The reasons the Tigers aren’t Geauxing... LSU has not been the same since the thrashing at the hands of Alabama. The Crimson Tide really exploited the weaknesses in LSU’s offense and other teams have become hip to blitzing the Tigers. The problems that plague the Tigers are no complicated in nature, but are not visible to the naked eye. Tyrann Mathieu- You cannot discredit losing a Heisman Candidate. Mathieu changed the flow of the Arkansas and Georgia game with a punt return for a touchdown. Although Mathieu is not the greatest cover corner, he is a playmaker. There were many times in games in which a well time forced fumble or interception would change the flow of the game. He worked very hard over the offseason to improve his coverage skills and was poised to make a run at the Heisman this year as well as being a leader for the vaulted LSU defense. Most teams don’t recover from losing a player of this magnitude; LSU is continuing this trend. Wide Receivers- Odell Beckham Jr. and Russell Shepard are the biggest problem plaguing the LSU passing game, not Mettenberger. They are not getting open. When they are getting open, they are dropping passes. In the meantime, Mettenberger is holding the ball waiting for them to get open. Other coaches are seeing this on tape and are using it to their advantage. Why not bring pressure if these guys aren’t getting open and catching the ball? It is an easy formula to creating havoc with LSU. These guys are going to have to step their play up in order be what the LSU offense needs to open this offense up. Beckham has the speed to get open; Shepard is just not panning out. They need to move Jarvis Landry up and let Shepard play the slot. Les Miles has been too loyal to Shepard. Zack Mettenberger- Mettenberger is not going through his progressions as a QB. He is locking on to one receiver. He doesn’t look to the TE or to the check downs with the running backs. As much pressure as SEC teams put on the QB, you have to have a good check down system. Mettenberger is looking for the big play too much. If he doesn’t fix this, his season will only get longer against the likes of South Carolina and Alabama; those defensive fronts are too much for the LSU offensive line to handle. Mettenberger has to help his offensive line out by trusting the check down receiver. This will make the defense cheat up; this will open up the big play. Offensive Line- The offensive line is not playing well. And it starts with the receivers not getting open. On the football field, if one or two men don’t do their job, then they can cost the entire team. The running backs are not hitting the holes like they normally do. The line is also battered and beat up. At points in the games, freshman have had to come in for injured players. Ron Cooper- You do not see the dynamics of having a great player until he is gone; the same is true with a great coach. Ron Cooper was the defensive backs coach for the LSU Tigers from 2009-2011. Under his coaching, he coached the last two Thorpe Winners and the last two Bednarik winners. This guy is a difference maker because with the coaching he provided made the defensive line that much better as well as the linebackers. When you are sure about the coverage on the backend, it gives the front seven that much more confidence when defending the run as well as rushing the passer. Cooper is missed. Any LSU fan really understands what Ron Cooper meant to this team. LSU is a solid team. They can be a great. team with a few changes in the lineup; they can become a great team. Every unit on this team must play as one in order to accomplish this goal.