It all starts in the trenches. A sentiment echoed by many football coaches, players and knowledgeable fans of football.
It is often stated a team must be strong on both the offensive and defensive line to experience success. And if preseason honors and expectations are a gauge of talent, LSU seems to be set along the offensive front.
The Tigers return four starters on the offensive line from last season and have depth along the line not seen in years in Baton Rouge.
LSU’s projected starters are an average of 6-foot-5, 305 pounds, and offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher said if the line plays up to its potential, it could be the best to come though LSU in his four years with the Tigers.
“Sometimes you can have a lot of great players that can never play together on the line,” Fisher said. “To be able to know how each other are going to block a certain way and how to communicate and what to expect from each other is a good thing, and I think by far with the experience and the talent, I would say it is the best offensive line we have had.”
Coach Nick Saban concurs.
“I have said nothing but positive things about the offensive line we have right now,” Saban said. “I think it is the best line we have had in terms of ability, experience and knowledge. They are a very smart group of guys who play well together.”
Saban feels especially good about the depth along the line.
“I actually look at our offensive line and think we have seven starters, which is the most I can say I have ever felt that way about,” Saban said. “I think it is important to continue to develop depth down the road. Hopefully, we will be fortunate at that position to keep the continuity throughout the year.”
Senior offensive guard Stephen Peterman is the anchor of the experienced line and perhaps the most celebrated.
The three-year starter, who has played in 35 games in his four year career, earned First Team All Southeastern Conference honors last year and is rated as the No. 1 offensive guard in the country by The Sporting News. He also was named a First Team Preseason All-American by Athlon magazine.
To Peterman’s right will be senior offensive tackle Rodney Reed, a 6-foot-4, 287-pound offensive tackle who has received just as much acclaim for his actions in the classroom as his performance on the field.
Reed earned First Team Academic All-American honors in 2002 and graduated last May with a 3.9 grade point average in accounting. But Reed’s talents are not limited to the classroom. He is a four-year starter and a member of The Sporting News First Team Freshman All-American team in 2000. At center is 6-foot-4, 296-pound junior Ben Wilkerson, who will be in his second year of starting for the Tigers. Many expect a breakout season from the former high school All-American.
Wilkerson has missed some time in the past because of back problems, but after off-season back surgery he looks to be fully recovered from the ailment. Wilkerson is one of the 38 players across the country to be placed on the watch list for the Rimington award, given annually to the nation’s top center.
Saban recently announced Nate Livings as the starter at left guard, replacing graduated starter Rob Sale.
And protecting quarterback Matt Mauck’s blind side will be mammoth left tackle Andrew Whitworth, a 6-foot-7, 325-pound product of West Monroe High School.
Whitworth, a sophomore, was a member of The Sporting News First-Team Freshman All-American squad and started every game for LSU in 2002.
Sophomore Terrell McGill offers the LSU coaching staff another option along the line, as he can play several different positions, along with 6-foot-5 offensive tackle Nate Livings.
Peterman said LSU’s depth along the line gives the Tigers a great luxury not every team has.
“You always see offensive lineman going down,” Peterman said. “We have a couple of guys that can play more than one position and that plays a big part if somebody gets hurt.”
But along with the talent and depth comes expectations and pressure to block for a relatively inexperienced running backs corps, especially with the loss of Domanick Davis and LaBrandon Toefield to the NFL.
“We have got a great group of guys and great coaches that have always been here working with us, and there is no reason with the size and the condition we are in we should not have a dominating offensive line,” Peterman said. “Hopefully, we will make it easy for our running backs where they don’t have too much to do except just look for the open holes and run through them.”
Reed says all the blood, sweat and tears the team has sacrificed are for a reason.
“We would not put in all this work over the summer and spring if we did not think we could win the national championship,” Reed said.Reveille Sportswriter