LSU keeps many championship parts

When LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs as the fifth overall pick in this year’s NFL draft, nobody felt more relieved than Mississippi State’s Sylvester Croom.

“In my coaching career, he is one of only three defensive linemen that when I went to the game I was truly afraid of,” Croom said. “Reggie White was one of the others when I was in the NFL, and Howie Long was the other.”

That relief for Croom never became ecstasy, however, because he knew there would be others. LSU’s wins the past four seasons over his Bulldogs have come by an average score of 45-6, so Dorsey obviously wasn’t the only Tiger inflicting damage.

Defensive ends Tyson Jackson, Kirston Pittman and Tremaine Johnson are back for more rounds in the SEC, as are defensive tackles Ricky Jean-Francois, Charles Alexander, Al Woods and Marlon Favorite.

“If anybody else had lost Dorsey in this conference, they would be in real trouble,” Croom said. “LSU just puts another one up there. Tyson Jackson is really an outstanding player, but I know that whoever they put out there is going to be a great player.”

LSU’s top topic as defending national champion is whether redshirt freshman Jarrett Lee or Harvard transfer Andrew Hatch can be a capable quarterback successor to Matt Flynn. Ryan Perrilloux, the MVP in last year’s SEC title-game win over Tennessee when Flynn was hurt, was supposed to be the starter but was dismissed from the program this past spring.

Lee may be the more talented of the two, but Hatch was first sought by LSU offensive coordinator Gary Crowton in 2004 when Crowton was head coach at Brigham Young.

What if neither quarterback pans out and freshman signee Jordan Jefferson isn’t ready? Well, there is still the matter of scoring against a defense loaded up front and with senior middle linebacker Darry Beckwith as its leader.

“I think our defensive front will be as strong as there is in college football,” head coach Les Miles said. “I’ll be excited to watch them play. We lose two linebackers with some experience, but I think Perry Riley and Kelvin Sheppard will help give us a great ’backing core. We lose a couple of corners, but I like the veterans (Jai Eugene and Chris Hawkins) that return.”

Whoever emerges at quarterback will be aided by four returning offensive-line starters and plenty of proven receivers with Brandon LaFell, Demetrius Byrd, Richard Dickson, Jared Mitchell and Terrance Toliver. There are also four returning tailbacks — Keiland Williams, Trindon Holliday, Charles Scott and Richard Murphy — who combined for 1,396 yards and 15 touchdowns a year ago.

The schedule contains trips to Auburn, Florida and South Carolina, and an Oct. 25 matchup against Georgia at Tiger Stadium pits the top two teams from last season’s final Associated Press poll. There is also a Nov. 8 home date against Alabama, which marks Nick Saban’s return to Baton Rouge.

But it all starts Aug. 30 against Appalachian State, the little engine that did last year at Michigan.

“We’ve heard so much about them,” Jackson said. “I think I’m getting a text message about them right now. Seriously, we’re not overlooking those guys. We know what happened last year.”