As a whole the team is lacking fire. They come out slow, with no focus. That is on coaching to make sure the team is ready to play. Again, it's not just about wins or losses, it's about improvement. It's about not making the same mistakes. LSU has had one good game so far, the Auburn game. The second half of Miss St, the Syracuse, and EMU games were all lethargic. Miles and staff have to step up and end their vacation.
Special teams has no intensity. I don''t understand that. It's an opportunity for a lot of players who don't play much to get on the field and make plays. When Jarvis Landry was injured as a freshman and had missed practice and fallen behind he became a real beast on special teams. Why aren't guys like Guice and Brossette with their speed blowing up returners downfield?
That's a decent question. Makes you wonder, there have been quite a few guys that were either put on special teams after being 1st or 2nd team offensive or defensive players, most notably Russell Shepard and Jalen Collins and James Wright, all 3 really played well. Then you have guys that really made their bones on special teams before making them on offense or defense, Landry (even though we all knew he was going to be a star) Deion Jones and Ryan Baker as well.
Wow, I'm glad you guys have this forum to vent. Reading through this thread, you would think this team sucks, is losing, and no where near the top 25. I must have watched a very different game. I'm not suggesting we were lights out, and I admired EMUs spark and mentality to play to win (they went for 2, and an onside kick; they came to win). But, despite them closing the gap, I never felt they were ever really a threat. I expected 50+ to 14 score. The INT by EMU and return to the 2 allowed them to score more than 14, and we ended the game in V formation on the 2, so the expectation of 50+ to 14 was not that far off. I know BH wasn't on perfect target, and people are caught up his stats, but watching him throw the ball, he just needs to take a little zip off of it, i.e. throw a more catchable ball, and he needs his WRs to step up to the plate. All in all, LSU is 5-0, ranked in the top 7, and are in conversation for NC and Heisman trophy. I'm sitting back and enjoying this fellas. Leave it to the coaches to figure out discipline, motivation, position improvements, STs play, etc. I know many don't have confidence in the coaches, but that's because none of us are there and really in the know, and as humans we speculate the worst. It's what we do. If a player comes out and says players need to be more disciplined, then the assumption is the coaches aren't demanding enough, or motivating them enough. Every video that I have seen of LSU locker room and practices suggests the opposite. So, again, I'm sitting back and relishing in the success, not the what ifs. By the way, I'm not trying to call anyone out as a nega, or act as a pumper myself. I'm just offering my opinion. I have offered criticisms, esp. early this season, and now my opinion has shifted to the above. I'm simply sharing it. Edit: Whoops, we are 4-0 - sorry about that.
One minor correction, we're 4 & 0. We also have games remaining against Florida, Bama, Arkansas, Ole Miss, & A&M. With the exception of the running game, we are too damn inconsistent in the passing game, defense, and special teams. I'm sorry, but I think we are in for some rough times ahead. I hope I'm wrong.
im only worried about the defensive line honestly and stopping the run. i will say i think our biggest problem is being unmotivated due to shitty teams. how we looked against msu in the first half is how we are going to look against the better teams i believe. les wins the ooc games often ugly because he knows you only get the most effort in a handful of games. those will be the meat of the schedule. you dont waste your rudy speeches on an emu. focus gets ratcheted up to a completely different level for those bigger games and our play will mostly reflect it. but its what fans do, we go from thinking we are unbeatable with a heisman winner to losing 5 games in one week.
I think the thing about the last couple of weeks that goes unappreciated by most fans is the team on the other side of the field. Not that Syracuse or EMU has the same caliber of athletes that LSU does, but that, for them, LSU is their Super Bowl. Especially this year with LF being current Heisman favorite. They all want to be able to say they took The Man down. Add to that that the Tigers have to get pumped to play, what is on paper, inferior competition two weeks in a row. It's not a surprise that young college kids struggle to maintain that emotional level. I was sitting above some EMU fans Saturday and after their first TD they were saying they had already won. It didn't matter what happened the rest of the game, they scored in Tiger Stadium. All of which worries me about this coming Saturday. It looks like the perfect storm for an upset: early game, on the road, the Cocks might be starting their 4th string QB, I anticipate some sort of salute to the flooding victims in and around Columbia, USCe will be quite literally playing to keep its season alive (on life support, to be sure, but alive) and the Ole Ball Coach is standing on the other sideline.
Yep... this week scares me. This seems like the kind of game that Spurrier always finds a way to win. I hope Les lights a fire under their asses this week.
LSU has played down to the competition 2 weeks in a row now. I expect CLM to have them pumped up for the Cocks and for the Gaytors
I agree with this except for the upset part. USCe may hang with us for a half but I feel we will roll them in the end. I think we are going to lay the wood to them because they simply are not that good. The wr's are due for a good game and after all the criticism they are getting and a pep talk from #7 I think we show up and make a statement. we're going to see what a focused LSU team looks like for a game finally. thats my hope anyhow. i think we are due.
