Quarterbacks – A
Rohan Davey had the best single season as quarterback in LSU history, completing 248-of-420 passes (59.0 percent), throwing for 3,791 yards and 21 touchdowns. But Davey gave the Tigers something more than just his performance on the field. His performance off the field was outstanding, being the leader and soul of the team. Davey also came through in the clutch games. With LSU dragging a 4-3 record to play Alabama, Davey shredded the Crimson Tide secondary for 528 yards, completing 35-of-44 passes in the Tigers’ 35-21 win. This game propelled the senior quarterback through the next five games, all LSU victories, including his Tiger finale in the Sugar Bowl where he threw for 444 yards. However, Davey is not alone when LSU quarterbacks are mentioned. When the senior quarterback was injured and knocked out of the Southeastern Conference Championship, redshirt freshman Matt Mauck stepped in and ran for two touchdowns in leading LSU to a 31-20 win over Tennessee.
Running Backs – A-
During the last four games of the season, the LSU running game could not be stopped, highlighting an outstanding overall season performance from the Tigers’ stable of running backs. LaBrandon Toefield led the way, rushing for 992 yards and an SEC record-tying 19 touchdowns. Toefield racked up big numbers all season, surpassing the 100-yard plateau four times, including performances against Arkansas (173 yards) and Auburn (120 yards) to close the year. When Toefield could not go because of a knee injury, Domanick Davis stepped in and more than filled the empty slot. Davis accumulated 528 yards rushing and nine touchdowns, including a 128-yard, four-touchdown performance against Illinois in the Sugar Bowl. Behind Toefield and Davis was the speedster Devery Henderson, who gained 327 yards, pushing the trio’s season total to 1,847 rushing yards.
Wide Receivers – A+
The group of LSU wide receivers made the loudest noise of all during 2001, led by the 2001 Biletnikoff Award winner Josh Reed. Reed hauled in an incredible 1,979 yards, which is an SEC single-season record, and became the all-time leading receiver in LSU history. The highlight of Reed’s season came in early November against Alabama when he caught an SEC record 19 passes for an SEC record of 293 yards. Reed surpassed the 200-yard plateau again in the Sugar Bowl, blazing through the Illinois secondary with 14 catches and 239 yards, putting the final touches on an outstanding career at LSU. Behind Reed was freshman sensation Michael Clayton, who had an outstanding year of his own. Clayton caught 55 passes for 874 yards and burst onto the national scene as a dangerous deep route threat. After Clayton comes Jerel Myers, LSU’s possession receiver, who snagged 43 passes for 512 yards.
Tight Ends – B
The tight end position was productive but not spectacular. Robert Royal had a solid season, catching 20 passes for 239 yards. Joe Domingeaux was used primarily as a blocker. Eric Edwards caught two passes the whole season, both for touchdowns. Freshman Marcus Spears also caught two passes for 20 yards.
Offensive Line – B
If the grade for the LSU offensive line would have been given after the Florida game, it probably would have been somewhere around a C-. But this group gelled as the season progressed and turned into a dominant fixture in the Tiger offense. The O-Line physically manhandled Tennessee in the SEC championship and Illinois in the Sugar Bowl. During the second half of the season, Rodney Reed, Dwayne Pierce, Ben Wilkerson and company turned in an A performance.
Fullbacks – C
For the first time in many years, LSU did not feature a fullback much in its offensive package. The fullback mainly was used for blocking in short yardage situations and sometimes catching passes out of the backfield. Joe Domingeaux and Solomon Lee handled the bulk of the fullback duties. Neither of them rushed the ball, while Lee caught three passes tallying 14 yards and Domingeaux had two receptions for 10 yards.
Defensive Line – B-
As the offensive line came together as the season progressed, so did the defensive line. If the D-Line was graded around midseason, its grade would have been pushing in the Cs. But against Mississippi State and during the rest of the season, Jarvis Green, Chad Lavalais, Kyle Kipps and the rest of the Tiger D-Line began to dominate, including an impressive performance against Tennessee tailback Travis Stephens in the SEC championship.
Linebackers – B+
The LSU linebacking corporation was solid all season, led by the 7-11 combo of Trev Faulk and Bradie James. Faulk led the team with 119 total tackles and two sacks, while James was not far behind with 113 tackles and three sacks. Jeremy Lawrence, the other backer, had a solid season with 39 tackles and one interception.
Secondary – C+
After getting gashed by Tennessee and Florida in midseason, the Tiger secondary was well on its way to a C or D grade. But since those games, the secondary tightened up the coverage and played very respectably the rest of the way out. Damien James led the way with five interceptions, while Ryan Clark picked off three passes.
Special Teams – B
The LSU special teams did a very respectable job all season long. John Corbello came through with three huge field goals when the Tigers needed them most in the SEC championship. Donnie Jones had a solid year punting. Domanick Davis was solid returning kicks, including one for a touchdown. The best part of the Tiger special teams was the kick coverage team, which numerous times pinned the opposition behind the 20-yard line on kickoffs and punts.
Overall Offense – A
The Tiger offense, one of the most explosive in the country, gets an A for its production in 2001. Averaging 30 points and 450 yards of total offense per game, this group will be remembered in LSU history as one of, if not the best.
Overall Defense – B
What turned the Tigers from a 4-3 team at midseason to 10-3 SEC Champions and Sugar Bowl Champions was the improvement of the defense during the course of the season.
Overall team – A-
For an overall grade, this team just kept rising week after week after losing to Ole Miss. At the end of the season, it was rewarded with a Top 10 ranking, respect and admiration from all around the country.
Nick Saban and coaching staff – A
Nick Saban, Jimbo Fisher, Gary Gibbs and the entire coaching staff should be applauded for their coaching job in 2001. This team could easily have folded its tent after losing to Ole Miss in October and settled for a .500 record. But the job this staff did after that game was phenomenal, en route to six straight victories, the 2001 SEC Championship and a Sugar Bowl victory.