The purpose of this thread is to give a comprehensive view of LSU going into this season.
I will include write-ups from local personalities as well as give my personal thoughts about certain things.
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=3 width="90%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=schedule-dates><TD align=middle bgColor=#660099 colSpan=2 height=30>2008 LSU Football Schedule </TD></TR><TR class=schedule-dates><TD colSpan=2 height=10>
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=schedule-dates width="25%" height=16>Aug 30 </TD><TD class=schedule-dates width="75%" height=16>Appalachian State </TD></TR><TR><TD class=schedule-dates width="25%" height=16>Sept 06 </TD><TD class=schedule-dates width="75%" height=16>Troy</TD></TR><TR><TD class=schedule-dates width="25%" height=16>Sept 13 </TD><TD class=schedule-dates width="75%">North Texas </TD></TR><TR><TD class=schedule-dates width="25%" height=16>Sept 20 </TD><TD class=schedule-dates width="75%" height=16>at Auburn </TD></TR><TR><TD class=schedule-dates width="25%" height=16>Sept 27 </TD><TD class=schedule-dates width="75%" height=16>Mississippi State </TD></TR><TR><TD class=schedule-dates width="25%" height=16>Oct 11 </TD><TD class=schedule-dates width="75%" height=16>at Florida</TD></TR><TR><TD class=schedule-dates width="25%" height=16>Oct 18 </TD><TD class=schedule-dates width="75%" height=16>at South Carolina </TD></TR><TR><TD class=schedule-dates width="25%" height=16>Oct 25 </TD><TD class=schedule-dates width="75%" height=16>Georgia</TD></TR><TR><TD class=schedule-dates width="25%" height=16>Nov 01</TD><TD class=schedule-dates width="75%" height=16>Tulane</TD></TR><TR><TD class=schedule-dates width="25%" height=16>Nov 08 </TD><TD class=schedule-dates width="75%" height=16>Alabama</TD></TR><TR><TD class=schedule-dates height=16>Nov 22 </TD><TD class=schedule-dates width="75%" height=16>Ole Miss</TD></TR><TR><TD class=schedule-dates height=16>Nov 29 </TD><TD class=schedule-dates width="75%">at Arkansas</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
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Depth Chart:
Offense
QB
No. 12 Jarrett Lee, 6'3", 210, RSFR
No. 14 Andrew Hatch, 6'3", 205, JR
No. 17 T.C. McCartney, 6’3”, 2002, RSFR
No. 9 Jordan Jefferson, 6'4", 210, FR
RB
No. 32 Charles Scott, 5'11", 223, JR
No. 26 Richard Murphy, 6'1", 198, SO
No. 5 Keiland Williams, 5'11", 223, JR
No. 8 Trindon Holliday, 5'5", 159, JR
FB
No. 45 Quinn Johnson, 6'2", 225, SR
No. 34 Stevan Ridley 6’0”, 215, RSFR
TE
No. 82 Richard Dickson, 6'3", 245, JR
No. 83 Mitch Joseph, 6'5", 245, RSFR
No. 46 Tyler Edwards, 6’3”, 240, FR
No. 82 Matt Branch, 6'7", 240, FR
No. 85 Alex Russian, 6'5", 230, RSFR
C
No. 74 Brett Helms, 6'4", 300, SR
No. 53 T-Bob Hebert, 6'3", 260, RSFR
RG
No. 62 Lyle Hitt, DT, 6'2", 284, JR
No. 77 Earnest McCoy, 6'5", 335, RSFR
No. 60 Will Blackwell, 6'4", 295, RSFR
No. 75 Greg Shaw, 6’5”, 285, FR
No. 64 P. J. Lonergan, 6'4", 290, FR
LG
No. 79 Herman Johnson, 6'7", 335, SR
No. 51 Clay Spencer, 6'6", 285, FR
No. 72 Alex Hurst, 6'5", 290, FR
LT
No. 70 Ciron Black, 6'5", 315, JR
No. 63 Ryan Miller, 6'6", 318, SR
No. 62 Robert Smith, 6'2", 263, JR
No. 73 Thomas Parsons, 6’5”, 272, FR
RT
No. 96 Joseph Barksdale, 6’6”, 315, SO
No. 76 Jarvis Jones, 6'6", 265, SO
No. 68 Josh Dworaczyk, 6'6", 270, RSFR
R
No. 2 Demetrius Byrd, 6'2, 195, SR
No. 80 Terrance Tolliver, 6'5", 180, SO
No. 10 Ricky Dixon, 6’2”, 216, SO
No. 87 Jared Mitchell, 6'0", 192, JR
No. 19 Deangelo Peterson, 6’3 190, FR
SE
No. 1 Brandon Lafell, 6'3", 180, JR
No. 86 Chris Mitchell, 6'0", 176, JR
No. 08 Trindon Holliday, 5'5", 159, JR
No. 28 R.J. Jackson, 6'2", 208, Jr
No. 21 Chris Tolliver, 6’1”, 190, FR
Defense
RE
No. 93 Tyson Jackson, 6'5", 292, SR
No. 84 Rahim Alem, 6'3", 252, JR
No. 95 Pep Levingston, 6’4”, 258, SO
No. 88 Chase Clement, 6’6”, 245, FR
No. 98 Slidell Corley, 6'4", 275, FR
No. 89 Lavar Edwards, 6’4”, 280, FR
LE
No. 49 Kirston Pittman, 6'4", 260, JR
No. 90 Ricky Jean Francois, 6'3", 281, JR
No. 47 Tremaine, Johnson , 6'2", 273, SR
No. 81 Chancey Aghayere, 6’4”, 243, FR
LT
No. 91 Charles Alexander, 6'3", 294, JR
No. 97 Al Woods, 6'5", 325, JR
No. 96 Kentravis Aubrey, 6'3", 285, RSFR
RT
No. 99 Marlon Favorite, 6'1", 300, SR
No. 92 Drake Nevis, 6'1", 285, SO
No. 71 Cordian Hagans, 6’5”, 290, FR
Buck (OLB)
No. 56 Perry Riley 6'1", 225, SO
Kellen Theriot 6'1", 228, FR
No. 22 Ryan Baker, 6’0”, 210, FR
Mike (MLB)
No. 48 Darry Beckwith, 6'1", 225, SR
No. 54 Jacob Cutrera, 6'4", 225, JR
Will (OLB)
No. 11 Kelvin Sheppard, 6'3", 228, JR
No. 52 Ace Foyil, 6'3", 229, JR
LCB
No. 04 Jai Eugene, 6'0", 175, SO
No. 29 Chris Hawkins, 6'1", 181, JR
No. 35 Ryan ST Julien, 6’1”, 170, FR
No. 36 Derrick Bryant, 6’0”, 185, FR
No. 15 Brandon Taylor, 6’0”, 178, FR
RCB
No. 25 Phelon Jones, 5'11", 195, RSFR
No. 13 Ron Brooks , 5'10", 180, RSFR
No. 16 Jhyryn Taylor, 6’1”, 180, FR
No. 37 Karnall Hatcher, 6’2”, 190, FR
SS
No. 03 Chad Jones, 6'3", 222, SO
No. 44 Danny McCray, 6'1", 205, JR
No. 23 Steffon Francois, 6'1", 207, RSFR
FS
No. 27 Curtis Taylor, 6'4", 195, SR.
No. 24 Harry Coleman, 6'2", JR
No. 29 Chris Hawkins, 6'1", 180, Jr
Special Teams
PR
No. 31 John Williams, 5'11", 175, FR
No. 9 Chad Jones, 6'3", 222, SO
No. 8 Trindon Holliday, 5'5", 159, JR
KRE
No. 8 Trindon Holliday, 5'5", 159, JR
No. 31 John Williams, 5'11", 175, FR
Kicker
No. 6 Colt David, 5'9", 175
No. 3 Drew Alleman, FR, 5'10", 170
No. 30 Josh Jasper, 5'11", 165, SO
No. 39 Andrew Crutchfield, 5'11", 190, SO
Punter
No. 38 Brad Dalfrey, 6'0", 195, RSFR
No. 3 Drew Alleman, R, 5’10”, 170
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Don's Take, position-by-position:
Offense
I really like the makeup of the 2008 LSU football team - my only concerns are experience and depth at the quarterback position and depth at the linebacker position.
QB
I am a huge Jarrett Lee fan and I believe he is going to be a big-time quarterback for Les Miles' fighting Tigers. As a matter of fact, I believe that Lee is going to be a better quarterback than last season starter Matt Flynn. There are also a lot of knowledgeable LSU football fans who believe that Andrew Hatch will be LSU's starting quarterback based on his outstanding performance in the Spring game. I was also impressed with Hatch, but I believe he has a way to go before beating out Jarrett Lee for the starting position. I believe that incoming freshman Jordan Jefferson is going to make LSU a great quarterback but will need a redshirt year and a year on the sideline holding the clipboard.
WR
The wide receiver position is perhaps the most important position on the team with the type of offense Gary Crowton has installed at LSU. LSU returns Brandon LaFell, Demetrius Byrd, Terrance Tolliver, Jared Mitchell, Trindon Holiday, Ricky Dixon, and Chris Mitchell from the 2007 team. The only major loss from 2007 was Early Doucet who was injured much of the season. In my opinion, Brandon LaFell and Demetrius Byrd are two of the best returning wide receivers in the SEC and I believe that Terrance Tolliver has the potential to be just as good. LSU runs into major depth problems behind the big three. The two Mitchells and Ricky Dixon have done very little to indicate that they are big-time SEC receivers and Holliday is more of a slot back than a wide receiver. LSU is still waiting on DeAngelo Benton to become eligible and if he becomes eligible that will make life a lot easier for Gary Crowton and Les Miles. According to my sources, Benton is working hard to become eligible but time is running out in a hurry.
