There’s no doubt the LSU football team will have a new look next season.
LSU coach Les Miles is sticking around for a seventh season, but offensive coordinator Gary Crowton is headed north for the offensive coordinator post at Maryland. Crowton should have a smooth transition, as he will join forces with new Maryland coach Randy Edsall, with whom Crowton worked at Boston College from 1991 to 1993.
Miles’ flirtation with his alma mater Michigan, who was looking for a new coach after firing Rich Rodriguez this month, didn’t last long, as he announced he would stay at LSU with a new seven-year contract worth his same annual salary of $3.75 million.
Michigan hired former San Diego State coach Brady Hoke on Jan. 11.
“This is home to us,” Miles said. “My family really loves being in Louisiana, and I love representing this great institution. Staying at LSU is the right thing to do.”
LSU will lose two huge components of its team in cornerback Patrick Peterson and running back Stevan Ridley, as both players declared for the NFL draft last week.
The move was a near certainty for Peterson, who is projected by many to be a top-five selection. But Ridley’s decision was more debatable, as he is predicted to be a middle-round pick, according to local NFL draft analyst Mike Detillier.
Ridley was the heart of LSU’s offense in 2010, finishing with 1,147 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. He capped his college career with a 105-yard performance on the ground in the AT&T Cotton Bowl, averaging 4.4 yards per carry.
  Snapshot: Cotton Bowl
 
True freshman Spencer Ware emerged as a force in the running game at the Cotton Bowl, surpassing 100 yards rushing in the game with 102. Ware had been more of an occasional weapon in the receiving corps and was also known for his 39-yard halfback pass touchdown to sophomore wide receiver Rueben Randle against Auburn.
Crowton took a lot of heat from LSU fans this season for the Tigers’ conservative offense led by a two-quarterback
system of juniors Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee.
While LSU did average 29.7 points per game, the Tigers finished the season last in the Southeastern Conference in passing with 156 yards per game and No. 11 total offense with 341 yards per game.
Jefferson only had four touchdown passes through 12 games in the regular season, but he nearly equaled that mark with three scoring throws to senior wide receiver Terrence Toliver in the Cotton Bowl, helping the offense shine in what was Crowton’s final game with LSU.
After LSU’s 41-24 victory against Texas A&M, Crowton expressed optimism for how Jefferson will perform next season.
“He’s been under pressure because he hasn’t thrown a lot of touchdown passes, but we’ve been in a little bit of a two-quarterback situation,” Crowton said. “He didn’t hesitate on passes or on third downs when he had to run the ball. … He doesn’t look like a deer in headlights like some people have said to me because he’s not. He has purpose, he has a plan and he has an idea of what is going on.”
Another quarterback will fight for the starting role next season in junior college transfer Zach Mettenberger, and he will be under the tutelage of a new offensive coordinator who has not yet been named.
Names circling as a potential replacement include former Louisville and Tulsa head coach Steve Kragthorpe, who will reportedly interview on Tuesday, TCU co-offensive coordinator Jeff Fuente, who reportedly interviewed over the weekend and Louisville offensive coordinator Mark Sanford. Sanford is also reportedly set for an interview.
Other possible names include Tennessee offensive coordinator Jim Chaney, Jacksonville Jaguars wide receivers coach Todd Monken and Tampa Bay Buccaneers running backs coach Steve Logan.
A few young defensive backs are prepared to step up in Peterson’s absence, including Tyrann Mathieu, who recorded one interception, a sack, two forced fumbles and fumble recovery in the Cotton Bowl.
Mathieu was named to the Football Writers Association of America freshman All-America team. He finished fourth on the team this season with 57 tackles.
“Patrick pulled me to the side one day [during the summer] and asked me if I was ready. I knew that could only mean one thing — I was going to play,” Mathieu said. “I just had to mature faster than the rest of the freshmen and had to grow up.”
 
 
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Contact Rachel Whittaker at [email protected]