Just when things seemed to be on the verge of clicking for the LSU passing game, it took a shot to the foot.
 
On Aug. 31, just four days before the Tigers were to kick off their season against North Carolina, junior tight end Deangelo Peterson suffered an undisclosed foot injury that kept him out of the Tigers’ opener.
 
Peterson’s absence left LSU without its 6-foot-4-inch, 243-pound dual threat as a solid blocker and receiver and thrust junior Mitch Joseph and sophomore Chase Clement into the limelight.
 
Joseph entered Saturday’s game with two career receptions for 18 yards, but he knew it would take a bigger performance to fill the shoes left by Peterson’s injured foot.
 
“Deangelo, he does a lot in the passing game,” Joseph said. “But when he got hurt I [knew] that I have to step up in his position and run all the routes he would do just like he would do.”
 
The New Iberia native did his comrade proud by more than doubling his own career receptions and yardage totals against the Tar Heels.
 
Joseph was the second-leading receiver for the Tigers — behind sophomore wide receiver Rueben Randle — with three receptions for 41 yards and a long of 21 yards.
 
“Mitch Joseph was named the performer of the game on offense,” said LSU coach Les Miles. “It was not only a good night in receiving yardage, but he also blocked extremely well. We’ll expect him to play a lot of football.”
 
The stigma of being a “blocking tight end” has followed Joseph since high school.
 
“I did block a lot, but I also got passes [in high school],” Joseph said. “The passes I did catch, they were pretty long. But a lot of people just thought of me as a blocking tight end because of my size.”
 
The other pleasant surprise Saturday was the emergence of Clement on the offensive side of the ball.
 
Clement was recruited out of E.D. White Catholic High School in Thibodaux and was rated a four-star defensive and tight end. He played in all 13 games as a redshirt freshman in 2009 at defensive end and recorded four tackles.
 
But after a logjam on the defensive line formed, Clement moved to tight end in the spring and shook off the offense rust quickly.
 
“[Clement] has developed well as a tight end,” Joseph said. “He’s been away from the tight end game for a while, and he’s improved. He’s still working on his techniques and all the fundamentals about it, but he’s getting there. He’s a good factor for us.”
 
With the development of Clement and Joseph, the Tigers lined up in two tight end formations on multiple occasions Saturday — a trend Joseph expects to continue to help the running game.
 
“That’s what we do. We’re going to pound the ball,” Joseph said. “So that’s what we want to do with the two tight end sets.”
 
LSU junior quarterback Jordan Jefferson said he enjoyed working with two new targets.
 
“They played very well,” Jefferson said. “Mitch made some big time catches for us and big time blocks. Chase did the same thing, as well.”
 
The Tigers anticipate the quick return of Peterson, who will add just one more weapon to the now vastly improved tight ends unit.
 
“Deangelo is a pretty special guy who gives us the ability to throw a little deeper to our tight end,” Miles said. “Hopefully we’ll get him back soon.”
 
 
 
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Contact Rob Landry at [email protected]