Solid in the Slop

The Tigers move to 4-0 on the season after a wet win over Auburn Saturday. One third of the season is already in the books.

OFFENSE

* Jeremy Hill is a beast. Hill ran for 183 yards on 25 carries with 3 TD's. I couldn't help but be reminded of Cecil Collins' performance against Auburn in 1997.

* I was very happy with the game plan through 3 quarters. But I really didn't like the offensive play calling in the 4th. I could see Miles fat fingers all over LSU's play calling which resulted in a grand total of 25 yards on 11 plays in the final 14:52 of the game. 9 rushes and 2 incomplete passes on 3rd down. Not the way to finish.

* Hated the fake FG. 3 points there puts LSU up 31-7 which is essentially a four score lead. Trying to run for 10 yards at that spot on the field is way too far.

* LSU's offensive line was guilt of 4 false starts. This must be fixed for the Georgia game.

DEFENSE

* Once again, LSU struggled mightily at times with the read option. LSU gave up 213 yards rushing, ironically the most since giving up 440 to Cam Newton and Auburn in 2010.

* LSU was beat deep twice, both times with safety help over the top. The safeties need to improve for Georgia's big play offense.

* I think it is clear that this defense is talented but not as good as we have seen in years past. But the player are there and this group will improve as the season goes along. The Tigers are ranked only 40th in the nation in run defense and 27th in total defense.

Next Week:

This will easily be the biggest test of the season thus far. Georgia is fantastic on offense ranking 6th nationally in total offense. Defensively, the Dawgs are not as strong, giving up 388 yards a game (68th in country). I expect LSU to again start out hot but Georgia is a veteran team and will not be fazed if LSU gets out to an early lead. I expect LSU to be in the lead late but look for Miles to go too conservative too early and Georgia pull the game out late.

LSU 28 - Georgia 31

3 Things

1. CoachesHotSeat.com is for all the fans that love to see crash at a NASCAR race or witness a guy do a face plant at the X Games.

2. While the Bama v. A&M was entertaining, it has proven to be the exception to the norm this season. We are one quarter of the way done with the campaign and only have 2 games, Clemson v. UGA and Bama v. A&M, that we would put in the 2013 time capsule. Through 3 weeks we have had a grand total of 5 matchups between Top 25 teams. This week is no better with only one game, Stanford v. ASU, pitting ranked teams against each other. No wonder attendance is down nationally.

3. How things change from one week to the next!! I'm drinking the Tiger Kool-Aid until they prove me wrong!

BCS Bowls

Rose: Stanford v. Ohio State

Orange: Michigan v. Clemson

Fiesta: Oklahoma v. Louisville

Sugar: Alabama v. Florida State

National Title: LSU v. Oregon

Pre-Season Out of the Way

LSU continued it's dominance of out of conference foes defeating Kent State 45-13. LSU's last regular season loss to a non-conference opponent: 2002 opening game against Virginia Tech. LSU's next big test to continue the streak: Wisconsin to open the 2014 season in Houston's Reliant Stadium.

A few thoughts on the game:

OFFENSE

*Z Mett just continues to impress. He is currently THIRD in the NATION in passing efficiency. I think it is fair to say that thus far he has exceeded Tiger fan's most optimistic expectations. Much better teams await, but this has been a brilliant start to the season.

*Jeremy Hill is one of the top backs in the SEC, maybe second only to Georgia's Todd Gurley. He's been flying under the radar and may continue to do so as he shares carries. But I expect his work load to pick up dramatically as we get into conference play. In LSU's last six conference games from 2012, Hill averaged 19.5 carries per game. Look for that to continue into this season.

*LSU ranks 36 in total offense nationally. This after languishing in the 100's the last few years. Cam Cameron has been just what Miles and LSU needed.

DEFENSE

*For all the griping I hear, the Tigers are ranked 10th nationally in total defense. The Tigers rank 3rd in the SEC in rushing defense allowing only 3.29 yards a carry. Compare that with A&M who is giving up a whopping 6 yards every rush.

*Tre'Davious White looks like a player at CB. Starting in place of Jalen Collins, White looked solid and racked up 4 solo tackles.

*Ego Ferguson was named SEC Defensive Player of the the Week. Ferguson leads the Tigers with 16 tackles and has been a force on the defensive line.

The Auburn Tigers are up next this Saturday night. Auburn rallied late against Mississippi State to score the game winning TD with only 10 seconds left to play in the game. Those Tigers are ranked 12th in the SEC and 92nd nationally in total defense. While Auburn is improved from last year, LSU has been nearly unbeatable at home. Look for the Tigers to again put up big numbers.

LSU 42 - Auburn 20

National Roundup - Week 2

A few thoughts and links from around the college football world.

*Georgia got a great win at home over South Carolina. The defense isn't much to talk about but the offense is nasty. LSU v. Georgia on the 28th of September should be epic.

