LSU v. Kentucky
Weird Vibe
This past Saturday was a weird experience in Tiger Stadium. The vibe in the stadium was all over the board – good, bad, ugly, indifferent. I couldn’t keep up. When the #1 ranked LSU Tigers took the field, you could feel the excitement. Then, they came out flat on offense, and just normal on defense. Nothing flashy or exciting and very quickly the crowd was out of it. Lee leads the Tigers on a long drive to the 1…and well…you know what happened (more on that later). That was officially the first LSU TD I’ve never cheered for. I felt so indifferent. After that, I really felt that the crowed was zapped of all enthusiasm until Beckham, Jr. made his nifty catch and run. Then, back to indifferent until Mathieu turned into a one-man freak show again. Then, indifferent. Sure, it was an early game, and we were playing a far inferior opponent, but when the “wave” is the only thing that gets the crowd out of their seat, something is wrong. It was a roller coaster – one ride I hope I don’t have to experience ever again.
Boos
I was very interested to see what would happen when Jordan Jefferson took the field, and I was right – he was booed, though the sentiment was not stadium-wide, including me. O but I wanted to boo. Not Jefferson, but the coach’s decision to put him in when he did. For me it was a matter of principle. Putting JJ in so early, after a long drive by his counterpart, and reward him with a TD is unacceptable to me. I know that JJ has not been convicted of any crime, but I believe that a grand jury would have dismissed all charges had he not had some involvement in the scuffle, and the distraction that his poor choices have brought upon the program merit repercussions. More than anything, I think it was a slap in J Lee’s face. I’ve been very positive about Miles this year, but his explanation of using JJ b/c Ware was hurt is just BS – what would Miles have done if JJ was still banished from the team? Make THAT call, and don’t put JJ in quite yet. You should not reward a kid with the golden egg (TD) if he hasn’t spent the last 5 weeks practicing in the heat, busting his tail against great teams alongside his teammates. If this situation is tearing our fans apart (heated discussions in the stands)…what is it doing to the team?
Cheers
I can say that I was one of the thousands that cheered J Lee as he trotted on the field to replace JJ for a 3rd and long in the second half. I think it was a nice gesture to show Lee that we, the fans, appreciate everything he has done for our beloved Tigers. I did not intend for my cheers to be a shot at Jefferson or Miles, but simply love for the one that got us here. I can only hope that Lee’s role does not turn out to be as the third and long guy, like he was last year. That’s just setting him up to fail. Even the best of the best don’t convert a high percentage of third and longs, and I don’t think Lee should be saddled with cleaning up Jefferson’s inefficiency.
Jefferson’s Return
I am not against Jordan Jefferson playing football for the Tigers. I do think that he should not have played his first snap until we had a 28-0 lead. To me that is a poor coaching decision. I think it was a good coaching decision to get him in the game, if, for nothing else, than to make Florida worry. I also agree with many that Jefferson brings a new dimension to the offense, as a mobile QB. But I don’t think that his mobility makes him a better QB than Lee. Jefferson has won for LSU – no doubt about that. But the games he’s played in have had more than their fair share of mental errors, poor decision making, shoddy clock management and an overall lack of leadership. He had more INTs last year than TDs. I am of the opinion that the success that Lee has had this year, and what he has brought to the team, is far superior to what Jefferson can bring. I absolutely abhor a two-quarterback system. Lee is your starter. Jefferson is your situational guy. Not vice versa. Not equal time. Not if you want to win a championship.
OUCH
The guy that sits in front of us is a little wacky (see description later in the blog). At one point he turned to me and said – “you know what I wanted to see, Jefferson coming in to “kick” the first extra point!” Get it – because he’s accused of kicking the guy in the fight? No? O well. I thought it was funny in a sick sense of humor kind of way.
