HOOVER, Ala. — Last year’s national title won’t get in the way of this year’s LSU product.
“We’re not defending,” LSU head coach Les Miles said Wednesday during the Southeastern Conference’s media days. “Come see the trophy, it’s in our trophy case. We’re not defending, it’s there.”
A title defense doesn’t sound as good as a title repeat, and 2008 holds a few things in common with 2007. The Tigers don’t have the preseason favorite hat on, but like last year, when they had to replace offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher, it is the defense’s turn to replace Bo Pelini.
And like last year, the starting quarterback will have to be replaced. It was supposed to be Ryan Perrilloux, but because he was dismissed, it will come down to one of three choices: redshirt freshman Jarrett Lee, junior transfer Andrew Hatch and freshman Jordan Jefferson.
The decision will come down to consistency — and which quarterback is able to find it first.
“The most consistent performer, the guy that makes the play, the guy that is least likely to turn it over, least likely to make poor decisions, that will be, in my opinion, the first that will allow them to get to the field,” Miles said.
Accomplishing that is more a question of reps than of finding the skills in the group.
“I think we’ll be good enough at skill,” Miles said. “They just need to get comfortable and get ready to play.”
Whoever ends up at quarterback will have weapons galore. Demetrius Byrd and Trindon Holliday return as wide receivers, along with four other junior wide receivers that have been getting time the past two years.
Add to that a stable of running backs that will include Charles Scott, Keiland Williams, Richard Murphy and Stevan Ridley. Miles hopes one will step out from the rest, but four capable backs isn’t the worse problem in the world.
“One of those guys will step out of the pack,” Miles said. “They’ll be somebody we rely on very much like Jacob Hester.”
Doug Mallory and Bradley Dale Peveto will replace defensive coordinator Pelini. As co-defensive coordinators, the pair will continue working as they had the last few years. Mallory was the secondary coach and Peveto coached linebackers and special teams.
Miles said he thought promoting from within should help with the veterans on the defense.
Starting with the defensive line, which Miles said “will be as strong as there is in college football,” and “as a group they may well play as well statistically as that defensive front did a year ago,” a group that included first-round pick Glenn Dorsey in the middle.
Rickey Jean Francois, Tyson Jackson, Charles Alexander and Kirston Pittman look to be the main four up front, but LSU goes pretty deep behind them as well.
Junior Perry Riley and senior Darry Beckwith will add a veteran presence to the linebackers, and Chris Hawkins, Jai Eugene and Harry Coleman will see plenty of time in the defensive secondary.
Even with the talent and experience of last year, the season isn’t a one-week thing, and it isn’t a 14- game thing, either.
“If you wanted to get to that next step there’s a long process you have to go through,” Jackson said. “We’re fortunate that we went through that process and know what type of things we have to do to put ourselves in a position so we can do that again.”
That process starts with last year’s Cinderella, Appalachian State.
