LSU v Troy

Where to start? I really don’t know what to say, that hasn’t already crossed everyone else’s mind. I feel as flat and unmotivated to write this as the Tigers looked when they took the field Saturday night. I guess I’ll take it half by half…this should be interesting.

The Wheels on the Bus
Never got a chance to go ‘round and ‘round…they just fell off. Offense, defense, special teams, coaching – it all fell apart in the first half. This sparks the thought – if the game started off by “falling apart” does that mean it we ever really had it together? Scary.

First Half
Deplorable. Terrible. Appalling. Dreadful. And the most appropriate synonym, UNACCEPTABLE.

First Half Defense
Swiss Cheese – the “big eye” kind. There were holes all over the place! Jarrett Lee could have completed passes against our D. For being fairly speedy, we didn’t look it.

First Half Offense
Non-existent. More like “offensive.” It certainly offended me. What a waste of time. It wasn’t even like we were trying something new and it just wasn’t working. We were running on first down, losing some yards, and putting a struggling quarterback in a position to have to make plays on third and long. Even after Troy built up a 14 point lead, we sat back and had no sense of urgency, no creativity, no drive. Poor coaching and terrible play calling, along with lack-luster execution equals me wanting that two hours of my life back.

Pick Six
I am so freakin tired of having to write about yet another pick six. Right before kickoff I commented to my uncle that this would be the game we’d break the streak. He chuckled and said, “Nope.” He wins. It has become very comical in a gut wrenching, high blood pressure, punch the wall sort of way. Why can’t we just push the returner out of bounds or something. Even a leg whip, which is illegal, would work, b/c at least he doesn’t score!

Charles Scott
Always a tough runner, and seemingly hard-worker, you can add emotional to the list. After Lee’s pick six, Tigervision showed Scott on the sidelines yelling it up at someone. Not sure who (maybe Coach Porter) or why, but I liked the frustration and emotion. Positive or negative, someone had to show some feeling, say their piece, and lead the team out of the seemingly insurmountable hole.

Halftime Talk
Supposedly Coach Miles implored the defense to keep the Tigers in the game until the offense could get going. Wow, that’s not comforting to know that you’re putting all your eggs in the basket that just gave up 24 points to Troy in the first half. Ah, well, you know what they say, if it works he’s a genius, if it doesn’t he’s the goat. We’ll just call him Einstein for now.

Second Half Defense
Way to turn it up a couple of notches in the second half. Minus Troy’s opening drive of the second half, the Tiger D played aggressive, solid and hard-hitting D. Blitzes, DBs closing hard and fast, fourth down stands and turnovers – who are you and what have you done with our defense! If we figure out a way to maintain that for 60 + minutes, we’re in business.

Second Half Offense
I’ve waited so long for our offense to click the way it did the last 20 minutes of this game. There are too many playmakers and too much talent for our coaching staff to not figure out a way to score points. Decent protection, open receivers, nice runs, and a calm QB in a pressure situation. Haven’t seen any of that in a long while – what a refreshing performance. I have to say I was a little annoyed that we had to settle for a FG following Chad Jones’ interception deep in Troy territory, but we’ll take the points and hand the game back over to the defense. Good Job O.

Nice Job Jarrett Lee
Now there’s something I haven’t been able to write every week…or ever. I’ve certainly bashed the kid a lot in the last few weeks, but fairly, I hope. Now, I get to fairly say – GREAT fourth quarter. You even earned a kiss from Coach Miles. Well done.

Not So Special Teams
You can’t even call this aspect of the team solid. They’re more like state workers – punch clock, make tackle (kick ball, block, etc), go to sideline. I know we have several starters or major contributors that play special teams, but other than just getting the job done, there’s nothing special about it. Fair catch here, 5 yard return there. No blocked punts from either side, ho hum…They did get the one fumble recovery when it bounced off of the Troy player, but it's not like they "caused" the fumble. This could be a real game changer for a team that is struggling on offense, but we’re not taking advantage of it. BTW – just kidding about the state worker thing. I know some of you work hard.

Punting
We have two punters and neither is setting the world on fire. If we didn’t have huge QB issues and a defense that’s soft at times, then we’d all be talking about the terrible punting.

Miles Takes the Blame
No, $#!& Sherlock. You should take the blame but I do give you credit for sticking with Lee. What I don’t like is the plays called and the positions you put the kid in. I know you have an Offensive Coordinator, but you have to over rule him when he sucks. And how about ripping up your precious O-Line for poor run blocking and pass protection in the first half.

