LSU Tigers: The State of the Program

"The sky is falling!!!"

This quote from Chicken Little sums up many of the comments regarding LSU football that I have heard this season from many fans and observers.

I have sat back and listened to many who say that Les Miles should be fired.  Frustrated fans have pointed out that many of Miles' gambles this season have not panned out the way they did last season.  Many outsiders believe that Miles' success at LSU was just a byproduct of Nick Saban's success that preceded him (I mostly disagree with that statement, but the argument will be saved for another article).

As an LSU alum and lifelong Tiger fan, I want to give my perspective on the present and future state of LSU football.

The 2008 season was doomed before it even began.  Let me give you four examples of how.

1. Quarterback

Much of the recent success (since 2000) for LSU football can be traced to the quarterback position.  From Rohan Davey's heroics in the Peach Bowl to Matt Mauck's leadership that stunned No. 2 Tennessee in the SEC title game and then led LSU to a championship the following season.

Next was JaMarcus Russell's cannon arm that was succeeded by Matt Flynn's determination to fight injuries throughout another championship season.

Long story short, LSU has ridden a lineage of strong quarterbacks to unprecedented success in recent seasons.

This year's heir to the throne was overthrown before his reign could begin. 

Ryan Perrilloux was supposed to carry for two seasons the torch that his ancestors bore before him.  King Perrilloux was supposed to be the greatest of them all.  The expectations for Perrilloux were so great that his heir, Prince Jefferson, was not to be needed until 2010.

Oops.

If you look at other successful programs (USC, Oklahoma, Texas), they always have a backup quarterback ready to take over at a moment's notice.

In three of the past eight seasons, you could say that LSU regressed, whether it has been gradually from the beginning of the season to the end of the season (2002), or drastically for a whole season following a national title (2004, 2008).

In each of those three seasons, LSU was forced to turn to an untalented backup. 

Twice, Marcus Randall, a good runner but mediocre passer, was thrust into action in 2002.  He replaced an injured Mauck, and LSU finished the season losing four of its last seven games, including a beating in the Cotton Bowl.

In 2004,  Mauck graduated and LSU was stuck with Randall and a talented but young JaMarcus Russell.  Another disappointing season ended in another bowl loss.

Now in 2008, LSU found itself with a couple of mediocre passers and a talented but young prospect.

Sound familiar?

2. Bo Pelini

Bo Pelini and a healthy, veteran defense were no match for anyone.  Ask Ohio State.

Who'd have bet before the season that Bo Pelini would take a rebuilding Nebraska team and finish the regular season with a better record than his old team?

Pelini's defenses were consistently ranked in the top 10 nationally in rushing defense, forced turnovers, and points allowed.

While it seems that the co-coordinator experiment has failed, all of the blame should not rest on the coaches' shoulders.

Starting with the front four, the absence of Glenn Dorsey may show just how great of a player he was at LSU.  He made everyone around him better.

Before this season, some publications projected Tyson Jackson and Ricky Jean-Francois to be first round picks in the 2009 draft.  They won't be first day picks now.

The secondary, with only one senior, is as young and inexperienced as it has been in a long time.  As talented as players like Chad Jones and Patrick Peterson are, fans must remember that many NFL draft picks did not play like it until their junior and senior seasons.

The members of the secondary are either freshmen or had to wait their turn behind Craig Steltz, Chevis Jackson, and Jonathan Zenon.

This current group will be much improved next season.

3. Schedule

Those of us who follow LSU football closely know that our even-year SEC schedule has been brutal in recent years.  This year was no exception, with Auburn, Florida, Arkansas, and South Carolina on the road.

With the lack of quality quarterbacks in the SEC, teams such as Ole Miss and Alabama could sneak up and bite perennial contenders (though, by the time Alabama ripped up Georgia in the first half, there was no more sneaking up). 

As the West improves, LSU seems to have only one SEC "gimme" next season—a road game at Mississippi State. 

Say what you want about Ole Miss beating us once every seven years and playing in a rinky-dink stadium (hey, rebels, I've been there and it's time to ask favorite sons Archie and Eli to pony up for a makeover), but they beat us pretty soundly in Tiger Stadium with a quarterback who doesn't have "Manning" on the back of his jersey. 

That quarterback is only a sophomore this season and leads a team that, as a whole, is young. 

And the final reason this season was doomed before it got started...

4. Bulls-eye

Coaches always tell their players to play every game and every down as hard as they can.  Give 110 percent.  That's their motto.

That's especially true when you play the defending national champs.  

The glare from another crystal ball placed an indelible mark on this year's squad.  That mark was a big ol' target. 

Everyone wants to knock off the champ.  Some teams may view a game against a champion as their Super Bowl.  Others use their game against the Tigers as a measuring stick for their own program's progress. 

The hunter became the hunted. 

2009 Outlook

I truly believe that 2009 will be a bounce back year for the tigers.  Jordan Jefferson gained invaluable game experience this season that he couldn't have simulated in practice.  Jefferson should enter 2009 as the unquestioned leader of the offense.

Because of the success of 2007, I think many young players thought they could just show up in 2008 and win games.  Hopefully, they will take the lessons learned in 2008 and apply them to every game in 2009.  Don't take a win for granted.

LSU will return a slew of very talented skill players on the offensive side.  Brandon LaFell and Terrance Tolliver will head up the receiving corps.  Both will have at least two years of significant playing time under their belts.

Running backs Charles Scott and Keiland Williams are both back for 2009.  Both will be seniors. 

Defensively, while I already mentioned the foreseen improvement in the secondary, I did not mention one player: defensive end Rahim Alem.  Look for Alem to have an All-SEC season as a senior.

If all goes as I think it will, LSU will at least contend for the SEC title again, which means it won't be embarrassed repeatedly on national television.