Tigers OT Black up for challenge

• By RANDY ROSETTA
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Aug 27, 2008 - Page: 1C - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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Whenever the new LSU quarterback steps on the field for the first time Saturday against Appalachian State, there will be undoubtedly be a tornado of thoughts swirling through his mind.

One thing Andrew Hatch, Jarrett Lee or Jordan Jefferson won’t have to contemplate much is what’s going on behind them.

Ciron Black is poised to accept the responsibility for making sure that won’t have to be a concern.

The Tigers’ junior left tackle plays arguably the most important spot on the offensive line — particularly this season when the LSU quarterback will be learning on the run.

All of the linemen will be zoned in on keeping the QB upright and unbothered more than normal. But Black’s role is amplified because his task is to keep would-be headhunters charging in from the quarterback’s blind side.

“Honestly, there is a little more pressure on you because we have a young quarterback back there and you want to make sure he feels confident and comfortable,” said Black, who enters his third season as the starting left tackle when the No. 7-ranked Tigers entertain Appalachian State.

“Being young, if they get hit hard, there’s a tendency to get rattled. That puts more pressure on my shoulders because it’s my job to keep anybody from hitting the quarterback from the backside.”

Black’s massive shoulders held up to that challenge pretty well a year ago.

During LSU’s 2007 national championship run, the Tyler, Texas, native played a school-record 1,031 snaps and surrendered exactly one sack. He also recorded 74 knockdown blocks after logging 81 in 2006, his first year as a starter.

But it’s not just that Black plays a major role in keeping the QB’s uniform clean.

Instead of simply relying on the brute strength generated by his massive 6-foot-5, 325-pound frame, Black excels because he’s as in tune with the offensive game plan as anybody in a Tigers uniform.

“Physically, he is as good a tackle as there is in the SEC, but that’s not what makes him so special,” LSU offensive line coach Greg Studrawa said. “He’s a really smart player and understands exactly what to do on each play. He works extremely hard to refine his technique and has gotten better every year, but the thing that makes him so unique is that he understands what the offense is trying to do and what every player has to do on every play. That comes from a drive to be as good as he can be.”

For Black, a major part of his drive this season is to kelp ease the transition for whichever quarterback or quarterbacks steer a talented Tigers offense this season.