LSU football position battles: Wide Receiver

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Sep 6, 2014; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU Tigers wide receiver Travin Dural (83) catches a touchdown over Sam Houston State Bearkats cornerback Ernest Payton (20) during the first half of a game at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

What can we expect from the LSU wide receivers in 2015?

Overall, the 2014 season was not an exceptional one for the Bayou Bengal wide receivers. LSU lacked experience at the position, and it showed. The Tigers ranked last in the conference with only 2,118 receiving yards on the season (162.9 per game).

LSU receivers also had problems with dropped passes, especially in big games *cough cough* the Alabama game *cough cough*. New wide receivers coach Tony Ball has been all over the receivers during fall camp about dropped passes, and every dropped pass comes with a tongue lashing.

The receiving corp’s youth and LSU’s subpar quarterback play also played major roles in the lack of production by the receivers in 2014.

Travin Dural was the only experienced receiver on the team. Les Miles and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron relied heavily on Dural in the passing game, and something that opposing defenses figured out early on.

Dural burst out of the gate quickly in 2014, racking up four of his seven total touchdowns in the first two games of the season. He put up big receiving numbers during the first four games with 151 yards, 140 yards, 79 yards and 124 yards, respectively. But once defenses figured out how much the passing game revolved around him, Dural only posted one game with more than 50 yards receiving for the rest of the season.

Inconsistency at the quarterback position last season also significantly stumped the production of the wide receivers. The LSU quarterbacks were simply not able to distribute the ball on time and accurately on a consistent basis.

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