Who you got? DISSAPOINTMENTS: Ricky Jean Francois? Demetrius Byrd? Keiland Williams? Curtis Taylor? I knew that Scott would take over as the primary back, and I thought Keiland performed fine as a backup, but many people expected him to be a starter. Byrd didn't get many opportunities this year with our QB situation, but he dropped several long passes & generally had a poor attitude. RJF had a poor year, along with the rest of our DL. I still think he'll be a high draft pick & honestly put more blame on our DL coaches' shoulders than his. Curtis Taylor was selfish & quit on this team. He repeatedly made mistakes and when he was benched for it he pouted. I'm going to say Taylor, even though I didn't have high expectations of him - we needed him to be a leader with him being the only returning starter in the defensive backfield. SURPRISES: Charles Scott? Joe Barksdale? Patrick Peterson? Harry Coleman? Rahim Alem? Scott had a great season despite struggling late due to defenses keying in on him. Barksdale performed admirably for a 1st year starting sophomore, but still needs work. The CBs all performed okay, but expectations for them were varied. I didn't expect much from Jai at all, and he did better than I thought he would. I expected a whole lot from Peterson despite being a freshman, and he didn't quite meet expectations despite performing pretty well. Hawkins pretty much met my expectations (which were a good bit higher than my expectations for Jai). Harry Coleman didn't quite meet my expectations. I didn't like all the trash talking & he made too many mistakes, but he still performed reasonably well after replacing an All-American. Rahim Alem has to be my pick. All-SEC without even being a starter! Wow. This guy has come a long way from his freshman year when I heard he was lacking commitment & not playing tough enough.
Murphy was a huge disappointment as he was totally absent from the offense. We all had big plans for him to be a 3rd down kind of back who could catch some critical passes. That never happened. Chad Jones was the biggest disappointment by far. He had a great true freshman year, and was ready to do big things this season. D Byrd, more so for this attitude problems that caused plenty of offensive incoherence. Happy with Peterson, Alem, Barksdale, Jefferson.
Have to echo Chad Jones. He was terrible in pass situations but actually decent against the run. However, for a guy with his talent...5 start number 1 recruit at his position, he was a huge disappointment. Al Woods is another disappointment bordering on bust status. Another 5 star top rated recruit who has done virtually nothing in his 3 years at LSU. I dont think he red shirted so he is going to be a senior nest year. It will take a great season to save him from one of the biggest recent recruiting busts. Cant argue with any of the surprises. Very nice to see Alem become the best D-lineman we have as it was unexpected. Peterson was robbed not getting all SEC freshman team. ROBBED!
There was no bigger disappointment than RJF. Rahim Alem was a great surprise. I knew he had it in him, but this was supposed to be the year when Tyson Jackson and Kirston Pittman shined for the scouts,
My list might be a little different than others. Surprises: 1. Toliver - seemed to develop 'it' toward the end of the season. Look for the dude to become prime time this season. 2. Tremaine Johnson - Aside from the horrendous penalty against Ark, he had a solid season. 3. Rahim Alem - For all the reasons said above 4. Colt David - I always knew he was good. Didn't realize just how good the kid is, though. We'll appreciate him so much more next season when we have no kicker. Disappointments: 1. Charles Scott - I know he had a great season. But I just feel as though when the chips were on the table, Keiland was the money guy, even though the carries were given more to Scott. Example: Against Florida, Georgia and Bama, here are the numbers: Scott: 271 yards on 57 carries + 2 catches for 14 rec yards = 285 total yards Williams: 119 yards on 21 carries + 3 catches for 81 = 200 total yards. So in total: Scott = 285 total yards on 59 touches Williams = 200 total yards on 24 touches Again, I know Scott had a fine season and I am not taking away from him at all. I just was disappointed because he didn't seem to elevate his game in the big moments like his backup did. 2. RJF - For all the reasons listed above. He did a whole lot of nadda. 3. Chad Jones - He's a LB with a safeties body and teams have been quick to expose that I don't consider Byrd a disappointment. He has the same stats this year, pretty much compared to last year with more attention on him this year and worse QB-play. 2007: 35 catches for 621 and 7 TD 2008: 34 catches for 503 and 4 TD With Flynn throwing him the ball this year and not Hatch, Lee, Jefferson, I think you'd be able to add a cool 10 or more catches and about 250 more yards. Not the kids fault his QB's didn't perform. These 'attitude' problems were all there last year. They just become things that are easy to point fingers at when things aren't going well. Just my 2 pennies.
Disappointments RJF - Never blossomed like we expected. Maybe the groin injury nagged him. Murphy - Watching him in the spring game, I expected big things. But he didn't get many looks so can't really lay it on him. Tyson Jackson - Big Hype and never got to that next level. Beckwith - One of my favorite players the last 4 years and the injuries just caught up to him. Taylor - Cparso nailed it. Really surprised me and this guy hurt us. Pleasantly Surprised Charles Scott - Didn't see this year coming. If we had better QB play, D's may not have been able to key on him and slow him down at the end of the year. Did great despite this. KW - Ran harder/smarter as the year went on. First we have ever seen of this in his career. Alem - Completely out of nowhere. Glad to see he broke through.
Disappointments 1. QB's - all of them including Jordan Jefferson. We really need to have these guys step it up a few notches next year. They all made some bone-headed decisions. 2. Tyson Jackson - Where did he go? 3. RJF - Besides being a non-factor, he got Florida fired up the week before the game with his comments about teeing off on Tebow. 4. WRs - all of them. How many drops did we see that would have been potential game changers? No excuses for such a group of talented recruits. 5. Both lines (OL & DL) - "arguably the best lines in the country" wound up being an argument we continually lost. 6. CLM - what happened to the unpredictable gambler? Surprises 1. Charles Scott - even though his edge was most felt for 1/2 a season, its been a long time since an LSU back ran with that type of authority. 2. Peterson - better than billed. 3. Jefferson - though I have him listed in collective form as a disappointment with the other QBs, he showed spark and promise right when we needed it. Let's hope his development continues into the future.
Disappointments - Chad Jones RJF Holiday Lee (as Mr. Hyde) Surprises - Brady Dalfrey PP Lee (as Dr. Jekkyl) JJ
Dissapointments: -The Entire D-line except for Alem. You could argue against the secondary, but with no pass rush, you really cant cover a guy when the QB has all day to throw it. Thats why I cant say Chad Jones, he isnt a cover saftey, he is a hitter and run stopper. -D. Byrd, bad attitude got the best of him and his ability. Hope he does well in the combine. R. Dickson-I had really high hopes for this guy, he was my preseason MVP of the team. Dropped alot of key passes. Surprises: -Patrick Peterson-guy is a beast and star already in my book, best Cover corner we have had in a while. -Charles Scott- his work ethic and never say quit attitude was great this season, also he never threw his QB under the bus. -Quinn Johnson- there isnt a LB in college football that wants to go up against this guy. -Jefferson- for a true freshman he showed alot of potential in his limited playing time. -J.Cutera- the guy stepped up big time in the absence of Beckwith. He played the position well enough to where he didnt hurt the defense.
