Fournette makes LSU football exciting again

I have a love-hate relationship with LSU football.

As a graduate of the school, I love my Tigers – journalistic objectivity be damned. Sure, I’m a reporter, and I’m not supposed to announce or make known my prejudices in a work-like setting. But come on, now. I’m also still a Louisianan and a human being. Of course, my alma mater will always have a special place in my heart.

I am not in the press-box of those games. I don’t cover the team directly, so I have no feeling of guilt in sharing the way that I feel about purple and gold.

But as a fan of good football, I sometimes hate what my Tigers bring to the table.

The offense LSU runs is archaic and outdated. LSU coach Les Miles – for as successful as he’s been during his decade-plus in Baton Rouge – sometimes doesn’t utilize the athletes he has in as explosive of a way as fans would like.

That sometimes make the act of watching an LSU football game as painful as a root canal or as frustrating as watching the Republican Presidential debate.

But in 2015, LSU has an elixir that cures fans of every ounce of frustration and pain they feel. His name is Leonard Fournette – the guy who has single-handedly brought excitement back into Saturday afternoons/nights during the college football season.

Fournette is a superstar. He has been one from his very first day on campus. A five-star recruit out of St. Augustine High School, Fournette’s name was known nationally before he ever took a snap. In the 2014 preseason, Miles compared the halfback to Michael Jordan – no pressure, kid.

But the most amazing thing about Fournette is that he doesn’t shrink from the praise. He rises above it. He’s one of the rare occasions in sports where a player actually lives up to the hype and expectations and is as good as advertised.

As a freshman, Fournette was often underutilized because of a crowded backfield. But when in the game, he was still dominant. Fournette rushed for more than 1,000 yards last season, setting the LSU single-season record for freshman running backs. His contributions to the team also went beyond playing tailback. Fournette was also the team’s lead kick returner, and by the end of the season, he had emerged to a level where he was already one of the best players in college football.

This year, he is zeroing in on the Heisman Trophy.

The start of LSU’s 2015 season has been one of the most exciting times in the history of Tigers football under Miles.

The playbook is still old fashioned, but it doesn’t matter, because Fournette makes being old fashioned look good.

In the offseason, the LSU halfback worked hard and is noticeably more fit and chiseled than he was last season. That added fitness, combined with the confidence that Fournette earned last season has molded the back into a guy that opposing defenses just can’t tackle.

The thing that is most amazing to me about Fournette is how much of a complete back he is. Some backs thrive on power – using big, thick upper bodies to bulldoze opposing defenders. Others are faster and use more slender, thin-framed bodies to blow past bulky defensive players.

Fournette has both. When someone hits the LSU halfback in the open field, he doesn’t stop or shy away from it – he runs you over and makes you look like a fool.

Against Auburn, Fournette was like a brick wall running 15 miles per hour down the field. Opponents tried their absolute best to take that brick wall and toss it to the ground. But upon contact, they had about the luck that one might expect – they were mostly squashed and flattened by its sheer power.

But even if Fournette had just average power, he’d still be a threat because of his game-changing speed.

For as big a player as Fournette is, the dude is lightning fast. When in the open field, he is more than capable of blowing by defenders and making them look as though they are standing still.

It’s funny – I was watching a highlight tape of the LSU tailback just last week. Defenders who are even with Fournette when he’s at a dead sprint almost always end up five or 10 yards behind him before the play is over.

That complete package is so exciting and rare to see that it’s actually made LSU football enjoyable to watch again.

And the beauty of it all is that Fournette is only a sophomore, so his career is only just getting started.

Is he NFL ready right now? Probably so. But LSU surely won’t question the NFL rules if it means that No. 7 has to stick around for a while.

I know this graduate isn’t too disappointed either. It’s good to watch the Tigers play and have the experience actually be fun for a change.

Leonard Fournette