OL
LSU returns four starters that include three-year starter Brett Helms at center, Herman Johnson at left guard and Ciron Black at left tackle. Two-year starter Lyle Hitt will start at right guard and first-year starter Joseph Barksdale will start at right tackle. I believe that Black and Johnson will be first round draft picks in the next NFL draft. In my opinion, the 2008 starting offensive line might be the best LSU has had in the last 10-12 years. The 2008 offensive line will also be very deep with the second team offensive line led by senior center Ryan Miller who can also play offensive tackle and guard. Miller is a 6'6", 300 senior from Barbe high school in Lake Charles. Redshirt freshmen Josh Dworaczyk, Ernest McCoy, Jarvis Jones and T-Bob Hebert will make up the second team offensive line unless someone steps forward in Fall practice and earns a spot on the second team line, and that someone could very well be Will Blackwell who was moved from defensive end to guard during Spring practice. LSU lost a few offensive linemen for different reasons after the 2007 season. These include Mark Snyder who had a career-ending injury, Max Holmes and Matt Allen who transferred to a Texas school, but the good news is that Les Miles signed five super offensive linemen in the last recruiting class and all five are currently at LSU working out with the team. The five incoming offensive linemen are P.J. Lonergan (6'4", 290) from Rummel of New Orleans, Clay Spencer (6'6", 290) from Parkview Baptist of Baton Rouge, Greg Shaw (6'6", 290) from Miami, Florida. Alex Hurst (6'6", 315) from Arlington high school in Memphis Tennessee and Thomas Parson (6'7", 275) from Spring Branch, Texas. I am hoping that all five of the highly recruited incoming offensive linemen receive red shirt years and there is a good chance that will happen. I would say that the future looks great in the offensive line for the Tigers.
TE
Today I am going to write about tight ends and fullbacks. In my opinion, the two positions are the two weakest on the team's offense. Starting tight end Richard Dickson returns and will be a preseason All-SEC pick and might be a preseason All-American. Dickson is more of a receiving type tight end than a blocker, and with LSU's powerful running game LSU will need a couple of big-time blocking tight ends. Keith Zinger and Mit Cole were two of the best in the SEC but they are both gone. Redshirt freshman Mitch Joseph (6'5", 250) from Catholic of New Iberia had a great Spring and will likely see plenty of playing time in short yardage running situations. Caleb Angelle, a 6'4", 245 walk-on senior from Breaux Bridge also had a outstanding Spring and will most likely see some playing time. Alex Russian, a 6'4", 230 redshirt freshman from Round Rock, Texas is also in the mix. Coach Miles signed three big-time tight end prospects in the last signing class who are working out at LSU at this time. Chase Clements (6'6", 245) from E. D. White of Thibodaux is a big-time prospect and perhaps a future All-American at LSU but I am not sure if he will play offensive or defensive end. Tyler Edwards (6'3", 240) from Ouachita of Monroe is a great receiving tight end but has a ways to go as a blocker. Matt Branch (6'7", 248) from Sterlington might be the surprise of the three. Branch would also make a great offensive tackle but will likely remain at tight end because of the depth in the offensive line.
FB
As for the fullback position, Les Miles will have to replace Jacob Hester who played fullback about 30 percent of the time and Shawn Jordan who had a solid senior season. Quinn Johnson (6'2", 240) from West ST John High will be the starting fullback and will do a great job as a blocker and in short yardage running plays. Stevan Ridley, a 5'11", 218, redshirt freshman, will split time at fullback, running back and special teams. Chad Baniecki, a senior junior college transfer might see some playing time.
RB
Les Miles has three great running back prospects in Keiland Williams, Charles Scott and Richard Murphy, but will have to try to find someone to replace Jacob Hester. Hester, a blue-collar working running back, was the team's captain and leading rusher in 2007. I am not sure that Les Miles will be able to replace Hester as a team leader, but he should be able to replace him talent-wise. I look for Keiland Williams to have a great, great season in 2008 and earn post-season honors. Williams is a 5'11", 225 junior with 4.5 speed in the forty. Williams has the ability to break tackles at the line of scrimmage and turn what would normally be a five yard gain into a long gain or touchdown run. Williams is known as a down hill North and South runner, but has some problems when he runs east and west. Williams also has the tendency to fumble and fumbles are not accepted by Les Miles. Williams will most likely be on the kick return team and is dangerous as a kick returner. In my opinion, the key for Williams having a great 2008 season is to not get in Miles' dog house early in the season. Charles Scott had a great Spring and was running with the first unit in most of the Spring practices that I saw when the players were working on individual drills. Scott is a 5'11", 225 junior with 4.55 speed. Scott is more of an inside down hill runner with very strong legs and is very hard to tackle. He is a very durable back capable of running the ball 20 times or more per game, although I do not believe we will see any of the LSU running backs carry the football anymore than 10-15 times per game unless it happens in a few blow-out games. Scott will also play on special teams on kick offs and is a head hunter. Richard Murphy is expected to have his best season as a Tiger. Murphy is a 6'1", 185, sophomore with 4.4 speed and might be the best athlete on the team on the offensive side of the ball. Murphy had a great Spring and was the star in the Spring game. Murphy is an off-tackle runner, can run naked reverse-type plays and is a very good pass receiver out of the backfield. Murphy is fast becoming a favorite among LSU fans. If Murphy can stay in good health the entire 2008 season he could have a big year. Stevan Ridley, a 5'11", 212 redshirt freshman will also receive some playing time, especially in games when the outcome is decided early. I expect Ridley to see a lot of playing time in the fourth quarter of the 2008 season.
ST
Special teams is a very important part of all successful football programs. Joe Robinson will be coaching special teams in 2008 replacing Brad Peveto who will serve as co-defensive coordinator along with Doug Mallory. Robinson comes to LSU with great credentials and should do a great job because of the talent he has to work with. Special teams on kickoffs to begin games are made up mostly of linebackers, running backs or defensive players. I am not certain what 11 players will be on the field when LSU linesup to kick to Appalachian State to start the first half or second half. but am almost certain that Chad Jones, Harry Coleman, Charles Scott, Kelvin Sheppard, Curtis Taylor, R.J. Jackson, Ace Foyil, Chris Hawkins, Jai Eugene and Colt David will be on the field and I also believe that one of the following three, Patrick Johnson, Phelon Jones or Ron Brooks, will be on the field. Several of the above listed players will be on the kick return team that will most likely have Keiland Williams, Trindon Holliday and John Williams as the deep return men. Stevan Ridley and Quinn Johnson will likely be the two-up players around the 25-yard line to field or fair-catch sky kicks. LSU could have the best kick return team in the SEC in 2008. Joe Robinson will have several options as to who will be kicking-off in 2008. Josh Jasper and Andrew Crutchfield started the 2007 season alternating on kickoffs and that did not work very well. Sean Gaudet did most of the kickoff duties the second half of the season. Colt David remains the leading candidate to kick off, but he also kicks FGs and PATs, and doing kickoffs might be asking a little to much. True freshman Drew Alleman might win the job in the Fall and is LSU's FG/PAT kicker for the future. Andrew Hatch or Jared Lee will be the holder. As for who will handle punting duties, Colt David, Brad Dalfrey, Drew Alleman or Andrew Crutchfield are the leading candidates. Colt David was very impressive in the Spring game as was Alleman. Crutchfield does not kick with a lot of distance but has great hang time on his punts. I believe that John Williams will enter Fall practice number one followed by Chad Jones.
Defense
Les Miles will have to find replacements for All-Americans Glenn Dorsey and Craig Steltz plus Chevis Jackson, Ali Highsmith, Jonathan Zenon and defensive coordinator Bo Pelini. It will not be easy replacing Dorsey, Steltz and Pelini, but I do believe the defense will be stronger than in 2007. Brad Peveto and Doug Mallory will take over the defensive coordinator duties and I do not believe we will see any drop off.
DL
Kirston Pittman (6'4", 255, SR) from East ST John high school and Tyson Jackson (6'4", 292, SR) from West ST John high school, both two year starters and three-year lettermen, will start at the two defensive end positions. Pittman was granted an extra year from the NCAA because of missing two seasons with a foot injury. Jackson, who was rumored last season as leaning toward entering the NFL draft, surprised Tiger fans by returning to LSU for his senior season. I believe that Jackson and Pittman are capable of receiving post season honors in 2008 and will improve their NFL draft status. In my opinion, Jackson underachieved in 2007 and will have a great senior season. LSU will have great depth at defensive end in Al Woods (6'4", 315, JR), Pep Levingston (6'4", 258, SO), Rahim Alem (6'3", 255, JR), Tremaine Johnson (6'2", 278, SR) and Sidell Corley (6'4", 270, redshirt freshman). Levingston had a great Spring, is very strong and spends a lot of time in the weight room. Alem, who is Chad Jones' older brother by one year, showed signs in 2007 of being a solid player as did Tremaine Johnson who is a little undersize but makes up for his size with his quickness. Corley, who came to LSU highly recruited out of Mobile, Alabama, will also see some playing time. Coach Miles signed four great defensive linemen in the 2008 signing class. Chase Clement (6'6", 245) from E. D. White, Chancey Aghayere (6'4", 245) from Garland, Texas, Cordian Hagans (6'5", 290) from Duluth, Ga. and Lavar Edwards (6'4", 275) from Desire Street Academy in Baton Rouge. Clement will probably play defensive end if he does not play tight end, Aghayere is very fast and will play defensive end. Hagans and Edwards will likely play defensive tackle. The starting defensive tackles will be Ricky Jean Francois (6'3", 281, JR) and Charles Alexander (6'3", 294, JR). Drake Nevis (6'1", 285, SO), Marion Favorite (6'1", 295, SR) and Kentravis Aubrey (6'3", 285, redshirt freshman) will add solid depth to the front four.
LB
It has been several years since LSU has had a rock solid group of linebackers due to injuries and a player or two not living up to expectations. I do believe that LSU has the potential to be much stronger at the linebacker position in the 2008 season, but still not rock solid strong. Linebacker coach Brad Peveto will have to find replacements for Ali Highsmith and Luke Sanders from the 2007 team. LSU runs the 4-3-4 defense. The three linebackers in the defensive scheme are called the Will, Mike and Buck. The Will linebacker is the weak side linebacker. He plays opposite the tight end. Kelvin Sheppard, Ace Foyil and true freshman Ryan Baker are the top three at this time. The Mike linebacker is in the middle. Darry Beckwith, Jacob Cutrera, Ace Foyil are the top three. Beckwith is listed on some of the post-season teams' watch lists and should have a great season if he stays free of injury. Beckwith's job is to not get caught out of position on draw plays and delayed hand-offs such as he did in the BCS national championship game against Ohio State. Beckwith is a very physical linebacker who can shed blocks from the opposing team's guards and fullbacks. Jacob Cutrera had shoulder surgery this spring and has been slowed down a little. Cutrera needs to have a full season, free from injury, to show what he can do. The Buck linebacker is the strong side backer who normally plays on the tight end side. This is normally the linebacker that comes out when LSU goes to a nickel package for pass coverage. Perry Riley, Shomari Clemmons and Kellen Theriot are the top three at this time. Theriot has recentley had minor shoulder surgery but he should be back at 100 percent for the start of Fall practice and is a player to keep an eye on.
