One Great Season
Randy Rosetta covers LSU football for the The Advocate in Baton Rouge, La. He was nice enough to answer some questions about the Tigers, the SEC and much more. After you read the interview, be sure to follow Rosetta on Twitter at @RandyRosetta.
One Great Season: There's a lot of pressure on the offense this year. Is quarterback Jordan Jefferson finally ready to be the man and lead that unit?
Randy Rosetta: If not now, he may never be. This was supposed to be the season when Jefferson and/or Jarrett Lee was handed the keys to the offense – the first year after Ryan Perrilloux in a perfect world. That didn't happen because Perrilloux couldn’t walk the straight and narrow, so both Jefferson and Lee have a season as a starter under their belts as a result. That should mean either guy is ready to step out there and be more mature ... but we'll see. Jefferson has to make quicker decisions and be willing to check down to second and third receivers. If Lee steps in, he has to make better reads and keep the ball out of opponents' hands.
EXTRA: Images From 2009 Florida-LSU Game
OGS: How about Russell Shepard? Is he the SEC's next Percy Harvin?
RR: Potentially, there's no doubt he could fill a similar role, maybe with even a little more danger because he should be a threat to throw the ball out of the wildcat. Problem is, you've got to have an offensive coordinator and head coach willing to put the ball in your hands and that was a problem last season. If Gary Crowton and Les Miles will loosen up and give Shepard some chances, it will be awfully entertaining to watch what he can do as a runner, receiver and, yes, even as a passer. He's definitely lightning in a bottle and a home-run threat any time he gets into open space.
OGS: And there's another young offensive star in the making named Michael Ford. Is he good enough to win what appears to be a wide open race to be the feature back?
RR: Talent-wise, he's the best back LSU has. But he's struggled to completely grasp the offense and what he has to be able to do when he doesn't have the ball in his hands – blitz pickup, decoy moves, play-action assignments, etc. Should LSU go to a more traditional I-formation power running game, he could and probably should be the guy who gets the ball 20 times a game. If the offense remains diversified as expected, look for Richard Murphy and Stevan Ridley to stay much more involved
MORE: Complete OGS Preseason Preview
OGS: Pretty tough September with games against North Carolina and West Virginia. What does LSU need to do well early to take a 4-0 record into the Tennessee game on Oct. 2?
RR: LSU has to be more consistent and productive on offense than last season and if the Tigers do that they can be unblemished when the calendar turns to October. North Carolina's defense will be a major test, but LSU has the horsepower and talent to move the ball effectively enough to outdo a Tar Heels' offense that was equally as unimpressive last season and doesn't have the tools LSU does. West Virginia is solid offensively and could give the Tigers' defense fits if that unit isn’t playing into form by the end of September. This looms as a trap game in my mind because LSU plays a potentially dynamic offense the week before (Mississippi State), which could give the Mountaineers a blueprint to follow. But the Tigers are ultra-talented on defense and, barring a letdown, should be able to adjust.
OGS: And then after that, LSU still has games with Florida, Auburn, Alabama and Arkansas, three of which are on the road. Does LSU have the toughest schedule in the country?
RR: If not the toughest nationally, it's certainly the toughest in the SEC. This is easily LSU's toughest slate since 1988 when (it) began with a game against Texas A&M and also played Florida State. It breaks well, as far as having both of the tough non-conference games out of the way before the gauntlet begins against Florida, Auburn, Alabama and Arkansas. So there's a chance to have a nice head of steam by the time the Tigers turn into road warriors.
OGS: That SEC West is a meatgrinder again this year. Do you think Alabama can navigate it perfectly once more? And who's got the inside track for second place?
RR: No, I don't think Alabama will go through unbeaten and I have actually predicted the Crimson Tide could have two losses by the time November gets here. That, and a relatively easy schedule for Auburn, makes me see the Iron Bowl as the game that sill decides the top two spots in the West this season. I think LSU and Arkansas will have a lot to say along the way, but those two might have to duke it out for third place behind 'Bama and AU this season.
OGS: How much of a difference will Billy Gonzales make as the new receivers coach and passing-game coordinator?
RR: Although that will be determined when the whole picture is painted, I think the initial brush strokes are impressive. Receivers seem to be running better, crisper routes and there's better, palpable chemistry between the quarterbacks and guys they'll be hooking up with. As good as the running backs corps is, how good LSU's offense will be hinges greatly on the passing attack and how versatile and occasionally explosive it can be. Gonzales' impact will be measured most in those two areas.
OGS: It seems no other sport has the kind of preseason buildup that college football has. What is it about this time of year that gets sports fans so excited?
RR: I've always thought the genesis of a new football season is tied to the start of a school year for a lot of fans –- students and those of us a little longer in the tooth who have kids in school –- and the symbolic end of summer. Baseball is and will always be America's pastime, but I'm not sure there's a sport that all Americans can relate to as much as football and the start of a new season gives a lot of us a sense of renewal and hope.
OGS: What do you like about being a sportswriter in a constantly evolving era like the one we're in right now? Do you like the never-ending cycle that requires you to blog and use Twitter as opposed to just getting one story done by your 10 p.m. deadline?
RR: I have actually come around and embraced the 24-hour news cycle and really enjoy pumping out news around the clock. There's a part of me that will always enjoy sitting down and taking time on a long-form feature story that gives readers a little inside info about somebody or something that can't be delivered in a deadline story. And like most of my sports-writing brethren, there's always the thrilling rush of hammering out a well-written story to make a deadline.
OGS: When/how will a national champion come from a conference other than the SEC?
RR: I think that could happen this year and it may have to do with how strong the league is again. My prediction is Ohio State and Florida meeting in the BCS National Championship Game, so I think the SEC will be there. But it wouldn't surprise me at all if Oklahoma or Texas displaces the Gators if one of those teams is undefeated or once-beaten. I think it's going to be tough for Florida and Alabama to get through the SEC slate without some damage – and they play each other, so obviously one will have a loss. If both teams have two losses when the dust settles after the conference championship games, I don't see a two-loss team in the hunt this season.