LSU v. Flordia Oct 2007

For those of you that weren’t there, left early, don’t remember, or just love to re-hash, here’s my take on Saturday night’s game, as seen from the North End Zone, Section 215:

Best Sign at “Gameday”
My number one: Pictures of Lou Holtz and Sylvester the Cat (Looney Tunes) with a caption that said something to the effect of, “Separated at Birth?” Get the garbage out of your mouth Lou!
Runners up: “Dude Where’s My Car” – with Tony Joiner’s mug shot; “Tebow Wears Jorts”; “Dorsey Eats Tebown Steak”; I’m sure I’m missing some good ones.

O, and Kirk Herbstreit – you are an idiot, very cute, but an idiot.

Haters
Florida, why you gotta go jumping on the “Eye” – didn’t you learn from Auburn…guess not. Check out Miles’ face when UF takes the field – he looks like someone just pushed his hat down on his head – P. O.ed Guess he didn’t like their pre-game jumping either.

Quote of the Day
From my mom, “Where did I go wrong?” Her response to my love for LSU football and for me “shushing” her when the “GameDay” crew was talking about the LSU game. I sat there for an hour and 45 minutes waiting…do not talk to me when they finally get around to talking about our game!

Great Non Football Moments
Mike VI’s debut was a great one. It’s so awesome to have a live mascot that’s as pretty as Mike.
The Golden Band from Tigerland – u rocked the house as usual. Your finest moment was after the half time performance where you marched off the field directly at the Florida fans/band and played the pregame salute in their faces – AWESOME!
Post-game, when the team headed towards the students and everyone remaining in the stadium (the team plus about 70% of the crowd that stayed in their seats) did the gator chomp – how about them apples?

Scariest Moment
The first half…just kidding (not really). It was actually when LSU ran on to the field after half time – heads hanging, not real pumped up – I was worried. Unbeknownst to me, they were actually coming out of a business meeting where they discussed how to solidify the nation’s #1 ranking. Meeting adjourned.

Scariest Moment, Part 2
The conservative play calling almost gave me a heart attack. But, if you’re ok going for five fourth downs and eating up 8:11 on the final drive, then you call the game however you want. Crowton showed flashes of Jimbo, going to the well too many times with the option, but who am I to judge? Hester is great, especially with the game on the line, but I would like to see Scott, Williams, and Murphy get some additional carries to blow the game open. O, and please run Trindon to the wide side of the field so he can turn the corner!

Hero to Zero (a few negatives about LSU – no, I’m not happy with just a big win)
Colt David, I know you liked scoring the TD, but we already have 100 running backs, so we REALLY need you to concentrate on field goals!
“Oh O-line, O-line, wherefore art thou O-line?” It would be nice if they showed up for the entire game, but kudos for getting us those fourth downs.
Who put Devery Henderson in Brandon LaFell’s uniform? I had to do a double take to see if ol’ stone hands had the #1 jersey on. Thankfully, LaFell did rebound and make some nice grabs. Doucet – please heal quickly!
Lastly, Perrilloux I know the coaches need to get the plays in quicker, but we REALLY need you to learn some game management skills for next year. Quit telling the Student Section to quiet down and control the huddle, please! Those timeouts might be needed down the road.

D-Fense! (clap, clap) D-Fence!
Hey, we can’t ask for perfection every week, and you came up big when we needed it. “Defense wins championships” - I’m a believer now more than ever.

Jumping Bean
The team may have come out after halftime looking a little down, but Trindon Holliday took the field for the second half kickoff every bit as fired up as he was to start the game. The little guy looked like a flea on a living room carpet out there, jumping around, but he’s got the heart and spirit the size of Herman Johnson.

Most Embarrassing Moment(s)
Did you notice that on the half-time highlights shown in the stadium that LSU’s biggest play (other than the TD) was a 13 yard run – Ouch! Not much of a highlight.
#2 – How about the coaches (or trainers, or someone that wears the official coaches shirt on the sidelines) that jumped up to do the body bump and knocked each other over, one stumbling on to the field – for pete’s sake…

Game Balls (pun intended)
No doubt, Jacob Hester.
How about one for Les Miles for those gutsy calls?
And at the risk of increasing ticket prices, I’d say a game ball goes to every LSU fan in attendance. That was one LOUD place! Who says A&M is the only home of the “12th Man?”
Pelini and the defense should just take a game ball every week without even asking.
Lastly, to Abram/Josh/John David Booty – maybe JD can use the ball to practice not throwing interceptions. Seriously though, I’d ship one to Stanford – the announcement of their win over USC was a moment I’ll never forget (I just got goosebumps…again).

