LSU 2010

LSU (2009 Statistics)

• Les Miles is in his 6^th year as Head Coach.  Some have questioned his tenure at LSU despite his coaching them to a title in 2007, turning down a head coaching position at his alma mater, Michigan, and having a respectable 17-9 record in the last two years.
• The defense has been decent, but when LSU won the National Championship in 2003 they had the #1 defense in the nation and when they won it in 2007 they had the #3 defense in the nation.  Since then their defense has given up more yards per game than their offense has been able to put up.
• And looking at the statistics, you have to wonder if this team was ever on offense in 2009.  They hardly ran the ball and although he missed two games, Quarterback Jordan Jefferson had just 2166 yards passing.  LSU averaged 305 yards per game (123 ypg rushing and 182 ypg passing and 24.8 ppg), which was 112^th in the nation and last in the SEC.  These were the worst offensive statistics put up by the Tigers under Les Miles.
• This year there should be some improvement from Jefferson who is in his second year as a starter. While he did have a 61.5% completion percentage (I like anything over 60 and am frustrated with anything less), his 17 TD to 7 INT ratio shows that his accuracy is something to continue to question. He is 6’5 so I would think his height would help him see the field better so as to avoid throwing the ball to the wrong team.  Look for WR Russell Shepard, who played quarterback last year, to be used in the wildcat formation the same way he was in 2009.
• This year they lose several starters on both offense and defense, including the top two rushers, the top receiver, the top Offensive Linemen and four of the top five tacklers from 2009.
• LSU plays a lot of close games and could have just as easily been 11-2 or 7-6 last year. To succeed in 2010 LSU will need to a) continue to win the close games, b) find a way to move the ball offensively either by rushing or passing the ball (anything will help—they just need to do something!) and c) get their defense back in shape to where it was just a few seasons ago.