Chat Reel: Randy Rosetta

Advocate sportswriter Randy Rosetta is participating in a live chat right now. To submit your question, please fill out the form below. Hit the refresh button on your browser to see the latest question and answer.

Jack (Grapevine, Ark.): Randy, how well are Jefferson and Dixon. We need these guys on the field. It seems that Houston Nutt has miles no.

RR: Jack --

I think both will at least start. How effective they are? We'll see. But both will be huge to LSU's chances in this game, so I'm sure they will be out there as long as they can go.

As for the Houston Nutt comment, he's a good coach who has beaten a lot of good coaches. And it hasn't hurt to have Darren McFadden, Felix Jones and Jevan Snead play great games against LSU.

Pat (Mobile, Ala.): Randy, I think LSU needs to (and will) win big tomorrow to place themselves in position for next year, as a young team coming of age. What do you think?

RR: Pat --

Without letting the cat out of the bag, my Game Day story addresses this pretty in-depth.

Yes, I think a win tomorrow and against Arkansas sets an awfully big stage for LSU next season.

Danny (Madison, Miss.): The forecast is calling for rain. What are your thoughts about advantages/disadvantages for either team if any.

RR: Danny --

Because Ole Miss's field is synthetic, I don't see it favoring either team. I think both teams will focus on running the ball anyway because of the two defenses involved.

Robert (New Orleans): why isnt lsu a candidate for a major bcs bowl game considering were the eighth team? is the program in decline and will a another 8 or 9 win season kill recruiting?

RR: Robert --

To answer your questions in reverse order...

No and no.

LSU is still a candidate, but BCS rules stipulate only two teams from each conference can be selected for those games. So for LSU to move into position, Florida and/or Alabama would have to lose one game during the regular season. That would mean the loser of the SEC Championship Game would have two losses and LSU could -- not for sure but could -- slip into the Sugar Bowl as an at-large BCS team.

Back to your first two questions...

I think the word "decline" is tossed around a little too quickly. LSU is the third best team in the best conference in the country. If that's decline, I'm not sure how you'd define a total collapse.

And according to my esteemed colleague and recruiting writer Scott Hotard, LSU will have another top-10 recruting class when the dust settles in February and the 2011 talent in Louisiana is regarded as one of the stronger years in quite a while.

Mike (Olathe, Kansas): Randy: you've stated an obvious (but under-appreciated) fact that the current LSU offense was built for Ryan Perrilloux's skills. I agree, and believe that Lee's problems at LSU stem from Crowton trying to hammer his "square-peg" skills (drop-back, pro set) into LSU's "round hole" offense (fast, mobile o-lines with running/option quarterbacks). You could see the trend start with Matt Flynn; that's also probably why Hatch got the nod as the starter last year (he was the "running QB", remember)? But here's my question: why in the world did we recruit and sign a QB like Lee, if his skills didn't fit Crowton's offensive style? I don't care how good a player is; at certain skill positions, you risk ruining a good player (and your team's chances) by thinking you can "change" a good player from one skill type to another. Like Mallett, Lee should move to a school that can use his natural skills and allow him to be good in his own way. And LSU should stop recruiting talented (but incompatible) players, no matter how many "stars" they have by their name on the recruiting index. Would you agree? PS: If Lee does leave, I know that Shephard is a good fit for Crowton's offense (even if he's a bit on the small side). But what about Chris Garrett? Is he another "Lee", or would he fit into the current LSU offensive scheme?

RR: Mike –

Jarrett Lee was actually a recruit when Jimbo Fisher was still the offensive coordinator and he was who signed off on Lee. You look at LSU’s previous offenses and what Florida State has done and that makes sense.

Now with Garrett, I don’t know what to tell you. If LSU is, as it seems and you mentioned, headed toward a spread-type offense, Garrett doesn’t make sense. The only thing I can guess is that Crowton and perhaps Les Miles, want the option of tinkering with a more pro/I-oriented offense if the rest of the personnel tilts that way, so they wanted to make sure they had a quarterback who could run it.

