueben Randle is the Tigers’ go-to guy in the passing game but has flown relatively under the radar in the past due to the complete lack of productivity from the quarterbacks.
New offensive coordinator Steve Kragthorpe is coming to LSU with one mission and that is to fix the passing game to move the ball down the field.
With improved quarterback play, Randle has the potential to be one of the nation’s top wide receivers.
Russell Shepard
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2010 was a fairly disappointing year for Tiger fans waiting to see Shepard explode onto the national radar.
After a brilliant start to the season, Shepard’s spark fizzled.
Steve Kragthorpe made it pretty clear this spring that Shepard will get his touches in 2011.
A player with his playmaking ability needs to get the ball early and often and that is exactly what happened when the LSU offense took the field in the spring game.
With an improved passing game, Shepard should get more opportunities to shine in 2011.
No cornerback in the SEC has the speed to stay with Shepard so he should have open looks on a fairly regular basis.
The question just becomes whether or not the LSU quarterback (whoever that may be) can get him the ball.
Running Back
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LSU has historically had a stable of running backs going into each and every season and 2011 will be no different.
The Tigers return several running backs including Spencer Ware, Michael Ford, Alfred Blue and Jakhari Gore.
Ware, Ford and Blue are more prototypical running backs while Gore is a smaller, speedier back that will be used as a change-of-pace back.
The Tigers will also get a phenomenal incoming freshman in Kenny Hilliard, nephew of former Tiger and New Orleans Saints superstar Dalton Hilliard.
Spencer Ware
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After the spring game, there is no doubt as far as who will start at running back for the Tigers
Spencer Ware dominated the spring game, scoring two touchdowns and showing great versatility in both the running and passing game.
Ware ran like a seasoned veteran, displaying great patience and vision.
Ware also ran great routes in the passing game, getting behind the defense on a play that would have been a touchdown had it not been for an under-thrown pass from Jordan Jefferson.
Michael Ford
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Due to academic reasons, Tiger running back Michael Ford was forced to miss the annual spring game.
If he can maintain his academic eligibility, Ford can push Ware as the starter but until then Ware has a firm grip on the starting role.
If Ford is not in the picture, it would leave the door open for Alfred Blue and incoming freshman Kenny Hilliard.
Quarterback
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The Tigers were very close to horrific at the quarterback position in 2010 so the focus in the offseason was finding a way to get more production.
The Tigers return two seniors in Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee and bring in some fresh blood with junior college transfer Zach Mettenberger.
While Lee has not officially played his way out of the quarterback completion, the two main contenders for the starting role will be Jefferson and Mettenberger.
Jordan Jefferson
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Jordan Jefferson had an amazing spring and all but locked down the starting position for 2011.
Then came the spring game in which he started hot and then seemed to revert back to his old ways.
Throughout his time in Baton Rouge, Jefferson has shown Tiger fans glimpses of brilliance, getting us excited and setting us up to be let down when he reverts back to his lack-luster performances.
Will 2011 be the year that he puts it all together?
It’s his last chance and this season he’s got a legitimate starting quarterback nipping at his heels in Zach Mettenberger.
Zach Mettenberger
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Mettenberger will go into the season, or at least the summer, as the No. 2 quarterback on LSU’s roster.
After a great performance in the spring game, he has definitely secured a spot ahead of Jarrett Lee, but he’ll have to really prove himself this summer to surpass Jordan Jefferson.
Jefferson had a great spring and will have to have a pretty shaky summer or a bad performance in one of LSU’s early season games to lose his starting role.
Mettenberger has the talent to start for the Tigers and if nothing else, LSU fans should be excited about our quarterback situation for the next few seasons.
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