I recorded the game and didnt get to watch it until 1130pm. Have to get up early, so after 2am I started to fast forward at 300x after the JJ intentional grounding and had a major WTF moment when in the blink of an eye it was 30-24. Had to go back and sit through the entire 4th quarter. The Horror. The Horror. My take on the game: The good: We saw what LSU can do. The bad: We saw what LSU can do. The good: some major talent on the team. The bad: inexperience, lack of focus and suspect coaching. The good: can score in an eyeblink from anywhere on the field. The bad: Inability of the offense to grind out steady gains in the absence of a big play. The good: Our defense can hurt you. The bad: Our defense can hurt you. I've not been one of the Miles bashers. Still not, but I think Les needs a strong season that doesnt provide his critics with any ammunition. Not off to a good start on that front. I thought LSU was going to lose in the last 10 seconds and was incensed at the coaching. I was ready to grab my pitchfork and head two thousand miles to Baton Rouge. But after I cooled down I thought: 1. Roughing the kicker was not Les's fault in any way. 2. The series that ended in intentional grounding that moved them out of field goal range was not Les's fault. 3. Losing the onside kick was not Les's fault. 4. Ridley fumbling TWICE was not Les's fault. 5. The missed FG was not Les's fault. 6. Neither of the two long NC touchdown passes were Les's fault. The above 6 points are why this was a nailbiter and I can't pin any of them on Les. On the other hand, do I still have the nagging worry that Les's teams are not strong on discipline and execution? Yes. But I can live with that as long as his teams are in the BCS most years. Lets see how this season plays out. Lets see if the team grows from tonights scare. Some games coming up that should give the team a chance to gain some seasoning. Wouldnt mind seeing Lee get a little playing time; If JJ can't nail down the starter position I'm cool with a 2QB system.
All true. Also true. The team came out "flat" in the second half. That is the coaches job . . . keep their heads in the game when we have a big lead at halftime. LSU did not show up in the second half and that is on Les. Me, too. Sometimes competition is what it takes for a player to step up.
I blame Miles for all six of those things. Sloppy play and lack of execution reflects badly on the head coach. Good post, though.
i agree with all of that. and add... what i said immediately after the game. complacency. by the coaches and team, but it is an attitude that begins and ends with the coaches. that almost lost the game, and will lose games.
I have to agree with lsu-i-like. Isn't that the coaches job to train these players the basics of the game?
Well that comes from winning. And a punishing defense. I suspect this season is a tipping point and we will either get back to that status, or a wheel could come off. If we win the next 4 games or so in convincing status I'd look for a strong finish. I don't think anyone gave up last night. I hate hate hate nailbiters. My idea of a maximally pleasurable season is twelve 60-3 wins. A good LSU game is one like last nights, when in the 3rd quarter the announcers are talking about Beyonce, this and that, everything but the game on the field because its a blowout. Life was good until that point.
Both of these are true. Until midway through the 3rd quarter, I felt LSU had returned to pre-2008 form. We were beating the mess outta an ACC team (yes, I know--undermanned with 8 starters suspended to our 4-5 starters injured, I know..) Then, we sat back on our lead and it very nearly bit us in the butt. By the time we needed to get re-focused, we simply couldn't. It even took the announcers a bit of time before they realized that it was turning back into a game. They, too, had gone on auto-pilot about midway through the 2nd quarter. We were asserting our dominance, then we let off the gas. Were there some issues in the 1st half? Yes, there were--all issues that seemed related to first game nonsense: a missed FG from a reliable kicker (as well as a KO out of bounds), dropped passes that killed drives, one blown coverage for a long pass completion, etc. After getting some sleep (it took until 2:30 before the trembling subsided enough for me to go to bed), I can step back from the ledge and see what the coming weeks bring. If we see improvement from week to week, we'll be okay. If not, we'll have a season like last year (but probably not any worse.) Either scenario is likely to upset those who would like to see Miles dismissed.
The good: Only one sack allowed (Good job O-line) 24 rushing yards allowed Got 4 sacks Some youngsters looked good on D tonight (Mingo, Mathieu, Minter, Montgommery, Barrow) Saw more Russell Shepard Reuben Randle is coming along nicely JJ can throw the ball down field Saw some ability to move the ball on the ground Peterson. The Bad: 400+ yards passing allowed (granted, Peterson ran a football field more than normal so understandable if he was tired I guess.) 5 turnovers 3rd and Chavis Penalties The 2nd half.. all of it. 57 plays/game is not enough (is 70-75 too much to ask?) College football moves to fast for JJ, unfortunate but true. That's as simple as I can put it. So what do ya do for a QB at this point? I still don't like Crowton at OC. That's about all I got.
