By: Christian Goeckel

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

The Bayou Bengals found themselves in a situation last year very reminiscent to the one UGA faced at the end of 2015.

Season after season ended in mediocrity, and elite player after elite player never realized their potential, only to dominate later in the NFL. In a word, the program had stagnated.

So, like Georgia, they moved on from their long time coach in Les Miles. Unlike Georgia however, they didn’t go for the upstart coordinator, and didn’t even flirt with the usual suspects that fans typically clamor for when a job of this magnitude opens up.

They, instead, went with a coach already on the staff, one the players would rally around during a turbulent time; Ed Orgeron. A Louisiana native with an accent thicker than jambalaya, and a coaching resume that spans the length of the country.

Today we take a look at what to expect out of the Tigers in 2017.

2017 Offense: Leonard Fournette is a freak, make no mistake about that. What he was able to do during his time at LSU put him in the realm of the greatest backs the SEC has produced.

His departure, however, isn’t one that will cripple LSU’s offense. Derrius Guice is a monster of the same caliber of Fournette. With offensive coordinator Matt Canada’s arrival, Guice has a chance to eclipse the shadow left by his predecessor.

The man in charge of running the Offense will be Senior Danny Etling. His only competition last season, Brandon Harris, transferred to North Carolina. If Etling can grow into the quick passing and misdirection game of Matt Canada the Tigers O should be much improved.

Malachi Dupre is gone, but senior D.J. Clark returns to lead a receiver core that should see it’s role vastly expanded, and the line returns a majority of their starters heading into the year.

2017 Defense: It’s hard to say that the defense won’t take a step back this season. With the departure of their top 6 tacklers, including Jamal Adams and Duke Riley, the Tigers will be looking for plenty of guys to step up. Fortunately, having an elite edge rusher like Arden Key usually helps.

If Key can repeat his 1.1 sacks per game performance from last year, the Tigers will have a shot at again being top 10 nationally.

Donte Jackson is the next great LSU corner, and safety John Battle will be over the top to help.

The return of Christian LaCouture was a huge get for DC Dave Aranda, and solidifies what will be an extremely strong front seven.

Schedule: A very light first five weeks of the season will give the Tigers a good grace period to break in a new offense and young defense.

A week three matchup with Mississippi State on the road will be a tricky game, but it would be shocking if the Tigers weren’t 5-0 heading out of the that stretch

The meat of the schedule is where LSU will be really put to the test. If they can get past a Florida team they were a yard from beating last year, a very good Auburn team, and an Ole Miss team in flux there’s a chance we could have an undefeated battle in Tuscaloosa.

The final stretch will all be conference games, with one on the road at Tennessee, sandwiched between two at home against Arkansas and A&M. There’s an absolute chance that the Tigers will still be competing for the West with Bama all the way through.

The Tigers were a couple plays away from perhaps finishing 8-0 in conference under Orgeron last year and have Baton Rouge at a fever pitch heading into 2017. Expect plenty of fireworks out of the Bayou Bengals this year.