DB
Les Miles will have to find replacements for two-year starters Chevis Jackson and Jonathan Zenon at cornerback and Craig Steltz at strong safety. The two leading candidates to fill Jackson and Zenon's shoes entering Spring practice were Jai Eugene (5'11", 184, SO) from Destrehan and Chris Hawkins (6'1", 184, JR) from Walker, Louisiana. Both players made tremendous progress during Spring practice and will enter Fall practice number one at left and right cornerback. Eugene and Hawkins both have 4.4 speed and good cover skills. In my opinion, Hawkins is better at one-on-one man-to-man coverage than Eugene, but Eugene might be a step faster. Hawkins and Eugene will be pushed to the limit during Fall workouts by redshirt freshman Ron Brooks (5'11", 180, 4.4) from Irving, Texas and incoming freshman Patrick Johnson (6'1", 183, 4.4) from Pompano Beach, Florida. Brooks was outstanding the last half of Spring practice and finished bubbling with confidence. Johnson was a Parade magazine high school All-American in 2007 and was considered the number three overall prospect in the nation. Johnson is turning heads in Summer workouts at LSU. It would not surprise me at all if Brooks and Johnson are listed as starters at the end of Fall practice. Redshirt freshman John Williams (5'10", 180) from Breaux Bridge, who will likely return punts in 2008, is also a strong candidate to receive playing time, as is redshirt freshman Phelon Jones (5'11", 195) from Mobile, Alabama. Jones came to LSU highly recruited and has a great future at LSU. Jones is also a possibility to play free safety. Incoming freshmen Ryan St. Julien (6'1", 175, 4.4) from Catholic of New Iberia, Karnall Hatcher (6'2", 185) from Delray Beach, Florida and Derrick Bryant (6'0", 183) from Peachtree Ridge, Georgia were very highly recruited in high school and will likely play cornerback, but that has not yet been determined. As for the nickel back position, I believe that Jai Eugene or Patrick Johnson will be the starter depending on which one of the two starts at cornerback. Chad Jones, Danny McCray and Stephon Francois will likely play strong safety based on what I saw during Spring practice and the Spring game. Curtis Taylor and Harry Coleman are the leading candidates. Taylor is a 6'3", 204, three-year letterman, Coleman is a 6'2", 205 junior from West ST Mary high school in Baldwin. Coleman was outstanding in LSU's win over Ohio State in the national championship. Les miles' defensive staff will have a lot of great players to work with when Fall practice starts, and in my opinion the biggest problem Miles is going to have is finding a way to keep everyone happy. I do believe that Miles will play a lot of players on defense, especially early in the season, and that should keep everyone happy. In my opinion, Chad Jones will need to be on the field at all times on defense in games that are competitive. As matter of fact, I have been hoping ever since Jones arrived at LSU that he would be moved to linebacker.
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Aug 30: Appalachian State @ LSU
The Tigers open the season at home against Appalachian State, the 1-AA champions for the last three years. Appalachian is a high-powered offensive team that averaged around 35 points per game in 2007 including 34 points against Michigan. There are many LSU fans who believe that LSU will blow away the Mountaineers and the game will be no contest. I believe the game is going to be a great one that the Tigers will have to come from behind in the second half to win. I believe LSU's huge offensive line will wear down the Mountaineers' smaller defensive front and LSU's speed will be more than the visiting team can handle. Play: LSU -15 WIN
Sept 13: North Texas @ LSU
North Texas is coached by Todd Dodge who will be in his second season at North Texas. The Mean Green went 2-10 in 2007. North Texas was one of the worse defensive teams in the nation in 2007 and lost most of their better players. Coach Les Miles should be able to play a lot of players in the game and have his starters well rested for Auburn the following Saturday at Auburn. Play: LSU -24 1H PUSH
Sept 20: LSU @ Auburn
LSU's fourth game on the 2008 schedule is against the Auburn Tigers. In my opinion, Auburn is the most bitter rival that LSU plays each season. At one time, the Ole Miss game was the biggest rivalry for the Tigers each year and Alabama might very well become LSU's biggest rival, but at this time I believe that Auburn is the team that LSU fans look forward to playing the most. LSU and Auburn have played some very memorial games including the 1988 7-6 LSU win. Tommy Hodson hit Eddie Fuller in the back of the end zone for the win in the loudest game I have ever attended (registered as an earthquake at LSU's Dept of Geology building across campus from the stadium). In 1969, LSU defeated Auburn 21-20 when Mike Hillman connected with Jimmy Gilbert for 62 yards and a touchdown on the first play of the game. LSU blocked a PAT in the fourth quarter and made a great goal line stance late in the game for the win. In 1970, Auburn was ranked No. 6 in the nation and lost to LSU 17-9 at Auburn. LSU won the SEC with a 5-0 record that year. In 1980, LSU defeated Auburn 21-17 on a late goal-line stance after Auburn had blocked a LSU punt. In 1995, Gerry DiNardo's first year at LSU, the Tigers defeated Auburn 12-6 on an interception by Troy Twillie in the corner of the end zone on the last play of the game. Auburn is coached by Tommy Tuberville who, in my opinion, is the most underrated coach in college football. Tuberville's all-time coaching record is 105-53 with a 50-24 record at Auburn. Auburn went 9-4 in 2007 and returns nine starters on offense and seven on defense. Tuberville will have a new offensive coordinator in Tony Franklin from Troy who is replacing Al Borges, and a new defensive coordinator in Paul Rhoads who will be replacing Will Muschamp, who is the new defensive coordinator at Texas. The biggest problem facing new offensive coordinator Tony Franklin will be finding a replacement for three-year starting quarterback Brandon Cox. Kodi Burns, who is a threat throwing the football and running, is the leading candidate for the job. Auburn is loaded at the running back position led by Ben Tate, Brad Lester and Mario Fannin. Auburns returns two of the best tight ends in the SEC in Troy Trott and Gabo McKenzie. Auburn has perhaps the most speed of any team in the SEC on defense led by linebacker Troy Blackmon and cornerback Aairon Savage. Auburn is not very big on defense, but plays hard-nosed physical defense and very seldom gives up big plays. The Auburn Tigers have not recruited as well as several SEC team in past few years, but they have recruited well enough to be competitive against all SEC teams. The game should be a great one, and if LSU does not commit any turnovers deep in its own territory and give Auburn a short field to work with, and if LSU can keep the number of penalties under control, I believe LSU will win. Play: UNDER 38.5 LOSS
Sept 27: Mississippi State @ LSU
MSU was one of the surprise teams in the nation and in the SEC in 2007 and things are looking up for their 2008 season. The Bulldogs are coached by Sylvester Croom who will be entering his fifth year as the head coach. Croom's record after four seasons is 17-30. MSU returns seven starters on offense including junior running back Anthony Dixon and seven on defense including FS Derek Peques. Dixon and Peques will be strong candidates to receive postseason honors. MSU went 8-5 in 2007 with wins over Auburn, Alabama, Kentucky, Ole Miss and a 10-3 win over UCF in the Liberty bowl. Wesley Carroll, a 6'1", 190 sophomore, will be the starting quarterback and if he has a good to average season MSU will be playing in a bowl game for the second year in a row. LSU and MSU have played each other 100 times which is the most games LSU has played against any team. The LSU-MSU series started in 1896 and LSU holds a 64-33-3 advantage. LSU has beaten MSU seven times in a row. In 2007, the Tigers defeated the Bulldogs 45-0 in a Thursday night game on ESPN. I do believe this season's game will be much closer. Play: LSU -10.5 2H LOSS
Oct 11: LSU @ Florida
The sixth game of the season will be against the Florida Gators at Florida. In my opinion, Florida is the second best team that LSU will play in 2008 behind Georgia, but it will be the hardest game on the schedule for the Tigers to win because it is a road game. Florida is coached by Urban Meyer who has posted a 31-8 record at Florida in four years and 70-16 in his career as a head coach. Florida was 9-4 overall with a 5-3 SEC record in 2007. The Gators return 18 starters, nine on offense, eight on defense and the starting punter. The Gators are led by Heisman winner quarterback Tim Tebow (6'3", 235) who rushed for 900 yards on 210 carries last year. Florida scored 39 touchdowns rushing in 2007 and Tebow scored 23 of them. The junior to be completed 234 of 350 passes for 3,286 yards and 36 touchdowns with only six interceptions and finished second in the nation in passing efficiency last season. Percy Harvin, who is perhaps the most dangerous player in the SEC with the football in his hand, rushed for 800 yards on 83 carries last season for a 9.2-yard average and six touchdowns. Harvin also had 59 receptions for 858 yards and four touchdowns. Senior running back Kestahn Moore rushed for 591 yards and six touchdowns returns for his senior season. The Gators return three outstanding wide receivers including Harvin, Louis Murphy, and tight end Cornelius Ingram who is very fast and a very good pass receiver. Murphy had 37 receptions for 550 yards and five touchdowns. Ingram had 34 receptions for 510 yards and seven touchdowns. Thompson is a redshirt freshman with blazing speed. If the Gators have a week spot it is in the defensive line. The Gators will have three new starters in the defensive line and three sophomores. Florida's strength on defense will be at the linebacker position with three starters returning. Brandon Spikes, who made All- SEC first team in 2007, will be the leader on defense. In my opinion, LSU is stronger than Florida at the running back position and in the offensive line, the defensive line and defensive backfield. I rate the wide receivers even and I give Florida the edge on special teams and a huge, huge advantage at quarterback. LSU defeated Florida 28-24 last season at Tiger Stadium and the Tigers roughed up Tebow several times. I never will forget Tebow walking off the field with his dad at the end of the game crying. I do not believe Tebow has forgotten the game and he will be fired-up to play.
