Yes, I'm a Bama fan. I don't think it was jj or les! I've watched Lsu football along time. Yet I can't remember a game when the entire team, coaching staff, even the mascot looked completely flat. No emotion. The Lsu spirit was absent. I totally expected les to throw the kitchen sink at us. Onside kick to start second half, fake punt, deep balls, etc. yet they seemed to be locked in to the same flat emotion level, same basic conservative plan from start to finish. Opposite of what got them to CBS championship. Almost like somebody slipped ambein or lunista in the teams pre game meal. After watching game a second time it's even more evident. Really was strange. Trust me not what Bama fans expected..
Tell us about it. You can be sure we'll never get an official explanation, so don't hold your breath waiting for one. I will say that championship rematches in college football put the winner of the first game at an immediate psychological disadvantage, and is why I never wanted it to happen. The winner has everything to lose and have to win out, while the other team has the revenge factor and only has to win once, and there is no rubber match. Against a team and coach of Bama's quality, that is a tremendous challenge to meet. That isn't an excuse for what we saw, but I think it goes a long way toward explaining the mentality. Throw into the mix a completely ineffective QB, and the knowledge that no change was coming in the 2nd half, and it was over.
Step back from the ledge, Cliff. You've been a huge Miles fan, and one horrendous game does not define his career. My dad was a high school coach for 40 years. Back in 1980, he was coaching in a game in Baton Rouge that was being called "the game of the century." Both he and the opposing coach were on radio shows at night after practices, etc. His team went out and pulled an "LSU vs. Bama in the BCSNCG" type of performance and lost 26-0. Like the OP stated, NO ONE on our side had any emotion. We had an All-American RB who later said he felt like his shoes had been dipped in cement. To this day, my dad doesn't know wth happened that night. Last night, he likened Monday's game to that one and said, "You know, we were only down 6-0 at half that night, but I knew we wouldn't win." Sound familiar? He said he felt like he and the whole team were in The Twilight Zone. Things like this happen in sports. It hurts when it happens to YOU. Out of all the games in my dad's career, that one 32 years ago still stings him. For what it's worth, he never lost to that coach again.
Thanks for the story StaceyO. This recent debacle also reminded me of the games against Bama in '97 (?) and Saban/Francionne ('02?) when we were shutout. Both games featured teams that were (relatively) evenly matched but no contest on the field.
At some point, Les is going to have to explain why his team was so totally unprepared for this giant game. This onus is upon him and he can't shirk it. Most people understand that things can go horribly wrong on you. It happens to everyone. But Les needs to demonstrate that he knows what went wrong and is seriously and honestly addressing it. A team can't play that badly in every facet of the game unless there is something relevent going on. "I didn't see this coming", just doesn't cut it.
I honestly think the whole "riverboat gambler, mad hatter" rep for Miles is overblown. The media talks about him like he's running some kind of flag football offense, with reverses and double passes every other play. It all stems from the 5-for-5 on 4th down game vs UF in '07, and that was more of a backs-against-the-wall, pick up the first down or go home situation than it was a case of taking ludicrous chances. Now, you want riverboat gambling? What do you call a coach who goes into the championship game and puts his offense on the back of his just-average quarterback instead of his Heisman Trophy finalist running back? Nick Saban.
