Offense Carrying the Load for LSU Tigers

Daniel Shirey, USA TODAY SPORTS

The LSU Tigers are becoming a dynamic team on offense. When Les Miles hired Cam Cameron as the Tigers’ new offensive coordinator, he could have only hoped to see the results he has seen through three games.

The biggest change has come at quarterback, where Zach Mettenberger is now a legitimate passing threat for LSU. In Saturday’s 45-13 win over Kent State, Mettenberger was 13-of-18 for 264 yards with three touchdowns and, more importantly, no interceptions.

Mettenberger has settled on a favorite target in Odell Beckham, Jr. On Saturday, Beckham had five catches for 76 yards and another touchdown.

While the passing game has come around under Cameron, Miles still wants his Tigers to be a running team. That aspect of the offense did not disappoint on Saturday.

Jeremy Hill, in his second game back from suspension, had 11 carries for 117 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the game. If that wasn’t enough, Terrence Magee also went over the century mark, rushing nine times for 108 yards and a score. Alfred Blue also had 56 yards on the ground for the Tigers, who rushed for 307 yards as a team.

This LSU team is shaping up to be different from LSU teams in recent years. Those teams were strong on defense and ran the ball the majority of the time. This year’s team is still finding its footing on defense, but the offense has shown that it is a force, and is capable of winning games for LSU. Once the defense comes around, and it will, the Tigers will have a say in who wins the SEC West.

Tim Letcher is a contributing writer for www.RantSports.com and a member of the Football Writers Association of America. Follow him on Twitter @TimLetcher, on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.