*Michigan looked solid against a Notre Dame team that is coming back to earth after last year's run. UM may be favored in EVERY game the rest of the year. Look out!

*The train wreck that is Texas football crashed off the tracks in Provo, Utah. BYU ran for 550 yards beating the Longhorns 41-20. No way, no how should a team as talented as Texas get blown away like that. In Texas' 2010 and 2011 classes alone there were 3 five star players and 34 four star players. The coaches simply are not getting it done.

*Lame Kiffin may be one of the biggest frauds college football has ever seen. (I'm not counting Manti Tao's fake girlfriend.) He has never won anything, he's never built anything, yet he has been the head coach of the Oakland Raiders, Tennessee Vols and USC Trojans. But as all Ponzi schemes eventually unravel, so too is the farce that is Lane Kiffin coming to an end. I think a 6-6 final record awaits USC and a new coach at the end of the season.

*Curious to see how the dirty business at Oklahoma State plays out. Miles is going to have to deal with dirt headed his way. (Click here for the Sports Illustrated article)

I've got all sorts of changes in my BCS Bowls. The knee injury to Braxton Miller at Ohio State could be devastating to the Buckeyes' title hopes. Running QB's have to be able to run to be effective. (Duh!)

BCS Bowls

Rose: Stanford v. Wisconsin
Orange: Alabama v. Clemson
Fiesta: Oklahoma v. Louisville
Sugar: LSU v. Florida State
National Title: Michigan v. Oregon

Bombs Away!!

En route to Saturday night's 39 point victory, the LSU Tigers dazzled their fans and made the history books. These Tigers will be fun to watch in an SEC chase that will be wide open.

A few observations:

*Z Mett was 16 of 19 with 5 TD's, a school record. His QB rating was 295.7. I've never seen a single game rating that high. Z Mett is currently ranked 13th in the nation in QB efficiency.

*Odell Beckham is currently ranked #2 in the country in all-purpose yards. He's averaging 252 yards a game, and that is not counting his 100 yard missed FG return which was the first in LSU's long history.

*Hill and Hilliard combined for 105 yards on 17 carries. Hill had a healthy 8.3 yards per carry average on 6 carries. By the Auburn game I expect the depth chart to sort itself out with Hilliard and Hill getting the majority of carries.

*I think Hill should have been suspended for this game as well. I'm not a big moralist when it comes to player discipline, but Miles has invited unwanted scrutiny and criticism in his handling of Hill.

*At the end of the first quarter, UAB had a total of 10 yards of offense. For the most part, the remainder of the game was a scrimmage for the defense. 26 different defensive players recorded tackles for the Tigers. The backups struggled in the second quarter but the staff made adjustments and UAB was held scoreless the entire second half.

*LSU had seven "3 and outs" on Saturday.

The Tigers get a struggling Kent State team next week.  The Golden Flashes are ranked 117th nationally in pass efficiency defense.  Expect another big game from Z Mett.

LSU 52 - Kent State 10

National Roundup

Not a lot of great match-ups this weekend but a few games delivered some drama. Notes from the weekend.

*Clemson and Georgia staged a classic heavyweight bout that went down to the wire with...Georgia losing. Going into to the game, Georgia QB Aaron Murray was 3-11 versus teams finishing in the Top 25. With two turnovers Saturday, Murray again hurt his team.

*The Big 12 went 2-2 versus FCS schools. Yikes.

*The Big 10 went 10-2 this weekend with an average margin of victory of 22.5 in those wins. But the two loses tell me more about the conference. Iowa lost to Northern Illinois and Purdue was blown out by Cincinnati. Best win of the weekend - Penn State by 6 over Syracuse?

*Alabama is still very good. But they have some issues on that offensive line. McCarron was 10 for 23 for 110 yards with one TD and 1 Int. I moved them to second in the Super 7 until I see more from the offense.

*The American Athletic Conference (formerly Big East) flat out stinks. 4-5 record this weekend with 2 of the loses to FCS teams by a combined 47 points.

*USC did not look good at Hawaii. Lame Kiffin better start working on that resume.


BCS Bowls

Rose: Oregon v. Michigan
Orange: Alabama v. Florida State
Fiesta: Texas v. Louisville
Sugar: LSU v. Oklahoma
National Title: Ohio State v. Stanford

Tigers Win Opener

LSU's Terrence Magee scores on a 52 yard TD run.

LSU has won every season opener going back to 2003. In typical fashion, the game went back and forth with LSU seemingly controlling things but with a scoreboard showing a much closer affair. There was a lot to like, some things to cause concern and plenty to be optimistic about. 

Offense

* Zach Mettenberger looked very sharp. He was comfortable and accurate all game. On 3rd down with 9 or less yards to go, Mettenbereger was 9 of 10 with 8 first downs. Clutch. On the minus side, Mettenberger was 1 of 8 in the redzone. Overall, I think there is plenty to be excited about.