Oct 18: LSU @ South Carolina
In 2007, South Carolina had a very disappointing season (6-6, 3-5). South Carolina won six of their first seven games with the only loss being to LSU. The Gamecocks' six wins came over ULL, Georgia, South Carolina State, Mississippi State, Kentucky, and North Carolina. The six games the Gamecocks lost were to LSU 28-16, Vanderbilt 17-6, Tennessee 27-24 in overtime, Arkansas 48-36, Florida 51-31 and Clemson 23-21. South Carolina is coached by Steve Spurrier who has a 21-16 record in three years at USC and a 163-56-2 career record. The Gamecocks return six starters on offense, nine on defense, plus their punter and kicker. Chris Smelley, who started six games in 2007 as a redshirt freshman, will likely be the Gamecocks' starting quarterback but will be pushed by junior quarterback Tommy Beecher who has a stronger arm than Smelling but is not as good of a runner. In 2007, Spurrier moved quarterbacks in and out of the lineup like a fire drill and many Gamecock fans feel like Spurrier will need to settle on a quarterback early in the 2008 season for the team to be successful. Spurrier will have a major job replacing running back Cory Boyd who rushed for over 900 yards in 2007. South Carolina returns one of the top wide receivers in the SEC in Kenny McKinley who led the SEC with 78 receptions in 2007. They also return two great receiving tight ends in Jared Cook and Wesley Saunders who combined for 45 catches and 582 yards. USC's offensive line has not been very good the last few years but should be much better in 2008 with three full-time starters and two part-time starters. South Carolina's defensive line will be very good with three returning starters and two part time starters. The strength of the team will be at linebacker and in the defensive backfield. The linebackers are led by the return of Jasper Brinkley (6'2", 275) and Eric Underwood (6'1", 270) and they can run. The Gamecocks returns all four starting defensive backs led by preseason All-SEC strong safety Emanuel Cook. South Carolina will be very hard to score on in 2008, and if they light up the scoreboard on offense they will have a great season. The Gamecocks have a very favorable home SEC schedule with home games against Georgia, LSU, Tennessee, Arkansas. The Gamecock's road SEC games will be at Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, Kentucky and Florida. Play: LSU -3 WIN
Oct 25: UGA @ LSU
The game will most likely be CBS's prime game of the day. In my opinion, Georgia is the best team on the 2008 schedule without any weak spots. Mark Richt is entering his eighth year as the head coach with a 72-18 record. In his first seven years at Georgia, Richt has averaged 10 wins per season and two and a half losess per season. Georgia went 11-2 in 2007 with wins over Oklahoma State, Western Carolina, Alabama (in overtime), Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Florida, Troy, Auburn, Kentucky, GA Tech and Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl. The Bulldogs only two losses were against teams that LSU defeated, South Carolina and Tennessee. Georgia returns 17 starters, seven on offense and nine of defense. Georgia's strength on offense is at quarterback, running back and wide receiver. Junior Matthew Stafford (6'3", 230) will be the starting quarterback and has a gun for a arm. In 2007, as a first year starter, Stafford completed 194 of 348 passes for 2,523 yards and 19 touchdowns. The "Dawgs" are very thin at quarterback depth and could be in trouble if Stafford goes down early with an injury. Joe Cox, the backup quarterback, only threw 15 passes in 2007 with five completions. Knowshon Moreno (5'11", 209, SO) is Georgia's starting running back and in my opinion is the best running back in the SEC. Moreno has great balance and runs downhill. In 2007, as a freshman, Moreno rushed for 1,396 yards on 248 rushing attempts for 14 touchdowns. Mohamed Massaquoi (6'2", 198, SR) is Georgia's leading returning wide receivers. As a junior, Massaquoi had 32 receptions for 490 yards and four touchdowns. Tripp Chandler (6'6", 265, SR) is the starting tight end and will be an early round draft pick. Chandler had 21 receptions for 283 yards and two touchdowns in 2007. Georgia will be very explosive on offense with super star players at all positions. On defense, Georgia returns nine starters including all four starters in its defensive backfield. Georgia returns all three starting linebackers and three starting defensive linemen. I give Georgia the edge at all positions on offense except for th offensive line. On defense, I give LSU a big advantage in the defensive line, but I give Georgia the advantage at the linebacker position and I call the defensive backfield even.
Nov 1: Tulane @ LSU
Tulane is coached by Bob Toledo in his second season at Tulane. The Green Wave posted a 4-8 record in 2007 and return five starters on offense, five on defense and 34 total lettermen. Tulane's four wins in 2007 came over South Eastern Louisiana (35-27), SMU (41-34 in overtime), UTEP (34-19) and Rice (45-31). The eight games Tulane lost were against Mississippi State (38-17), Houston (34-10), LSU (34-9), Army (20-17 in overtime), UAB (26-21), Memphis (28-27), Tulsa (49-25), and East Carolina (35-12). Tulane played perhaps their best game of the season in 2007 against LSU and led the entire first half until the final seconds when Colt David's field goal gave LSU a one-point halftime lead. LSU woke up at half time and dominated the second half of the game. Tulane is very well coached and will be much better in 2008 but is still several seasons away from having a winning season.
Nov 8: Alabama @ LSU
The return of Nick Saban to Tiger stadium has been on the minds of many Tiger fans since Saban became the head coach at Alabama. Tickets will be very hard to get for the game. Saban went 7-6 his first year as the Alabama head coach including a 30-24 win over Colorado in the Independence Bowl. Alabama's six regular season wins came against Western Carolina 52-6, Vanderbilt 24-10, Arkansas 41-38, Houston 30-24, Ole Miss 27-24 and Tennessee 41-17. Alabama lost to Georgia 26-23 in overtime, to Florida State 21-14, to LSU 41-34, to Mississippi State 17-12, to Auburn 17-10 and to Louisiana Monroe 21-14. Alabama's Nick Saban will welcome to Fall practice 44 lettermen including 10 starters on offense and six on defense. In my opinion, LSU returns the best offensive line in the SEC followed by Alabama. Left tackle Andre Smith is a preseason All-America candidate. Three-year starter John Parker Wilson will be the starting quarterback. Julio Jones, the top wide receiver prospect in the nation in 2007, will start at wide receiver for the Tide in place of All-SEC wide receiver D.J. Hall. If Jones can replace Hall without a drop off and John Parker Wilson becomes more consistent, Alabama will be very good on offense. On defense, Nick Saban has to replace five starters and several key backup players with players with little or no experience. Defensive end Wallace Gilberry, linebacker Darrin Mustain and cornerback Simeon Castille will be very hard to replace.
Plays: Bama -3 WIN ; Bama 1Q -0.5 LOSS
Nov 15: Troy @ LSU
The game will be played at Tiger Stadium with a 7 p.m. kickoff. Troy is a very good football team that went 8-4 in 2007 with wins over Oklahoma State (41-23), ULL (48-31), ULM (24-7), Florida International (34-16), North Texas (45-7), Arkansas State (27-0), Western Kentucky (21-17) and Middle Tennessee (45-7). The Trojans' four losses came against Florida Atlantic (32-28), Arkansas (46-26), Georgia (44-34) and Florida (59-31). I believe that Troy is a better team than LSU's first opponent of the season, Appalachian State, and if LSU is not ready to play it could be a disappointing night in Tiger Stadium. Troy is coached by Larry Blakeney who is one of the most underrated coaches in the nation. Blakeney has been the head coach at Troy for 17 years and has a 136-68-1 record. In my opinion, this is a very scary game for LSU because the Tigers could be overlooking the Trojans after defeating Appalachian the week before. This game reminds me a lots of the LSU- UAB game in 2002 that LSU lost 13-10. Troy returns 16 lettermen, seven on offense and defense and two on special teams. Troy is a veteran team with 37 junior or seniors in the two-deep depth chart. Troy will have to find replacements for quarterback Omar Haugabook, wide receiver Gary Banks and running back Kenny Cattouse on offense, and cornerbacks Elbert Mack and Leodis McKelvin on defense.
Nov 22: Ole Miss @ LSU
Ole Miss returns 17 starters, seven on offense and eight on defense, and has a new coach in Houston Nutt, who is one of the best in the nation. Ole Miss had a terrible year in 2007 with a 3-9 record including 0-8 in the SEC. The Rebels' only lost to Alabama and Mississippi State by three points and lost to Florida by six points. The Rebels' three wins came over Memphis 23-21, Louisiana Tech 24-0 and Northwestern State 38-31. The Rebels' nine defeats came against Missouri 38-25, Vanderbilt 31-17, Florida 30-24, Georgia 45-17, Alabama 27-24, Arkansas 44-8, Auburn 17-3, LSU 41-24 and Mississippi State 17-14. The Rebels will be led on offense by redshirt sophomore quarterback Jevan Sneed who transferred to Ole Miss from The University of Texas. Sneed has a very powerful arm and will have three outstanding wide receivers to throw to in Mike Wallace, Shay Hodge and Dexter McCluster. If The Rebels can find a replacement for running back Ben Jarvus-Green-Ellis, the Rebels will be very good on offense. The Rebels return two great defensive tackles in Peria Jerry and Greg Hardy. Hardy, in my opinion, is one of the best defensive linemen in the SEC. Ole Miss is very thin depth-wise at the linebacker position and in the defensive backfield. The Rebels will have to avoid injuries on both sides of the ball to have a winning season.
Play: Ole Piss +5.5
Nov 29: LSU @ Arkansas
Arkansas defeated LSU in triple overtime in 2008 and the loss almost denied LSU the right to play for the national championship. LSU bounced back after losing to the Hogs and defeated Tennessee in the SEC championship game and earned the right to play in the BCS national championship game thanks to Pitt upsetting West Virginia. Bobby Petrino will be taking over for Houston Nutt who is the new head coach at Ole Miss. Petrino turned Louisville into a national powerhouse with his wide open style of offense and will attempt to do the same thing at Arkansas. Petrino returns six offensive starters and six starters on defense. Petrino will not be able to replace All-American running back Darren McFadden and All-SEC all-purpose back Felix Jones, but he does have several great players returning and a very underrated quarterback in Casey Dick. Arkansas returns four starting offensive linemen including All-SEC candidate Jonathan Luig and tight end Andrew Davie. Arkansas also returns four starters in the defensive line but only returns one starting linebacker and only one starter in the defensive backfield. LSU has won the last two games at Arkansas and should defeat Arkansas again this season based on talent.
