Bandit's LSU Sports Blog

Fifty three days till

2010-07-12T12:05:00.003-04:00

You can distract yourself with college baseball or even something crappy like soccer, but eventually, you must face the long march of July and August to get to September.

Less Than 58 Days Till

2010-07-09T18:35:00.005-04:00

The offseason drifts by for us as linebacker guru Chavis giving some pointers to Tahj Jones.

photo cred: Steve Franz, LSU Athletics Staff Photographer

Yeah, yeah, this is a day late and a dollar short, Sue me, so I was a bit lackadaisical in getting a photo up, it's hard finding current one's that match the number. And there's no real legend with that number. So there.

Sixty days till

2010-07-06T17:11:00.004-04:00

Imagine Will Blackwell in a nicely framed shot in which you can see his jersey, featuring his number, 60. Got it? Well done, because you're ahead of the entire internet now. Get yourself a cookie, you earned it. And he's not the only one. So many of the guys on the roster haven't really been highly visible or visible at all.

You know you're headed into an interesting season when so many players that are going to see significant time, or even start, have no impressive tangible background yet. And that's not to say the Tigahs aren't any good. I said it before and will say it again, I think LSU will surprise this year. But this season stands on a knife's edge because there's just not a lot of middle ground. With the schedule, there's not going to be room for games won on subpar effort or luck. They will fight hard and win or fight and lose.

68 days till

2010-06-28T14:25:00.002-04:00

photo credit: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

#68 Josh Dworaczyk will play an integral part of what I think could be a great offensive line for the Tigers in the coming pivotal season.

What in the wide world of sports is a goin on around here?!?!

2010-06-28T10:37:00.005-04:00

What?!? A new post?!? Don't have a heart attack. Just a few thoughts here.

I think the Tigers are going to have a pretty damned good year and win the West. Them or the Hogs. Bama will lose three games, at least. I'll write more on this later. But seriously, I think this could be a good year. And Bama is terribly overrated. Why do you say that Joshua? Because you don't lose just about your entire danged defense and bounce back. Especially when that defense is a Saban defense. I know this, I've seen it before. Take a look at LSU post 2003. There were some dark days in '04 for the defense in the face of a good offense.

It's old news now that A&M won't be joining the SEC. Although, at some point in the near future, they will. The Big12/10/Texas conference won't last long. If anything, this is good for the SEC. We can continue to woo the Aggies while constructing a proper, well-thought out plan to bring in Virginia Tech. I think the SEC responded well in the face of events that happened very fast and forced their hand. It's better this way. I'll accept Mizzou in lieu of VT, but only if we give every effort to bring the Hokies into the fold.

It's kinda funny to look around at the evolving blogoscape of this series of tubes. Blogs that were lone wolves have now joined networks. And those blogs used to have a link roll linking to like minded school blogs or buddy blogs from old foes. Now, you can't find one link to a blog outside of their network. It'd be funny if it wasn't so pathetic. Pathetic since not linking doesn't just erase those blogs from memory or existence. Granted a user can and probably does use bookmarks to navigate their favorite pages. But it was nice to bounce around your circle of school blogs and even hit a rival page just clicking links. Now, everyone is happy to be a lapdog to the corporate masters. Like I said, pathetic. And this isn't born of any sour feelings here. This is the first post here in months. I think you dear reader and understand we're not about revenue and prestige here.

I'll get some countdown posts going. And I have some idears I have to remember. Maybe I'll post about the crap I said I would before LAST season. Yeah. right.

Come back in a few when I get all the tumbleweeds piled up, we'll have a boon fire. Better yet, we'll shoot some fireworks into to and set it ablaze that way.

New Two Minute Drill Podcast is Up! Geaux Tigers!

2010-04-03T14:49:00.001-04:00

Bo Spencer in the dog house, softball test at Florida, and the baseball team continues to do what it takes to win. Music: Cold Gold Fields by Braker Lane.

Posted via email from Bandit's LSU Sports

Two Minute Drill Podcast - Up!

2010-03-23T02:32:00.001-04:00

Lady Tigers Basketball, quick look at softball, a rumor about Trent Johnson, some Spring football tidbits - but mostly analysis of where the baseball team is now and appears to be going. Music: Deep White by Grayscale.

Posted via email from Bandit's LSU Sports

Two Minute Drill #12 Podcast - Baseball

2010-03-16T01:34:00.002-04:00

LSU has lost the first respectable series it's played - to Kansas - and fallen from #1 to #7 in the Baseball America poll. Sign of the season to come? Podcast is up on the site. As always, would love your comments on the podcasts on iTunes. Music: February Day by Desert Radio.

Posted via email from Bandit's LSU Sports

New Soapbox Podcast is Up - Basketball Post Mortem

2010-03-14T05:32:00.001-04:00

After a sucktastic basketball season, we take a detailed look at what happened and why it's not time to give up on LSU basketball just yet.

Posted via email from Bandit's LSU Sports

Latest Two Minute Drill podcast is up!

2010-03-08T00:30:00.002-05:00

Basketball is thankfully almost over, softball and baseball are rolling, and Spring football is on. Music: Next Victim by Bronze.

Posted via email from Bandit's LSU Sports

New Podcast is Up: Basketball, Softball and Baseball

2010-03-03T02:07:00.001-05:00

>> Slightly extended installment - a lot going on in LSU sports right >> now.

Posted via email from Bandit's LSU Sports

Baseball: Off To a Roaring Start! Number 1!

2010-02-23T02:24:00.003-05:00

First of all - get well, Dandy Don! Mr. Long is recovering from cancer surgery and his son says he's doing well.

Now - back to baseball.

From a box score perspective, LSU's performance in the season-opening series against Centenary looks very good.

But if you peel back the stats a bit.....it's even better than it looks!!

No doubt, sweeping the Centenary Gents is not the measuring stick for the rest of LSU's season. However, there are some really great trends in this season opener that are worth pondering.

PITCHING

First, LSU starting pitchers Ranaudo, Ross and Bourgeois combined for just 1 run allowed in 16 innings, striking out 18, and only walking 2. That's some fantastic starting pitching, regardless of the opponent! No way to know how consistent that performance will be. But so far, so good, eh?

Of course, ubercloser Matty Ott - who only had to pitch one inning over the weekend - continues to impress. The amazing sophomore retired 3 batters on 11 pitches with one strike out. Ben Alsup closed Saturday, giving up 1 run on 2 hits with a single strikeout. And Paul Bertuccini put in a similar closing effort on Sunday, retiring 3 batters on 10 pitches with 2 strikeouts to close out the 9th inning in a 4-0 shutout.

Mid-relief pitching wasn't quite as stellar, but certainly did the job. Bradshaw, Reed, Cotton, Mormann and Rittiner all saw action this weekend.

With a weekend rotation that, for now, looks all-world and some closers that can no-kidding seal the deal, the Tigers just need to settle on one more mid-week starter and have a mid-relief pitcher or three step up. It's still very early - but the pitching staff looks really bright from what I can see!

FIELDING

I just don't see any holes in the defense. Gibbs is a catcher any team would take. It looks like Blake Dean is going to be awesome at first. Hanover at 2nd, Nola at SS, and Wet Delatte (great name) at 3rd looks to be a better than average infield. And Mahtook, Landry and Trey Watkins might be the fastest, most athletic outfield in the nation. With only 1 error over the three day opening series, I'm not sure what there is to criticize. So I won't...

