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For seven games, LSU looked like as solid a team as there was in the nation. They were undefeated and ranked No. 2 in the nations. But then everything changed in a matter of three weeks.
Three consecutive losses raised a shopping list of questions. Among them, would Les Miles survive as head coach of the Tigers?
Miles survived, somehow, after the Tigers won their regular season finale against Texas A&M and were sent to the fertile recruiting grounds of Houston for their bowl game, where they rolled to an easy victory against Texas Tech, a far inferior opponent.
Very few questions on that long list actually got answered despite closing the season with back-to-back wins. Here are some lingering issues facing the Tigers in the offseason:
New look offense?
After being retained as head coach following the regular season finale, Miles promised to tweak the offense. He didn’t do much for the bowl game, so what will he do – if anything – by the time the Tigers take the field in 2016?
With the return of RB Leonard Fournette, LSU’s single-season rushing leader, it seems highly unlikely that Miles’ run-heavy, I-formation, ground-and-pound attack would go through any major changes. We’ll see.
Improvement at QB?
LSU QB Brandon Harris will be a junior next season. He showed signs of improvement through the first seven games of the 2015 season and then regressed badly during the three-game losing streak and beyond. Despite the win, his play in the bowl game didn’t lend Tigers’ fans much reason for optimism.
Quarterback play has been the biggest sore spot of LSU football for the past couple of seasons. If that doesn’t change in 2016, it’s going to be another season of anguish for Tigers fans.
Who is the offensive coordinator?
The contract of OC Cam Cameron expires in March. A new contract has not been signed. The question remains, will he stay or will he go? Cameron has caught his share of flak for LSU’s unimaginative offense. But Miles’ offenses look the same regardless of who holds the position of coordinator.
So for continuity sake, the return of Cameron could be a positive for the program. What he comes up with in the way of change remains as big a mystery as his pending return.
Another new defensive coordinator
Kevin Steele bolted LSU for Auburn after one season as DC in Baton Rouge. That was one season after former LSU DC John Chavis bolted for Texas A&M. Dave Aranda is the next DC in line at LSU, coming over from Wisconsin where he spent the last three seasons – his longest stint at any one spot since breaking into the coaching profession in 1995.
What changes/improvements will he make to an LSU defense that has been among the best in the SEC despite recent changes? Now, with its third DC in three years, it remains to be seen if the Tigers can maintain that status, although Aranda had a great track record at Wisconsin.
Who stays, who goes?
Eight underclassmen over the past two seasons have left LSU early for the NFL draft. The potential is there for another group declaring early for the draft.
On defense, DLs Lewis Neal and Christian LaCouture are possible early departures as is LB Kendell Beckwith and CB Tre’Davious White.
On the other side of the football, WR Travin Dural could test the market but surgery on his hamstring could mean another year of seasoning in Baton Rouge. OT Jerald Hawkins and C Ethan Pocic could provide LSU with a nucleus of one of the better offensive lines in the country, or create some giant holes that must be filled if they decide to leave early.
There are plenty of big questions to be answered before LSU can climb back into contention for national honors and potentially finish what it started seven games into the 2015 season.
Glenn Sattell is an award-winning freelance writer for Saturday Down South.