Day Game
I am all for the night game in Tiger Stadium. The dark sky, they Death Valley mystique, the cooler temps, under the lights – perfect for football. But as I sat back and looked around me on Saturday, there’s something bright and shiny about Tiger Stadium under blue skies. It’s like going from standard to HD TV. The field is bright green, the purple and gold throughout the stadium is brilliant. Just picture perfect. But the sun…Whoever invented sun screen is my hero. While it felt like I could fry an egg on my extremities, I didn’t actually burn at all. The sun was intense but the occasional cool breeze was refreshing. It wasn’t the worst day game I’ve ever suffered through…
Where’s the Band?
As much as I’ve ragged on Miss State for playing music through speakers instead of a marching band, I was SOOOO disappointed to see that LSU is taking that same course. The Golden Band from Tigerland seems a little tarnished by the Jumbo-Tron’s speaker system. When they finally played “Hey, Baby”, an LSU game tradition, it was late in the game and I was so surprised that they were actually playing it I had to stand up and look over there. So disheartening. Don’t make me sit through the half-time show to get my marching band fix!
!*&#$&@ Band Rumor
I heard from a very unreliable source (sometimes drunk, always zany guy that sits in front of us at the game) that the recent chatter on the very elementary tigerdroppings.com blog was that many LSU Band songs have been banned because the students have added profane lyrics to them. Having not been to many LSU games in recent years, this was not something I knew about, but was sad to hear. And it seems that yet another band song could be on its way out. The few lines of expletives added after what I call the “throw down” song were pretty bad! Look, I curse like a sailor when it comes to football, but chants like that have no place in Tiger Stadium. I used to think yelling “Geaux Tigers…kick their AS$” after the first down tune was hard core…but these kids today…
Perhaps this is why we are forced to listen to thumping rap music from jumbo speakers – because rap music always has a good message.
“I” of the TIGER
If you’ve ever been to a game in Tiger Stadium you’ve seen the cheerleaders in the North endzone (by the band) run with the T I G E R S flags after each LSU score. Well, here we go again. In past blogged seasons, I’ve complained how the cheerleader that carries the “I” flag needs to be sharp, and carry that flag with pride – he’s the “I” of the freakin Tiger! As a new “I” carrier takes the reigns this year, I can’t help but be disappointed in his performance. Crooked, slow, droopy…not exactly characteristics indicative of the “I” of the Tiger, right? So, come on “I”…perk up… “I”’ll be watching you…
Tryann Freakin Mathieu
#7 gives a whole new meaning to the phrase “blonde bombshell.” Don’t let the dyed blonde hair fool you - though his play is “good looking” the only bombshells are the ones he’s dropping on the opponent’s quarterback. Remember when you were a kid and how much fun lighting a black cat firework was? Now, remember when you lit the whole pack of 100 black cats at one time and that feeling you got as they rang out in a drawn-out, ear-splitting symphony of explosion? That’s the kind of seemingly never-ending blast I imagine the opposing QBs feel when #7 comes on a corner blitz, sacks them, causes the fumble, picks up the fumble and takes it to the house for a defensive TD…without the pyro amusement factor.
Seriously, this kid is really incredible. His consistent knack for taking the football away is uncanny. I’ve never seen anything like it and I’m enjoying every minute. They should start calling Honey Badgers Tyrann Mathieus. Just remind me not to be too hard on him when he does get burned due to his over-aggressive play.
O-No-Line
For the first season in a while, I thought we were going to have a solid offensive line this year. After Saturday, I’m convinced they are, once again, just mediocre. Yes, I do realize that they’ve had some injuries, but you cannot tell me that our outstanding running backs were repeatedly stuffed at the line by KENTUCKY, no less, because T Bob sat this game out. Florida is much faster and much more talented than Kentucky, so we need to cure whatever plagued the big uglies this weekend.
Ware
All reports have his hamstring injury to be minor, and that holding him out of the majority of the UK game was precautionary. I sure hope so. I really think Spencer Ware is the offensive MVP so far. That’s not to take away from anyone else, but it just seems like he is the tone setter for this run-first approach, and he is our bruising closer and we need him in there to go the distance.
