LSU, Nicholls both score wins in opener

LSU Tigers:

Quarterback: Jarrett Lee wasn’t great. Heck, he wasn’t even very good. But you know what he didn’t do? He didn’t turn over the football. With the talent on the LSU offense, playing mistake free will win probably more than 90 percent of the time. ‘Atta boy, Jarrett.

GRADE: B

Halfbacks: Spencer Ware and Michael Ford battered and bruised Oregon’s front, each getting more than 90 yards on the ground. Props to local product Kenny Hilliard, who also made his college debut, getting a couple carriers for the Tigers. The LSU backfield is loaded thick with talent.

GRADE: A+

Receivers: The LSU receivers failed to impress. Drops plagued the group and no one really established separation down the field against Oregon’s average defensive backs. The unit’s young, especially with Russell Shepard suspended, so time will tell if they will turn things around.

GRADE: C

Offensive line: With immobile Jarrett Lee under center, it was vital that LSU’s offensive line got a push. They did. Heck, that was more than a push, that was more like a blunt-force shove. The Tigers’ front group worked over Oregon in impressive fashion, opening holes despite the Ducks having seven and eight guys in the box.

GRADE: A

Defensive line: Oregon’s supposed to be able to run the football at will. Guess what, Ducks? LSU plays in the SEC, not the Pac-12. LSU’s defensive line dominated the game, pushing Oregon’s offensive linemen into the backfield all game and completely disrupting rhythm. They did so while playing a dozen players. It’s hard to wear out when you’re three-deep at every position. Oregon found that out the hard way.

GRADE: A+

Linebackers: Against a no-huddle, spread out offense, you have to tackle to be successful. LSU did a fabulous job keeping Oregon’s offensive players in a box, while making open field tackles to prevent big plays.

GRADE: B+

Defensive backs: I always said that Patrick Peterson would go down to be the most overall dominant LSU player of my generation. Could it be that another LSU defensive back wearing No. 7 can top him? This Tyrann Mathieu kid is something else. Oh yeah, he’s only a true sophomore, too. Wow.

GRADE: A

Special Teams: You never like to miss an extra point. Heck, that’s downright embarrassing. But when you force and recover two fumbles in your coverage units — one of which goes back for a touchdown, you’re doing OK in special teams.

GRADE: A

Coaching Staff: You’d better have a good scheme defensively if you want to slow down Oregon. LSU had that and more, being able to keep their base 11 players on the field, while also communicating audibles and checks clearly to prevent coverage breakdowns. Offensively, the Tigers protected Jarrett Lee and stayed true to their plan to pound the football. By the end of the third quarter, the Ducks were cramping on the sidelines and tapping for mercy.

GRADE: A-

OVERALL GRADE:, This was a No. 3 vs. No. 4 matchup billed as one of the best games of the early season. Don’t tell that to LSU. The Tigers treated the Ducks as they do every other non-SEC opponent they play, easily extending their nation’s best non-conference winning streak in a dominant win. If LSU gets mistake-free play from their quarterbacks, this team can be very, very good. A dominant start to the season.

TEAM GRADE: A+

Nicholls St. Colonels:

Quarterbacks: LaQuintin Caston and Beaux Hebert combined for just 10-of-22 passing with 96 yards. But Caston changed the game with his legs, rushing for 137 yards and two touchdowns.

GRADE: B

Halfbacks: With Caston paving the way, halfback Marcus Washington also made his mark, carrying 10 times for 54 yards with a touchdown. As a team, the Colonels rushed for 326 yards. That’s pretty impressive.

GRADE: A

Receivers: The Colonels struggled to stretch the field vertically, failing to complete a pass of 20 yards or more the entire game. That will need to change when conference play rolls around and teams make it a point to stack the box and force Nicholls to throw the football.

GRADE: C-

Offensive line: After struggling mightily at times in 2010, the Nicholls line held in the opener, pushing the team to 300+ rushing yards, while also keeping Caston and Beaux Hebert protected. A good start for an upstart group.

GRADE: B+

Defensive line: Yards were tough to come by for Evangel against Nicholls’ stout front. The Colonels limited Evangel to just 62 rushing yards on 62 carries. This was probably the highlight of the team’s efforts.

GRADE: A

Linebackers: The good news is Ole Miss transfer Brandon Sanders made a large impact in his Nicholls debut, recording a team-high seven tackles. The bad news is Sanders left the game with an apparent neck injury. Here’s to hoping Sanders is back on the field soon to help his team in conference play.

GRADE: B

Defensive backs: Evangel tried to stretch the field on the Colonels, but there just wasn’t anything happening deep against Nicholls’ secondary. After a strong season in 2010, the Nicholls secondary limited Evangel to just 11-of-31 passing for 85 yards in a dominant season opening effort.

GRADE: A

Special Teams: The Colonels’ coverage teams were sound and Nicholls made all of their extra point tries. The group will be tested as the season progresses and the team faces stiffer competition, but so far, so good for Nicholls’ special teams.

GRADE: B

Coaching Staff: When you’re entering a game in which your team is clearly superior, the goals are a little different as a coach. Rather than trying to win 70-0 to make a statement, Charlie Stubbs played a lot of players and gave his full team confidence that the 2011 season will be a productive campaign for the Colonels. The guy’s the real deal. I’m excited to see where the program goes under his lead.

GRADE: A

OVERALL GRADE: With Western Michigan on the schedule this week, the main goal of the season opener for Nicholls State was to polish up things within their team. They did so, running the football effectively and also playing sound defense. With a little bit sharper passing, look out for Nicholls in the new season.

TEAM GRADE: B+