Big 10 Football Anyone?
I’m not sayin’, I’m just sayin’: Was it just me or did LSU’s offense in the first half look eerily similar to that customary of a Big 10 offense? Run first (I’m ok with that), get bogged down, still run first, get behind by 14, throw a pick 6, run out the clock.

Just for Shiggles
LSU learned a valuable lesson against Troy. Jarrett Lee is a pocket passer (no surprise there) that plays better when in a hurry-up, two minute drill style of offense. So, just for shiggles, how about we come out against Ole Miss and let it rip FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, get the defense on their heels, get your QB and WR in a rhythm and cram it down their throats. Open it up, let these kids (and fans) have some fun! Finish this season strong and make a statement for next year.

Jordan Jefferson
He didn’t play as much as I thought he would, but he played a key role in getting Lee some thinking time on the sidelines following another pick six. He did some smart things, though he wasn’t super productive. With Hatch out, he’s the change of pace we were desperate for against Alabama.

Big Cheer
LSU had only two first downs in the first down. When they finally managed the third midway through the third quarter, the crowd (or what was left of it) let out a huge cheer. I guess with not much to cheer about up to that point, you’ll yell for anything positive to thaw out your jaws!

Historic Comeback
Comeback, yes. Historic, maybe by record book standards. But let’s but it all in perspective. We had to come back from 28 down in the second half against TROY. Not very historic in my book.

Freshmen on “D”
Did you notice Brandon Taylor getting some major minutes in the secondary. He and Peterson were involved in several key plays. It’s good to see these youngsters getting some significant minutes in their freshman year. It only bodes well for the future.

Colt David Misses an Extra Point
Were your toes frozen? Did you have frostbite or hypothermia? You better have b/c there is no excuse for missing an extra point in a game your team has fought so hard to win. Against any other team on our schedule (ok, so maybe just the SEC ones – and Arkansas doesn’t count), that miss costs LSU the game. Up two and with a tired defense, another team drives down the field and at least attempts a field goal to win the game. Good thing we’re playing Troy .

Williams, Murphy, Holliday
These guys better be in big trouble. B/c if they aren’t in any kind of hot water with the coaches, and they still aren’t getting playing time on offense, then shame on the coaches. If they are in the dog house, then shame on them. They are too talented to not be involved more than on special teams.

Karma’s a Kick
Just ask “Earl” or now Troy. Got pretty cocky and started acting a fool when you’re up by 28. Then the football version of the “K” lady, Karma, got the best of you. You have to be a gracious winner or it’ll come back to bite you. You gave up 37 points in about 20 minutes. That’s what you get for being cocky punks. If for no other reason than to put Troy in their place, I’m glad the Tigers won. Hope you’re a better loser than you are a winner.

Impressed with Troy
I know this is the converse of what I just said above, but I was impressed with Troy, until they got a big lead. Their offense clicked on all cylinders, and defensively they got a big push up the middle stuffing some runs and forcing us to pass. It’s a shame you had to start being sore winners.

Kudos to the Hard Core Fans
I didn’t have tickets to the game so I watched from my parent’s couch: warm den, in my PJs; 61” TV, hot food – perfect. That said, had I been at the game, I would have been long gone at half time! Fair weather fan? Nope. Cold weather fan? Hell no. Kudos to those fans that stuck it out to cheer the Tigers on through the comeback.

Angels in the Endzone?
I heard on the radio today that at some point in the third quarter, the students starting flapping their arms like the kid in “Angels in the Outfield” - conjuring up some heavenly help. Well, it worked. Very clever students – nice job.

Money Back
Not to be confused with “Sexy Back,” but we were singing the tune "I want my Money Back" from Cox, or at least half of it, when we wanted to turn off the game at halftime. I called my grandmother at halftime to tell her the score and her comment was, “And yall paid for that?” Yes, yes we did.

Ole Miss
They are going to whoop up on us if we can’t get it together offensively. I don’t want to lose to Nutt two years in a row.

Florida’s Fast 35 Seconds
Florida’s 21 points in about 35 seconds was very impressive. O, and so was the rest of the demolition of South Carolina. I’m going to title the impending SEC Championship game Bama Beatdown – clever, huh? Can’t wait to watch that game.

