By Rowan Kavner, The Daily Reveille
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It’s scary to think after beating eight ranked teams en route to an undefeated regular season and a Southeastern Conference Championship that this might not be the best LSU football team in the next few years.

The Tigers flew through their schedule, with their only single-digit win coming against Alabama. LSU stomped its final four opponents – including Southeastern Conference Championship rival Georgia – by a combined score of 177-39, and did it all with a team comprised mostly of underclassmen.

LSU led the Southeastern Conference in rushing attempts, rushing yards and rushing touchdowns, with a running back corps comprised entirely of freshmen and sophomores, including four different players with at least seven rushing touchdowns.

Sophomore running back Michael Ford was the most successful Nov. 5 against Alabama, taking advantage of the option to sprint for 72 yards on 11 carries. But the Crimson Tide didn’t get a heavy dose of bruising freshman back Kenny Hilliard, who, after rushing just twice against Alabama, ran for a combined 174 yards and three touchdowns in LSU’s final two games against Arkansas and Georgia.

The Tigers will lose both of their primary quarterbacks in seniors Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee after the season. But on the horizon is sophomore junior college transfer Zach Mettenberger – who threw for 32 touchdowns and just four interceptions in one season at Butler Community College – and recent five-star LSU commit Gunner Kiel.

LSU’s major losses will be minimal next season, assuming most underclassmen don’t dart to play on Sundays.

Will Blackwell is the only senior offensive lineman to start every game this season, Ken Adams is the only senior on the defensive line to record a start this year and Brandon Taylor is the lone starting senior in the defensive backfield, although junior cornerback Morris Claiborne, a projected top five draft pick, could forgo his senior season.

The biggest losses will come in the linebacking corps, where LSU loses seniors Ryan Baker, Stefoin Francois and Karnell Hatcher, all of whom have recorded starts this season. Baker led all LSU defenders with eight tackles in the Tigers’ 9-6 win against Alabama this year.

Still, the Tigers will retain two of their top three leading tacklers in sophomore defensive back Tyrann Mathieu and sophomore safety Eric Reid, who shined against the Tide with six tackles and one crucial interception, ripping the ball away at LSU’s goal line in the fourth quarter.

Sam Montgomery and Barkevious Mingo, who lead the Tigers with nine and eight sacks, respectively, are both sophomores. Bennie Logan and Michael Brockers, who led all LSU defensive linemen in tackles, are also sophomores. 

Standout punter Brad Wing is a freshman and kicker Drew Alleman, who accounted for all nine points against Alabama – including the game-winning field goal in overtime – is a junior.

LSU doesn’t even have a senior wide receiver.

Yet here the Tigers are, despite the youth, in what is arguably the team’s greatest season in school history. LSU coach Les Miles said he doesn’t expect this group of recent high school graduates to be overwhelmed by the experience.

“Certainly, they have played a number of great, nationally ranked teams,” Miles said. “I think they know how to remove distraction. I think they understand it.”