LSU coach Les Miles won’t go as far as to say that there will be a retooling of the Tigers’ offense next season with Zach Mettenberger stepping in at quarterback.

But Miles stressed Tuesday that the Tigers will do what their players do best.

“We’ve always had the opportunity to throw,” Miles said. “Now, we may turn to those weapons more readily because this offense fits (Mettenberger’s) style of play more pointedly.”

Miles defended LSU’s passing game the past two seasons and even said that the Tigers threw it as efficiently as anybody in the country last season. The caveat there is that he said they didn’t have the opportunity to throw it much in the fourth quarter. And in reality, throwing the ball, period, was a struggle for Jordan Jefferson once he took over down the stretch last season.

The Tigers finished 10th in the SEC in passing offense last season with an average of 152.5 yards per game. But they finished second to Arkansas in pass efficiency with 21 touchdown passes and only five interceptions.

Miles is always going to emphasize the run, especially when you look at everybody returning up front for the Tigers and their deep stable of backs, but he also likes the added dimension that Mettenberger brings to the offense and the way Mettenberger matured as a quarterback this spring under the tutelage of Steve Kragthorpe.

“Zach has been through a lot in his short career and understands the need for leadership and making a difference,” Miles said. “He’s holding himself to a tall standard, as we are. I think our quarterback play will improve with each snap because of the way he’s approaching his role in our offense.”