Independence Bowl
I had written the reigning National Champs off to the I-Bowl at halftime. We’ve lived to have another shot at the Cotton Bowl – whoopee.

Speaking of the Cotton Bowl
I heard a nasty rumor that the Cotton Bowl was moved to Jan. 2. Sure, 10 am New Year's day is a beating but I planned my vacation around potential LSU Bowl games, and the move is not good for me, as I will be on a plane coming back from Colorado at game time. Booooo…

Questionable Fourth Down
I have to disagree with Coach Miles (imagine that) that Troy’s coach should NOT have gone for that fourth and short at that point in the game. Punt, pin the Tigers, whose offense had been anemic at best, deep in their own territory. Who knows, maybe a pick six is coming your way! Worse case, the Tigers put together a 90-yard drive for a score, but eat up twice as much clock in the process. Yeah, a first down seals the deal, but as an underdog with the lead on a top 20 team, you kick it. But, I’m not a head coach.

Proud Parents
I know the Jones’ must be extremely proud of their sons regardless of how they play, but how cool do you think it was to watch Rahim put heavy pressure on the QB forcing a bad throw that Chad intercepts at a critical point in the game! (insert AAAAWWWW here)

Brandon LaFell
Welcome back to the offense. Sure we’ve struggled passing at times, but big players make big plays, regardless. Saturday’s performance was one of your best and we certainly needed it (kinda like we needed you to attempt to make a play on the ball in OT against Bama, but I’m over it). You’re a heck of a player, you just have keep playing like it.

Florida Coaching
Some Tiger fans may not like this, but too bad. Florida’s coaches are some of the best in the business at putting their players in the positions to make plays. Sure it doesn’t hurt to have a Heisman Trophy winner at QB, but they are creative with their personnel and their play calling to get the ball in the hands of the play makers. When something isn’t working, they have a solid Plan B. I really like this staff and will be happy to cheer for them the remainder of the year.

If I had to describe the LSU v Troy game in one word, it would be…
…Disappointing. Yes, for obvious reasons, but more b/c if you stuck with the game until the bitter end, you saw a totally different team, offensively and defensively, than we’ve seen all year. My disappointment comes b/c I saw the potential we have to be a great team and we just can’t sustain that level of play. Leadership, coaching, talent – not sure what the issue is but I hope we get it figured out soon.

T I G E R S
One of my LSU football rants wouldn’t be complete without a word about the cheerleaders that carry the TIGERS flags around the North End Zone every time LSU scores. I think I owe everyone a breakdown of why I think it is such a travesty to have the “I” flag not perform to the highest standard, and in turn offer a solution of what to do with the poor soul who just can’t cut it. First, anyone that bleeds purple and gold, or even cares slightly about LSU, knows the significance of the “EYE OF THE TIGER.” It’s even painted at midfield, for crying out loud. There’s even a song about it, so you know it’s gotta be important! That is why I tend to be harder on the one JV cheerleader assigned to carrying the “I” flag in the word TIGERS. It is imperative that the “I” of the TIGER be represented with the utmost reverence and a dogged pursuance of perfection when given the honor of carrying the flag. That being said, there have been a few games where “said carrier” we’ll call him “JV” has not performed to these lofty expectations. So, to JV I offer this solution: carry another flag. Not the “T,” it too is important as it sets the stage and tempo for the lap around the end zone. This person must be a prideful leader, not a good fit for our JV. See “I” explanation above. “G” – possibility. Though “G” does remind me of a tiger roar “Grrrrrrr” (just go with it people) and we can’t forget that at the Alabama game the “G” fell off the flag pole causing the TIGERS to never make their lap around the end zone – never mind, JV, too much responsibility. That brings us to “E” – I’m not personally attached to the letter “E,” but it’s a very important vowel, so I have to shy away from assigning this letter to JV. Next is “R.” Good solid letter that also goes with the tiger roar (three “Rs” in Tiger Roar). “R” really brings the word TIGER to a definitive close. Nope, this one’s not for JV either. That leaves us with “S.” Yes, this seems to be the best fit for JV. If you feel like slacking, doing a keg stand and slowing down, no worries, the other five flags already got the point across (TIGER). And, even if it’s held upside down or the flag is inside out, the “S” takes care of itself. So, in conclusion, move JV the slacker to the back of the line, to not disrupt the continuity of the statement made by the TIGER flags. The End.