done or accomplished in a critical situation; dependable in crucial situations. See LSU Tigers Football Team.
Ok, so I added the last part about LSU, but you get the point. Under Les Miles, the Tigers have had a tremendous knack for making critical plays at critical times, none more so than in Athens on Saturday. LSU scored two touchdowns in the final three minutes to defeat the Bulldogs 20-13.
Les Miles is now 15-6 in games decided by 7 points or less, 18-8 versus ranked opponents, 7-4 versus teams ranked in the top 10 and 12-5 versus ranked teams on the road or at a neutral site. That’s not luck; that is great game day management and great coaching. Very few picked the Tigers to win Saturday, but Les was able to pull one out of his hat and confound those who hesitate to give him the credit he is due.
Here are a few thoughts on the game:
*While the offensive line struggled, they kept the chains moving in the first half and took over late in the game. With a little over six minutes left in the game, the Tigers went 88 yards to go up 12-7. After Green’s tremendous catch to put Georgia up 13-12, the line rose up again to spring Scott for the 33 yard game winner.
*Jordan Jefferson played very well. On the 88 yard scoring drive, Jefferson was 4 for 6 for 54 yards and had a key scramble for 26 yards to get the ball down to the 13. On the negative side, Jefferson took a few sacks and threw an interception in the endzone. It is clear he holds the ball too long, but this can be corrected with practice and more game experience. I wish he were better at running the option, but it seems clear he is hesitant to turn the ball up field. I don’t know if the coaches fear him getting hurt, but the option is not terribly effective when he’s in the game.
*So stick Russell Shepard in there. Shepard carried the ball 6 times for 32 yards. He was very effective in the red zone and I expect to see him more. I’d like to see him run some option and place him in the slot for short crossing routes.
*LSU has got to fix it’s red zone woes. 18 trips into the red zone have resulted in only 8 TD’s. This inability to finish drives has kept LSU’s games closer than they probably should have been.
*Defense looked GREAT. The Tigers held Georgia scoreless for 3 quarters. The defense didn’t create a turnover until the final game ending pick by Perry Riley, but the Tigers forced SIX “3 and outs” in the game.
*I am curious as to why Peterson was not on Green late in the game. Green made a phenomenal catch to put the Dawgs up 1 late in the game. Hawkins has great position, but Green will be a top 10 NFL draft pick when he comes out. As the kids say, Green has “Mad Skills.”
*I dare you to kickoff to Trindon Holliday. Holliday had two returns in the 4th quarter, one for 40 yards the other for 49.
Next up are the Mighty Florida Gators for what will be probably the most hyped game of the season.
Both teams undefeated
#1 versus #4
The winner of this game has won the last three National Championships.
Is Tebow going to play?
Who can forget the 2007 game when LSU was 5 for 5 on 4th down?
LSU has won 32 straight Saturday Night games in Tiger Stadium
On paper, LSU doesn’t stand a chance. The Gators are #1 in rushing offense, #3 in total offense and #2 in scoring offense in the country. Defensively, UF is #1 in total defense and #2 in scoring defense. But as Les said to the media last week, “Our team, if you turn your back on them, they will beat you up.”
The keys for LSU against Florida:
1. Control the ball in the first half as they did against Georgia. LSU completely dominated time of possession to start the game.
2. Convert when you get in the Red Zone. LSU must score TD’s when the opportunities present themselves.
3. Create turnovers. LSU has a ball hawking secondary which needs to make plays this Saturday.
4. Stop the run and make Tebow/Brantley pass. I like the matchup of LSU’s secondary versus Florida’s receiving corps. Florida is ranked #1 in the nation in rushing offense so this will be a very tall task.
A few links from the hype machine…
ESPN Game Preview
Nefarious LSU students
Computers Love LSU
Since when is 5-0 not good enough?
The last time Florida came into Tiger Stadium ranked #1...
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