Hello, Tiger fans! LSU’s first game is tomorrow, against BYU as all of you probably already know. My excitement can only be compared to a small child’s joy when he wakes up on Christmas morning. Every time I walk into a store or a restaurant and see a highlight from a football game flash across the screen I get an aching in my heart for football. Because nothing, absolutely nothing, and I don’t care what you say, beats an exciting Saturday night down south.

With that being said, let’s get into the details of how LSU will score at least 40 points with new mastermind Matt Canada. Then we’ll talk about how Dave Aranda is going to not only hold them to zero, but torturing and embarrassing them with sacks and tackles for loss.

This will be Matt Canada’s debut at LSU. He’s had many months to prepare and I’m sure that he has a lot in store for our Tiger offense. I’m most worried about how I’m going to keep track of where the ball is with all the motions and fakes he incorporates in his complex plays. I’m confident in all our player groups. Although, I’m the most excited to see how our wide receivers play. Besides D.J. Chark, most of our receivers didn’t play a down last year. I still have every bit of confidence in them, especially in their extreme height which is about a 6’5 average between all of them.

As for the running backs, LSU has never had much trouble in that area, and I’m sure it won’t be different this year. Derrius Guice will probably be the second Heisman Trophy winner in LSU history while leading LSU’s rushing game to be among the best in the nation. That is going to be fun to watch!

Many people say our offensive line will be a problem. We don’t have great depth and many of our starters have had health issues during the off season. But the freshman and younger players we have are talented and will rise to the occasion. Plus, Danny Etling has great pocket presence and they won’t need to hold a hole open very long with Derrius Guice running the ball.
Actually, Danny Etling is the real deciding factor on whether we will be successful or not. His receivers have everything a QB could hope for: speed, height and great hands. If he can make quality throws to the right receivers, in the right spot, we can win a national championship. The most important thing will be to make the right reads before the snap. One play I would love to see incorporated in this year’s offense that hasn’t been executed in years is the 7-10 yard pass across the middle to a tight end. Even though defense wins championships, I’m most excited to see what our offense will do.

Now for the defense. As many of you may know, BYU played a game last Saturday versus Portland State. BYU won 20-6 in a “sloppy win”. This gave Dave Aranda a week to study their film. We all know what the Professor can do with a week of film. Dave Aranda will take advantage of this. I expect we will dominate them in most every aspect of the field. Even though we lost two great linebackers and two great DBs (Duke Riley, Kendell Beckwith, Jamal Adams, and Tre’davious White, respectively), Ed Orgeron’s expert recruitment has brought much talent to the team that can help our defense be what it was last year. Freshman Grant Delpit, who had nine tackles in the spring game, will fill the void Jamal Adams left, and Kevin Toliver and Donté Jackson will keep things very much alive at cornerback. Devin White will step up and will be exactly what Kendell Beckwith was for LSU at linebacker. And our defensive line has the most depth by far and may be the strength of our team. Greg Gilmore, Ed Alexander, Rashard Lawrence, and Christian LaCatoure are all outstanding players with experience, I’m sure we have the best crop in the country. Oh, did I mention Arden Key? He will be a top NFL draft pick and will be more than a college offensive line can handle.

All in all, LSU is set up for big success this season. One more day! GEAUX TIGERS!