We don't Rebuild, we Reload

Since 2003, LSU has finished every season in the top three nationally in total defense. Think about it, for five consecutive years, the Tiger’s defense was statistically one of the best in the nation.

Oh how we have stumbled. LSU now ranks 35th in the country and has given up 50 points twice in the same season for the first time in 115 years of football. LSU’s opponents’ scoring average is 25.9 points a game and is the highest since the Curly Hallman years. Admittedly, the number is a bit skewed by Lee’s ability to throw pick 6’s, but even taking those scores away the Tigers are giving up over 21 points a game.

So what’s the problem?

In my humble opinion, a combination of poor coaching, poor execution and a lack of leadership are to blame.

With respect to the coaches, based on the seven games we have seen so far, Miles made a mistake in failing to look outside of his staff for a defensive coordinator. Players look out of position at times and coverages are getting blown with alarming frequency. The defense only has seven take aways and big plays have been very rare.

The defensive line is not the rock it has been the last few seasons as the loss of Dorsey and Alexander’s inability to return to pre injury form have hurt the Tigers. Throw in François’ injury to the mix as well and the lack of productivity is not surprising.

At the linebacker position, Beckwith may still be battling a knee injury and Kelvin Shepard is really struggling to make plays. There is no real depth so the staff is a bit hamstrung, but I would like to see Ryan Baker get a little playing time. This group is extremely weak in comparison to past years.

The secondary has struggled all season. We have seen very few interceptions or big plays out of the group. Craig Steltz was a real leader in the back and a guy who had a great feel for the position. He regularly laid guys out and had a knack for picking off passes.

LSU misses Dorsey, Steltz, Highsmith, Zenon and Jackson on the defensive side of the ball. These were great players and more importantly great leaders. I think it is fair to say that LSU has an average defense this season. They are certainly good enough to compete with most of the SEC, but not nearly good enough to compete for 60 minutes with the likes of Florida or Georgia.

The last six games of the season will be telling. If Mallory is able to right the ship, Miles would be justified in giving him another season handling the defense. But if LSU doesn’t improve on that side of the ball, Miles will have to make some changes on that staff if he hopes to maintain LSU’s status as an elite program. I’m not ready to throw Mallory under the bus, but the engine is running.

A few other observations:

*The officiating left a lot to be desired. A face mask no call and a no call on a pass interference that was deemed a tip at the line in the first half did not help at all.

*Georgia’s #9, Reshad Jones (S) is going to see Charles Scott in his sleep. Scott ran over and around Jones numerous times on Saturday.

*After watching the game on TV I feel a little better about how LSU played. Georgia is an excellent team and LSU refused to go away. I am optimistic about the continued development of the offense.

*I still like Lee as LSU’s quarterback. But it is not as if LSU has a lot of choices. Hatch is not going to win you many football games. He is limited in so many ways that at this point, I don’t see any meaningful benefit in playing him. Jefferson is too inexperienced to start, but now may be the time to get him in the game. He can do the running that Hatch can do and with his athleticism, he has plenty of potential.

*On Saturday, Georgia’s quarterback, Matthew Stafford, was fantastic, but in his freshman season he threw seven TD’s and 13 INT’s. Keep that in mind in evaluating Lee. He has been essentially thrown to the wolves and has shown signs of bumping up against the SEC’s steep learning curve. The coaches need to work with him and craft a passing regime that works to his strength and keeps him away from any more pick 6’s. If he can master the mental side of the game, he can become a very special player.

*I’ve harped on this before, but you cannot understate the importance of senior leadership at the quarterback position. Look at the SEC’s Champions since the inception of the title game:

2007 – LSU – senior Matt Flynn
2006 – Florida – senior Chris Leak
2005 – Georgia – senior DJ Shockley
2004 – Auburn – senior Jason Campbell
2001 – LSU – senior Rohan Davey
1998 – Tennessee – senior Tee Martin
1997 – Tennessee – senior Peyton Manning
1996 – Florida – senior Danny Wuerffel
1992 – Alabama – senior Jay Barker

This season, Alabama is lead by senior John Parker Wilson. Would you bet against Saban in the SEC Championship?