LSU Football to Grab in 2016 what Escaped Them in 2011

"In essence, you may beat Nick Saban, but best of luck at doing it twice in one season."

The 2011 college football season was perhaps the most prolific single season in the history of LSU’s historic football program. Not only did they go through the entire regular season undefeated, but they did so in such a domineering manner. Some notable wins that year were 40-27 over Oregon, 47-21 at West Virginia, 41-11 over Florida, 45-10 over Auburn, 52-3 at Ole Miss and 41-17 over Arkansas. And to top it off, the Tigers woke up in the second half to come back and run all over Georgia in the SEC Championship game with a 42-10 statement win. With that victory, they remained a consensus #1 team and were a shoo-in for the top spot in the BCS Championship game. This was a team for the ages as evident by their average margin of victory through 13 games, which stood at a whopping 28 points.

But, who can forget the “Game of the Century” in Tuscaloosa that season? It was not a thing of beauty from an offense connoisseur’s perspective, but it was an incredibly competitive and hard-hitting game of “big-boy” tackle football that left players absolutely spent all over the field at the end. LSU pulled out a close 9-6 win in overtime, a win that would likely come back to bite them at the very end of the season. In essence, you can beat Nick Saban, but best of luck at doing it twice in one season. Because of that seemingly unfair obstacle, LSU never stood much of a chance in that BCS title game, despite the illusion that they did.

Regardless, the Tigers that year were simply loaded and deep on both sides of the ball and at most every position. The offense was formidable up front with P.J. Lonergan and T-Bob Hebert anchoring the middle of the line. The running back corps was solid and effective, being manned by

Spencer Ware, Michael Ford and Alfred Blue. The wide receivers consisted of three future NFL players in the form of the “magical” Odell Beckham, Jr., Jarvis Landry and Rueben Randle. The one position on the entire team that was considered to be suspect, and rightfully so, was the quarterback position. Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee had their moments, but they lacked consistency and did not instill much confidence in many of the Tiger faithful.

The defense had ridiculous talent across the board. The line was stout, mobile and quick. Bennie Logan, Michael Brockers, Barkeviovs Mingo and Sam Montgomery saw to that. The linebackers were headed up by hard-hitting Kevin Minter in the middle. And the secondary was athletic and overflowing with playmakers. Tyrann “Honey Badger” Mathieu, Eric Reed, and Morris Claiborne may ring a few bells.

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But, how does that team five years ago compare to the team Les Miles is grooming this offseason? To be honest, I don’t see much difference. LSU returns a whole slew of talented starters on both sides of the ball from the 2015 team. That group was running roughshod through their regular schedule, with visions of “playoffs” dancing in their heads, until they ran into that buzzsaw in Tuscaloosa. Nobody had much luck against that vaunted Bama “D” last season. Not only did the Tigers suffer their first loss, but it seemed to have taken all of the wind out of their sails, as they appeared to have mailed it in the next two weeks.

This is a new year with some seriously bonafide expectations for these Tigers. On offense they are big and agile up front, they have tall and very athletic 5-star receivers on the edge who can catch and run, and yes, they have QB Brandon Harris. But this is Junior Brandon Harris who is due to have the light come on. Oh, and did I mention? They have RB Leonard Fournette in the back field. If that wasn’t enough, his back up, Darrius Guice, would likely start for the majority of other SEC teams.

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On Defense, they are easily two-deep up front with bulk and athleticism. Watch for DE Arden Key on the edge. Senior LB Kendall Beckwith filled a very important position in the middle by returning for his final season. And once again, DBU is lights out in the secondary with future 1st round pick, CB Tre’Davious White, slobber-knocker safety Jamal Adams, and some younger bucks that can flat-out run, cover and hit.

With all of this being said, Les Miles received a major scare last season. I believe he is going to lose some of his conservative stubbornness this year and open up with Harris and the offense a bit more, with Cam Cameron at the controls. Think balance Les! On Defense, newly appointed DC Dave Aranda will have these studs in position and flying to the ball, as is tradition at LSU. Plus, the schedule, which is always brutal, leans slightly in their favor of the Tigers with Ole Miss and Alabama coming to Tiger Stadium. The pieces will all come together this year for this veteran, highly seasoned team, which is primed to finally grab what was denied them five years ago.

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