Louisiana Football Magazine - High School and College Recruiting News with Lee Brecheen

by Lee Brecheen

January 5, 2010 - You always hear Football and winning is a game of inches, well I believe there are certain problems, that LSU has to straighten out to get back to winning the big games, to play for Championships. The phrase Football is a game of inches to me means (always won and lost in the trenches), and that’s controlling the line of scrimmage.

LSU has some of the best Skill talent in the country, I will go out and say LSU has better WR’s, and just as good of RB’s, and DB’s, than even Florida , and Alabama as a group. WR Brandon LaFell ,WR Reuban Randle, FS Chad Jones, WR Terrance Tolliver, TE/HB Richard Dickson, SS Brandon Taylor, RB Charles Scott, RB Keiland Williams, RB Stevan Ridley, ATH/RB Trindon Holliday, TE/HB DeAngelo Peterson, CB Patrick Peterson, WR/ATH Russell Shephard, and RB Michael Ford , who I can’t understand redshirted. You can be ranked #1 in recruiting every year, but you better be signing dominant defensive and offensive lineman in this league called the SEC. I feel like there’s been a drop off in recruiting for these positions compared to the LSU standard, when they won National and SEC Championships.

Alabama has one really good WR in Julio Jones, and three really good backs, (SR) Roy Upchurch is about like Ridley in talent, and Heisman Winner Mark Ingram is really good no brainer , and RB Trent Richardson freshman from Pensacola, FL, I predict is no better than Michael Ford. Florida, their best WR is their TE Aaron Hernandez, who runs and blocks equally, and their best RB’s are both 5-7 to 5-8 and both under 165 pounds in weight Mike Demps, and Chris Rainey. Here are reasons that if fixed, can bring LSU back to the old days of Championships. The problem in my opinion is not Crowton, or QB Jordan Jefferson, if your Offensive line and Defensive line is getting over powered and controlled it’s hard to run certain plays, and for a young QB like Jordan Jefferson, he’s limited to what he can do, with no running game. Can you imagine if QB Tim Tebow of the Florida Gators had a small average offensive line with no blocking TE's, or if QB Greg McElroy of Alabama, had an average offensive line with no Fullback or TE s blocking, how good would do you think he and Heisman winner Ingram would have been. How about this Stat, RB Charles Scott of LSU had 1,174 yards with 18 TDs in 2008, running behind big Herman Johnson, and Center Brett Helms, in 2009, Scott did not even have 600 yards rushing in 2009, and I know he got hurt, but Charles had almost 1,000 yards rushing after the Alabama game last year. Here are the reasons why LSU has slipped the last two years, in no order.

# 1 The blocking from outside from WR’s, and TE’s, with those who don’t have a short memory, remember the days of TE, Eric Edwards, or TE ,Robert Royal 6-5 255 TE, Edwards who went 6-5 265, and was like a extra offensive lineman, and blocked for the run, Royal in 2003 was also like another offensive lineman, that would drive block some really good LB’s and DE’s or remember, the days of WR Dwayne Bowe, who at a chiseled 6-3 225, would knock down DE’s, and LB’s all the time on run plays, or the blocking of WR Early Doucet, and even WR Craig Davis, when the team needed a third and five , and seemed like every time they would get it on a run play. I love current LSU WR’s Brandon Lafell, and Terrance Tolliver, but they’re not blockers, their finesse WR’s, who will make the bucks in the NFL one day, because of their speed, and ability after the catch. It’s ok to have these types of WR’s, but where’s the big TE and big WR to Block. LSU I feel has that big WR on campus his name is Rueban Randle 6-3 210, but where’s the big Blocking TE, Richard Dickson, who is a great athlete, was too small to match up on big DE’s and LB’s, Dickson is only 240 pounds, and TE DeAngelo Peterson is a former WR, who’s 230 pounds, and not a blocker yet. TE Mitch Joseph 6-5 280, is not a great blocker, and needs to move to OT or OG. Why did the staff not move Chase Clement to TE in spring or middle part of season, he’s 6-5 265, and has the speed and strength of an Eric Edwards, Chase did not get reps at DE, so I don’t understand that one. He could have added to the offensive line.

# 2 What happened to the days of the great blocking from Fullbacks, remember the two national championships, that had tough FB’s Kevin Steltz 5-8 250, and Quinn Johnson 6-1 250, these guys would lead block and give the backs usually a 3 yard opening every run play before even touched by a defense.