HITTING

While the bats were a bit cold on Friday night, Saturday was batting practice - LSU had 25 runs on 23 hits in 50 at-bats. That's right - LSU on Saturday nearly hit .500 as a team! That's kinda good...

From a power hitting perspective over the weekend, the team amassed 6 homers, 4 doubles, and a triple. Names most Tiger fans expect to hit well, like Dean, Mahtook and Gibbs - did hit well. But the story in the batters box was senior Matt Gaudet, the DH, who hit 6 for 10 with 2 homers and a double. That, also, is kinda good...

LSU hit .345 over the weekend, stole 8 bases, and played a lot of young players - not counting pitching, 17 Tigers played baseball this weekend. That's basically two complete teams.

WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?

Nothing. Except that the season started out like it should for a defending national champ. However - considering the talent that the Tigers lost after last season, this team looks even better than expected. At least to me.

Podcast: A Special Softball Two Minute Drill Is Up!

2010-02-22T00:30:00.003-05:00

Tiger softball is off to a strong start! Music: A Summer Washed Away by Grayscale.

Posted via email from Bandit's LSU Sports

Almost Perfect!

2010-02-21T10:57:00.001-05:00

Not a bad Saturday for LSU sports. The football team had what appears to be a very successful Junior Day, accepting two more very high quality commitments. And the baseball team emptied the roster in a 25-8 rout of Centenary.

The only thing missing was 2 points. LSU men's basketball came up one shot short in a great effort against Mississippi State. The Bulldogs hit a 3 pointer with 5 seconds left to retake the lead for good - 60-59.

That's 12 straight SEC losses. Have to admire how hard the Tigers are playing. It cannot be easy to lose every game, some of them very close, and remain motivated to play really hard.

Hope the men get a win before the season ends.

Posted via email from Bandit's LSU Sports

LB Randle and WR Lewis Commit to LSU

2010-02-20T19:02:00.001-05:00

Trevon Randle is exactly the kind of high profile LB the Tigers need in this class. The Clear Springs Texas 4* may give Tiger fans bad flashbacks to Mike Davis, however. Although he has said for some time that LSU is his favorite, Texas has not yet offered. We'll see what transpires if/when they do.

Alonzo Lewis from St James HS looks every bit the part of a future stud WR -already 6' 3" and around 200 pounds. He's not rated all that high yet. It will be interesting to see how he rates once the services evaluate him.

Two solid pickups for LSU so far on the first Jr Day. Both Rivals.com and Scout.com have good reviews of these guys on their LSU sites.

Posted via email from Bandit's LSU Sports

Junior Day for LSU Football

2010-02-20T13:44:00.001-05:00

A whole slew of 2011 recruiting prospects will be on campus today meeting with the coaches and checking out the program.

Dandy Don has a good rundown of who will be there. www.dandydon.com.

Look for a couple possible commitments today. More on that once we get confirmations.

Also today - LSU men host Mississippi State and game two of the LSU/Centenary series.

Posted via email from Bandit's LSU Sports

Get Well Soon Dandy Don!!

2010-02-20T13:30:00.001-05:00

Listen!

via AudioBoo

Posted via web from Bandit's LSU Sports

LSU Vs Centenary NCAA Baseball game 1

2010-02-20T03:48:00.001-05:00

Listen!

via AudioBoo

Posted via web from Bandit's LSU Sports

Two Minute Drill #8 Podcast is Up - Basketball and Baseball

2010-02-19T23:18:00.000-05:00

Music: February Day by Desert Radio.

Lady Tigers Basketball TMD Podcast is Up!

2010-02-11T01:14:00.000-05:00

Music: Bleed by The Liquid Kitchen

WHO DAT!!!

2010-02-07T23:47:00.000-05:00

Congrats to the Saints and the city of New Orleans. Drew Brees for Governor.

Men's Basketball Podcast (TMD#6) is Up

2010-02-06T03:00:00.002-05:00

Quick look at the only thing positive about this year's men's basketball season - and that would be next year's basketball season...

Recruiting Wrap Up "Soapbox" Podcast is Up!

2010-02-04T04:37:00.000-05:00

30 minute wrapup of the 2010 recruiting class.

Minus Trovon Reed, I Gloat...

2010-02-04T00:19:00.000-05:00

Of course, it was simply optimism. But who predicted the Tigers to grab Fobbs, Boone AND Ferguson?

I mean. Other than me? Ha!

Now, Copeland...I didn't see that one coming.

National Signing Day Soapbox podcast up later tonight.

The Latest Recruiting News You Should Not Trust (But May Be True...)

2010-02-03T01:12:00.000-05:00

It's National Signing Day. Which means I will struggle all day to get work done. Although not as much as last year, since there's realistically only a few possible additions. And, thankfully, noone is expected to pull a Janzen Jackson at the last minute.

Here's what I expect to happen today. Let's see how I do - we'll check back tonight.

Today's commits will be:

Kadron Boone
Jarrett Fobbs

And I'm going out on a little limb and saying:

Trovon Reed

And one of:

Ego Ferguson, Justin Parker, or Some Other Dude.

I have no reason to believe any of this. But there you go.

I love National Signing Day. Let the drama begin.

New Podcast is Up!

2010-02-01T01:01:00.000-05:00

Two Minute Drill #5 is up on the site.

National Signing Day - How We Doin'?

2010-01-31T22:06:00.001-05:00

In a quasi-word - we doin' aight.

Let's start this discussion out with some facts.

Fact #1: LSU is coming off two modest seasons. Two good bowl games, but the Tigers were not in contention for SEC or BCS championships in either season. Moreover, the offense has looked bad and there are now questions about the quality of LSU's offensive coordinator and the ability of the quarterbacks in the system to be championship-quality field generals.

Fact #2: This class of LA seniors did not yield quite as many "blue-chip" quality athletes as previous years. When that happens, the fence that LSU has built around Louisiana isn't quite so easy to defend. Not only are there fewer great athletes for LSU to go after in LA, but the neighboring states have fewer "second tier" guys to pick-off. So there's a LOT more competition for the "first tier" guys. And, since LSU is forced to spend more time out-of-state, the in-state prospects spend more time hearing from other schools.

Fact #3: Every 2010 prospect is just a kid. None of them have graduated from high school yet (except for the JC or "academy" kids). So, when a kid from southern California decides to decommit from LSU to attend UCLA, or a kid from north Texas decommits to attend Texas, we shouldn't feel like LSU is second best. Some of this is simply kids being kids. Or when Lache Seastrunk decides that Oregon is the place for him instead of LSU, where RB recruiting has been good and will be even better next year, we have to take a deep breath.

OK. Now, let's look at the Class of 2010 as it stands right now. I'm not going to list all the recruits - if you need a list, go here or here. The numbers next to the names are the (Rivals/Scout) recruiting services ratings. I've listed the prospects in the order that I consider them to be high impact commitments for the program.

BEST OF THE COMMITMENTS

RB Spencer Ware (5/4) Cincinnatti, OH. Ware played QB in high school, but he's listed as a RB and he will be a great prospect for the Tigers. At 5'11" and 215 pounds, Ware is physically ready to play right now. He can make defenders miss, he run them over, and he can pull away from all but the speediest cornerbacks. Ware is the commitment I am most excited about in this class.

