Prep roundup: Week 7
October 16, 2012
Keeping up with the local pro: Sumar’s weekly diary
October 16, 2012
LSU
Quarterbacks – It appears this is just what you’re going to get out of Zach Mettenberger. There was some good, some bad and some awful. He made a few big plays in the second half to help the team earn the win, though – that deserves some recognition.
Grade: C+
Halfbacks – With Alfred Blue out, LSU’s stable of halfbacks struggled to find a leader. I think it’s pretty safe to say Jeremy Hill is the new lead dog in this deep group. What a performance from the freshman.
Grade: A+
Receivers – Zach Mettenberger isn’t perfect, but he doesn’t get a lick of help from his receivers, either. No one within this unit has made a play all season.
Grade: D
Offensive line – With multiple starters out, no one expected LSU’s patchwork offensive line to hold up against the Gamecocks’ dominant front. The majority was dead wrong, as the young LSU group pushed South Carolina around like rag dolls.
Grade: A
Defensive line – Against his native South Carolina, Sam Montgomery was a true beast on Saturday night. The rest of his defensive linemen brethren weren’t bad either, limiting All-World halfback Marcus Lattimore to just 33 yards rushing.
Grade: A
Linebackers – Kevin Minter is among the elite linebackers in America. He followed up a dominant performance against Florida with another huge day.
Grade: B+
Defensive backs – This was the biggest test of the season so far for the Tigers’ defensive backs. They stood up to the challenge, forcing Connor Shaw into a few coverage sacks, while also recording two interceptions.
Grade: A
Special teams – Brad Wing is awful. You wouldn’t know that if you listened to his musings on Twitter, though. A little more focus from the overrated Aussie punter would be appreciated. His partner in crime Mr. Alleman isn’t exactly the king of kicking either. Maybe Mo Isom wouldn’t have been a bad option.
Grade: F
Coaching staff – With a makeshift offensive line and a fierce South Carolina pass rush looming, LSU had a lot of offensive soul searching to do this past week. But with their season on the line, the Tigers went back to their bread and butter – running the football down the Gamecocks’ throats. It wasn’t pretty, but any win against a No. 3 team in America is going to garner high marks.
Grade: A-
Overall – After dominating everyone in 2011, it seems like the Cardiac Cats of the past are back. LSU continues to do bone-headed things that make victories more difficult than they need to be. But as stated above, any win against the No. 3 team in the country is worth celebrating. If the Tigers get past Texas A&M on Saturday, their game against Alabama will be just as large as everyone anticipated in preseason.
Grade: A
Nicholls
Quarterbacks – He doesn’t have a ton of help around him, but Landry Klann is a very solid quarterback. He’s the least of Nicholls’ worries out there.
Grade: B
Halfbacks – To succeed against a top-flight opponent, one must get more than 20 yards rushing. It’s as simple as that. Some of it has to do with blocking, no doubt. But the halfbacks don’t shed all of the blame.
Grade: C-
Receivers – A total of 10 players caught passes for Nicholls against Sam Houston State. The problem is that none of the 10 really had a lasting impact on the outcome or flow of the action.
Grade: C+
Offensive line – The Colonels’ offensive line got worked Saturday, allowing four sacks and not getting any push whatsoever for the Nicholls running game. These guys have been better this year, but they laid a real stinker on homecoming.
Grade: D
Defensive line – Nicholls’ offensive line wasn’t the only line getting hustled on Saturday. The Colonels’ defensive line was pounded early and often, yielding 261 yards rushing and four touchdowns against a loaded Sam Houston State backfield.
Grade: D
Linebackers – Standout linebacker Jordan Piper recorded five tackles in Saturday’s game. That’s about 95 tackles fewer than normal. Jokes aside, Piper and the linebackers struggled for the first time this season.
Grade: C
Defensive backs – The Colonels’ secondary wasn’t gashed through the air on Saturday. But that has more to do with the fact that Sam Houston didn’t need to throw because of its running success. The team was 16-of-20 through the air. That says it all.
Grade: C-
Special teams – You just can’t consistently miss short field goals if you’re an underdog. The Colonels leave points on the board seemingly every week. That’s a killer.
Grade: D
Coaching staff – The Colonels came out with fire holding powerful Sam Houston scoreless for the first quarter of action. But the rest of the game was dominated by the No. 9 team in the FCS. The Colonels are now done with the toughest part of its schedule. Time will tell if the Colonels can turn that into victories.
Grade: C+
Overall – Against a national championship contender, it was sort of predictable that the Colonels would have a tough day on Saturday. They just aren’t in the same class as the top FCS teams just yet. But the Colonels have more friendly competition coming up. Time will tell if this season will be respectable or more of the same.
Grade: D
Members of the LSU football team rejoice with their peers in the Tigers’ student section following the team’s 23-21 victory against South Carolina. The win moved LSU back into the BCS National Championship picture. The Tigers won the game with fierce offensive line play.