I will include write-ups from local personalities as well as give my personal thoughts about certain things.
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=3 width="90%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=schedule-dates><TD align=middle bgColor=#660099 colSpan=2 height=30>2008 LSU Football Schedule </TD></TR><TR class=schedule-dates><TD colSpan=2 height=10>
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=schedule-dates width="25%" height=16>Aug 30 </TD><TD class=schedule-dates width="75%" height=16>Appalachian State </TD></TR><TR><TD class=schedule-dates width="25%" height=16>Sept 06 </TD><TD class=schedule-dates width="75%" height=16>Troy</TD></TR><TR><TD class=schedule-dates width="25%" height=16>Sept 13 </TD><TD class=schedule-dates width="75%">North Texas </TD></TR><TR><TD class=schedule-dates width="25%" height=16>Sept 20 </TD><TD class=schedule-dates width="75%" height=16>at Auburn </TD></TR><TR><TD class=schedule-dates width="25%" height=16>Sept 27 </TD><TD class=schedule-dates width="75%" height=16>Mississippi State </TD></TR><TR><TD class=schedule-dates width="25%" height=16>Oct 11 </TD><TD class=schedule-dates width="75%" height=16>at Florida</TD></TR><TR><TD class=schedule-dates width="25%" height=16>Oct 18 </TD><TD class=schedule-dates width="75%" height=16>at South Carolina </TD></TR><TR><TD class=schedule-dates width="25%" height=16>Oct 25 </TD><TD class=schedule-dates width="75%" height=16>Georgia</TD></TR><TR><TD class=schedule-dates width="25%" height=16>Nov 01</TD><TD class=schedule-dates width="75%" height=16>Tulane</TD></TR><TR><TD class=schedule-dates width="25%" height=16>Nov 08 </TD><TD class=schedule-dates width="75%" height=16>Alabama</TD></TR><TR><TD class=schedule-dates height=16>Nov 22 </TD><TD class=schedule-dates width="75%" height=16>Ole Miss</TD></TR><TR><TD class=schedule-dates height=16>Nov 29 </TD><TD class=schedule-dates width="75%">at Arkansas</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
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Depth Chart:
Offense
QB
No. 12 Jarrett Lee, 6'3", 210, RSFR
No. 14 Andrew Hatch, 6'3", 205, JR
No. 17 T.C. McCartney, 6’3”, 2002, RSFR
No. 9 Jordan Jefferson, 6'4", 210, FR
RB
No. 32 Charles Scott, 5'11", 223, JR
No. 26 Richard Murphy, 6'1", 198, SO
No. 5 Keiland Williams, 5'11", 223, JR
No. 8 Trindon Holliday, 5'5", 159, JR
FB
No. 45 Quinn Johnson, 6'2", 225, SR
No. 34 Stevan Ridley 6’0”, 215, RSFR
TE
No. 82 Richard Dickson, 6'3", 245, JR
No. 83 Mitch Joseph, 6'5", 245, RSFR
No. 46 Tyler Edwards, 6’3”, 240, FR
No. 82 Matt Branch, 6'7", 240, FR
No. 85 Alex Russian, 6'5", 230, RSFR
C
No. 74 Brett Helms, 6'4", 300, SR
No. 53 T-Bob Hebert, 6'3", 260, RSFR
RG
No. 62 Lyle Hitt, DT, 6'2", 284, JR
No. 77 Earnest McCoy, 6'5", 335, RSFR
No. 60 Will Blackwell, 6'4", 295, RSFR
No. 75 Greg Shaw, 6’5”, 285, FR
No. 64 P. J. Lonergan, 6'4", 290, FR
LG
No. 79 Herman Johnson, 6'7", 335, SR
No. 51 Clay Spencer, 6'6", 285, FR
No. 72 Alex Hurst, 6'5", 290, FR
LT
No. 70 Ciron Black, 6'5", 315, JR
No. 63 Ryan Miller, 6'6", 318, SR
No. 62 Robert Smith, 6'2", 263, JR
No. 73 Thomas Parsons, 6’5”, 272, FR
RT
No. 96 Joseph Barksdale, 6’6”, 315, SO
No. 76 Jarvis Jones, 6'6", 265, SO
No. 68 Josh Dworaczyk, 6'6", 270, RSFR
R
No. 2 Demetrius Byrd, 6'2, 195, SR
No. 80 Terrance Tolliver, 6'5", 180, SO
No. 10 Ricky Dixon, 6’2”, 216, SO
No. 87 Jared Mitchell, 6'0", 192, JR
No. 19 Deangelo Peterson, 6’3 190, FR
SE
No. 1 Brandon Lafell, 6'3", 180, JR
No. 86 Chris Mitchell, 6'0", 176, JR
No. 08 Trindon Holliday, 5'5", 159, JR
No. 28 R.J. Jackson, 6'2", 208, Jr
No. 21 Chris Tolliver, 6’1”, 190, FR
Defense
RE
No. 93 Tyson Jackson, 6'5", 292, SR
No. 84 Rahim Alem, 6'3", 252, JR
No. 95 Pep Levingston, 6’4”, 258, SO
No. 88 Chase Clement, 6’6”, 245, FR
No. 98 Slidell Corley, 6'4", 275, FR
No. 89 Lavar Edwards, 6’4”, 280, FR
LE
No. 49 Kirston Pittman, 6'4", 260, JR
No. 90 Ricky Jean Francois, 6'3", 281, JR
No. 47 Tremaine, Johnson , 6'2", 273, SR
No. 81 Chancey Aghayere, 6’4”, 243, FR
LT
No. 91 Charles Alexander, 6'3", 294, JR
No. 97 Al Woods, 6'5", 325, JR
No. 96 Kentravis Aubrey, 6'3", 285, RSFR
RT
No. 99 Marlon Favorite, 6'1", 300, SR
No. 92 Drake Nevis, 6'1", 285, SO
No. 71 Cordian Hagans, 6’5”, 290, FR
Buck (OLB)
No. 56 Perry Riley 6'1", 225, SO
Kellen Theriot 6'1", 228, FR
No. 22 Ryan Baker, 6’0”, 210, FR
Mike (MLB)
No. 48 Darry Beckwith, 6'1", 225, SR
No. 54 Jacob Cutrera, 6'4", 225, JR
Will (OLB)
No. 11 Kelvin Sheppard, 6'3", 228, JR
No. 52 Ace Foyil, 6'3", 229, JR
LCB
No. 04 Jai Eugene, 6'0", 175, SO
No. 29 Chris Hawkins, 6'1", 181, JR
No. 35 Ryan ST Julien, 6’1”, 170, FR
No. 36 Derrick Bryant, 6’0”, 185, FR
No. 15 Brandon Taylor, 6’0”, 178, FR
RCB
No. 25 Phelon Jones, 5'11", 195, RSFR
No. 13 Ron Brooks , 5'10", 180, RSFR
No. 16 Jhyryn Taylor, 6’1”, 180, FR
No. 37 Karnall Hatcher, 6’2”, 190, FR
SS
No. 03 Chad Jones, 6'3", 222, SO
No. 44 Danny McCray, 6'1", 205, JR
No. 23 Steffon Francois, 6'1", 207, RSFR
FS
No. 27 Curtis Taylor, 6'4", 195, SR.
No. 24 Harry Coleman, 6'2", JR
No. 29 Chris Hawkins, 6'1", 180, Jr
Special Teams
PR
No. 31 John Williams, 5'11", 175, FR
No. 9 Chad Jones, 6'3", 222, SO
No. 8 Trindon Holliday, 5'5", 159, JR
KRE
No. 8 Trindon Holliday, 5'5", 159, JR
No. 31 John Williams, 5'11", 175, FR
Kicker
No. 6 Colt David, 5'9", 175
No. 3 Drew Alleman, FR, 5'10", 170
No. 30 Josh Jasper, 5'11", 165, SO
No. 39 Andrew Crutchfield, 5'11", 190, SO
Punter
No. 38 Brad Dalfrey, 6'0", 195, RSFR
No. 3 Drew Alleman, R, 5’10”, 170
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Don's Take, position-by-position:
Offense
I really like the makeup of the 2008 LSU football team - my only concerns are experience and depth at the quarterback position and depth at the linebacker position.
QB
I am a huge Jarrett Lee fan and I believe he is going to be a big-time quarterback for Les Miles' fighting Tigers. As a matter of fact, I believe that Lee is going to be a better quarterback than last season starter Matt Flynn. There are also a lot of knowledgeable LSU football fans who believe that Andrew Hatch will be LSU's starting quarterback based on his outstanding performance in the Spring game. I was also impressed with Hatch, but I believe he has a way to go before beating out Jarrett Lee for the starting position. I believe that incoming freshman Jordan Jefferson is going to make LSU a great quarterback but will need a redshirt year and a year on the sideline holding the clipboard.
WR
The wide receiver position is perhaps the most important position on the team with the type of offense Gary Crowton has installed at LSU. LSU returns Brandon LaFell, Demetrius Byrd, Terrance Tolliver, Jared Mitchell, Trindon Holiday, Ricky Dixon, and Chris Mitchell from the 2007 team. The only major loss from 2007 was Early Doucet who was injured much of the season. In my opinion, Brandon LaFell and Demetrius Byrd are two of the best returning wide receivers in the SEC and I believe that Terrance Tolliver has the potential to be just as good. LSU runs into major depth problems behind the big three. The two Mitchells and Ricky Dixon have done very little to indicate that they are big-time SEC receivers and Holliday is more of a slot back than a wide receiver. LSU is still waiting on DeAngelo Benton to become eligible and if he becomes eligible that will make life a lot easier for Gary Crowton and Les Miles. According to my sources, Benton is working hard to become eligible but time is running out in a hurry.