S Eric Reid (4/4), Dutchtown HS, LA. Reid has been committed to LSU for so long that almost nobody is talking about him anymore. So it's easy to forget that he's one of the very best DBs in the country and will make a quick impact on the field for LSU, if not in the secondary then more than likely on special teams. Reid is big (6'1", 205), aggressive and fast. If he picks up the defensive schemes fast enough, he may even find himself in nickel and dime back situations. And, who knows - with Chavis' penchant for smallish LBs with speed, Reid very well may find himself in that rotation ala Harry Coleman.

DE Jordan Allen (4/4), West Monroe HS, LA. Allen is a Parade HS All-American and very exciting defensive prospect. Which makes one wonder why there is talk already of whether he will become an offensive lineman...I don't see it. Allen has the meanness, speed, aggressiveness and size to be yet another fantastic LSU defensive lineman. Like Reid, Allen has been committed since the summer, so there's been nothing to talk about with him. And, like Reid, Allen was a standout in the high school all-star games.

FB Brandon Worle (3/3), LaGrange, GA. LSU needs a FB. Quinn Johnson's absence last season was deafening, and no mix of the converted offensive linemen, tight end, or true freshman seemed to work. Brandon Worle may be LSU's future at this position. This kid is a beast. At 6' and 243, Worle runs a 4.65 40 yard dash. I highly encourage you to watch his video on the recruiting sites or, if there is any, on YouTube. I am very excited about this recruit. He can catch, he is a bruising RB, and he is a natural blocker. He hits the hole fast and hard, and he seems to have a nose for the creases. Which means he likely has good vision. Even though he's only a 3 star, I think Worle will be special. And I don't think it's going to take very long.

ATH Tharold Simon (4/4), Eunice HS, LA. Simon is listed as an athlete by one service and a safety by another. I've even heard some folks talk about making Simon into a corner back. A 6'4" cornerback. Yowza. What that speaks to is Simon's freakish athletic ability. At 6'4" and 180lbs, Simon runs a 4.5 40 yard dash. His video tells the story - this kid is wide open in terms of where he might end up. His height and speed make him a cookie-cutter NFL-sized WR. But it's not yet known how well Simon can run routes, how sticky his hands are, and how committed he might be to blocking. But time will tell. Like Morris Claiborne in last year's class, I think Simon (if he has the grades and keeps out of trouble) could be the steal of this class.

OVERALL

The message boards have been full of "NegaTigers" all season long. Now that LSU has dropped the bowl game to Penn State, and Les Miles has not fired Gary Crowton, who it appears is no longer a Wizard but definitely a Scape Goat, some folks seem to be in a near panic about where the program is headed. And those folks look at LSU's inabilty to get Trovon Reed, Lache Seastrunk, Justin Hunter, Mike Davis and Cassius Marsh signed and enrolled as an omen of impending doom.

Bullshit.

Over the last decade, LSU has recruited as well as any program in the country. Of all 119 BCS schools, LSU (according to Scout) is #6 in recruiting since 2002. During that time, LSU has won 2 national championships and is one of the Top 10 programs in the country in terms of post-season recognition (polls, final ranking, championships). And LSU's class this season - in a down year for LA recruiting - will end up in the Top 10 again, most likely around #8 or so.

Based on the talent available in the state, and the modest success of the last two seasons, Coach Les Miles and the Tigers' staff have delivered a fantastic recruiting class. Yet again.

Let the fear mongers gnash their teeth and claw at their walls. The roster remains stocked. 2010 and beyond look bright for LSU.

And if you doubt that at all, take a quick peek at the awesome talent already committed to LSU (from inside LA) for 2011.

Let's Catch Up

2010-01-31T16:59:00.001-05:00

Hey. Yeah, I meant to post. I been busy.

Tiger Forums? Well. Yeah, I had time to post there. You're right. But it's less complicated over there. I can just vent. Somebody else worries about formatting, etc.

Lazy? LAZY! I guess you're right.

Anyway. Let's catch up.

LSU should've beaten Penn State but didn't. No excuses. Offense stunk. Nothing else to say.

LSU men's basketball is - uhh - "rebuilding". The stench is horrible. I haven't watched much while on my "hiatus", but Trent Johnson can't seem to put a reasonable 5 on the court. Ladies seem OK but I honestly haven't checked in too long. I'll cover more details now that I'm back "to work.".

Baseball is around the corner. And who isn't ready for that?

Well. Other than National Signing Day this Wednesday, not much else going on.

Recruiting wrapup next post. Plus another Two-Minute Drill.

Thought's varied and diverging. 1/12/10

2010-01-12T12:30:00.002-05:00

Chad Jones has declared for the NFL draft

This is surprising to me. I thought if the Dreadlocks of Doom declared for any draft, it would be the MLB. Here's what I thought would happen, Chad plays baseball this year, ignores spring football, gets drafted in the MLB draft and leaves LSU for the majors and a great heaping pile of cash as a left handed, late reliever with nice repertoire of pitches.

But I heard he hasn't retained an agent. That's the smart way to do it. So he might be just feeling out his future right now in the NFL. Because I would be willing to bet a tremendous amount Chad could pull in a signing bonus (to say nothing of a whole contract) in baseball that would make an entire NFL bonus and package look like chump change. Add into that the nice easy career that would be the life in the Majors versus getting banged up all the time for less money in the League?

My opinion? Unless Chad just hates baseball, he'd be crazy not to play baseball.

We still have an open date for the 2011 season

Boise State has thrown down the challenge that they will play anyone anywhere without asking for a return game. LSU needs a season opening opponent and Boise doesn't have a game that day either. But the powers that be at LSU are probably too ignorant and cowardly to make this happen. We'll probably end up with Nichols State and a shiny press release from the LSU Athletic Department about what a great deal it is.

I am still flummoxed

For the life of me, I still can't understand some of the calls I saw this year on offense. From what I have gleaned about the internet and in real life, this falls on Crowton and not Miles. I just don't understand how this guy can go from being so great earlier in his career to such an idiot this past year. Combine that with the foolhardy favoring of seniors and such over young talent and it's a very concerning trait. You've seen the news how Crowton is not going anywhere. Miles and Crowton need LSU to just bust up and burn down some teams this year because by staying hitched to Miles, he may have signed himself up for a Dinardo & Tepper deal that could seal his doom. Obviously, if LSU gets back to 2005-2007 football, all is forgiven.

LSU Fans: Time to Grow Up

2009-12-01T01:06:00.001-05:00

I've been wanting to write this post for awhile. But I needed some time and perspective to sink in before I dove in. Because it's an emotional issue for many folks and I didn't want to overstate my case.

Simply put, my case is this.

Many LSU fans need to grow up.

What do I mean by grow up? I mean, stop acting like spoiled children who aren't getting the exact shade of red bike that Daddy promised them for their birthday. Stop acting as if there is no other team in the SEC who could possibly win a football game when LSU is on the field. Stop acting like you actually know more about football, particularly coaching football, than one of the most successful coaches in the country and in LSU football history.

You can boo college student athletes if it makes you feel better about yourself, I guess. But it's embarrassing and all the sane people around you think you're an asshole. Because you are an asshole.

