This past season LSU fans saw senior receivers Dwayne Bowe and Craig Davis torch opposing defenses for a combined 121 receptions, 1826 yards and 16 touchdowns, earning each player a first-round selection in the NFL Draft.
With the duo now in Kansas City and San Diego, the Tigers are left trying to replace two of the most successful receivers in school history.
LSU coach Les Miles said senior receiver Early Doucet and sophomore Brandon LaFell will move into the starting lineup, but that several Tigers are still competing for playing time in the slot position.
Doucet is not a stranger to LSU’s offense, having accumulated over 100 receptions in his three-year career.
The St. Martinville native said he is excited about his role in first-year offensive coordinator Gary Crowton’s offense.
“It allows us to get the ball so we can run after the catch,” Doucet said. “We’re going to get the ball in open space and once we get it mastered, it will allow us to score more points.”
Miles said he also believes Doucet will have a productive senior season.
“[Doucet] realized when he returned that he was going to be our point player at the receiver spot,” he said. “I don’t think that there is any question that he is ready for the new season.”
LaFell saw only limited action this past season as LSU’s fourth receiver, but two of LaFell’s five receptions were for touchdowns, including a 58-yard strike in the Allstate Sugar Bowl against Notre Dame.
“Coming into the [starting] spot this year brings a lot of pressure because people talk about what Bowe and [Davis] did last year,” LaFell said. “But now I am in a position to where I can make a lot of plays and I am very confident that I will make people happy.”
Sophomore Trindon Holliday is also expected to play a role in the receiving game for LSU.
Holliday did not catch a pass last season, but Crowton said Holliday’s speed will be a weapon for the Tigers’ offense.
“He’s not always the best in the middle running routes, because he is kind of hard to find in that middle amongst those big guys,” he said. “But around the edges is where you will see him the most.”
According to Miles, true freshman Terrance Toliver and junior-college transfer Demetrius Byrd are expected to compete with sophomores Chris and Jared Mitchell and freshman Ricky Dixon for the third and fourth receiver positions.
Toliver signed with LSU after being named the Scout.com No. 1 receiver in the country for the 2007 class and ESPN.com’s No. 11 overall prospect.
Miles said Toliver has a large upside, but is having problems learning the complexities of LSU’s new offense.
“[Toliver] is a guy who currently may not know exactly the route he is supposed to run,” Miles said. “But at 6’4″ running fast through the secondary, the quarterbacks are finding him and tossing him the ball.”
Byrd landed at LSU following two seasons at Pearl River Community College. Despite more college experience, Miles said Byrd is behind Toliver on the depth chart because Toliver reported to the team in June for extra workouts.
At tight end, sophomore Richard Dickson and senior Keith Zinger are expected to compete for the starting position.
Dickson started nine games as a true freshman this past season after Zinger went down for the season because of a stomach ailment.
Under former offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher this past season, LSU’s tight ends were used primarily as pass blockers to protect the quarterback, but Zinger said Crowton has changed the role of the Tigers’ tight ends.
“It’s going to be a lot different,” he said. “We’re going to be split out a lot more and will have a chance to get open more and I think the quarterback will be looking for us a little bit more.”
—–Contact Casey Gisclair at [email protected]