OL
LSU returns four starters that include three-year starter Brett Helms at center, Herman Johnson at left guard and Ciron Black at left tackle. Two-year starter Lyle Hitt will start at right guard and first-year starter Joseph Barksdale will start at right tackle. I believe that Black and Johnson will be first round draft picks in the next NFL draft. In my opinion, the 2008 starting offensive line might be the best LSU has had in the last 10-12 years. The 2008 offensive line will also be very deep with the second team offensive line led by senior center Ryan Miller who can also play offensive tackle and guard. Miller is a 6'6", 300 senior from Barbe high school in Lake Charles. Redshirt freshmen Josh Dworaczyk, Ernest McCoy, Jarvis Jones and T-Bob Hebert will make up the second team offensive line unless someone steps forward in Fall practice and earns a spot on the second team line, and that someone could very well be Will Blackwell who was moved from defensive end to guard during Spring practice. LSU lost a few offensive linemen for different reasons after the 2007 season. These include Mark Snyder who had a career-ending injury, Max Holmes and Matt Allen who transferred to a Texas school, but the good news is that Les Miles signed five super offensive linemen in the last recruiting class and all five are currently at LSU working out with the team. The five incoming offensive linemen are P.J. Lonergan (6'4", 290) from Rummel of New Orleans, Clay Spencer (6'6", 290) from Parkview Baptist of Baton Rouge, Greg Shaw (6'6", 290) from Miami, Florida. Alex Hurst (6'6", 315) from Arlington high school in Memphis Tennessee and Thomas Parson (6'7", 275) from Spring Branch, Texas. I am hoping that all five of the highly recruited incoming offensive linemen receive red shirt years and there is a good chance that will happen. I would say that the future looks great in the offensive line for the Tigers.
TE
Today I am going to write about tight ends and fullbacks. In my opinion, the two positions are the two weakest on the team's offense. Starting tight end Richard Dickson returns and will be a preseason All-SEC pick and might be a preseason All-American. Dickson is more of a receiving type tight end than a blocker, and with LSU's powerful running game LSU will need a couple of big-time blocking tight ends. Keith Zinger and Mit Cole were two of the best in the SEC but they are both gone. Redshirt freshman Mitch Joseph (6'5", 250) from Catholic of New Iberia had a great Spring and will likely see plenty of playing time in short yardage running situations. Caleb Angelle, a 6'4", 245 walk-on senior from Breaux Bridge also had a outstanding Spring and will most likely see some playing time. Alex Russian, a 6'4", 230 redshirt freshman from Round Rock, Texas is also in the mix. Coach Miles signed three big-time tight end prospects in the last signing class who are working out at LSU at this time. Chase Clements (6'6", 245) from E. D. White of Thibodaux is a big-time prospect and perhaps a future All-American at LSU but I am not sure if he will play offensive or defensive end. Tyler Edwards (6'3", 240) from Ouachita of Monroe is a great receiving tight end but has a ways to go as a blocker. Matt Branch (6'7", 248) from Sterlington might be the surprise of the three. Branch would also make a great offensive tackle but will likely remain at tight end because of the depth in the offensive line.
FB
As for the fullback position, Les Miles will have to replace Jacob Hester who played fullback about 30 percent of the time and Shawn Jordan who had a solid senior season. Quinn Johnson (6'2", 240) from West ST John High will be the starting fullback and will do a great job as a blocker and in short yardage running plays. Stevan Ridley, a 5'11", 218, redshirt freshman, will split time at fullback, running back and special teams. Chad Baniecki, a senior junior college transfer might see some playing time.
RB
Les Miles has three great running back prospects in Keiland Williams, Charles Scott and Richard Murphy, but will have to try to find someone to replace Jacob Hester. Hester, a blue-collar working running back, was the team's captain and leading rusher in 2007. I am not sure that Les Miles will be able to replace Hester as a team leader, but he should be able to replace him talent-wise. I look for Keiland Williams to have a great, great season in 2008 and earn post-season honors. Williams is a 5'11", 225 junior with 4.5 speed in the forty. Williams has the ability to break tackles at the line of scrimmage and turn what would normally be a five yard gain into a long gain or touchdown run. Williams is known as a down hill North and South runner, but has some problems when he runs east and west. Williams also has the tendency to fumble and fumbles are not accepted by Les Miles. Williams will most likely be on the kick return team and is dangerous as a kick returner. In my opinion, the key for Williams having a great 2008 season is to not get in Miles' dog house early in the season. Charles Scott had a great Spring and was running with the first unit in most of the Spring practices that I saw when the players were working on individual drills. Scott is a 5'11", 225 junior with 4.55 speed. Scott is more of an inside down hill runner with very strong legs and is very hard to tackle. He is a very durable back capable of running the ball 20 times or more per game, although I do not believe we will see any of the LSU running backs carry the football anymore than 10-15 times per game unless it happens in a few blow-out games. Scott will also play on special teams on kick offs and is a head hunter. Richard Murphy is expected to have his best season as a Tiger. Murphy is a 6'1", 185, sophomore with 4.4 speed and might be the best athlete on the team on the offensive side of the ball. Murphy had a great Spring and was the star in the Spring game. Murphy is an off-tackle runner, can run naked reverse-type plays and is a very good pass receiver out of the backfield. Murphy is fast becoming a favorite among LSU fans. If Murphy can stay in good health the entire 2008 season he could have a big year. Stevan Ridley, a 5'11", 212 redshirt freshman will also receive some playing time, especially in games when the outcome is decided early. I expect Ridley to see a lot of playing time in the fourth quarter of the 2008 season.
ST
Special teams is a very important part of all successful football programs. Joe Robinson will be coaching special teams in 2008 replacing Brad Peveto who will serve as co-defensive coordinator along with Doug Mallory. Robinson comes to LSU with great credentials and should do a great job because of the talent he has to work with. Special teams on kickoffs to begin games are made up mostly of linebackers, running backs or defensive players. I am not certain what 11 players will be on the field when LSU linesup to kick to Appalachian State to start the first half or second half. but am almost certain that Chad Jones, Harry Coleman, Charles Scott, Kelvin Sheppard, Curtis Taylor, R.J. Jackson, Ace Foyil, Chris Hawkins, Jai Eugene and Colt David will be on the field and I also believe that one of the following three, Patrick Johnson, Phelon Jones or Ron Brooks, will be on the field. Several of the above listed players will be on the kick return team that will most likely have Keiland Williams, Trindon Holliday and John Williams as the deep return men. Stevan Ridley and Quinn Johnson will likely be the two-up players around the 25-yard line to field or fair-catch sky kicks. LSU could have the best kick return team in the SEC in 2008. Joe Robinson will have several options as to who will be kicking-off in 2008. Josh Jasper and Andrew Crutchfield started the 2007 season alternating on kickoffs and that did not work very well. Sean Gaudet did most of the kickoff duties the second half of the season. Colt David remains the leading candidate to kick off, but he also kicks FGs and PATs, and doing kickoffs might be asking a little to much. True freshman Drew Alleman might win the job in the Fall and is LSU's FG/PAT kicker for the future. Andrew Hatch or Jared Lee will be the holder. As for who will handle punting duties, Colt David, Brad Dalfrey, Drew Alleman or Andrew Crutchfield are the leading candidates. Colt David was very impressive in the Spring game as was Alleman. Crutchfield does not kick with a lot of distance but has great hang time on his punts. I believe that John Williams will enter Fall practice number one followed by Chad Jones.
Defense
Les Miles will have to find replacements for All-Americans Glenn Dorsey and Craig Steltz plus Chevis Jackson, Ali Highsmith, Jonathan Zenon and defensive coordinator Bo Pelini. It will not be easy replacing Dorsey, Steltz and Pelini, but I do believe the defense will be stronger than in 2007. Brad Peveto and Doug Mallory will take over the defensive coordinator duties and I do not believe we will see any drop off.
DL
Kirston Pittman (6'4", 255, SR) from East ST John high school and Tyson Jackson (6'4", 292, SR) from West ST John high school, both two year starters and three-year lettermen, will start at the two defensive end positions. Pittman was granted an extra year from the NCAA because of missing two seasons with a foot injury. Jackson, who was rumored last season as leaning toward entering the NFL draft, surprised Tiger fans by returning to LSU for his senior season. I believe that Jackson and Pittman are capable of receiving post season honors in 2008 and will improve their NFL draft status. In my opinion, Jackson underachieved in 2007 and will have a great senior season. LSU will have great depth at defensive end in Al Woods (6'4", 315, JR), Pep Levingston (6'4", 258, SO), Rahim Alem (6'3", 255, JR), Tremaine Johnson (6'2", 278, SR) and Sidell Corley (6'4", 270, redshirt freshman). Levingston had a great Spring, is very strong and spends a lot of time in the weight room. Alem, who is Chad Jones' older brother by one year, showed signs in 2007 of being a solid player as did Tremaine Johnson who is a little undersize but makes up for his size with his quickness. Corley, who came to LSU highly recruited out of Mobile, Alabama, will also see some playing time. Coach Miles signed four great defensive linemen in the 2008 signing class. Chase Clement (6'6", 245) from E. D. White, Chancey Aghayere (6'4", 245) from Garland, Texas, Cordian Hagans (6'5", 290) from Duluth, Ga. and Lavar Edwards (6'4", 275) from Desire Street Academy in Baton Rouge. Clement will probably play defensive end if he does not play tight end, Aghayere is very fast and will play defensive end. Hagans and Edwards will likely play defensive tackle. The starting defensive tackles will be Ricky Jean Francois (6'3", 281, JR) and Charles Alexander (6'3", 294, JR). Drake Nevis (6'1", 285, SO), Marion Favorite (6'1", 295, SR) and Kentravis Aubrey (6'3", 285, redshirt freshman) will add solid depth to the front four.
LB
It has been several years since LSU has had a rock solid group of linebackers due to injuries and a player or two not living up to expectations. I do believe that LSU has the potential to be much stronger at the linebacker position in the 2008 season, but still not rock solid strong. Linebacker coach Brad Peveto will have to find replacements for Ali Highsmith and Luke Sanders from the 2007 team. LSU runs the 4-3-4 defense. The three linebackers in the defensive scheme are called the Will, Mike and Buck. The Will linebacker is the weak side linebacker. He plays opposite the tight end. Kelvin Sheppard, Ace Foyil and true freshman Ryan Baker are the top three at this time. The Mike linebacker is in the middle. Darry Beckwith, Jacob Cutrera, Ace Foyil are the top three. Beckwith is listed on some of the post-season teams' watch lists and should have a great season if he stays free of injury. Beckwith's job is to not get caught out of position on draw plays and delayed hand-offs such as he did in the BCS national championship game against Ohio State. Beckwith is a very physical linebacker who can shed blocks from the opposing team's guards and fullbacks. Jacob Cutrera had shoulder surgery this spring and has been slowed down a little. Cutrera needs to have a full season, free from injury, to show what he can do. The Buck linebacker is the strong side backer who normally plays on the tight end side. This is normally the linebacker that comes out when LSU goes to a nickel package for pass coverage. Perry Riley, Shomari Clemmons and Kellen Theriot are the top three at this time. Theriot has recentley had minor shoulder surgery but he should be back at 100 percent for the start of Fall practice and is a player to keep an eye on.