You can leave in the middle of a hotly contested SEC football game because you think you deserve an easy blowout victory over Arkansas. You bought the tickets. You drove to the stadium. You had to park in East Bejeezus. But don't give us the lame excuse that it was cold. Cold is 38 degrees in the rain on a windy Friday night watching Boise State with a stadium full of fans that didn't leave. You didn't leave because it was cold. At least most of you didn't. Many, many of you left because you imagine you deserve better than an exciting 33-30 win over a well-coached, talented Arkansas team with a lot of skilled players on offense.

Entitlement.

Time to grow up as fans, folks. Every few seasons or so, we're gonna see LSU underperform. Because it's a sport, played by kids and coached by humans. And, conversely, every few seasons or so we're gonna see LSU get very close to getting into the big post-season bowl games. They may even win another crystal football in the next few years.

But - news flash - there are, what, 119 teams in Div 1A? Of those, there are somewhere around 15 teams that have the talent and the program and the coaches to hope to win it all? Only two of them are going to have the kind of season, including lots of LUCK (remember 2007?), to get to the big game.

It ain't gonna be LSU every year.

It just pains me to see LSU's fan base drive itself down the road of irrational entitlement so quickly. The Tigers have had a great decade. It's not over (unless the recruiting violation rumors are true and significant...). There's a lot of talent on the team.

Last season and this season were never going to be championship seasons. The team just didn't have the experienced personnel in the right places.

But, for some people, any loss is a good enough excuse to hate on the coaches. It happened last year. It's happening this year. And if LSU doesn't win the SEC-West, it's gonna happen next year in spades.

Fortunately, Les Miles is classier and more mature than his critics. He took care of Peveto, Mallory and Earl Lane instead of throwing them under the bus. This year, he's going to treat Larry Porter the same way, and I seriously doubt he'll be in the business of laying blame on Gary Crowton (you remember the Wizard, don't you) for an offense with a weak line and an unpolished, still green QB.

Of course, many folks disagree. And that's fine. But it's the same group that calls for Les Miles' scalp that will make fun of Bama fans for talking about Bear Bryant and claiming all those championships. It's the same group that obsesses about USC and the 2003 championship.

NegaTigers. Fans that don't recall the decade that preceded Dinardo's rebound into Saban and Miles' championship teams. Maybe they're too young to remember.

Or, maybe they're just spoiled adults that need to grow up.

Kneejerk Reaction: About Like I Expected

2009-11-29T00:14:00.001-05:00

So LSU is 9-3. Not the best season the Tigers have had. But exactly what I expected.

Tonight's win against Arkansas almost perfectly encapsulated the season. Poor tackling, dumbfounding play calling, mediocre line play on both offense and defense, mediocre QB play, good-great special teams play, 3rd and Chavis, and Coach Miles sounding dumb while interviewed.

I am not in the coach-hater camp. I think Miles is a great recruiter and I think he runs the team well. But this team has too much talent to not challenge Bama for the West next year. So I do think Miles needs to have a 10 win season next year. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

There's an Internet full of negativitity out there. Here are some positive points to ponder.

1. LSU won all the games they should've won except Ole Miss. And they were in that game until the last second - literally.

2. LSU was never out of any game, including losses to the #1 and #2 teams in the country.

3. Stevan Ridley is clearly a valid SEC RB for next season and he is getting valuable experience this season.

4. Josh Jasper is clutch. He's back next season.

5. Jordan Jefferson heads into the post-season an SEC veteran. That is huge. And he will be pushed in the off-season by Lee and also by Chris Garrett.

6. Deangelo Peterson looks to be the next pass-catching tight end a LSU. He looks good.

Nine wins is a good season. It's as good as I expected and, when taken into context of injuries and the SEC parity this season, I think it's a great result.

Next year - different story.

For now, it's a couple weeks off and some focus on the bowl matchup.

KNEE JERK REACTION: WTF Was That?

2009-11-21T21:06:00.002-05:00

What a confusing, disappointing game from start to finish. LSU looked awful most of the game. Ole Miss owned the stat sheet. Dexter McCluster had his way with the LSU defense. And yet LSU could have won the football game. It's hard to describe to someone who didn't watch the game how unlikely an LSU win would've been. And yet they almost did win. You, know. Except for the WTF moment at the end.
There's so much to talk about in this game. The refs played a role - again. LSU's defense gave up big yardage and could not get to the QB - again. Jordan Jefferson reprised his role as heart-breakingly close to being an SEC QB but not quite - again. Lafell dropped passes - again. And Les Miles and his coaches could not avoid looking unorganized and incapable of handling the clock in the clutch - again.

Ole Miss deserved to win this football game. They dominated both sides of the football. But they made mistakes. And LSU, for much of the game, capitalized on those mistakes just enough to stay within striking distance. The last mistake - McCluster letting an onside kick go past him and right into Lafell's hands - could have lost the game for them. Except. For. Coaching. Confusion.

There is no way Coach Miles can avoid taking the blame for this loss. On multiple levels. But primarily for waiting almost 20 seconds to call an obvious timeout. For letting the clock wind down from 27 to 9 seconds after a sack took the Tigers out of field goal range on third and long. There is just no excuse.

The result: an improbable completion for a first down, inside the 20 with no timeouts and the clock stopped with :01 left. In college, the clock starts again as soon as the chains move and the ref blows the whistle. And Coach Miles wasn't ready. The FG team wasn't on the field. Jordan Jefferson didn't take the snap until time expired. And he tried to spike the ball anyway, which wouldn't have worked with :01 seconds left.

Clown. Act.

Some idiots on the message boards are already foaming at the mouth, calling for firing Coach Miles, etc.

They're idiots.

But, Coach Miles - WTF was that? You have to accept responsibility for that loss on your own shoulders. Those kids, some of them playing hurt, gave the team a chance to win a very improbable victory. And the 18 seconds or so that just drained off the clock for no apparent reason were the root cause of their failure.

I'm not all that surprised by the loss. I have maintained from season's start that this was a 9-3, maybe 8-4 team in the regular season. Mostly because of big changes on the OL and troubles at QB.

What I am surprised at is that the coaches are the ones losing football games.

As for Gary Crowton and the offense. The stats speak for themselves. The playcalling has been consistently ineffective all season. The talent is being misused. Russell Shepard has been wasted for all intents and purposes other than a year of experience running into defensive traps. Honestly, I can't see how Crowton stays. His only defense is that LSU has not had an SEC caliber QB all year. It's a weak defense. I smell some changes at offensive coordinator.

Outgoing Mail

2009-11-20T11:16:00.003-05:00

In American warfare vernacular, outgoing mail is a term for friendly artillery intended for the enemy. Here at Tigerbait, it's a you tube to get you in the the right mood about the Tiger's whipping their next opponent and just getting out of the office for the weekend. I give you: No Quarter by Led Zeppelin.

Strip away any and all of the animosity of this rivalry and you're left with two teams that can still post an impressive win total and a berth in a new year's day bowl. Ten win seasons and new year's day bowl victories on a consistent basis have as much to do with defining an elite power in college football as winning the national title. Winning the national title is elusive and lucky at best. But continually posting double digit victories announces to everyone that you know how to win and that winning makes you great.