Lee
J Lee’s performance Saturday was less than sterling, but he didn’t get much help. Sure there were a ridiculous number of dropped passes, but I truly believe that Jefferson returning is messing with his psyche. I don’t consider that a knock on the guy, at all. He has matured and grown as a football player, but he is also human, and I do not believe that he is not concerned that Jefferson’s return will not affect his position as the #1 QB. He’s been sharp and efficient in every game until now. Coincidence? I think not.
Lee 2.0
When Jefferson scored the first TD of the game, it is reported that Lee jumped up with excitement and ran to congratulate JJ. That’s a team player and a leader. That’s setting an example that his teammates, and LSU fans, alike can be proud of. Do you think, if the roles were reversed, Lee would have been greeted with the same exuberance? My opinion is no.
Dropped Passes
Way too many. There was a rumbling in the stands about the receivers possibly dropping the passes on purpose, to put J Lee back on the bench. I disagree. It’s not like they have been catching everything thrown at them in the 4 prior games – drops have been pretty common for this group. And I can only hope that this team’s goal is the National Championship game, and they’re 5-0 with a very capable QB. Let’s hope we don’t divide and conquer ourselves.
Have I mentioned lately that Rueben Randle is a disappointment?
OBJ
Odell Beckham, Jr. is a star in the making. Someone made the comment to me that he’s small – So? What’s your point…Josh Reed and Wes Welker are two smallish WR that have made impacts at the college and pro level (respectively). This kid is playing with a lot of energy, something that the #1 WR is lacking. He’s made some great grabs, but that run after the catch Saturday – going 51 Yards and breaking at least 6 tackles…something special. I even love that he admitted he was “gassed” at the end of the run. Looking forward to 2.5 more seasons of that!
Disappointment
Seems to be a lot of that going around in this blog. Make no mistake about it. I think the Tigers are one of the best teams I’ve ever seen at LSU. And I think Les, Studrawa and Chavis are a great coaching team. I just have great expectations for these guys and I seem to get lost in them. Hey – I’m ready for the fight that will be the Florida game, and I’ll be cheering my behind off for the purple and gold from the stands, in the sun, praying for a breeze.
Florida/Bama
I wanted to watch this game, but I only watched the second quarter. I think Florida is getting there, but just has the wrong kind of athletes for the system right now. It won’t be long before they’re a contender again (hopefully, not as soon as Saturday). Bama, now Bama looks really good. Yes, I actually put that in writing. I don’t think that they’re invincible, however. The main advantage I see they have over LSU right now is their O Line. They seem to be opening more creases than ours is. LSU definitely has the advantage in the secondary. Honestly, it’s too close to call 4+ weeks out, plus, we have too many games between now and then to worry about. Stay tuned.
No Brantley, No Problem?
Don’t count your chickens folks…I do think the Tigers’ chances of beating UF increase dramatically if Brantley can’t go, but they do have a highly touted Frosh waiting in the wings, who has to feel a little more comfortable after playing against Bama. However, we are the home team, and even though we kick off in the daylight, the crowd should be much more engaged than they were last Saturday. All great teams want to play the best, so I’d like to say that I hope Brantley can play, but honestly, I don’t want him to play. Can you blame me? I want our team to have every advantage. I do wish Brantley a speedy recovery…like in about 8 days.
Still #1
The Tigers are still topping the charts this week. Let’s hope we come out with a little more emotion this Saturday and really take it to Florida. This is a great statement game. Someone we outrank and that we are favored to beat, but also a talented team. A 15-20 point win would look very nice, and that kind of dominance would make me feel much better about the next 4-5 weeks.
No GameDay
So, with Florida losing to Bama and without their starting QB, the College Game Day crew has decided to take their stage to Texas, again, for the OU v UT game. I’d like to whine my case for the LSU v Florida game, but in all fairness neither is as hyped as it could have been and LSU has already been one of the teams twice this year. Granted they haven’t been to BR yet, but they will be in Tuscaloosa Nov 5, too. We have to be nice and share the ESPN crew, I guess.
Kentucky Game…In Five Letters
Ho Hum
UF Prediction
LSU comes out a little more enthused than last week and goes up early. Florida gets a first quarter FG, and has a few highlights, but in the end #1 prevails…31-13.
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