Whipping winds and rolling rains couldn’t put a damper on the LSU football team’s good time this weekend as the Tigers held their first practices of the spring on Friday and Saturday in helmets and shorts.
“The first day of spring ball is kind of fun,” said LSU coach Les Miles. “There was a lot of enthusiasm.”
It was the first time the squad was on the field at the same time since its 21-0 trouncing at the hands of Alabama in the BCS National Championship game, and Miles said he could tell how eager the team was to begin their road to redemption.
“They were 13-1, finest record in college. They were conference champions, but there’s one thing they didn’t accomplish,” Miles said. “Certainly, like me, they wanted to win that last one. … There’s a little bit more want to practice and prepare. I think there’s a group of men there that want to finish.”
The spring spotlight is on heralded junior quarterback Zach Mettenberger, as he should become the undisputed leader of an offense that was mired in play-caller controversy over the past season with Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee.
He looked precise in the opening practices, rarely missing his target as he threw against an invisible defense.
“He just needs reps,” Miles said. “He sees the throws. He was sharp today. We have a thumbnail of our offense in at this point but it was a good first day. There was a lot of positives.”
Mettenberger said he got together with receivers, tight ends and running backs three days a week leading up to spring practice and felt the payoff was instant.
“We came out here in day one and day two, we were really crisp,” Mettenberger said. “The timing was just a lot better than most first days. That’s just something we need to keep getting better on and hopefully by day 15, we’ll be perfect.”
Senior offensive lineman Josh Dworaczyk will return for a sixth season after a knee injury in last year’s campaign earned him a medical redshirt, but he was still limited in practices. He was wearing a white jersey Friday but donned a green shirt Saturday, which is typically worn by quarterbacks to protect them from contact.
Dworaczyk participated in individual footwork drills but said he sat out of team run-throughs, which were closed to the media. He could be seen stepping up to mimic the tight end while the linemen took steps, and he said he’s eager to get as much work in as possible.
“I’m so excited to be out here,” Dworaczyk said. “I have fresh legs. I want to play again, and wherever that’s at, I’m happy.”
Junior cornerback and Heisman finalist Tyrann Mathieu was not present because he was in Atlantic City, N.J., to receive the Chuck Bednarik Award in a formal ceremony. He tweeted that he arrived back in Baton Rouge on Saturday night.
 
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