All that said, LSU is doomed this Saturday. All you need to know is in this quote by Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt regarding their biggest threat, Dexter McCluster, "He is electric. He can catch, run it, throw it, hand it off." What?!?!?! Hand it off?!?!?! Holy shit are we DOOOOOOMED.

Ha. Hand it off to whom? Snead so he can throw it to Peterson?

That brilliant quote and its implications aside, this should be a tough game coming down to who really wants it more. So when you strip it all down, lay bare the machinations of each teams playing, the victor will be the one that played with no quarter for anything but winning.

Basketball Quickie: LSU Men 3-0

2009-11-19T07:55:00.000-05:00

Trent Johnson's men's basketball team is off to a pretty good start. The Tigers have beaten UL-Monroe, Indiana State, and Western Kentucky. Those last two victories came in the first round of the NIT Tip Off tournament. LSU travels to New York for a matchup with UCONN next Wed.

I've watched bits and pieces of all three games on LSUSports.net. My impression is that this is going to be an interesting season for LSU. Even after losing some very big contributers from last year's team (M. Thornton, C. Johnson, and G. Temple), the Tigers look ready to at least compete against a much improved SEC lineup. Trent Johnson always stresses defense, and the team seems focused in that area.

Good stuff - Storm Warren (6-7, 230 Soph F) looks really good so far. He's had three straight double-doubles and he just seems very comfortable on the court. Taz Mitchell is healthy and productive and is the much-needed senior leader on the court. And Bo Spencer seems to be handling the PG role. The Tigers have been very good at the line so far and are out-rebounding the competition.

Stuff to ponder - the offense seems to be struggling right now from the perimeter. Bo Spencer finally lit off a few 3 pointers against WKU, but otherwise the Tigers have been pretty poor from the 3-pt line (<20%).

Overall: Way too early to tell, but the UCONN game next Wed should be an indicator of how LSU will perform against tougher competition this year. Overall, I think this promises to be another season that showcases the quality of coaching LSU has in Trent Johnson.

Ole Miss

2009-11-18T16:02:00.001-05:00

I hate em.

SOAPBOX: Get Well Soon, Jordan Jefferson.

2009-11-15T12:20:00.002-05:00

Judging from the box score only, you'd be very surprised to find out that LSU actually beat Louisiana Tech last night. It's an ugly looking set of statistics for the Tigers. But the ugliest line in my opinion is the time of possession stat. Because it tells the story of why the Bulldogs were able to make a game of it.

LA Tech had the football for 36:20. LSU for 23:40. 12.5 minutes difference. LA Tech ran 84 offensive plays to LSU's 52.

Viewed from that perspective, it's amazing the LSU defense was able to keep LA Tech out of the endzone as much as they did.

The LSU defense once again saved the game for the Tigers. They had to. Because the LSU offense was horrible. Mostly because Jarrett Lee was horrible. Lee went 7 of 22 for 105 yards, 1 TD, and zero interceptions. He was very lucky to have zero interceptions. Two poor passes were nearly picked off - for pick-sixes.

To say I'm disappointed in Lee is a gross understatement. He just flat-out looked lost out there. For every nice pass he threw, there were 2 or 3 horrible throws. And he had tons of time. Even when LA Tech blitzed, the Tiger offensive line and RBs were able to give Lee enough time generally. But he just could not settle his feet and find open receivers.

If there was any doubt about who LSU's starting QB should be, Lee squelched those doubts. Jordan Jefferson is better in every aspect of the game. And that is a bit of a revelation because a lot of folks, including me, thought Lee was a better passer than Jefferson. Unless Lee was suffering from H1N1 last night, there is no doubt that Jefferson is the better passing QB. His mechanics may not be pure, but he's certainly more procuctive and reliable than Lee was last night.

Anyway - enough bashing Lee. Get well soon, Jordan Jefferson.

OTHER POINTS:

The defense played well in the second half, but LA Tech was able to slash and burn it's way to big rushing yardage in the first half. That does not bode well against the Rebels Dexter McCluster next week. Tackling needs to improve and the defensive line needs to keep the linemen off the linebackers. McCluster is the real deal.

Keiland Williams had a great game, with 116 yards on 15 carries, including 2 TDs. He ran with power as well as finesse. The offensive line gave him some good holes to hit. He hit them hard. And he ran through every arm tackle, which has not been the case in the past.

Russell Shepard had a couple of nice runs and continues to show his potential. I think LSU will eventually use Shepard in the Percy Harvin role. He will be sensational catching quick slants in space.

Patrick Peterson was fantastic again.

This week in Bandit's brought to you in part by

2009-11-11T13:00:00.003-05:00

Goats

Cullman Liquidation

The number four. I distinctly remember 4 pre-snap procedural penalties for the LSU offense. Those are inexusable in October, much less in November in the biggest conference game of the year. And I remember some of those penalties negating first downs. It's easy to bitch about the refs (something I gave up long ago) and the LSU msg boards are eaten up with it. But no one wants to say that the Tiger offense lost the game for LSU, not the refs.

One look back - Then moving on

2009-11-09T22:36:00.000-05:00

I was going to disect the Bama game and look in detail at all the good and bad stuff I found. But what would that accomplish, really? Bama has a very fine defense and some very good offensive players and a great head coach. Not much else to say. And I'm not going to talk anymore about the interception call because no one with half a brain disputes that it was a significantly poor call in a huge game that was still competitive.

It's not Bama's fault that they were handed a huge gift by thr replay official.

So I'm moving on. Let's talk about the future.

It's critical that the Tigers retain composure and stay motivated to win. Because a great bowl berth against a quality opponent is very important to next year's season. The freshmen and sophomores need that experience. And recruiting needs another Top 10 finish.

The next game against LA Tech will be critical and it won't be automatic. I don't know the injury situation yet (working too hard) but I hope JJ is back for LA Tech. I think we can win with Lee, but JJ needs another start and maybe another big throwing game.

Ole Miss no longer concern me as much as they did in the early season, but they are very capable of upsetting the Tigers.

So focus and a new set of goals are critical to the rest of the season.

I mean, let's face it. I called this a 2 loss season at best anyway. So I hope the team agrees that 11-2 is a fantastic record. And wouldn't it be great to have LSU spank Boise State in a bowl game? Personally, I hope that's who LSU plays.

But we're not there yet. What was the word? Oh yeah.

Focus.

LSU 15, Bama 24: Quick Thoughts

2009-11-07T19:44:00.000-05:00

How'd we do with my recipe?

1. 2nd and 6 or less. Actually, the Tigers accomplished this about 6 or 7 times in the game.   They also had plenty of 2nd and 10 or more situations, but 1st down plays were generally pretty good.

2. 200+ passing and 2:1 TD to Int ratio. Well, the Tigers only managed 158 yards in the air and one touchdown, with one interception late by Jarett Lee. Not good. And this did play a large factor in the game outcome in my opinion.

3. Win the turnover war. Actually, LSU did win the turnover war. But the refs didn't see it that way. Peterson's interception was denied. So each team had 1 interception. Not good for LSU in this game.

4. Take advantage of big plays. LSU had a lack of big plays throughout the game on offense. Scott had one big run, and the defense gave the Tigers great field position via some fantastic punting and a safety. The Tigers scored a TD after the safety and punt. But LSU did not have any offensive big plays.

