2011 Week 2
LSU v Northwestern
First, I apologize for what I consider a half-a$$ attempt at a blog. This is what I feared when I teased everyone with the first two…that I wouldn’t have time to do this every week. This is just one of those weeks where I’m going non stop, plus it’s a short game week, so I don’t have as many days to send the blog before the next game. It also doesn’t help that the Northwestern game was such a beat-down, that it’s almost…almost uninspiring to wring about.
IMPORTANT
Just in case you live under a rock, LSU plays Miss St. on THURSDAY at 7 on ESPN.
Game Day
Did the crew on Game Day talk about LSU at all? I could have easily missed any discussions/apologies for everyone being so high on Oregon last weekend, very prematurely. Do they just ignore any game that doesn’t appear on their collection of networks? Or do they just ignore when they’re wrong and pretend it didn’t happen?
I49
As my hubby and I approached I49 heading to Lafayette to pick out brick floors for the new casa, we see several buses pass over the interstate, headed south. As we tossed around scenarios of why 5+ charter buses would be on I49, it was my non-football liking husband that figured out that it was the Northwestern football team. As we caught up, we were able to deduce that it was indeed a caravan with Natchitoches (thank you spell check) police escort. I begged him to speed up so I could roll my window down and wave my LSU shirt at them (no, mom, I wouldn’t have taken it OFF…unless we had had an extra shirt with us). Genin told me I needed to leave “those poor people” alone. Alas, we never caught up to them, due to traffic, before they turned off on 190…lucky for them!
Old School
So, I decided to go Old School for this game and listen to it on the radio (“Old School” reads: I am too cheap to spend $35 to order such a whoopin’ of a game on PPV). I was pleasantly surprised that Jim Hawthorne didn’t sound nearly as befuddled during this broadcast as I remember in the past. I like the guy, but he just gets mixed up sometimes…bless his heart.
How Do You Do It
As Genin and I sat down to our football game feast of chili dogs in the den (eating in front of the TV is a treat), he questioned how I was able to watch a football game on TV (Michigan v Notre Dame on mute) and listen to one at the same time. Well, honey, I’m just that good. Ha! Actually it was very difficult. Thankfully, listening to the goings on of the LSU game was rather simple, given the lesser ability of the opponent.
Dominating
It was refreshing to see/hear LSU come out against an unworthy opponent, take them out behind the woodshed and beat the crap out of them, early and often. So many memories surface about lesser opponents coming in to Tiger Stadium and LSU not showing them who’s the boss. With this short game week, it was nice to see a coaching plan executed to get those starters some rest and those 2nd teamers some reps.
Mo Claiborne’s Tackles
I saw one, but heard Hawthorne describe a couple (of course, he could have been exaggerating). The one I saw a replay of was crazy. He closed so fast and picked that poor boy up and laid him flat on his back, not so gingerly. Just for the record, I have some crude comments that I could expound upon regarding Mo being not so gentle, but since this is a family blog, I’ll refrain. Just wanted yall to know I’m not slipping…I’ve got comments, they’re just not PG rated.
Mettenberger
Sounds like he played a pretty steady game. Saw a few highlights and am very optimistic about our future. I do not think he is quite ready to unseat Lee as the starter, unless he’s forced to, but he looks good and I’m glad he got some PT since he is now our only backup!
J Lee
You have to give this kid some credit. He’s played well, handled the media, dealt with continued scrutiny, all with the class befitting a leader. He acts the way you want all athletes representing our school to act. I know how he “acts” doesn’t mean he’s the most gifted QB, but all he has to do is continue to play smart. Although he only played half the game, I thought he seemed more comfortable and confident. This week, as a true away game, will be a tough test for his psyche, so we’ll get to see what he’s made of. Here’s hoping we’ll see he’s made of the brass you-know-what’s he’ll need to play Bama.
Brockers INT
Talk about impressive. The big, big man goes horizontal to make a one-handed interception deep in your own territory to set up a quick TD. The athleticism of our defense, at all 11 positions, is astounding. As they play each game and get better, it could be a scary year for any and all opponents.
Russell Shepherd
Good news on one suspension – Shepherds will be lifted next week for West Virginia. The newbie receivers really stepped up, but it’ll be nice to have some additional experience on the field for the rest of the season.