DB
Les Miles will have to find replacements for two-year starters Chevis Jackson and Jonathan Zenon at cornerback and Craig Steltz at strong safety. The two leading candidates to fill Jackson and Zenon's shoes entering Spring practice were Jai Eugene (5'11", 184, SO) from Destrehan and Chris Hawkins (6'1", 184, JR) from Walker, Louisiana. Both players made tremendous progress during Spring practice and will enter Fall practice number one at left and right cornerback. Eugene and Hawkins both have 4.4 speed and good cover skills. In my opinion, Hawkins is better at one-on-one man-to-man coverage than Eugene, but Eugene might be a step faster. Hawkins and Eugene will be pushed to the limit during Fall workouts by redshirt freshman Ron Brooks (5'11", 180, 4.4) from Irving, Texas and incoming freshman Patrick Johnson (6'1", 183, 4.4) from Pompano Beach, Florida. Brooks was outstanding the last half of Spring practice and finished bubbling with confidence. Johnson was a Parade magazine high school All-American in 2007 and was considered the number three overall prospect in the nation. Johnson is turning heads in Summer workouts at LSU. It would not surprise me at all if Brooks and Johnson are listed as starters at the end of Fall practice. Redshirt freshman John Williams (5'10", 180) from Breaux Bridge, who will likely return punts in 2008, is also a strong candidate to receive playing time, as is redshirt freshman Phelon Jones (5'11", 195) from Mobile, Alabama. Jones came to LSU highly recruited and has a great future at LSU. Jones is also a possibility to play free safety. Incoming freshmen Ryan St. Julien (6'1", 175, 4.4) from Catholic of New Iberia, Karnall Hatcher (6'2", 185) from Delray Beach, Florida and Derrick Bryant (6'0", 183) from Peachtree Ridge, Georgia were very highly recruited in high school and will likely play cornerback, but that has not yet been determined. As for the nickel back position, I believe that Jai Eugene or Patrick Johnson will be the starter depending on which one of the two starts at cornerback. Chad Jones, Danny McCray and Stephon Francois will likely play strong safety based on what I saw during Spring practice and the Spring game. Curtis Taylor and Harry Coleman are the leading candidates. Taylor is a 6'3", 204, three-year letterman, Coleman is a 6'2", 205 junior from West ST Mary high school in Baldwin. Coleman was outstanding in LSU's win over Ohio State in the national championship. Les miles' defensive staff will have a lot of great players to work with when Fall practice starts, and in my opinion the biggest problem Miles is going to have is finding a way to keep everyone happy. I do believe that Miles will play a lot of players on defense, especially early in the season, and that should keep everyone happy. In my opinion, Chad Jones will need to be on the field at all times on defense in games that are competitive. As matter of fact, I have been hoping ever since Jones arrived at LSU that he would be moved to linebacker.
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Aug 30: Appalachian State @ LSU
The Tigers open the season at home against Appalachian State, the 1-AA champions for the last three years. Appalachian is a high-powered offensive team that averaged around 35 points per game in 2007 including 34 points against Michigan. There are many LSU fans who believe that LSU will blow away the Mountaineers and the game will be no contest. I believe the game is going to be a great one that the Tigers will have to come from behind in the second half to win. I believe LSU's huge offensive line will wear down the Mountaineers' smaller defensive front and LSU's speed will be more than the visiting team can handle. Play: LSU -15 WIN
Sept 13: North Texas @ LSU
North Texas is coached by Todd Dodge who will be in his second season at North Texas. The Mean Green went 2-10 in 2007. North Texas was one of the worse defensive teams in the nation in 2007 and lost most of their better players. Coach Les Miles should be able to play a lot of players in the game and have his starters well rested for Auburn the following Saturday at Auburn. Play: LSU -24 1H PUSH
Sept 20: LSU @ Auburn
LSU's fourth game on the 2008 schedule is against the Auburn Tigers. In my opinion, Auburn is the most bitter rival that LSU plays each season. At one time, the Ole Miss game was the biggest rivalry for the Tigers each year and Alabama might very well become LSU's biggest rival, but at this time I believe that Auburn is the team that LSU fans look forward to playing the most. LSU and Auburn have played some very memorial games including the 1988 7-6 LSU win. Tommy Hodson hit Eddie Fuller in the back of the end zone for the win in the loudest game I have ever attended (registered as an earthquake at LSU's Dept of Geology building across campus from the stadium). In 1969, LSU defeated Auburn 21-20 when Mike Hillman connected with Jimmy Gilbert for 62 yards and a touchdown on the first play of the game. LSU blocked a PAT in the fourth quarter and made a great goal line stance late in the game for the win. In 1970, Auburn was ranked No. 6 in the nation and lost to LSU 17-9 at Auburn. LSU won the SEC with a 5-0 record that year. In 1980, LSU defeated Auburn 21-17 on a late goal-line stance after Auburn had blocked a LSU punt. In 1995, Gerry DiNardo's first year at LSU, the Tigers defeated Auburn 12-6 on an interception by Troy Twillie in the corner of the end zone on the last play of the game. Auburn is coached by Tommy Tuberville who, in my opinion, is the most underrated coach in college football. Tuberville's all-time coaching record is 105-53 with a 50-24 record at Auburn. Auburn went 9-4 in 2007 and returns nine starters on offense and seven on defense. Tuberville will have a new offensive coordinator in Tony Franklin from Troy who is replacing Al Borges, and a new defensive coordinator in Paul Rhoads who will be replacing Will Muschamp, who is the new defensive coordinator at Texas. The biggest problem facing new offensive coordinator Tony Franklin will be finding a replacement for three-year starting quarterback Brandon Cox. Kodi Burns, who is a threat throwing the football and running, is the leading candidate for the job. Auburn is loaded at the running back position led by Ben Tate, Brad Lester and Mario Fannin. Auburns returns two of the best tight ends in the SEC in Troy Trott and Gabo McKenzie. Auburn has perhaps the most speed of any team in the SEC on defense led by linebacker Troy Blackmon and cornerback Aairon Savage. Auburn is not very big on defense, but plays hard-nosed physical defense and very seldom gives up big plays. The Auburn Tigers have not recruited as well as several SEC team in past few years, but they have recruited well enough to be competitive against all SEC teams. The game should be a great one, and if LSU does not commit any turnovers deep in its own territory and give Auburn a short field to work with, and if LSU can keep the number of penalties under control, I believe LSU will win. Play: UNDER 38.5 LOSS
Sept 27: Mississippi State @ LSU
MSU was one of the surprise teams in the nation and in the SEC in 2007 and things are looking up for their 2008 season. The Bulldogs are coached by Sylvester Croom who will be entering his fifth year as the head coach. Croom's record after four seasons is 17-30. MSU returns seven starters on offense including junior running back Anthony Dixon and seven on defense including FS Derek Peques. Dixon and Peques will be strong candidates to receive postseason honors. MSU went 8-5 in 2007 with wins over Auburn, Alabama, Kentucky, Ole Miss and a 10-3 win over UCF in the Liberty bowl. Wesley Carroll, a 6'1", 190 sophomore, will be the starting quarterback and if he has a good to average season MSU will be playing in a bowl game for the second year in a row. LSU and MSU have played each other 100 times which is the most games LSU has played against any team. The LSU-MSU series started in 1896 and LSU holds a 64-33-3 advantage. LSU has beaten MSU seven times in a row. In 2007, the Tigers defeated the Bulldogs 45-0 in a Thursday night game on ESPN. I do believe this season's game will be much closer. Play: LSU -10.5 2H LOSS
Oct 11: LSU @ Florida
The sixth game of the season will be against the Florida Gators at Florida. In my opinion, Florida is the second best team that LSU will play in 2008 behind Georgia, but it will be the hardest game on the schedule for the Tigers to win because it is a road game. Florida is coached by Urban Meyer who has posted a 31-8 record at Florida in four years and 70-16 in his career as a head coach. Florida was 9-4 overall with a 5-3 SEC record in 2007. The Gators return 18 starters, nine on offense, eight on defense and the starting punter. The Gators are led by Heisman winner quarterback Tim Tebow (6'3", 235) who rushed for 900 yards on 210 carries last year. Florida scored 39 touchdowns rushing in 2007 and Tebow scored 23 of them. The junior to be completed 234 of 350 passes for 3,286 yards and 36 touchdowns with only six interceptions and finished second in the nation in passing efficiency last season. Percy Harvin, who is perhaps the most dangerous player in the SEC with the football in his hand, rushed for 800 yards on 83 carries last season for a 9.2-yard average and six touchdowns. Harvin also had 59 receptions for 858 yards and four touchdowns. Senior running back Kestahn Moore rushed for 591 yards and six touchdowns returns for his senior season. The Gators return three outstanding wide receivers including Harvin, Louis Murphy, and tight end Cornelius Ingram who is very fast and a very good pass receiver. Murphy had 37 receptions for 550 yards and five touchdowns. Ingram had 34 receptions for 510 yards and seven touchdowns. Thompson is a redshirt freshman with blazing speed. If the Gators have a week spot it is in the defensive line. The Gators will have three new starters in the defensive line and three sophomores. Florida's strength on defense will be at the linebacker position with three starters returning. Brandon Spikes, who made All- SEC first team in 2007, will be the leader on defense. In my opinion, LSU is stronger than Florida at the running back position and in the offensive line, the defensive line and defensive backfield. I rate the wide receivers even and I give Florida the edge on special teams and a huge, huge advantage at quarterback. LSU defeated Florida 28-24 last season at Tiger Stadium and the Tigers roughed up Tebow several times. I never will forget Tebow walking off the field with his dad at the end of the game crying. I do not believe Tebow has forgotten the game and he will be fired-up to play.
Oct 18: LSU @ South Carolina
In 2007, South Carolina had a very disappointing season (6-6, 3-5). South Carolina won six of their first seven games with the only loss being to LSU. The Gamecocks' six wins came over ULL, Georgia, South Carolina State, Mississippi State, Kentucky, and North Carolina. The six games the Gamecocks lost were to LSU 28-16, Vanderbilt 17-6, Tennessee 27-24 in overtime, Arkansas 48-36, Florida 51-31 and Clemson 23-21. South Carolina is coached by Steve Spurrier who has a 21-16 record in three years at USC and a 163-56-2 career record. The Gamecocks return six starters on offense, nine on defense, plus their punter and kicker. Chris Smelley, who started six games in 2007 as a redshirt freshman, will likely be the Gamecocks' starting quarterback but will be pushed by junior quarterback Tommy Beecher who has a stronger arm than Smelling but is not as good of a runner. In 2007, Spurrier moved quarterbacks in and out of the lineup like a fire drill and many Gamecock fans feel like Spurrier will need to settle on a quarterback early in the 2008 season for the team to be successful. Spurrier will have a major job replacing running back Cory Boyd who rushed for over 900 yards in 2007. South Carolina returns one of the top wide receivers in the SEC in Kenny McKinley who led the SEC with 78 receptions in 2007. They also return two great receiving tight ends in Jared Cook and Wesley Saunders who combined for 45 catches and 582 yards. USC's offensive line has not been very good the last few years but should be much better in 2008 with three full-time starters and two part-time starters. South Carolina's defensive line will be very good with three returning starters and two part time starters. The strength of the team will be at linebacker and in the defensive backfield. The linebackers are led by the return of Jasper Brinkley (6'2", 275) and Eric Underwood (6'1", 270) and they can run. The Gamecocks returns all four starting defensive backs led by preseason All-SEC strong safety Emanuel Cook. South Carolina will be very hard to score on in 2008, and if they light up the scoreboard on offense they will have a great season. The Gamecocks have a very favorable home SEC schedule with home games against Georgia, LSU, Tennessee, Arkansas. The Gamecock's road SEC games will be at Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, Kentucky and Florida. Play: LSU -3 WIN
Oct 25: UGA @ LSU
The game will most likely be CBS's prime game of the day. In my opinion, Georgia is the best team on the 2008 schedule without any weak spots. Mark Richt is entering his eighth year as the head coach with a 72-18 record. In his first seven years at Georgia, Richt has averaged 10 wins per season and two and a half losess per season. Georgia went 11-2 in 2007 with wins over Oklahoma State, Western Carolina, Alabama (in overtime), Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Florida, Troy, Auburn, Kentucky, GA Tech and Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl. The Bulldogs only two losses were against teams that LSU defeated, South Carolina and Tennessee. Georgia returns 17 starters, seven on offense and nine of defense. Georgia's strength on offense is at quarterback, running back and wide receiver. Junior Matthew Stafford (6'3", 230) will be the starting quarterback and has a gun for a arm. In 2007, as a first year starter, Stafford completed 194 of 348 passes for 2,523 yards and 19 touchdowns. The "Dawgs" are very thin at quarterback depth and could be in trouble if Stafford goes down early with an injury. Joe Cox, the backup quarterback, only threw 15 passes in 2007 with five completions. Knowshon Moreno (5'11", 209, SO) is Georgia's starting running back and in my opinion is the best running back in the SEC. Moreno has great balance and runs downhill. In 2007, as a freshman, Moreno rushed for 1,396 yards on 248 rushing attempts for 14 touchdowns. Mohamed Massaquoi (6'2", 198, SR) is Georgia's leading returning wide receivers. As a junior, Massaquoi had 32 receptions for 490 yards and four touchdowns. Tripp Chandler (6'6", 265, SR) is the starting tight end and will be an early round draft pick. Chandler had 21 receptions for 283 yards and two touchdowns in 2007. Georgia will be very explosive on offense with super star players at all positions. On defense, Georgia returns nine starters including all four starters in its defensive backfield. Georgia returns all three starting linebackers and three starting defensive linemen. I give Georgia the edge at all positions on offense except for th offensive line. On defense, I give LSU a big advantage in the defensive line, but I give Georgia the advantage at the linebacker position and I call the defensive backfield even.
Nov 1: Tulane @ LSU
Tulane is coached by Bob Toledo in his second season at Tulane. The Green Wave posted a 4-8 record in 2007 and return five starters on offense, five on defense and 34 total lettermen. Tulane's four wins in 2007 came over South Eastern Louisiana (35-27), SMU (41-34 in overtime), UTEP (34-19) and Rice (45-31). The eight games Tulane lost were against Mississippi State (38-17), Houston (34-10), LSU (34-9), Army (20-17 in overtime), UAB (26-21), Memphis (28-27), Tulsa (49-25), and East Carolina (35-12). Tulane played perhaps their best game of the season in 2007 against LSU and led the entire first half until the final seconds when Colt David's field goal gave LSU a one-point halftime lead. LSU woke up at half time and dominated the second half of the game. Tulane is very well coached and will be much better in 2008 but is still several seasons away from having a winning season.
Nov 8: Alabama @ LSU
The return of Nick Saban to Tiger stadium has been on the minds of many Tiger fans since Saban became the head coach at Alabama. Tickets will be very hard to get for the game. Saban went 7-6 his first year as the Alabama head coach including a 30-24 win over Colorado in the Independence Bowl. Alabama's six regular season wins came against Western Carolina 52-6, Vanderbilt 24-10, Arkansas 41-38, Houston 30-24, Ole Miss 27-24 and Tennessee 41-17. Alabama lost to Georgia 26-23 in overtime, to Florida State 21-14, to LSU 41-34, to Mississippi State 17-12, to Auburn 17-10 and to Louisiana Monroe 21-14. Alabama's Nick Saban will welcome to Fall practice 44 lettermen including 10 starters on offense and six on defense. In my opinion, LSU returns the best offensive line in the SEC followed by Alabama. Left tackle Andre Smith is a preseason All-America candidate. Three-year starter John Parker Wilson will be the starting quarterback. Julio Jones, the top wide receiver prospect in the nation in 2007, will start at wide receiver for the Tide in place of All-SEC wide receiver D.J. Hall. If Jones can replace Hall without a drop off and John Parker Wilson becomes more consistent, Alabama will be very good on offense. On defense, Nick Saban has to replace five starters and several key backup players with players with little or no experience. Defensive end Wallace Gilberry, linebacker Darrin Mustain and cornerback Simeon Castille will be very hard to replace.
Plays: Bama -3 WIN ; Bama 1Q -0.5 LOSS
Nov 15: Troy @ LSU
The game will be played at Tiger Stadium with a 7 p.m. kickoff. Troy is a very good football team that went 8-4 in 2007 with wins over Oklahoma State (41-23), ULL (48-31), ULM (24-7), Florida International (34-16), North Texas (45-7), Arkansas State (27-0), Western Kentucky (21-17) and Middle Tennessee (45-7). The Trojans' four losses came against Florida Atlantic (32-28), Arkansas (46-26), Georgia (44-34) and Florida (59-31). I believe that Troy is a better team than LSU's first opponent of the season, Appalachian State, and if LSU is not ready to play it could be a disappointing night in Tiger Stadium. Troy is coached by Larry Blakeney who is one of the most underrated coaches in the nation. Blakeney has been the head coach at Troy for 17 years and has a 136-68-1 record. In my opinion, this is a very scary game for LSU because the Tigers could be overlooking the Trojans after defeating Appalachian the week before. This game reminds me a lots of the LSU- UAB game in 2002 that LSU lost 13-10. Troy returns 16 lettermen, seven on offense and defense and two on special teams. Troy is a veteran team with 37 junior or seniors in the two-deep depth chart. Troy will have to find replacements for quarterback Omar Haugabook, wide receiver Gary Banks and running back Kenny Cattouse on offense, and cornerbacks Elbert Mack and Leodis McKelvin on defense.
Nov 22: Ole Miss @ LSU
Ole Miss returns 17 starters, seven on offense and eight on defense, and has a new coach in Houston Nutt, who is one of the best in the nation. Ole Miss had a terrible year in 2007 with a 3-9 record including 0-8 in the SEC. The Rebels' only lost to Alabama and Mississippi State by three points and lost to Florida by six points. The Rebels' three wins came over Memphis 23-21, Louisiana Tech 24-0 and Northwestern State 38-31. The Rebels' nine defeats came against Missouri 38-25, Vanderbilt 31-17, Florida 30-24, Georgia 45-17, Alabama 27-24, Arkansas 44-8, Auburn 17-3, LSU 41-24 and Mississippi State 17-14. The Rebels will be led on offense by redshirt sophomore quarterback Jevan Sneed who transferred to Ole Miss from The University of Texas. Sneed has a very powerful arm and will have three outstanding wide receivers to throw to in Mike Wallace, Shay Hodge and Dexter McCluster. If The Rebels can find a replacement for running back Ben Jarvus-Green-Ellis, the Rebels will be very good on offense. The Rebels return two great defensive tackles in Peria Jerry and Greg Hardy. Hardy, in my opinion, is one of the best defensive linemen in the SEC. Ole Miss is very thin depth-wise at the linebacker position and in the defensive backfield. The Rebels will have to avoid injuries on both sides of the ball to have a winning season.
Play: Ole Piss +5.5
Nov 29: LSU @ Arkansas
Arkansas defeated LSU in triple overtime in 2008 and the loss almost denied LSU the right to play for the national championship. LSU bounced back after losing to the Hogs and defeated Tennessee in the SEC championship game and earned the right to play in the BCS national championship game thanks to Pitt upsetting West Virginia. Bobby Petrino will be taking over for Houston Nutt who is the new head coach at Ole Miss. Petrino turned Louisville into a national powerhouse with his wide open style of offense and will attempt to do the same thing at Arkansas. Petrino returns six offensive starters and six starters on defense. Petrino will not be able to replace All-American running back Darren McFadden and All-SEC all-purpose back Felix Jones, but he does have several great players returning and a very underrated quarterback in Casey Dick. Arkansas returns four starting offensive linemen including All-SEC candidate Jonathan Luig and tight end Andrew Davie. Arkansas also returns four starters in the defensive line but only returns one starting linebacker and only one starter in the defensive backfield. LSU has won the last two games at Arkansas and should defeat Arkansas again this season based on talent.
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