LSU Scouting Report
QB - Matt Flynn is a fifth year senior who will be playing his very last game as an LSU Tiger. He waited a long time behind JaMarcus Russell for the starting job. People forget that he was a very highly recruited player and could have probably transferred and started at a number of decent schools, but he decided to stay and wait it out at LSU. He has good size and a good arm for a college QB, usually plays with poise, and has better-than-expected speed (4.6 40). This year he's been slowed down in a few games by injuries and he hasn't had a picture perfect season, but neither has the rest of the team and he has done enough to get the job done. As a veteran guy he won't make too many mistakes and knows when to throw the ball away. His favorite target by far is Early Doucet, and when Early went down for about 5 games you could clearly see he just didn't have the same chemistry with LaFell or Tolliver, although Byrd has quickly become another favorite target. The other QB is Ryan Perrilloux. Famously said out of high school that he would win 4 Heismans at LSU. Also has gotten into some legal situations, those of you who are interested there are three main things: 1) used a forged note given to him by his brother to buy some gas, 2) tried to get in a casino with his brother's fake ID (like no one in Baton Rouge knows him...) and the latest one: 3) got involved in a fight with bouncers at a bar after he wouldn't leave. With all that however, he seems to have finally calmed down and played a tremendous game against Tennessee in the SEC Championship Game. Talent wise, few will argue that he is the most talented QB, besides JaMarcus Russell, to ever put on a Tiger uniform. He has a lightning quick release, can make all the throws, can scramble as well as anyone and just has NFL talent. It remains to be seen how Miles will use him in the NC now that he has some big game experience, but my best guess is that it will be mainly Flynn with Perrilloux coming in on option/goal-line plays or if Flynn is just really struggling/hurt. Behind Flynn and Perrilloux we have Andrew Hatch, a transfer from Harvard, but let's hope it doesn't come down to that.
RB - LSU has a stable of running backs. The stallion is "war daddy" Jacob Hester. He was a nobody out of high school but has probably been the team's MVP all year. Tough as nails, deceptively fast, great receiver/blocker, and when you watch him run you see that he gets every possible yard. He will get the bulk of the carries. Behind we have four guys, Keiland Williams, Charles Scott, Richard Murphy, and Trindon Holliday. Williams is a 5-star talent with tons of speed/moves. He's the big play threat and is almost always in on option plays. He struggles running the ball inside. Charles Scott, on the other hand, excels at that and gets the tough inside yards. However he doesn't really get too many carries. Richard Murphy is another supremely talented back and receiver. Great skill although he again gets left out sometimes. But he has gamebreaking speed. Speaking of speed, Trindon Holliday is probably the fastest player in the country. He's used on kickoff returns and on offense he usually comes in the 2nd half to take advantage of tired defenses. I love that little guy.
WR - The main guy coming into the season was Early Doucet. He was a 5 star recruit and was overshadowed by Bowe and Davis last year but this was supposed to be his year. Unfortunately a groin injury ruined that and he was out for the tough stretch against Kentucky, Florida etc. But he is good to go now and is as talented a WR as there is. Demetrius Byrd, a JUCO transfer, stepped up in his absence and has made some big time plays for LSU this year. Flynn loves throwing to him and he is rock solid, rarely ever drops anything. Brandon LaFell struggled mightily early on, made some awful awful drops when he was expected to step up and take Doucet's role when Doucet went down. But he has really turned around his season and has made solid plays. He's a big guy with very good speed and has to be a factor in the offense. Terrance Tolliver is a true freshman 5-star recruit. Has all the talent in the world but he's young and raw and doesn't get used as much as Doucet, Byrd or LaFell, but he is definitely a threat. Those are the 4 main guys, behind them we have Chris Mitchell, Jared Mitchell, Ricky Dixon, RJ Jackson but they are barely used.
TE - Our receiving TE is Richard Dickson and blocking TE is Keith Zinger. Dickson is a good sophomore tight end, has a great pair of hands and Zinger is solid as both a blocker and a receiver. Dickson makes a few nice catches almost every game. TE's aren't utilized too much with all the players at RB/WR, but Dickson is still a good one.
O-Line - Has been up and down. A relatively young offensive line that struggled early on, was great in the middle, and has again struggled lately. Hopefully they play a good game and work well together in the NC. Carnell Stewart and Ciron Black are the two tackles, Herman "House" Johnson and Lyle Hitt are the two guards, and Brett Helms is the Center. Helms is a very good junior center, probably a good pro prospect. Hitt and Black have been up and down but have played some dominant games. Johnson is just a huge guy but has really good footwork if you watch him play. And Stewart is the experienced solid senior. This will be a great o-line next year as all these guys except for Stewart are coming back, but they still struggle from time to time right now.
D-Line - I firmly believe that we have the most talented defensive line in the country. I know I'm a homer and I'm hyping us up a lot but our D-Line, when healthy, is really extremely talented. LSU always gets a number of 4/5 star recruits and it shows. It begins with Dorsey, who is just a monster inside. He's been slowed by injuries but will be good to go for the NC hopefully. With him Charles Alexander was playing extremely well but got hurt early on. Favorite, Al Woods, Drake Nevis had been splitting time at the other DT position, however with Ricky Jean-Francois having ended his regular season suspension, he will probably play a lot in the middle. At the two end positions we have Tyson Jackson, who is great but makes some dumb mistakes sometimes, and Kirston Pittman, who has an extremely quick first step. Backing up the ends we have Tremaine Johnson and Rahim Alem, and Francois can also play defensive end. Our D-Line is very talented and has a ton of depth and is easily the strongest part of LSU.
LB - Luke Sanders, Darry Beckwith and Ali Highsmith are the starters. Beckwith is a very good homegrown MLB and has good speed and just a talented guy. I hope he comes back next year. Highsmith is also very talented and will be a 2nd round pick in the NFL, he played his heart out against Arkansas. Sanders is a solid player, nothing spectacular, but he gets the job done usually. Our depth at LB is very weak compared to D-Line and behind those three we mainly have Perry Riley, Jacob Cutrera, and Kelvin Sheppard, who are all solid players but we'll be in trouble if Beckwith or Highsmith go down.
CB/S - Chevis Jackson and Jonathan Zenon are both seniors with a lot of experience. Chevis is the better corner but Zenon always plays well and big games. They've faced a number of big time receivers and are both very dependable. LSU likes to blitz a fair amount so these two often play man-to-man coverage. Our safeties are Curtis Taylor and Craig Steltz. Taylor is a decent player but Steltz is the playmaker on defense. Has a nose for the ball and loves to make big hits but is a smart safety. We also bring in Chad Jones and Danny McCray on a number of plays as sort of linebacker/safety hybrids. Chad Jones is a true freshman but probably has more talent than anyone in the secondary. He hits like a truck, and also has very good speed (almost chased down McFadden from behind before he got blocked). McCray is honestly a liability... I don't know what happened to him. He was great early on but it seems like teams love to pick on him and it's always him getting beat. He is young and will get better but he hasn't had a great second half to the season.
K/P - Colt David is very dependable kicking the ball... people thought he doesn't have a big leg but he almost hit a 57 yarder against Kentucky. Patrick Fisher is the punter and is one of the best in the SEC imo.
Hope that's not too long :p