My Finest Moment
Getting my dad to do the gangsta arm thing that the Student Section does. I have no idea what the song is, or what the gesture means, but by the end of the game, everyone, including my dad, was throwing it down! A lot more fun that the gator chomp b/c you can still hold your drink in the other hand!

And the Oscar Goes To…
Apparently, Jacob Hester – nice job saving a time out to get your helmet cleaned up after the winning TD!

BOOOOOOOOO…
The officiating was bad, really bad. It started with the field judge walking the LSU Captains out of the tunnel, and trying to make them walk to the Florida sideline. Thankfully, Matt (Damon) Flynn convinced him that our sideline was to the right. Overall the officiating was ok, but they missed some big calls. Do I think Miles should have challenged the play when the kick returner stepped out of bounds? Who cares now, but he should never have had to force the issue (what were you looking at that you didn’t see him step out of bounds 2, maybe 3 times?). And by the way, one late hit call deserves another. Equal opportunity, please.

Game Changing Moment
Dan Borne’s announcement of USC’s defeat! I don’t think I’ve ever, EVER, seen Tiger Stadium go that crazy before (and I’ve been there for crazy games). That was the best moment of the game – every fan, coach, player was jumping up and down and yelling – you could feel the stadium vibrate. Again with the goosebumps.

Dorsey For Heisman

Fear the Hat
It’s no wonder Miles wears his hat so high…he needs extra space to store his huge “guts” he showed going for five fourth downs. 5 for 5 on ESSENTIAL fourth downs – well done Les! (for those of you that are slow, by “guts” I mean something else, but trying to keep this email PG)

Shame, Shame
As awesome as the student section was for the entire game, enough with the “F” word chants! Tebow certainly deserved it for his taunts, and I did find it entertaining to a degree, but that’s no way for #1 to be portrayed on national TV (O, yes, you could hear it even on TV – watch the replay). Another heads up, do not do the “YOU SUCK” chant when we are LOSING! Let’s get the lead first, alright?

Begrudgingly Giving Props to Tebow
I hate to do this, but here goes. As much as he’s heralded as this great guy, he sure looked like a punk with all of his taunts. But, I chalk that up to a competitor’s spirit and say he’s a great player that we haven’t heard the last of yet. The kid’s a phenom, on and off the field, but one is the loneliest number – he can’t do it alone (as UF is finding out the hard way). If you’d like to call him and tell him “better luck next time” I can get you the cell # to reach the voice mailbox of “Timmy Tebow.”

CBS Commentators
From what I’ve heard, they were terrible. I’m glad I didn’t have to listen to their stupid analogies, explanations, etc. I could run circles around those guys. And for the record, Tebow was not writing something down then holding a phone up to his ear. He was taunting the Student Section b/c probably each and every one of them had left a message or sent a texted message to Tebow prior to the game. My guess is that a fired up Tebow was saying, yeah, call me now suckers. I’m sure they did after the game!

Last Word (well, almost)
Nick who? Stop talking about Saban – let it go! He knows deep down that he made the wrong decision and he will pay for it every year when he plays LSU. Let’s move on and focus on this historic season and look at the Bama game as just one more opponent on our road to being National Champions. That being said, I hope we beat the (insert expletive here) out of them!

I’m so Glad
I’m so glad I was completely sober for the game. I would have hated to have missed (or not remember) one second of the action due to the effects of an Abita Amber (or 6).

Special Thanks Goes To
My brother, for conceding his ticket to me. Not sure why you did it, but I owe you big time. And especially to my dad – not just for the free ticket, but for teaching his daughter (ME!) how to be a true LSU fan – from how to yell, curse, and chastise the coaching during my developmental years (Archer, Hallman, DiNardo); to appreciating when LSU is the premier team in college football. I will always remember this game, right down to our traditional post-game jog to the car (you are out of shape, old man) and making it from the stadium to home in 25 minutes – well done!

Geaux Tigers!