Michael (Destin, Fla.): Randy - I completely understand the issues with LSU that others are overlooking ... some won't understand this, but, LSU wasn't always a top 10 team and I understand that it is unrealistic to win the NC every year, but, we've had 2 in a decade and consistently finish in the top seven most seasons ... spoiled by the success, we forget where we were 10 years ago ... I get the let down vs. Tech (who isn't a bad team to add, minus two of our key players and emotionally hungover, I would think our plan involved playing a "safe", injury free, no frills style of play - I also feel as much as I want to stand by Lee, I have to understand that he is a 20 year old kid probably mentally ruined by the emotional trauma suffered last season, ... enter the Russell Sheppard situation, ... it is unrealistic to think he will jump from high school to college play and begin passing successfully against SEC defenses ... there is a question or two here, I just wanted you to know I respect your analytical maturity and believe many Tiger fans out there don't appreciate our rise to power over the last decade and don't realize that it won't last forever ... Question - What is the impact in the loss of Charles Scott over the remaining games? Also, who are we losing of significance at seasons end and what do we have to look forward to next season, meaning personnel and expectation? Thank you for taking your time to give us your insight.

RR: Michael –

Actually, as much as I loved watching Charles Scott, that’s one area where I think LSU could absorb a loss of that magnitude and not miss a beat. Keiland Williams certainly showed why people have always waited on the edge of their seats for him with his performance last week. And I think Stevan Ridley has a chance to be very special the next two years if he stays healthy.

In a way, relying on those two might even make the LSU running game a little more difficult to defend because they are so different and both tend to be a little more explosive than Scott.

The losses for next year that hurt the most are Ciron Black at left tackle, Richard Dickson at tight end (although Deangelo Peterson looks like a budding star), Brandon LaFell and possibly Terrance Toliver at receiver, Rahim Alem at end, and Perry Riley and Harry Coleman at linebackers. It’s likely Chad Jones could also declare for the draft, leaving another big hole.

So there will be plenty of holes to fill, but there will also be a lot of talent back. Depending on the returning underclassmen (Jones and Toliver) and where LSU is ranked to start the season, the stage could be set for a shot at a national championship. Not saying that will happen, but the schedule is conducive for it – home games against Alabama and Ole Miss and non-conference games against North Carolina and West Virginia to bolster the Tigers’ strength of schedule.

Mike (Amelia): Is it possible that La-tech is not as bad as people say? After all they did play tight with Boise State another ranked team. Your comments?

RR: Mike –

I think Tech is a mid-major program on the rise with a very sharp coach who gets the most out of his players. That said, the Bulldogs were also injury-riddled and the game shouldn’t have been anywhere as close as it was last week.

But the instate teams are like a younger brother and whenever they get a shot at big brother, they’re bound to play their best and above their heads, which I definitely think played out last week.

Alan (Ponchatoula): Do you think there is any friction between Miles and Crowton leading to the inconsistent offense?

RR: Alan –

Not from what we can tell, but that’s because we rarely speak to Gary Crowton. There seems to be some confusion, though, because has mentioned several times he wanted to run the ball more.

The inconsistent offense has a lot more to do with players not executing than coaches bickering. The plays being called are all things LSU works on.

Wesley (Denham Springs): Do you think LSU is guilty of playing some players because they are seniors and not really the best athlete at the position. I'm pointing mainly at the offensive line as I think we have better athlete's in the younger players rather than the veterans such as Hebert and Hilt

RR: Wesley --

Probably so, but that doesn't make Les Miles different from a lot of coaches around the country. I think Les makes it very clear he prefers experience when he get can get it. If there's not a huge talent difference, he's going to go with an older guy who's been through the wars a little.

As for the two guys you mentioned, I think Hebert is the best center on the roster. Hitt probably fits the above description a little bit -- the good soldier who has paid his dues and earned the chance.

Thanks for the questions today guys. We're going to bet back on the road now. I will blog some other stuff when we get to Memphis and get settled in.

Rich Loup: I've forwarded Randy some questions that didn't get answered today, and he'll try to answer them in a mail bag blog entry soon. Also, we'll chat again at 12:45 p.m. Monday. Thanks for reading. Enjoy your weekend.