* I wonder if Kenny Hilliard will ever get out of Miles' doghouse.

* LSU probably won't have a 1000 yard rusher, but Landry and Beckham could both surpass that mark receiving.

* Really nice job by Terrence Magee leading the Tigers in rushing. Blue may take a little time to get comfortable with the knee, but he looked good for his first game back.

Defense

* Take away the KO return for a TD and the 5 yard TD after the fumble and the defense only gave up 13 points against a talented TCU offense.

* The LB's had only 8 tackles for the game COMBINED. Minter would get that on his own in one half last season. LOTS of work to be done.

* Jalen Mills will be an All-American by the time he leaves LSU.

* I didn't see the type of "team speed" on defense I am accustomed to. I will chalk it up to a number of new starters and Boykin probably playing more than LSU's staff anticipated.

Overall, a very good effort. Most promising was LSU's late game success on offense. After TCU cut the score to 30-27, I am sure LSU fans' anxiety levels shot through the roof. But on the ensuing kickoff ODB busted a 75 yard return. Mettenberger then hit Landry on 3rd down for a 20 yard TD pass. The Tigers then forced TCU into a 3 and out and got the ball back with 5:15 left in the game. The Tigers were able to run out the clock gaining 3 first downs on that final drive.

LSU gets UAB next week playing the Blazers for the first time since 2000, Saban's first season. LSU couldn't get out of it's own way losing that game by 3. Expect a much different result this time around.

LSU 42 - UAB 10

BCS Bowls

This season I'm going to try and post a little more but no promises. Bad guys will occasionally take priority.

Here's my shot in the dark as to how the BCS Bowls will play out.

Rose: Michigan v. Oregon
Orange: Clemson v. Alabama
Fiesta: Texas v. Louisville
Sugar: Georgia v. Boise State
BCS Title: Ohio State v. Stanford

Yes! I am predicting the end of the SEC "Reign of Terror." All of the SEC teams will finish with at least one loss and OSU and Stanford will go undefeated. Don't get too worked up though. Last year I picked LSU and Wisconsin to play for the National Title. The two teams combined for 9 losses. OUCH!

LSU Preview

For the first time in years, I think LSU is the “wild card” in the SEC West.  The media, rightfully so I think, has ordained Alabama the class of the SEC.  Texas A&M and Manziel are the “Johnny Come Lately” (pun intended) fresh face flavor of the month.  But LSU is lurking around and considered by many as the 6^th best team in the SEC behind Bama, Georgia, A&M, South Carolina and Florida.  I know pasts records shouldn’t affect our view of this season, but since 2010, LSU is 8-3 versus those 5 teams, 6-1 not counting the 2-2 record versus Alabama.  I know those teams are very good, but Les Miles just wins football games.  

A few thoughts on the offense and defense:

Offense 

*In a very talented SEC QB class, Zach Mettenberger has the opportunity to shine and make himself the highest NFL draft pick of the bunch.  He’s been on campus for three years.  He has a new and very successful offensive coordinator in Cam Cameron, a talented offensive line and three future NFL running backs to hand off to.  No excuses.

*The receivers have to be better.  They killed Mettenberger with all of the drops through the season.  Landry and ODB must step up.

*I don’t think the offense needs an overhaul.  It just needs to be tweaked.  I’m VERY confident Cameron will bring new wrinkles and assist Mettenberger with his decision making.  I look for LSU to involve the running backs more in the passing game and give Mettenberger easier throws.  This is still a run first team, but I think Miles finally has an OC he fully trusts which will pay dividends for LSU. 

Defense 

*Since 2009, Chavis’ first season, LSU’s defense has finished 11^th, 11^th, 2^nd and 12^th nationally in scoring defense.  Anyone that follows the SEC knows that championships are won with a nasty defense.

*Fans have a natural inclination to say, “oh no, we lost Patrick Peterson?  What are we gonna do?” Well, Morris Claiborne came along and followed Peterson in winning the Thorpe Award.  New guys will step up and become leaders.  Miles has done a great job of stocking the pantry with talent.

*LSU is returning 8 of it’s top 13 leading tacklers.

*I look for Anthony “Freak” Johnson to have the kind of break out season Drake Nevis had in 2010.

*This is the deepest group of LB’s LSU has had in the Miles era.  There are currently four former Tiger LB’s in the NFL, Cutrera, Riley, Minter and Sheppard.  I believe there are four future NFL LB’s on this roster this season.

 Odds & Ends 

A few have mentioned the Georgia game as the pivotal game of the season.  WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!  As it has been since the return of Saban to the college game, the Alabama game will decide LSU’s fate.  LSU has been to the SEC Title game 5 times.  In each of those seasons, LSU beat Alabama in that November match up.  Matter of fact, ALL 5 of those trips to Atlanta went through Tuscaloosa.  Keep that in the back of your mind on November 9 when the Tigers and Tide meet up for the biggest game of the season.

