Official LSU vs. Mississippi State Game Thread

I guess they figured Scott was our best chance at grinding out the clock and getting a few first downs.

 

Interestingly, the guys getting exposed are NOT the new CBs, but instead the safeties and the LBs. Corners played well tonight, I thought.

 

Well, not the flashiest of endings, but a win is a win especially with what we all knew heading into the season: unproven QB's, untested and totally new starting corners, only one full-time starter (Taylor) in the secondary returning, 2 new starting LB's.

Right now, we're doing better than my highest expectations. I thought with the above info, that we COULD have begun the year with a loss at this point (with Auburn being that first and only true chance at beating us) and we came out of that fine.

We entered tonight on the back of a very physical and emotional game and it kinda showed.

We're undefeated after MSU, and that's as good as it gets. I thought this season could potentionally be a season where a Miles-coached LSU team lost 3 games total and the potential loses could be any of the games against Auburn, 'Bama, Florida and UGA, but if we could settle down the "young guys" and manage to get to a New Year's day bowl game, then that would set the stage for even better things for '09.

Right now, we're ahead of the curve so-to-speak. We have veteran talent on the lines--which is key if you believe the old notion that "winning starts 'up front'". So, that alone should signal to all of us that we'll likely encounter some "ugly wins" with the young players being in such a spotlight at certain positions.

Lee is gonna be fine. He'll get better and more relaxed and experienced as the season goes along. So will our DB's. And their "lumps" will only help us down the road. Be it "down the road" this season, or next. We're still a major force in college football reguardless of if we win the SEC West, the SEC, a BCS bowl or a New Years bowl.

 

Well, Coleman, dispite his number of years with the team, is still considered, IMO, as a "young" player due to the fact that he really hasn't been a starter. He had a coming out party in the biggest game of the year last season, but that doesn't mean he'll be experienced enough early on in the year to be considered a veteran.

 

You know, looking at the total stats, we still held an opponent to under 300 yards of total offense (MSU had 289 yards).

Even in a Pelini-ran defense, there were some games where we were all criticizing the defense for NOT being more "stout". Pelini had sorta a "bend but not break" approach in most of the games. He just also had the ability to devise an aggressive attacking defense with blitz after blitz, but by and large, most of his gameplanning revolved around "baiting" the opponent into a false sense of security and forcing turnovers with different looks.

 

Glad to get the W against a scrappy Mississippi St team, but we didn't look sharp tonight. Commentators weren't annoying. Scott was a beast. Lee looked talented but raw. Defense did not look sharp. Not enough pressure on QB, struggled with coverage, gave up some real estate on the ground. Punting was a plus, special teams returns still looked sloppy.

I couldn't relax until the end, annoyed to see so many folks filing out of the stadium with the game still undecided. Florida should be a serious challenge for our team that looks pretty young.

 

Worst case scenerio is that we're 4-1 after the Florida game. And with this young, but talented team, that's still a plus on the season, no?

But having said that, I'm not particularly as worried about Florida like I was 3 weeks ago.

 

theyre scrappy and we still won comfortably, thats when you know youre good. weve got time to correct mstakes and i suspect we will.

 

I'd have to say yeah. But let's get the goose-egg.

I suppose I can see that; we know a lot more about LSU. I expect a gut-wrenching game.

 

I think this is a very good analysis. I agree totally. I wonder if we were holding back some blitz packages that we are going to use on FL. We certainly could have went after him more. Maybe with a 17 point lead and 2 lineman hurt, they felt we could just play safe and rush 4. I give the cowbells credit, this is the first time in a long time they have even showed up for this game. I give their coach very little credit. That was a pathetic display they put on at the end of the first half, (their play calling).

I thought we should have started jamming that back coming out of the backfield. Blitzing would also slow that play down, because he would need to block, or the QB would have to get rid of the ball quicker. Almost all their passing yardage was to the running backs.

I am very happy! We are undefeated, FL, GA, AU, Tosu, and even USC wish they were! Geaux Tigers!!!!!!!!!!!!