5. Penalties and Luck. Do I have to say it?   All the Bama folks will guffaw. Because they don't want to believe it. And I am not one to blame the refs. But the officiating in this game was terrible (we'll cover that more later) and the interception by Peterson that was denied after the replay clearly showed what an athletic play he made - well, that denied LSU the chance to win the football game. It changed the momentum completely. And it ended soon after that. From a luck standpoint - well, I don't think good or bad luck played much of a factor either way. LSU certainly didn't get lucky in the game at any time. And besides maybe one possible interference call that could've been called against Peterson, the calls all went Bama's way.

Let me be clear. Bama is a better football team because they have a better defense and a slightly better offensive line. And Ingram and Jones are fantastic. Bama played a very physical, very good football game. But the refs interfered in the flow of the game in at least two, and maybe three instances. So LSU was denied the chance to stay in the football game when the refs denied Peterson his amazing play.

Lots of apparently minor injuries for LSU. Jefferson didn't play a lot of the 2nd half. Scott hurt his shoulder I think. Peterson didn't play much of the 4th quarter. Black went down for a bit.

Lots to talk about. The offsides flinch by Barksdale, the lack of sacks by the defense, the awesome punting by LSU, Stevan Ridley, Jarrett Lee, LSU's offensive line, the 2-point conversion attempt, the poor clock management that ended up putting the Tigers in the 4th quarter with no timeouts.   Lots to examine later.

The Tigers played their butts off. They deserved a better effort from the officials. And the Bamatards that honestly don't think that interception was inbounds and/or changed the game - well, congrats on the win. I'm rooting for Florida.

Outgoing Mail

2009-11-06T12:14:00.003-05:00

In American warfare vernacular, outgoing mail is a term for friendly artillery intended for the enemy. Here at Tigerbait, it's a you tube to get you in the the right mood about the Tiger's whipping their next opponent and just getting out of the office for the weekend. I give you: Ante Up by Bert and Ernie.

Yes kids, this is Bert and Ernie throwing down gangster rap. Two lessons here. I post this in a light hearted spirit. That's where the Tigers need to be. Yes, they should be fired up and fully prepared, but there's no pressure here. All the pressure in on Alabama. This is the weekend to show up and remember it's a game, have fun. The Tigers aren't supposed to win. The Tigers aren't being discussed as national contenders. The Tigers aren't undefeated. The Tide is all of those. Tremendous pressure comes with that.

The flip side is the name of the song. Ante Up. I think Bama has to put something more on the table. Yes, LSU could certainly bear to continue the improvement seen since Florida. Both teams have a lot to prove in a game like this, it will pretty much decide the West. As aforementioned LSU can show up feeling good about themselves and their recent surge and that serves as a pretty substantial bet in and of itself. The Tide needs bring something more.

All the pressure is on Bama. Their offense has fast become one dimensional and predictable. This game is a must win for them and their title hopes. Hell, the talk is of impressing voters this time of year. Bama has to think not of winning but by as much as they can. There's the bullseye of being undefeated and the hype that comes with it. That's not a good place to be mentally when preparing for their toughest game to date. And sometimes home field is an advantage. Not this game and not this week. The record is terrible for home teams. LSU has no distractions and just gets to show up and play. Bama has to perform after another week of hype swirling around each member of the coaches and players.

I've had a good feeling about this game. But we'll see. I think it'll be a good one.

Recipe to Beat Bama: Ingredient's Four and Five

2009-11-06T01:15:00.002-05:00

The first ingredient was: 2nd and 6 or Less.

The second ingredient was: 200+ and 2:1.

The third ingredient is: Win the Turnover War.

The fourth ingredient is: Take Advantage of Big Plays.

Long drives are going to be very tough to sustain. The Tigers will not likely be able to get to the endzone without great field position. And it will be difficult to get great field position without some big plays. And by big plays, I mean offense, defense and special teams. When they happen, the Tigers need to convert. LSU needs to have a plan to capitalize on momentum-shifting big plays and get points on the board.

On offense, I would expect the big plays to come via the passing game. As I have discussed earlier, LSU has enough offensive weaponry, in the persons of Lafell, Toliver, Shepard, Holliday, Scott and Randle, to gain some big yardage a few times in Saturday's game.

On defense, LSU will obviously be looking for turnovers. But as we've hinted, Bama is almost as stingy as LSU in this realm. So the defense will also need to come up with some big stops. The Tigers need to force some 3 and outs in Bama territory, and also stop the Tide from scoring 7 in the Red Zone.

Special teams may be the best place for LSU to make big plays. LSU's punt return stats are great. But the most interesting stat is kickoff returns. Bama is last in the SEC on kickoff coverage. And, while LSU is last in kickoff returns, most of that is because the Tigers seldom get a chance to return one - teams have either sky kicked or otherwise avoided letting LSU's deep men get the football. If Alabama makes the mistake of kicking to Holliday and Brooks, perhaps we can have some excitement on Saturday.

The fifth ingredient is: Penalties and Luck.

Regardless of whether you believe Bama gets referee preference, the stats for penalties between LSU and Bama lately are hard to dispute. Basically, LSU gives up somewhere between 40 and 60 yards a game to Bama in penalties. The Tigers need to reverse this stat. While the Tigers can't force the refs to call penalties on Bama, they can make it difficult to call them on LSU.

And Luck. I'm talking about fumbles that bounce the right way - back into Tiger hands. I'm talking about dropped interceptions. I'm talking about Jefferson seeing a blown coverage in time to take advantage of it before being sacked. I'm talking about McElroy getting sacked just before he's able to find a wide open receiver in blown coverage. LSU needs Lady Luck to be wearing purple on Saturday.

In summary, LSU needs solid first down gains, a productive passing game, an advantage in turnovers, some big plays that result in scores, and some luck with the refs and the football.

LSU needs all of these things to one degree or another. Otherwise, Bama's defense will beat LSU's offense and the Tigers lose.

I don't like it. But that's how I see it.

Not an easy recipe.

Recipe to Beat Bama: Ingredient Three

2009-11-04T23:48:00.002-05:00

The first ingredient was: 2nd and 6 or Less.

The second ingredient was: 200+ and 2:1.

The third ingredient is: Win the Turnover War.

It's going to be very difficult for LSU to find the endzone Saturday. It will be even tougher if the Tigers give up the football more than the Tide. Not only will turnovers negate opportunities for LSU to score, but they will in many cases put Bama in great field position.

Currently the Tigers are +9 in turnover ratio, leading the SEC. Alabama is +7, which is good for 3rd. In raw numbers, the Tigers and Tide both have 16 takeaways, but LSU has only turned the ball over 7 times to Bama's 9. The difference there is in fumbles lost, where LSU has for a long time been very, very stingy.

Statistically, not much there.

About all LSU can do is continue to not turn the ball over.

That, and put tons of pressure on McElroy so that he throws a couple of picks. Pressure on the QB has not been the Tigers' strong suit this season. While LSU is dead last in sacks, Alabama is first in the SEC in sacks against. Not a comforting statistic if we're hoping to pressure Bama's QB.

If the Tigers lose the turnover battle to Bama, it will be next to impossible to win the game.

If the Tigers win the turnover battle, they will have an opportunity to score touchdowns (probably) and burn clock.