I think LSU has the players to win a National Title.  The defense lost a lot of guys, but there is an abundance of talent returning.  If the offense can rise from it’s malaise, this could be a very special season in Tiger Town.  Enjoy the anticipation as we are only a week away from LSU’s opening game of the 2013 season.

National Picks

Just watched the CBS pre-season show which got me motivated to write. Here are a few thoughts on the upcoming season.

Big Boy Football Conference Champs:

ACC: Clemson
Big 10: Ohio State
Big 12: Texas
Pac 12: Stanford
SEC: Georgia

Top 5 games of 2013:

1. LSU v. Alabama
1a. SEC Title Game
2. Oregon Stanford
3. South Carolina v. Georgia
4. Ohio State v. Michigan
5. Florida State v. Clemson

A few other nuggets:

* Alabama and Texas A&M's conference schedules are significantly less challenging than LSU's.  Alabama gets Kentucky and Tennessee out of the East while A&M gets Vanderbilt and Missouri.  The Tigers play Florida and Georgia.  Thanks SEC office!

* Johnny Manziel won't duplicate last season's success.  This is no knock on the Heisman winner, just a realistic assessment based on his off-season issues, my expectation that he is looking to the NFL and his 5000+ total yards from last season and 47 TD's.  Very difficult to match or surpass.

* I like Braxton Miller to win the Heisman and Ohio State to beat Stanford for the national title.  You read that right, no SEC teams in the title game.  The streak has to end at some point.  (But will start again in 2014 with the four team playoff)

* Curious about these 5 teams:

1. Auburn - Auburn will be better, but how much better under new coach Gus Malzahn?
2. Oregon - Loaded team in a program that is on a roll.  New coach is a question mark.
3. Penn State - Year 2 of probation will be challenging for Lions.
4. Iowa - No one in college football is paid so much yet won so little as Kirk Ferentz over the last few years.
5. USC - Lame Kiffin will be looking for a job by December.

* Johnny Football will play this season.  There appears to be very compelling evidence that Maziel took money for autographs, but the key people will refuse to cooperate with the NCAA and the investigation will stall out for lack of "proof."

Coaches Poll released

The Coaches Poll came out on Thursday with LSU checking in at #13.  The Coaches Poll is the MOST important feature of this last BCS Title race.  So no matter how little we may think of the integrity of the rankings, ultimately the 63 coaches that vote will determine the National Title game.

5 overrated teams:

6. Texas A&M

9. Louisville

11. Notre Dame

14. Oklahoma State

20. TCU

5 underrated teams:

5. Georgia

12. Florida State

13. LSU

17. Michigan

NR. Kansas State

Texas A&M and Johnny Football will find it very difficult to match last season’s success.  #6 is just too high in my opinion.  I’m not drinking the Kool-Aid on the Ville and I think the Big 12 (OSU & TCU) as a whole is a bit of a slump relative to years past.   Notre Dame was very fortunate in a number of games last season and was utterly destroyed by Alabama in the title game.  With 6 or 7 “toss up” games on the schedule, look for a 3-4 loss season.

Georgia, FSU, LSU and Michigan have been recruiting lights out for the last few years; expect all of these teams to do very well.  KSU won the Big 12 last season, how can they not even be in the Top 25 when we KNOW what a great coach Bill Snyder is?

Pre-Season Predictions

The 2013 college football season is only seven weeks away. It’s time for some prognostications and predictions.


SEC West

1. Alabama
2. LSU
3. Texas A&M
4. Ole Miss
5. Miss State
6. Auburn
7. Arkansas


SEC East

1. Georgia
2. South Carolina
3. Florida
4. Vanderbilt
5. Tennessee
6. Missouri
7. Kentucky

Painful...

That hurt…a lot. That game was there for the taking, but the Tigers couldn’t close out Alabama. A few thoughts on the game:

* Z Mett was brilliant. That was the #1 team in the country and Mettenberger carved them up all night. I challenge you to think back to a better performance by an LSU QB against a defense of that caliber. Mett was taking shots yet delivering time after time. Let’s hope this is a sign of things to come for LSU’s offense.

* The defense was great except for the two drives to end the first and second halves. This is a troubling problem that has cropped up. In the last three contests, South Carolina, A&M and Alabama, the defense has given up TD drives in the last 3 minutes of the game. I’m not sure what the problem is, but obviously it must be addressed.

* The “Hat” pulled out all the stops in this one, and got it wrong all night. There were 5 calls that bare scrutiny.

1. The fake FG: Terrible decision and the play as designed was an utter failure. LSU was playing well and a 7-6 score would have closed the gap and kept the fans motivated.

2. The 53 yard FG: this one could go either way. I didn’t like it, but I’m not going to say it was a bad call. But Alabama then turned around and drove for a TD at the end of the half.

