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Name: National L Club Spring Game
Time: Saturday, 3 p.m. CT
TV: SEC Network
Location: Tiger Stadium (Baton Rouge, La.)
Format: Purple and Gold teams playing 12-minute quarters with running time possible in second half
It’s the best time of year to be in Louisiana.
The sweltering heat and humidity of summer the Bayou State is known for hasn’t kicked in yet and instead, it’s mildy pleasant.
Perfect weather means outdoor festivals, from the Blues Festival last weekend in Baton Rouge, to the Jazz Fest a couple weekends away in New Orleans. It seems that every little town has a celebration of everything from culture, (like the upcoming Festival International de Louisiane in Lafayette) to food (like the Jambalaya fest in Gonzales or the Crawfish fest in Des Allemands) to festivals celebrating stories of local pirates (Contraband Days in Lake Charles).
It’s within this context that LSU plays its annual spring game. The spring party atmosphere partly explains why Tiger Stadium might not be as full for its spring finale as, say, Bryant-Denny Stadium annually is for Alabama’s spring game. But it also sets a good-mood climate. LSU’s spring game is a celebration of sorts, from its pre-game block party on campus to the Thursday afternoon practice that’s open for students to watch — and participate.
After all, even Tiger Stadium needs to get its festival game face on; Bayou Country Super Fest is coming there in May. For the LSU spring game to become a happy festival in its own right, here are five things fans (festival goers?) will want to see the Tigers accomplish on Saturday:
1. Find leadership at QB
Much has been made about the position this spring and for good reason. Returning starter Brandon Harris finished last season with some struggles down the stretch and there has been talk that Purdue transfer Danny Etling might be good enough to challenge for a starting job.
LSU fans probably don’t care which quarterback impresses Saturday and would be ecstatic if both play well. But what they want to see is not only accurate passes, but also leadership and poise. So far, feedback from scrimmages have been positive, but can the quarterbacks deliver with screaming fans in the stands for the spring game?
If so, fans will be feeling much better about their chances of doing the same in the fall.
2. Have some young WRs step up
This ties into the first point, but deserves its own category. With proven senior Travin Dural out for the spring with a hamstring injury and with two of the Tigers’ most used receivers — John Diarse and Trey Quinn — having announced plans to transfer, several young receivers have a chance to carve out a niche this spring.
Rising junior Malachi Dupre is back in a starting position and will likely be joined by Dural at the top of the depth chart in August. Beyond that, there are a lot of unproven, but talented players. Sophomore Tyron Johnson was a touted recruit in the 2015 recruiting class. D.J. Chark opened eyes with a 79-yard touchdown run in the Texas Bowl. Jazz Ferguson is another name that keeps popping up.
Even at tight end, could this be the year DeSean Smith emerges as a threat.
If LSU is to have an improved passing games, it’ll need more than just a quarterback to step up his game.
3. Find a defensive identity
New defensive coordinator Dave Aranda is transitioning LSU from a 4-3 base defense to a 3-4 unit and that means a LOT of players are taking on new roles. Some may have 4-3 skill sets and will be trying to hold the fort while the program starts recruiting players to fit the new scheme. Others may find that this scheme has been a better fit all along.
Start with nose guard Christian LaCouture, who came to LSU as a smallish tackle and is now having to anchor things as a 300-plus pound inside force. Take an outside linebacker position where a former defensive end (Tashawn Bower) and a former safety (Corey Raymond) are playing the same spot. Are these guys better suited for their new roles? Or will they look out of place?
Can Kendell Beckwith be a dominant force at middle linebacker in this scheme? Do the Tigers have enough defensive linemen who can hold up at the point of attack? Who might thrive? Whose role might diminish because his skill set isn’t the best fit for the scheme? Saturday will help tell that story.
4. Figure out who has an “edge”
One player who might enjoy the new scheme is defensive-end-turned-outside-linebacker Arden Key, who has the potential to provide the Tigers with the dominant pass rusher it has not had in several years.
Watching his progress Saturday will be particularly interesting, because on the other side of the ball, LSU is breaking two new starting tackles in left tackle Maea Teuhema and right tackle Toby Weathersby.
That will make Saturday’s results from their potential machup perplexing to figure out. If, say, Key has a few sacks, does that mean he has arrived as a pass rusher, or does that mean the Tigers are going to be below average at tackle?
5. Learn about the “other” RBs
Sure, LSU wants a better passing game, but do you really think that with a talent like Heisman Trophy candidate Leonard Fournette on the roster, the Tigers will stop emphasizing the running game? Probably not.
But in the spring game, at least, LSU may well de-emphasize Fournette, a proven talent who probably doesn’t need to take a 20-carry pounding in a scrimmage. He’s a proven option. What that may mean is a good look at Derrius Guice, who showed so many flashes of brilliance in a 436-yard true freshman season, one might suppose that if it weren’t for Mr. Fournette, Guice might have been an emerging superstar.
Saturday might be a day for him to shine as he and powerful junior Darrel Williams figure to get a lot of carries.