This ingredient will require a lot of luck.

Recipe to Beat Bama: Ingredient Two

2009-11-03T23:34:00.002-05:00

The first ingredient was: 2nd and 6 or Less.

The second ingredient is: 200+ and 2:1.

That is, more than 200 yards passing and a passing TD to Int ratio of at least 2:1.

LSU will have to establish a threatening passing game against the Bama defense in order to allow any kind of balance in their offense. Normally, the Tigers try to establish the power running game first. Lately, however, I would argue that the passing game has assisted in opening up the running game. And that's definitely the only recipe for success against Alabama's formidable defensive front 7.

I'm not insinuating that Alabama's pass defense is a team weakness. Because it's not. It's simply the most vulnerable part of a very good defense. Plus, LSU's Jordan Jefferson has a talented group of receivers to throw to. If Jefferson can get rid of the ball quickly and accurately, he stands a very good chance of finding some mismatches in the secondary on first and second down. Again, not because Bama's DBs aren't good. But because LSU's receivers are very good.

And, of course, a demonstrated ability to move the ball through the air 6-9 yards at at time (or more) will force Bama's talented linebackers to back-the-fuck-up. And that will be the only real possibility for LSU to find some seams on the ground and let the talented Tiger backs gain some yards and eat up some clock.

If the Tigers can get 200+ yards through the air and throw at least two passing touchdowns for every pick, this will be a completely winnable football game. If the Tigers can't get the passing game going, which will likely result in a large number of 3 and out situations, Defeat will be lurking in the visitor's locker room.

I think Jordan Jefferson is ready. And I think our receivers match up very well with Bama's secondary.

LSU's Recipe to Beat Bama: Ingredient One

2009-11-02T22:46:00.001-05:00

I said early in the season that I thought LSU would lose at least 2 games, maybe 3 or even 4, this year. The two almost certain losses were Florida and Bama.

While I still think the odds are against LSU beating Bama on Saturday, I think they are far more likely to pull off a victory than I originally thought. Mostly because Bama's offense is not as good as I thought it would be. But also because LSU's defense is better than I thought it would be.

For the next five days, I'm going to offer a simple (well, maybe not simple) 5 ingredient recipe to an LSU victory on Saturday.

Ingredient #1: 2nd and 6 or Less.

This is the toughest part of the recipe by far. Bama is not going to make it easy for LSU to pound 4 yards up the middle (or even around the end) on 1st down. Bama's defensive line is stout. Bama's linebackers are excellent. And LSU's offensive line has not dominated any defensive line, except maybe Tulane's, all season long. I seriously doubt Charles Scott is going to be able to average 4-5 yards per carry.

So the coaching staff is going to have to have a creative first down gameplan, and Jordan Jefferson is going to have to execute it. What might that look like? Well, I hope it's creative enough to elude our imagination. But I'll take a stab at it. I think LSU's first down gameplan will involve a mixture of play action from the power I formation, quick slants to Richard Dickson, bubble screens to Toliver and Lafell, and a few novelty plays, like shuffle passes and reverses and maybe a halfback pass (Shepard to Holliday?). And, of course, there will be a dose of Charles Scott (or Stevan Ridley?) up the middle. But hopefully it will be infrequent and therefore more successful.

Why is this ingredient important? Because LSU has not been good on 3rd and long. And Alabama has a damned good defense. And 2nd and 10, with a "meh" offensive line and a still-young QB is not a great recipe against the Tide. However, shorter second down situations with any kind of frequency will allow Crowton and Miles to have fun with the offensive weapons at their disposal. And there are a lot of weapons, especially in the receiving corps.

Achievable? Yes. Likely? Great question. The rest of the ingredients will help make this more likely.

About Last Night...

2009-11-01T15:26:00.000-05:00

As I hinted at in my last post, Tulane does not have a good football program. And LSU, as you would expect, dominated the Green Wave on Saturday night.

As a Tiger fan, it was fun to watch the replay early this morning. Although the Tigers stalled a couple of times, and the Greenies moved the ball a couple of times, the game wasn't even remotely in question.

The offense seemed to be running on all cylinders. Jefferson, although he threw a pretty bad interception, had another strong overall performance. Charles Scott had well over 100 yards rushing. Russell Shepard generated some excitement and a touchdown. And Stevan Ridley gave everyone a glimpse of our possible starting TB next year.

The defense was swarming, and the Tigers actually had a pass rush again. Patrick Peterson picked one off to stop a potential scoring drive. Rahim Alem pressured the QB all night long. And the LSU linebackers - all four of them - were lights out. Absolutely fantastic. Even the backup defensive linemen, like Lavar Edwards, got to shine a bit.

And special teams, minus the punting itself, were outstanding. Even with unusually short kickoffs, the coverage remained rock solid. Daniel Graff blocked a Tulane punt, leading to Shepard's eventual score. And Trindon Holliday twice reminded the nation why most teams prefer to punt out of bounds when he's back to receive.

Great game. But let's keep it in perspective. Tulane is very bad, particularly on defense. The Tigers, minus a couple of errors, should've put up another 2-3 touchdowns.

Next weekend, the Tigers face a challenge of the opposite kind. Alabama has a very strong, very talented defense coached by a great staff. They will be every bit as athletic, deep and well-coached as LSU. And the game is on their home turf.

I can't wait. The talk has already begun on the internet sites about the defensive struggle next Saturday in Tuscaloosa. And it's an understandable expectation. But I'm not buying it. Bama has a very strong defense. Very talented. In fact, I think Bama's defense is better than Florida's. But, if Jordan Jefferson has a good game, I think LSU's passing weapons can open things up against Bama, expose some vulnerabilities, and score points. Jefferson doesn't have to be phenomenal. But, for my prediction to happen, he has to give a good performance in terms of ball security, confidence, and not getting rattled by sacks and a pick.

Don't expect 400 yards of offense on Saturday, Tiger fans. But I think, based on LSU's very strong turnover ratio (+10 at the moment) and a receiving corps that could start for any team in the nation, LSU has a great chance to ruin Bama's scoring defense stats at least a little bit.

Just don't let last night set you up for next Saturday. Because the difficulty of the two games could hardly be any more different.

Shit I Didn't Know About Tulane

2009-10-30T00:58:00.000-04:00

Basically, I'm from New Orleans. I mean, not the city, but what some consider an outer suburb of the metropolitan area. I used to go to Tulane games in high school because (a) we got in for $1 with our high school IDs, and (b) Baton Rouge was not even close to my allowable driving radius as a 16 year old.

I used to pull for Tulane. The high school QB that I played with was recruited and played there. I really want to like Tulane. Despite some of their irrationally arrogant fans.

So, in an effort to give this game and Tulane a little respect, I read their game notes for the LSU game.

Here's some shit I didn't know.

LSU All-American LB Greg Jackson (85-88) is Tulane's Safeties/Kickoff Team coach.
Tulane is 52-5 against Louisiana teams that are NOT LSU. Including....Camp Beauregard? WTF?
Half of Tulane's team members getting playing time are either first or second year players. The Greenies have played 18 true freshmen this year. By contrast, I believe LSU has played somewhere around 8.
Tulane ranks in the bottom half of nearly every statistical category in Div 1A, and in the bottom 20 in 11 of 17 categories. They are dead last in the NCAA in net punting and tackles for loss.
Tulane wears a black oval sticker on their helmets with the number 16 on it in honor of kicker Andrew Villar, who died this past April of unknown causes.
Tulane has gotten 6 sacks this season so far. Tulane has been sacked 21 times.
Tulane averages about 28,500 fans in the Superdome. I wonder who subsidizes that losing proposition?
In 3 years, Bob Toledo has only won 8 games at Tulane. The same number of wins in his first year at UC-Riverside (1974). Ouch.