3. The on-side kick: A lot of folks loved the call even though it didn’t work out. I didn’t like it. LSU had just cut the lead to 4 and had momentum. The defense was playing well and the risk far outweighed the rewards in my mind. Miles was bailed out when Alabama fumbled at the LSU 10.

4. Going for the first down on 4th & 1 with a Spencer Ware sneak: I would have rather tried for the FG with 8 ½ minutes left, but going for it was not a bad call. I did not like the play call though. That was a long way to sneak the ball when that formation totally tipped Bama off as to the play.

5. The FG attempt with less than 2 minutes left: I think the call had merit. The defense was great all second half and the 6 point lead places a good deal of pressure on Bama. My problem was the 3 plays before that. I would have been more aggressive and given Z Mett a chance to win the game on that drive. Play action on 2nd down would have had a real chance to work.

* Obviously Miles did not think that LSU could win the game playing “straight-up.” But as the game evolved it was clear that the players were clearly up to the challenge. It is a shame that things did not work out as LSU outplayed Bama for much of the night.

* The Tigers need to bounce back very quickly against a good but reeling Miss. State team. Expect a slow start but LSU will grind out another sloppy win in the fourth quarter.

LSU 27 – MSU 17

Everything at Stake

Everything says Alabama should win this game. The eyeball test, Vegas experts, the computers and all the stats known to man regarding college football point to an Alabama victory. The biggest question for the talking heads in the media is who would give Alabama the best game when they get to the National Championship. When not if.

And to a certain extent I’m buying in. I’ve seen LSU play eight games now. I’ve dropped more F-bombs on the Tigers than I can recall over the past two months. At times LSU can’t get out of its own way. The “Bad Miles” game management skills (or lack there of) have been on display this season.

But something tells me the “Hat” will have an answer this Saturday. Something tells me LSU will respond with a “damn strong” performance in the biggest game of the year.

There are a few things I don’t have to speculate on though:

* Tiger Stadium will be rocking, and no player for Alabama will have experienced that degree of fan intensity. Certainly McCarron will not have faced anything like Tiger Stadium for a full 3+ hours.

* LSU has played much better at home than on the road. Plus LSU has had two weeks to prepare.

* Alabama will not be able to run on LSU. The Tide only had 96 yards rushing in Tuscaloosa last season with Trent Richardson, and he is gone. I like LSU’s chances to hit McCarron and make him uncomfortable.

* LSU’s defense is national championship caliber. Alabama will not be moving the ball up and down the field on the Tigers.

This is a really tough game to pick. LSU must convert a few third downs and cannot turn the ball over. If both teams play to form, Alabama wins. But that’s not what is going to happen. The Tide will make a few uncharacteristic mistakes while the Tigers will minimize their own missteps. It will be tight match all the way through.  But LSU will get back into the National Title hunt and get a level of revenge for that beating at Alabama's hands so many months ago.

LSU 16 – Alabama 14

Grinding Out Wins

This was a game that was equal parts frustrating and exciting. Texas A&M outplayed LSU for 25 minutes in the first half then turned the ball over twice in the last five minutes giving LSU life and a two point half time lead. The defense shook off a slow start and kept “Johnny Football” in the pocket for most of the game limiting his explosiveness. For all the defense did to keep LSU in the game, it was also the defense that kept trying to give it back. Multiple penalties including multiple off-sides, a facemask, pass interference and an IDIOTIC late hit by Eric Reid kept A&M drives alive. Bottom line, LSU won in spite of itself. This team is so talented they can get away with poor coaching and stupid decisions against most opponents. That doesn’t make it any less frustrating as fan.

*All three TD plays came from 20+ yards out, avoiding LSU’s own personal Bermuda Triangle, aka the red zone. Ford continued to prove his value outrunning the A&M defense for the first TD finishing the day with a 7.1 yard average on 11 carries. Hill is turning into LSU’s offensive MVP with another 100 yard rushing game and a critical 47 yard TD score to seal the victory late in the fourth quarter.

* The receivers continued to improve in holding on to the ball. Kadrone Boone’s TD catch was fantastic.

* Mettenberger is regressing. Does that sound familiar? He was terribly inaccurate and missed a number of guys on deep throws. I wonder if the coaches are messing with his head like they did with Lee and Jefferson. He may be so terrified of throwing a pick that he is hesitant to throw unless the receiver is absolutely open. That should also sound familiar. The other explanation is that Mett just isn’t very good. Good coaching is putting players in a positing to be successful; this staff is not doing that in the passing game.

