Football is, in part, a game of emotion. I think this game is important on a personal level to the LSU players and coaches on a level just not experienced by the Bama players. The players recruited by Les Miles have been routinely insulted. The players recruited by Saban have been patronized. Those players have seen the media give credit for their accomplishments to Saban, and have seen SAban invite that. The coaches have been routinely insulted as well. In short, I think every LSU coach and every LSU player wants this bad on a PERSONAL as well as professional level. I don't know if that's a positive or a negative for us, but I suspect it's a positive.
And, in football, when it becomes personal the fundamentals tend to be forgotten. Emotions last for a few series, if that. Concentration, last the entire 60 minutes. I've seen the discipline factor as a problem for LSU since early on this season. Heck, it's been pointed out on this forum several times. If Bama pulls out an upset, it'll come down to that, IMO.
I agree completely. I'll take it one step further and address something that comes up on here on pretty often. We say, "We don't play the game" in referring to "Looking past" opponents, or knowing, at least on paper, we are superior; however, the fans' attitudes towards any given opponent resounds throughout the community- it does impact our players' attitudes. Hell, the 10U softball team we just won a National Championship with was undefeated and when we'd meet teams a second/third time in different tournaments, we'd stress "Playing our game" but even these 9 and 10 year old girls got somewhat complacent and did JUST enough to win as the season progressed- drove us nutts. :hihi: Come National Tournament time, they laid it out though. The team hears the talk and they see the same thing(s) we do. As a coach/player, you are aware of them, try to set them aside in preparation, focus, and match intensity but to think it's easy is wrong. They don't stay in the locker room/practice field during the week, they go to class, church, supermarket, etc. Not that it will, or should, change anything, jus sayin. :thumb:
The few series emotions last can end with the score 21-0, and then you have new emotions to ride to further success. It happens all the time.
What's up with this? http://www.al.com/alabamafootball/mobileregister/index.ssf?/base/sports/1193044973154740.xml&coll=3
Count me among those who thinks the Bama game is just as important as Ole Miss, and Ark. I don't care who their coach is or how many people they had at their spring game. I just want to win.
I don't know about the rest of them, but I will be upset for about an hour or four, then get over it and look forward to next week when I get to see my boys play again. It would be an upset, but not monumental. It's ONE game. It would hurt us on the way to the SECCG and the NCG, but still, it's ONE game. No reason to cry. Still, I don't expect us to lose if we concentrate on the game and not on who's coaching the opposing team. :lsup: LSU! :lsup: LSU! :lsup: LSU!
the bama game is by far more important than any reg season games left because the other teams dont have a shot at the secw if lsu executes on O. lsu 37-13. if not, lsu 24-20 lsu's sched is much tougher because of VT and the SECe comparison (UK, UF and USC vs. UT, UGA and VU) lsu can easily lose this game, btw. because of their balance and experience, this is possibly the best O LSU will face (i say this because UK was without Little).
