LSU showcases depth of talent in spring game

Quarterbacks, Welcome to Baton Rouge, Zach Mettenberger. The newcomer outplayed Jordan Jefferson by a lot and he did so against the starting defense, while Jefferson lined up against the second team. Not sure how long the senior’s leash will be this fall. His struggles are troubling.

Grade: C+

Halfbacks, Spencer Ware, Alfred Blue, Michael Ford, Jakhari Gore. Throw in Kenny Hilliard in the fall and you have what could be the best stable of backs in college football history.

Grade: A+

Wide receivers, Guys like Kadron Boone and James Wright impressed, but veterans like Russell Shepard and Rueben Randle didn’t quite shine. Oh yeah, that might be because their starting quarterback was 4-of-14 passing. Hooray Jordan Jefferson.

Grade: B+

Offensive line, The Tigers accumulated more than 300 yards rushing total between the two squads. With those halfbacks, even an average line will look great. It certainly helps that this bunch is much better than average.

Grade: A

Defensive line, The LSU defensive line was outmuscled for most of the day, but in fairness the format of the game is designed with the offense in mind. It’s a bit much to ask the second-team defensive line to penetrate the first offense that has nine starters returning.

Grade: B-

Linebackers, How do you replace Kelvin Sheppard? Ask Ryan Baker. He seems to have the answer. LSU’s linebackers will always have an edge with John Chavis on staff.

Grade: B+

Defensive backs, I don’t know if it was because of the lockout, but I could have sworn Patrick Peterson played Saturday. There was a guy in a No. 7 making plays everywhere, anyway. My program says that was Tyrann Mathieu, but I still think that was Mr. Peterson. Let’s hope he sticks around this fall.

Grade: A-

Special teams, I won’t lie. I worry about Drew Alleman. He struggled on his field goals Saturday and didn’t have a rush running at him. The little things win games and Josh Jasper was money for LSU. It remains to be seen if Alleman will be the same.

Grade: C

Coaching staff, It was pretty easy to see the changes in LSU’s offense. The formations are much more wide open and the passing game revolves around more short passes. With that, the team also has a lot more run/pass options and the new playbook after one day passed the ‘eye test’. LSU’s offense should be pretty explosive this fall.

Grade: B+

Overall: Jordan Jefferson was bad statistically, but in fairness, he did have a few drops. But Zach Mettenberger looked to be worth the hype plus more against LSU’s first string defense. The Tigers’ defense will be sound. If they score points, they will be a force. Between the two QBs, their slew of halfbacks and their new coordinator, I have to believe they’ll find a way. Oh yeah, no one got hurt, either in this game – the ultimate goal of any spring game.

Grade: B+