* This is four years now that LSU has been unable to develop an effective passing game. Lee did well to start last season but Miles insisted on shoving Jefferson back into the lineup to the ultimate detriment to the 2011 team. Look at these numbers on SEC passing yards per game rankings: 2009 – 9th; 2010 – 12th; 2011 – 10th; 2012 – 12th. Nationally it looks even worse: 2009 – 97th; 2010 – 107th; 2011 – 106th; 2012 – 112th. I understand we are a “running team,” but given all the resources and talent at our disposal, these numbers are just atrocious. I emailed a very well known local sports writer about why the “big media” hasn’t challenged Miles on this. All I got was the company line about players being injured or not executing. Someone should publicly ask these hard questions:

Is it poor recruiting?
Is it poor player development?
Is it poor play calling and game planning?
Is it a meddling head coach?

I’m not down on this team, far from it. I’m just tired of the same problems year after year. I’m not calling for anyone to lose their job, I just want the LSU Football program to shake things up and see if we can get better results. I know, how much better can we be than 7-1? I’m looking long term. If you were an elite QB or WR, would you come to LSU? If your son was a talented player at those positions, could you honestly tell them that LSU offers them the best opportunity to develop as a football player?

* Defense was awesome after it woke up but stupid down the stretch. Hopefully Chavis gives them an earful this week.

* This team is very interesting from a mental standpoint. It’s obvious they play hard and refuse to get down or hang their heads. Terms like tough, gritty, patient and perseverance all come to mind when describing this team. These are all invaluable mental and emotional traits that are essential to winning. But other less flattering terms, such as undisciplined, careless and unfocused could be used as well.

With the off week, the Tigers get a much needed chance to rest. We will see if the coaching staff puts the time to good use, unlike the last time we prepared to play Alabama.

All Goals in Sight

Been a little busy this week but I wanted to throw a few thoughts out there from last week and look forward to the Aggies.

LSU strongly rebounded from the Florida set back to win an exciting game over South Carolina. Miles is now 18-1 after a loss while at LSU, simply amazing.

*The offensive line played its best game of the season dominating a very good SC defensive line. LSU generated 258 yards on the ground highlighted by Jeremy Hill’s 50 yard gallop to seal the game for the Tigers.

*For all the positives, the Tigers were poor in the red zone. Currently LSU is ranked 82nd nationally in red zone conversions. Looking at TD percentage, LSU is scoring 6 in less then half of their trips inside the 20. In five red zone attempts on Saturday, LSU only came away with three field-goals and one touchdown. It was good enough to win this week, but the Tigers must improve to beat Texas A&M and Alabama and continue the March to Miami. This is a coaching issue. The staff needs to design plays which highlight Mettenberger’s strengths and give the offense a chance. Calling a fade route to the short side of the field on 3rd and goal from the 4 is NOT A GOOD PLAY CALL.

*The defense was stellar as usual holding SC to 34 yards rushing and forcing 2 interceptions.

*The kicking game is not as strong as it was last year. Wing hasn’t been hitting the huge bombs we have grown accustomed to or pinning teams deep as he has done in the past. Alleman has already missed 3 field goals inside 40 yards. Alleman needs to improve with three big games coming up.

*LSU plays Texas A&M this weekend in a series that many expect to become a true rivalry as time goes by. A&M is very talented offensively but struggles on defense. The Aggies gave up 57 points last week to Louisiana Tech. A&M is ranked 10th in the league in total defense.

Expect the game to be tight through three quarters but the Tigers will slow down the tempo and wear out A&M in the fourth quarter with the running game. The defense will contain Johnny Manziel aka “Johnny Football” for the most part and come out 7-1 heading into the bye week.

LSU 27 – Texas A&M 17

Mid-Season Winners & Loooooosers

It’s the half way point of the season so let’s talk about some winners and losers. Feel free to post your own thoughts in the comments section.

Winners: Although I’m definitely not a fan of the parade of “alternate” uniforms bombarding college football, some of the new designs are pretty snappy. Vanderbilt, North Carolina, Wisconsin and Illinois look pretty good in the new gear.

Losers: Some of these are just terrible. Nebraska, Missouri, Notre Dame’s helmets and a majority of Oregon’s 384 designs.

Winners: The SEC. Four teams in the Top 10 and seven in the Top 25.

Losers: The BIG TEN. No teams ranked in the Coaches top 25 and the best two teams, Ohio State and Penn State are on probation.

Winners: Offensive Football. In 2003, only 2 teams averaged 500 yards or more of total offense per game. 39 teams averaged 400 yards or more. In 2012, a staggering 18 teams are averaging 500 yards or more of total offense per game while 69 teams are averaging 400 yards or more.

Losers: Defensive Coordinators trying to keep up with these high powered offensive units. (Excluding anyone that plays LSU and its anemic offense)

Winners: Group Think. All 60 AP voters selected Alabama as #1.

Losers: Independent Thought. Alabama has beaten five teams with a combined record of 13-14. You mean to tell me that among the 60 voters NOT ONE thinks Oregon, South Carolina, Florida or West Virginia, all undefeated, would beat Alabama on a neutral site? NOT ONE?

Winners: The internet, blogs, social media and TV. The more sports info out there the better.

