LSU Football: Top 10 Performances of the 2011 Season

The LSU Tigers had a lot of memorable moments in 2011, but these were the individual performances that stole the spotlight.

In a year filled with heart-pounding runs by Kenny Hilliard, Michael Ford and Spencer Ware, Jarrett Lee showing off his arm, Brad Wing pinning offenses inside the 10-yard line and a secondary that made play after play after play, there’s been plenty of performances to choose from.

These were the best of the best in the most memorable season the Tigers ever had.

Honorable Mention

Spencer Ware vs. Florida

Before his suspension against the Auburn Tigers, Spencer Ware was the feature back of the offense, and he lowered the boom on multiple defenders throughout the season.

Ware turned some heads for his game against the Florida Gators, as he rushed for 109 yards and two touchdowns en route to another blowout victory.

Brad Wing vs. Georgia

The fact that Brad Wing wasn’t even nominated for best punter of the year is a load of croc, and the "Crocodile Puntee’s" numbers prove it.

The game he had against Georgia is one of the finest special teams performances of the season, as he averaged 50.4 yards on eight punts, with his long being 67.

Wing proved that with a dominant defense and spectacular special teams, you can not get a first down in the first half and still blow out your opponent.

10. Michael Ford vs. Oregon

This magical season all started in Cowboy Stadium, and that’s when I knew this season would be memorable.

Les Miles and his staff were playing the players that Tiger fans wanted to see all season long last year, and they certainly didn’t disappoint.

One of those players was Michael Ford. I griped about the limited carries Ford received as a freshman, but he got the rock often against the Oregon Ducks.

Ford got 14 carries and had 96 yards to show for it with two touchdowns. Ford proved to be the lightning to go along with Spencer Ware’s thunder.

9. Sam Montgomery vs. Alabama

Although the secondary hogged most of the spotlight all season, Sam Montgomery and the defensive line got their fair share of glory as well.

In the “Game of the Century,” Montgomery posted six tackles and two sacks, with the last sack putting Alabama out of field goal range in overtime.

As you know, the Crimson Tide missed the field goal, and that set up the Tigers 9-6 victory.

8. Mo Claiborne vs. Mississippi State

I knew I would have a Mo Claiborne game on this list, and I had a lot of great performances to choose from.

I decided to go with his performance against the Mississippi State Bulldogs, where he showed off his athleticism and recorded two interceptions. Just watch this beautiful interception again.

7. Ron Brooks vs. Ole Miss

In a season that was dominated by Tyrann Mathieu, Mo Claiborne, Eric Reid, Tharold Simon and Brandon Taylor in the secondary, Ron Brooks managed to have one of the best individual performances of the year against Ole Miss.

In the game, Brooks returned an interception for a touchdown, forced a fumble on a sack and recovered the fumble.

He received SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors for his stellar performance.

6. Kenny Hilliard in SEC Championship Game

The mack truck was at it again.

The thing I’m most excited about seeing in the LSU/Alabama rematch is seeing those great Alabama linebackers trying to tackle Kenny Hilliard, because Hilliard proved once again that he’s a handful for any defense.

Hilliard rumbled, tumbled and stumbled his way into the end zone three times in the SEC Championship Game and recorded 72 yards on the ground.

Going against the second best defense the Tigers faced all season long, this was the best rushing performance of the season.

5. Rueben Randle vs. Auburn

I’ve been waiting for this guy to breakout since the first day he stepped on campus, and he did just that this season.

Reuben Randle saved his best game for the Auburn Tigers, where he caught five passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns.

4. Tyrann Mathieu vs. Georgia

The Georgia Bulldogs were up 10-0 on the LSU Tigers until Tyrann Mathieu made an impact on the game.

Mathieu gave the Tigers a surge with a 62-yard punt return, and there was no looking back. He had a fumble recovery in the game as well and had another brilliant punt return to put the Tigers in position to score.

He had a season filled with these kind of highlights, and for that, I present you a highlight video recapping all of Mathieu’s jaw-dropping plays this season.

3. Jarrett Lee vs. West Virginia

Jarrett Lee’s performance against the West Virginia Mountaineers was a memorable one to say the least.

Lee completed 16 of his 28 passes for 180 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions.

In a game that the Tigers would need to score a lot of points, Lee turned in his best performance of the year.

2. Tyrann Mathieu vs. West Virginia

This was the game that put “The Honey Badger” on the map.

It was a prime-time game on ABC against the West Virginia Mountaineers, and Tyrann Mathieu went H.A.M.

Mathieu forced a fumble and had an incredible interception en route to another Tiger victory. He received the Walter Camp Defensive Player of the Week Award for his performance.

1. Tyrann Mathieu vs. Arkansas

Tyrann Mathieu added the spark to the Tigers in the victory against Georgia, but he took the air out of the Arkansas Razorbacks’ sails on Nov. 25.

With the Razorbacks up 14-7, Mathieu returned a punt 92 yards to the house, and kept them there with two forced fumbles to follow.

It was vintage Honey Badger, and those were the kind of plays that made Mathieu well-known for his ball-hawking instincts.