With the offensive line constantly shifting due to injury, a receiver suspended to open the season, a starting running back and two starting defensive backs “withheld” from a game and the preseason presumed starting quarterback suspended for the first four games, this season’s LSU football team has been forced to showcase its depth.
With sophomore cornerbacks Tharold Simon and Tyrann Mathieu absent from the field during last week’s game against Auburn, senior cornerback Ron Brooks and senior safety Derrick Bryant showed off their skills.
Bryant accounted for five tackles and one sack. His five tackles are half of his 10 tackles in the 2010 season.
Brooks contributed with an interception return for a touchdown, his first score of the year.
Brooks said he doesn’t see the secondary as having starters and benchwarmers.
“We recruit so many good players that it doesn’t matter who starts,” he said. “Everybody really is a starter. It’s just a rotation we have.”
The offensive line took a hit before the season started when senior offensive guard Josh Dworaczyk, the Tigers’ most experienced lineman, was sidelined for the season with a knee injury.
Senior offensive lineman T-Bob Hebert has spent time at guard and center this season, filling in when junior P.J. Lonergan was injured.
“[Coaches] know when he goes in there, that he’s going to do a good job, whether it be at left guard, right guard, or center,” said senior offensive guard Will Blackwell. “Anytime you have a guy like that, it really helps the coach’s confidence.”
While the past few seasons have been topsy-turvy campaigns, this season’s team has shown consistency despite a lineup card as varied as a grab bag of Halloween candy.
LSU’s closest game this season came against Oregon, when the Tigers won by 13.
“We’ve had the same guys here the last three or four years, but it’s that time when we’ve finally matured and most of the guys on our team could play at any school,” Blackwell said. “Over time, the guys have just gotten better, and that’s a direct reflection of the coaching staff and the time they’ve put in.”
Junior wide receiver Russell Shepard said the team has usually had young receivers, but this year boasts a good mix of veteran players as well as freshmen who are playing beyond their years.
Shepard said the Tigers have many assets at receiver that LSU has utilized.
“The coaches have done a good job of simplifying things and taking advantage of each one of our skill sets,” he said. “The only thing is, you’ve only got one football.”
While waiting for a chance can make some players antsy and frustrated, Shepard said it’s good for the younger receivers to be patient.
“They’re not getting all the balls and all the glory as a freshman, but that’s a good thing,” he said. “It humbles you and makes you get back to the basics and teaches you what it takes to get here. At the end of the day, it makes you a better receiver.”
Almost every position showcases the Tigers’ depth.
LSU was without starting sophomore running back Spencer Ware for the Auburn game, but four different running backs saw time, in addition to senior quarterback Jordan Jefferson, who ran the ball four times.
Freshman running back Kenny Hilliard made the most of his time on the field, scoring two touchdowns.
 
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Contact Albert Burford at [email protected]