Losers: Coaches bullying the media to push their own agenda. Just shut up and coach and stop reading the paper if you don’t like what is being said. Yes, I’m talking to YOU, YOU and YOU.

Winners: Upsets!! Stanford over USC, Washington over Stanford, NC State over FSU, Central Michigan over Iowa.

Losers: Terrible non-conference schedules suck the life out of September. Top 25 match-ups in September were like unicorns.  Of the current Top 25 teams, there were only two non-conference match-ups; Michigan v. Alabama and Michigan v. Notre Dame.  Even when you add the "others receiving votes" to the mix, (41 teams received at least one vote) there were only 7 non-conference match-ups total between the top 41 teams in the country.

Undefeated No More

Don't everyone freak out.  I'm sure the "drama queen" section of the LSU contingent is saying we may not win another game this season.  The more pessimistic of Tiger Nation sees LSU at 8-4 by season's end.  I happen to think 9-3 more likely.  Let's not forget, LSU has an elite defense which will keep every game close this season.  So what happened Saturday?

*LSU got beat by a better team.  LSU was outcoached by Florida's defensive staff and outplayed in the trenches.  Florida put the bye week to good use in its preparation for LSU beating the Tigers at their own game, hanging around and wearing out the opposition in the second half.

*The offensive play calling was predictable and uninspiring throughout the game.  Late in the first half, LSU had first and goal at the 6 and we couldn't punch the ball in.  The play calling was an absolute embarrassment.  First down: run.  This was mistake #1.  This is a perfect spot to throw a fade or go play action.  Mettenberger is much more effective throwing on first down.  A fade is a low risk play that could reap big rewards. Second down: a one man route with Mettenberger rolling out.  What could go wrong?  The ONLY option on the play got tackled in the back field and Mettenberger was lucky to get rid of it.  After having to TAKE 2 TIMEOUTS IN A ROW, we try to run another ONE MAN ROUTE trick play that didn't fool anyone.  Terrible, terrible, terrible.

*On LSU's last offensive drive, Gary Danielson commented that, "you can't hide your quarterback anymore."  He was dead on in his alluding to LSU's super conservative play calling.  LSU did run and pass 25 times each, but there was no attempt at misdirection or using Ford's speed on the outside.  The coaching staff didn't make any adjustments in the second half to try and get the offense moving.


* This may be the worst receiving corps I have ever seen at LSU.  The wide outs don't get open and when they do they drop the ball.  After the Auburn game I was touting Kadrone Boone as LSU's most reliable receiver, so what's he do on his return to his home state, drop two catchable passes in critical situations.  The first drop was on LSU's first drive at the Florida 21.  The second came later in the first half.  Had he caught that pass LSU would have had a first down and kept the sticks moving.  But Mettenberger was then faced with a third and ten and threw his only interception of the game trying to make a play.

*The offensive line has been a huge problem since Chris Faulk went down.  They just don't move the pile and pass protection is completely hit and miss.

*The Tigers turned to ball over three times, the second one after Mettenberger made his best throw of the game.  LSU amassed 8 penalties during the game as well.

*2 SEC road games, a total of 18 points.

*It's 2009 all over again.  The defense is on the field all game because the offense can't get a first down.  It reminded me of the LSU v. Florida game in 2009.  In that game LSU managed only 162 yards.  It felt that the game could have gone on for about 10 more quarters and the Tigers would not have scored.

*The defense was on the field 37 minutes and only gave up 14 points.  They were in the backfield for much of the first half but the offense could never capitalize.

*Wing had a fine game averaging 45.6 yards a punt on 7 kicks.  But he didn't get off any bombs and was not as effective as he has been in the past pinning the other team inside the 10.

*I will never question Beckham's effort, but I imagine he is frustrated and trying to do too much.  He fielded two punts inside the 10 when he should have let them go and he fumbled after making that big catch from Mettenberger.  Again, I think he may be pushing trying to "make something happen" because of LSU's offensive ineptitude.

Where does LSU go from here? 

In the long term Miles needs to clean house on the offensive side of the ball as he did back at the end of 2008 with the defense.  LSU needs a young talented offensive coordinator that can craft a functional passing game.  However, my fear is that whoever is calling the plays in the booth, Miles is down on the field keeping the OC's hands tied.  Offensive dysfunction has been a staple of LSU football since 2008.  The players, plays and assistants have changed, but Miles has been the constant.  It is very likely LSU's head coach is at the root of the offensive problems.

In the short term, the offense just needs to keep plugging away.  It's obvious that this line is not going to be able to sustain long drives so LSU needs to look for bigger plays in the passing game, high risk, high reward.  The problem is LSU faces what may turn out to be the best South Carolina team in the history of the program.  SC's defensive line is every bit as good as LSU's if not better.   The offense has a number of playmakers and Connor Shaw has been playing lights out this season. 