# 3 The offensive line went from a big powerful line to a small finesse line compared to LSU offensive lines in the past, Remember the days of big tough offensive lines at LSU, first National Championship, in 2003, Stephen Petermen, who was a former TE, at 315 pounds and always was good for 3 or 4 pan cakes a game, center Ben Wilkerson 6-4 300, who always seemed to move the NG at the snap of the ball, or Rodney Reed and Nate Livings 6-5 300, who where huge leaders and strong, Andrew Whitworth 6-7 320, it seemed every play won battles moving people back. Justin Vincent, who was the top RB at the time, and ran 4.6 in the forty always seemed to run through holes, and break outside, remember what this offensive line did to Tommie Harris of Oklahoma in the National championship, he did not get many hurries in that game, and LSU seemed to have their way with the clock running the ball. Remember the LSU 2007 National Championship game against Ohio State, LSU had their way with a huge Buckeye Defensive Line, that averaged 285 across, and Herman Johnson 6-7 380 was moving them back, along with Center Brett Helms, and even the tough Carnel Stewart. I think the only offensive lineman that would have even started on those two National Championship teams on the current LSU team would be ALL American Ciron Black, who did start on the 2007 team. How do you recruit and find great Future offensive lineman with an athletic attitude you convert TE’s, or DE’s, to offensive line like Andrew Whitworth and Stephen Peterman. You don’t see that anymore at LSU, Alabama, and both Florida converted their best DT’s and TE’s to offensive line. Example the Pouncey Twins from Florida Gators, Maurkice and Mike, both 320 pounds and , both 6-5 where DT’s, that moved to offensive line both will go in the first round , when they choose to leave for the draft. Alabama has two huge blocking TEs, who block people back every play, they where DE s, in high school, Colin Peak 6-6 247, and Michael Williams 6-6 275. Alabama s best OG this year, Brian Motley 6-2 289, was a former DT.

# 4 reason to get program back to where it once was, is recruit big, tough, dominant DT’s, who can control the line of scrimmage and wear out offensive lines. The last two years LSU has lacked a dominant DT, This year was to me the worst LSU defensive line in over a decade in the middle and outside. Remember the days of Chad Lavalais, Kyle Williams, the late Marquise Hill, Marcus Spears, Claude Wroten, Kirsten Pittman, Tyson Jackson, Melvin Oliver and Glenn Dorsey, these guys would dominant offensive lines, shut down run games, and allow Cornerbacks to play man, and get off the field, this quartet had many hurries and many sacks, it put fear into opposing QB’s. I would have to say, not one starting defensive end or defensive tackle on this year’s LSU team would have started on these two National Championship teams in 2003 and 2007. Rahim Alem would have been like a relief pitcher on these teams coming in as a sack specialist, after the offensive line was worn down.

LSU s future is in the hands of some talented Redshirts on the Defensive Line, DT Chris Davenport 6-4 320, DT Josh Downs 6-1 285, DT/DE Bennie Logan 6-3 278, DE Sam Montgomery 6-5 260, and DT/DE Michael Brockers 6-6 285. It’s a must that one or two of these Defensive Tackles and DE s develop into a dominant force, and, the Veterans like Drake Nevis 6-1 300, Pep Livingston 6-4 280 , Chancey Aghayere 6-4 269, and Lavar Edwards 6-4 275, need to get bigger, stronger, and better for 2010 season . The offensive line needs to get bigger, and stronger, and better, two from this group needs to become dominant starters, Joseph Barksdale 6-5 300, Greg Shaw 6-5 300, Josh Dworaczyk 6-6 275, Matt Branch 6-5 275 , Will Blackwell, 6-4 300, T Bob Hebert 6-3 280, Patrick Lonergan 6-3 285, and Alex Hurst 6-6 325. Probably the two most talented offensive lineman on the team where both redshirted in 2009 , Chris Faulk 6-6 310, and Stavion Lowe 6-5 300, will be needed to bring this line back to the old Championship teams of the past, Faulk is one of the most gifted big guys I’ve ever seen put on a uniform in the High School ranks in Louisiana, if this doesn’t happen, then LSU will be the most talented skill team in the United States again, losing the game in the trenches against the big two, Florida and Alabama for the third year in a row. I like this coaching staff, and the recent hires, but you can’t let Alabama and Florida control the line and clock, when you play them and expect to win. We all know if you lose to these two programs, then there’s usually no shot to go to Atlanta to play for SEC Championship or National Championship.

In closing, I feel like if it wouldn’t have been for Defensive Coordinator John Chavis, LSU might have just won 3 or 4 games in 2009, he was not responsible for what he walked into, and made a small defensive line to LSU standards, with no pass rusher, look like a middle of the pack defense, with the LB’s having to fill in for the rush, with talented DB’s. Just imagine how many interceptions Patrick Peterson, Brandon Taylor, and Chad Jones, would have had if they would have had a Chad Lavalais, or Marcus Spears, or even a Tyson Jackson rushing the QB this year.