Bubble Screen Me To Death

Nothing really unexpected occurred this weekend.  LSU was never in trouble, the team occasionally lost focus and lots of guys played.  After watching the replay I felt even better about how the game played out.  A few observations:

* If you thought after seven seasons that Miles was going to “open up the offense,” you need to stop deluding yourself.   This is who Miles is and this is what he wants LSU to be: run the ball, strong defense, solid special teams, and a conservative passing game.  Miles could have Joe Montana or Drew Brees back there, it doesn’t make a difference.  He’s not going to change his fundamental approach to the game.

* Given the play calling, I thought Zach Mettenberger played well.  He wasn’t really allowed to go downfield that much and the pass protection was questionable at times. Mettenberger completed 73% of his passes and threw one TD.  The interception was the only poor throw of the game.  Some clown on facebook commented that Mettenberger was not impressive at all.  Has this guy been watching the QB play since 2008?

* The running game was tremendous.  I think LSU fans may take the Tiger’s ability to run for granted, but that performance was impressive.  We have seen LSU struggle at times in the past to run the ball against lesser teams or sustain long drives.  The Tigers had 5 scoring drives over 65 yards on Saturday, more than in any game last season.

* This game marked the first time since 1982 that two Tigers, Kenny Hilliard and Alfred Blue, rushed for over 100 yards in a season opener.  Dalton Hilliard and Gary James accomplished the feat back 30 years ago.  You may recall that LSU finished that season playing in the Orange Bowl in Miami.  This year’s National Title game will be played in…Miami.  Just saying.

* Tyrann Mathieu will be missed in the secondary, but “ODB,” Odell Beckham Jr. can more than carry his own on special teams.

* Don’t expect the defense to dominate like it did last year.  Losing Brockers (DT), Mathieu (CB), Claiborne (CB) and Taylor (S) is going to put the Tigers back a bit.

LSU gets Washington at home this week.  The Huskies won on Saturday in unconvincing fashion over San Diego State 21-12 in Seattle.  Washington is obviously better than North Texas and their QB, Keith Price is very talented.  UW averaged 255 yards a game thru the air last season.  This will be an excellent test for the young secondary.

On the flip side, Washington ranked 108 in scoring defense last season, giving up 35.9 points a game.  LSU’s offensive line will outweigh UW’s front four by about 60 pounds per man.  Look for LSU to rotate the backs and pound the running game.  Expect a little more diversity in the passing game as I “hope” the coaches attempt to introduce a few new plays each week.

It will be close for a half, but look for the heat and LSU’s offensive line to wear down UW.

LSU 40 – Washington 17