Les Miles is 17-1 after a loss and 22-6 in SEC home games in his time at LSU.  His only back to back losses came in 2008 when the Tigers lost to Ole Miss and Arkansas to close out the regular season.  LSU has won 21 straight games at home dating back to the previously mentioned 2009 setback versus Florida.  While the trend favors LSU, these appear to be two teams heading in opposite directions.   This is a trap game for the Gamecocks as they have Florida coming up next week.  This is a must win for the Tigers if they want to stay in contention for the Western Division.  Everything says South Carolina should come into Tiger Stadium and get a win.  But it won't be easy.  For all his shortcomings, Miles excels in these situations.  I just think LSU’s offensive problems will not be solved any time soon.

South Carolina 17 – LSU 16

Florida Week

Going into this season, I would speculate that many LSU fans looked at the Tiger’s schedule and scrolled down to the titanic battle with Alabama scheduled for November 3.  Many probably looked right past this week’s little match-up with the Mighty Gators of the University of Florida.  Going 13-1 and destroying everyone except the aforementioned Crimson Tide can do that.  But fans with longer memories and longer attention spans than my four year old son are very familiar with the beatings the Gators have laid on LSU over the years.  (Check out the Wiki on the LSU –UF Rivalry.) To wit, my Top 5 Florida beat downs over the last 20 years:

5. 1996: UF 56 – LSU 13. This was a good LSU team that went 10-2 that season. The Gators did win a National Title that season with Heisman trophy winner Danny Wuerffel. But losing by 43?!

4. 2008: UF 51 – LSU 21. LSU rolled into the Swamp undefeated at 5-0 ranked #3 in the country. Starting with this game, the Tigers imploded down the stretch going 3-5 in Miles’ worst season at LSU.

3. 2000: UF 41 –LSU 9. The “Brook Trout Look” game. Saban is much funnier when he loses and this was a serious beating coming one week after the big home win over Tennessee. He used the phrase “Brook Trout Look” to describe the LSU players who were outplayed all afternoon.

2. 2001: UF 44 – LSU 15. This LSU team won the Western Division and the SEC Title Game. Yet the Tigers were utterly destroyed at home by the Spurrier led Gators.

1. 1993: UF 58 – LSU 3. Representing the largest margin of victory in the series and possibly the worst loss in LSU history, this game showed how far LSU had fallen under Curley Hallman. I’m proud to say I sat through the entire debacle in the student section getting up to leave only after the clock had struck 0:00. There is a scene in the movie Fight Club that sensors deemed too brutal to be left in the movie, so instead of showing Ed Norton beat one of his followers near to death, the director presented the faces of the witnesses as they viewed the carnage. That was this game in a nutshell. Hide the women and children and burn the game tapes.

The Mental Game

I wasn't going to comment on the game, but after that dismal performance I feel compelled to say a few words.

* The LSU football team was bored last night. The players didn't want to be there and the fans didn't want to be there either as evidenced by the 40,000 no-shows. That "boredom" by the players shows up in the mental part of the game. LSU is ranked 108th nationally in the penalty department. The Tigers turned the ball over 10 times all of last season. This season they have fumble six times and thrown two interceptions already.  Unlike last season, this team is not nearly as focused and sharp.  Whatever Miles is doing to correct the problems is not work as of yet.

* LSU's offensive problems start up front. The Tigers are giving up over two sacks a game. While some of these are on Mettenberger, the O-line has to take a great deal of blame. Missed assignments and missed blocks are holding the passing game back. Losing Faulk and now J.C. Copeland is a big problem for that group.

* On the positive side, through five games, LSU is averaging over 200 yards passing per game and 400 total yards per game for the first time since 2008. Mettenberger was off last night, but he didn't hang his head and threw some nice deep passes that resulted in TD's in the second half.  Beckham also played very well catching two TD's and gaining 128 yards.

*Jordan Jefferson was on the sidelines for the game Saturday.  LSU has worst offensive performance all season.  Coincidence?  I don't think so.

* LSU's first five opponents are a combined 8-14. LSU's next five oppenents are a combined 21-1.

* The big question going into this weekend is: Are these mistakes mentioned earlier systemic or just a function of "boredom?" We will know a lot more about this team next week. Florida is by far the best team the Tigers will have faced this season. The Swamp is as tough a place to play as anywhere in the country. We embarrassed Florida last year so look for the Gators tro be highly motivated.

LSU's defense will be lights out and I'm not sold on Jeff Driskel running that offense. But can LSU get out of its own way on offense? IF the Tigers hold on to the ball and cut down on penalities they can certainly win the game. But execution and play calling must get better. LSU's offensive line is not good enough to just blow people off the ball. The staff MUST insert some plays that will slow down Florida's pass rush and help Mettenberger out. This game is terribly difficultto pick and I expect a close game throughout.  As of this writing LSU is a 2-3 point favorite.  I hope I'm wrong, but I just don't see a championship team in the making with this group.

UF 23 - LSU 17