Speaking of Receivers
Ruben Randall, I’m so glad your somewhat disappointing performance against Oregon was due to a minor injury, instead of what I thought – overrated, non-existant and lazy. RR bounced back against NW (I know, it’s JUST NW) and had a solid game. He’s going to need to play big and be reliable for us. Same for DeAngelo Peterson. Now that he’s broken his TD draught, I expect him to be a major go-to candidate for J Lee.
Ford and Ware
These guys have been very impressive. Running hard and picking up tough yardage, making people miss. If we’re going to run on first down…and we ARE going to run on first down, it’s nice to have these guys picking up positive yardage to help take the pressure off of J Lee. Third and long is NOT a desirable situation when you have a QB prone to throwing pick six’s and your #2 receiver currently sidelined. The O line deserves some credit too, though I think they take mental vacations from time to time and don’t always play to their potential. They really picked it up when they HAD to in the 2nd half against Oregon. NW doesn’t count. Have I mentioned lately that I’m not a big fan of T-Bob?
Miss St v. Brick Wall
One inch from tying up a hard-fought game. How demoralizing. I actually like the Bulldogs this year and was pulling for them to win. That being said, I am NOT a fan this week and hope that they find themselves 99 yards from scoring any points at all against LSU. I hope our D Line, so adept when playing an up-tempo, spread offense, can dig in and wreak havoc at the line when State’s “spread” offense runs right up the middle. An old football chant (that used to annoy me) resurfaces: “Build a Wall, Build a Wall, Build a Great Big Wall!” Miss St will not have a chance if we shut down the run.
Shoes
Jordan Jefferson is missing all his shoes and is clamoring to get them back…and in the meantime he sadly had to go buy two more pairs. Really, you’re upset you had to go buy two more pairs when you have 50? I think you’re just really upset b/c you actually had to BUY them, instead of being GIVEN them. All sarcasm aside, I do understand the principle of the matter and reportedly, Jordan Jefferson was given back 33 pairs of shoes the investigators no longer need. But what will he wear on day 34?
Michigan v Notre Dame
Ok, I’m not a fan of either. As a college football fan, I was intrigued by the “first ever” home game at Michigan, as well as the collision between two storied programs. What I watched was a debacle and a mockery of all things football. It was seriously like a train wreck you just couldn’t help but watch. I truly felt bad for everyone on the ND team except the defensive backs. Sure Rees made critical mistakes, but he played well and ND was in a position to win for the entire game, even with a miracle at the end. However, the Irish DBs were just plain awful. Flashes of former LSU DB Demetrius Hookfin recurred every time Michigan through the ball – the DBs just didn’t turn around!
Michigan QB Robinson is a great athlete and has a great arm…but accurate he wasn’t. He would literally just throw the ball in the general direction of a teammate and lo and behold if a Michigan receiver wouldn’t come down with it...every damn time. If the ND DBs would have turned around, put a hand up, had some safety help, sneezed…just about anything but what they did…they would have easily knocked down several passes, if not intercepted quite a few. And with less than a minute on the clock, how do you not put some safety help for a DB that has been torched all game? If I’m frustrated, then Brian Kelly’s veins in his head have exploded.
Michael Floyd
The Irish receiver is a stud. He reminds me a lot of former LSU WR Michael Clayton…down to the smile. But, I think Floyd may be better…of course I’m watching him against a mediocre (if that) defense, but he was impressive.
TV Games
The man with the red hat. If you’ve ever been to a college football game, you know who I’m talking about. This is the official who stands on the field during TV timeouts. I boo him every time. As much as I love being about to watch games on TV that I don’t attend, it is such a beating for games to be drawn out the way they are. Case in point…the LSU v. Northwestern game was over before 10 pm. That’s less than 3 hours. The Michigan v. Notre Dame game started at the same time, and ended almost an hour later…with no overtime. Past my bedtime.
Set Your DVR
A small chunk of the free time I did find this week was committed to setting my DVR for all the fall shows that kick off next week. Chas Bono on DWTS – can’t wait to see him/her/him/her/him/her – o forget it, I really don’t care about Chas or his/her preferred gender.
Prediction
It’s close early, with Miss St riding on the emotion of being stopped an inch short last week and being at home with their SEC West life on the line, BUT, LSU will prevail. The second half will be dominated by our defense, especially when Miss St starts having to play from behind. J Lee plays well and our RBs have a solid game. LSU 31, Miss St 17.
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