Thriller!!

Is there a series in the country right now more exciting than LSU-Auburn? The Bengal Tigers won an absolute thriller in overtime Saturday night 20-17 in front of a packed house. The game was highlighted by great defense, big plays and poor field goal kicking. The Tigers are now 5-1 overall and 3-1 in the SEC.

I thought this was a great defensive struggle and generally well played game. Even though Auburn’s Kenny Irons ran wild, (27 carries for 218 yards and 1 TD) the LSU defense generally kept Auburn in check. LSU forced Auburn to settle for 5 FG attempts during regulation. Timely sacks and big stops near the red zone kept Auburn out of the endzone. Bo Pelini took a ton of heat early in the season, but he’s earned his paycheck through 6 games. Pelini’s 3rd down call in overtime was masterful. A number of times during the game, Auburn had hit the inside slant route when LSU blitzed. In the overtime, Pelini zone blitzed and had Ryan Willis drop into coverage in the slant area. Sure enough, Cox went to the well and the pass was batted away by Willis and nearly intercepted. The failed conversion forced Tuberville to kick the FG which doinked of the left upright. Game over. Pelini deserves big props for getting LSU into the right call at a critical point in the game.

The offense was much more efficient than it has been and could have sealed the game away on several occasions if the receivers had not dropped so many passes. I am sure every one was very pleased with the ball security LSU exhibited Saturday night. For the first time all season, the Tigers did not commit a turnover in a game. Addai again broke the 100 yard mark and Russell, while struggling at times, made good decisions all night. The problem was critical dropped passes. Dwayne Bowe, who has a habit of dropping at least one pass a game, dropped an easy TD in the fourth quarter. Had he made that play, LSU would have gone up by 11 with about 12 minutes left in the game. In a game so tightly contested, points were at a premium. David then missed the field goal and LSU went from being up 11 to only up 4, giving a much needed boost to Auburn. The Plainsmen then marched down the field and scored on a beautiful 4th down pass to go up 17-14. In overtime, Doucet drops another easy TD forcing LSU to settle for a field goal. These were two ordinary catches that LSU failed to make and nearly cost the Tigers the game. The drop by Bowe essentially became a turnover as LSU came out with no points from the drive.

JaMarcus Russell played a solid game. His numbers don’t show it, but he made great decisions all night. He didn’t commit a turnover and came up big when LSU needed him. He wasn’t sacked by Auburn and scrambled a few times to pick up key yards. A number of his throws were off the mark, but other times he was brilliant. The long throw to Craig Davis after LSU had gone down 10 –7 was one of the biggest plays of the game. Russell rolled left as the pocket broke down and just flicked the ball off his back foot 41 yards perfectly to Davis. Later in the game as LSU trailed 14 –17, Russell moved to his right as the play broke down and hit Bowe for a 31 yard gain. As I have said throughout this season, Russell is a work in progress, but he has an uncanny knack of making great plays in the most critical situations.

The roller coaster ride slows down the next two weeks as the Tigers play North Texas and Appalachian State. While LSU can’t look ahead in these games, the Tigers should be able to dominate these opponents. Let your heart rest easy for a few weeks as the showdown with Alabama will settle the chase for the Western Division Title and a trip to Atlanta.