It was really sort of eerie how Oregon folded Thursday night when Dixon got hurt. I started thinking about whether that could happen here, and I'm happy to say I don't think it can. Lots of fans worry about LSU and the way the team has played at times this season. But if you think about it you realize that this is a team full of experienced players who work together, which sometimes means that it can get burned by big plays, or that various members may stumble at times. Whenever that happens, someone ELSE steps up and takes over and gets the job done. In general, then, the strength of LSU is that it is NOT dependent upon a Dixon, Tebow, Moreno or McFadden but instead has a decidedly low-profile QB and no skill position hot-shots who are so good that everyone else who plays that position wants to transfer. My point is that our team may not always look as exciting as other teams in the course of its work, but in the end perhaps it is the team's sheer determination and endurance which makes it better than those other teams and thus deserves to be number one. No other team has had to endure the weekly challenge of an SEC team's A game and the hostile environments of the stadiums in Tuscaloosa, Oxford, and Lexington. LSU has had to do that and has come out winning almost every week, all without any Heismann candidate. Maybe I'm just looking at this through purple and gold glasses, but I feel pretty good about the fact that the WHOLE LSU TEAM is involved in this endeavor and that is what is going to carry us to the championship.:LSU231:
NJtiger...I had the same thought this morning watching Gameday and listening to all their LSU Bashing. Everyone in the top ten is more deserving than the Tigers if you listen to their spin. This morning Bob Stoops was a defensive genius with a team that appears to be playing better than any other team in the country. Isn't it interesting as you pointed out how one dimensional some of these media darlings are. Okie... is in the process of having their butts handed to them because...they lost their QB? I know Ole Miss played LSU closer than the score indicated but I have confidence that if MF goes down RP can at least keep us in a game. I think the media talking heads try to create news and controversy and don't give LSU the respect for continuing to "just win baby". I remember teams coming into Tiger Stadium years ago with more talent (see USC, Nebraska, Alabama and Florida) and they barely won or actually lost to a less talented LSU squad that played with tremendous heart and emotion. The fact is when you are No. 1 it isn't hard for the other guys to be fired up and play over their head. I wouldn't expect them to do anything else and if they can't get up for playing the number one team in the nation then they shouldn't be on the field anyway. I believe that LSU is deeper than many teams in the country and hopefully that will be the edge we will use to win our 2nd NC in 4 years but I am sure the media will find a way to award some other team a NC since they weren't able to get their team to New Orleans. (see USC 2003). :geaux:
Great post, although I agree that LSU is more balanced out in everything, I wouldn't go as far to say that teams like Oregon are one-sided, because they were the #2 team in the country, and one player does not get you there by himself. I think the main difference is that for Oregon, their biggest playmaker is Dixon at QB, while at LSU our biggest playmakers are Doucet, Byrd, Hester, Williams, Scott, Trindon, Dorsey, Tyson, Beckwith, Steltz...etc. My point is that we are very balanced because most teams would die for just a couple of our playmakers while we have a whole team full of them. Unfortunately for Oregon, their biggest playmaker was their QB, and a team always takes a big hit when their starting, heisman-caliber QB goes down. But I agree with all your other points, great post.
I agree that Oregon wasn't entirely one-sided BUT they obviously have no real depth at QB, which is what happens when you have a Heismann-type QB a lot of the time. We have Flynn AND Perrilloux precisely because Flynn is NOT Heismann material, and in a lot of ways it's better. It still is so weird (and maybe wonderful!) that we don't have any truly serious Heismann candidates and we haven't had one for years, but we won a NC in 2003 and we're no. 1 now. I'd trade a Heismann any day for the 10 win seasons we've had three years in a row now. :LSU231:
Yep, I've said it all year. LSU is like a set of shark's teeth... knock one out and there's a row of about 50 behind it to take it's place... We just don't get tired out like other teams do in most cases.
LSU has talent across the board and in depth. It's not like we don't have stars, its just that they don't stand out against the capable background. This is a mark of many championship teams--not being a one-horse threat. LSU in 2003 was such a team and the Bama teams of the 70's were, too.
After watching the 03 team perform, I said you don't have to have a superstar to win it all, but you can't have a glaring weakness and win it all. You have to be very good in a lot of spots, and plain good everywhere else. Having depth helps a lot also. You will have injuries, and if you can't plug that spot with a good player and you leave yourself with a weak spot, it will be taken advantage of. I like this team we have. I don't think the D is as good as 03, but the O is a little better, IMO. I think Flynn is better than Mauck, we have a better receiver corp, better depth at running back. The o-line is maybe a step behind the 03 group. But this team has the opportunity to complete for a title if they take care of business, starting with Arky. :geaux: :LSU231: SEC West :champs:
