Questions arose in the preseason as to who would step up at defensive back for LSU with the loss of several seniors to the NFL.Sophomore Jai Eugene and junior Chris Hawkins started all nine of the Tigers’ game this season. But true freshman cornerback Patrick Peterson was brought in to help fill the void and has made the immediate impact the team hoped he would.The Pompano Beach, Fla., native played in all nine of LSU’s games this season, and his defensive teammates have nothing but positive things to say about him.”Patrick is a great player, the best young corner I’ve seen,” said junior linebacker Perry Riley. “He is real good, not just in games, but in practice. One day in practice, he jumped like 12 feet in the air and snagged the ball in his hands. Stuff you shouldn’t see freshmen doing, he does it.”Sophomore linebacker Kelvin Sheppard said Peterson has shown he can rise to the challenge at key times.”He’s so relaxed. If it’s third-and-long, and it’s a big passing situation, you look to him and say, ‘Patrick, let’s go,’ and he just attacks,” Sheppard said. “It’s really amazing to have a young guy come in and make as big an impact as he has. He’s been going up against big-time receivers every week, and we couldn’t ask much more of him.”Peterson had his first career interception Saturday against No. 1 Alabama, and senior defensive end Kirston Pittman cited the freshman’s maturity and talent as reasons he has been such a difference-maker at such a young age.”Just watching the young guy grow up in the past nine games has been amazing,” Pittman said. “Watching him at [18] years old play against grown men and go to war out there, he’s a really great player. [The interception] was a big play, a big boost for our team as a whole. That just goes to show what the guy is capable of.”Riley also raved about Peterson’s sideline interception.”That was a big play,” Riley said. “He actually kept both feet in, so that’s an NFL-type play right there. You’ll see a lot more from him as the years go by.”Peterson’s college career has picked up where his high school one ended. He was rated the No. 5 overall player in the nation by Rivals.com and the top-rated cornerback by Scout.com during his senior season at Ely High School.Peterson was also the USA Today Defensive Player of the Year and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s Class 6A-5A-4A Player of the Year in his senior season.He earned these honors after recording five interceptions and 21 tackles to go with 733 yards and 11 touchdowns as a running back.LSU coach Les Miles said Peterson “has done nothing but get    better” this season.”He’s got great speed and great anticipation to the ball,” Miles said. “He’s a big playmaker, and he’s going to have quite a career here.”Peterson amassed 18 tackles, two passes defensed and one pass breakup in LSU’s nine games this season, and Pittman said the coaches noticed his progress as just a true freshman.”The coaches like his motive and his work ethic,” Pittman said. “In practice, he’s always running and always moving, and he’s a really good listener. Any time the coaches tell him something or try to correct him, he really takes criticism well.  That’s one of his greatest assets — being able to overcome adversity.”Senior defensive tackle Marlon Favorite said having Peterson on the field is a breath of fresh air for veterans like him.”Seeing a freshman — a true freshman — coming in and playing that [well] makes you as an older player ecstatic,” Favorite said. —-Contact Rachel Whittaker at [email protected]