Yeah. I'm bored, too.

The goal on Saturday has to be to put 50 up on the board. It's nothing personal against Tulane, but LSU needs to blow out some teams to get some voter attention. Sorry - but Urban Meyer and Bob Stoops ALMOST have it right (they go too far). Miles needs to keep the starters in until he hits fitty.

Anyway, now that LSU will no longer have to play Tulane every year, maybe I can spend a little time developing a fan's interest in the Green Wave. We'll see. They need to start being at least a little interesting, first. If they dropped down into the FBS league, I'd be there in a heartbeat!

Eating a Little Crow - Jefferson was Better than my Quick Thoughts

2009-10-25T23:09:00.001-04:00

I went back and reviewed every single Jordan Jefferson pass play from the Auburn game. I looked for Jefferson's timing and also his accuracy, catch or not. I was impressed with what I saw, in retrospect. And I've changed my mind on Jefferson's game.

1st Quarter

1. Complete to K. Williams in flat for nice gain. Throw a little late and behind.
2. Complete to Tolliver. Throw behind, Tolliver bobbled it but held on.
3. Incomplete to Tolliver. Very nice pass, Tolliver was interfered with/tripped.
4. Incomplete to Tolliver. Throw very low and behind.
5. Incomplete to LaFell. Throw low and behind, but LaFell should have made the catch.
6. Complete to Tolliver - nice pass.
7. Complete to Tolliver. Good throw, maybe a tad late.
8. Complete to Tolliver. Nice pass.
9. Complete to Lafell. Throw was high and behind on a bubble screen.
10. Incomplete to Scott. Scrambling and basically threw it away.
11.  Couldn't find open man - scrambled for a touchdown.

2nd Quarter

12. Complete to Lafell. Nice pass.
13. Complete to Lafell.
14. Scrambled for first down after a very deep drop.
15. Complete to Tolliver. Very nice throw on a comeback route.
16. Complete to Tolliver. Another nice throw.
17. Complete to Lafell. Nice screen pass.
18. Incomplete to nobody - threw it away after scramble.
19. Complete to Tolliver.
20. Scramble out of bounds no gain.
21. Incomplete to Lafell. Hit as he threw, way over Lafell's head.
22. Complete to Scott on screen for no gain.
23. Sacked after 3.5 seconds in pocket.
24. Incomplete to Chris Mitchell. Very short. Hit just after he threw.
25. Complete to Tolliver. Nice pass.
26. Incomplete to Tolliver. Thrown well behind.

3rd Quarter

27. Incomplete to Lafell. Good pass in tight situation. Lafell dropped the ball.
28. Complete to Holliday. Nice pass in the only place Holliday could've caught it.
29. Complete to Lafell for TD. Very nice pass, taking advantage of Lafell's height advantage.
30. Incomplete to Shepard. He just dropped it.
31. Complete to Randle. Fantastic throw and catch.
32. Negated by penalty, but good completion to Dickson.
33. Incomplete to Tolliver. Not a good choice or pass - well covered.
34. Incomplete to Tolliver. Slightly late throw, Tolliver dropped it.
35. Complete to Tolliver.

4th Quarter

36. Complete to Chris Mitchell. Very low pass negating possible yards after catch.
37. Complete to D. Peterson. Good pass.
38. Complete to Holliday.
39. Sacked from a blitz.

Dear Jordan Jefferson,

     How are you? I hope you didn't take too big of a hit on that last play. Anyway, just wanted to tell you that I was completely wrong about your performance against Auburn. I thought you were just sorta OK. Turns out, you had a very nice game and executed the gameplan that was given to you very, very well.

     I'm particularly impressed with your ability to run yourself out of trouble most of the time. And that fumble was clearly just "one of those things" and not reflective of your attention to preventing turnovers.

     One thing I noticed: you threw to Tolliver 14 times, but only threw to Dickson once. Wazzup with that? I'm sure there's a good explanation.

     While I'd still like to see more throws 25 yards or so over the middle, I think the offensive line is giving you time. So, eventually, we're going to see the long stuff. With that in mind, I'm going to have a little crow for dinner tonight and call it good.

     Have a great week. And GEAUX TIGERS!

Respectfully,

Jeff

QUICK THOUGHTS: LSU DOMINATES AUBURN

2009-10-24T23:51:00.006-04:00

LSU's defense (and Auburn's penalties) gave plenty of space for a still-inconsistent LSU offense to work its way to a much improved four quarters of football.

But I'm still staying realistic about expectations for this season. I saw plenty to be happy about in this game. But I also saw plenty to keep in perspective.

THINGS I'M HAPPY ABOUT

The Defense. Just look at the stats if you didn't watch the game closely. LSU's defense will keep them in any game. And we all know that defenses win championships. Which is why Florida and Bama are still at the top of the heap.
LSU's cornerbacks are really good and really deep. Chris Hawkins' interception was awesome.
Turnover ratio. Although the Tigers didn't take advantage of every turnover in terms of putting 7 on the board, a 3:1 turnover ratio is smokin' good.
Russell Shepard finally broke one. I gotta admit - I was getting tired of seeing him in predictable situations, getting hit hard by Eltoro Freeman, who was obviously spying him. But he finally got the seam he needed and it was over. If he gets a chance to complete a few passes for big yards out of the Wildcat (WildTiger, whatever), then we're going to see more of him racing into the end zone.
Reuben Randle's great grab.
Jarrett Lee getting some snaps, making a great throw to Lafell (after a scary throw to Tolliver...)
Jordan Jefferson remains rock solid in terms of his care of the football (except for the fumble), his ability to not make big mistakes (except for the fumble), and his knack for getting good, important yards with his legs (except when he fumbles). Seriously - Jefferson's fumble aside, he's a solid QB.
The announcers said it. I've been hoping it's true. LSU is still improving. If that continues, that's a very good sign for this postseason and next year, obviously.

THINGS I'M KEEPING IN PERSPECTIVE

Auburn is not good. I thought they were a lot better than they are. And mostly, they're not good because their defense is not what it has been in the past. So when their offense sputtered, it cost them big time.
Jordan Jefferson is still not throwing the ball all that well. He made some good throws (TD to Tolliver). He also made a lot of poor throws, some of which were dropped, some of which were not. He's also still taking way to0 long to throw downfield and his timing is not great. Why am I picking on this? Because Auburn is not good. Jefferson looked OK against a weak defense and a team that basically gave up in the second half. Bama has a much better defense than Auburn. So does Ole Miss. Right now, Jefferson is solid, but not good enough. I still think his job is not secure heading into the off-season if he doesn't begin to really stretch the field on a regular basis.
No. Pass. Rush. Seriously. Two sacks and I was ECSTATIC! That's sad. Chris Todd had tons of time to throw. It's a good thing LSU's secondary is so good and Chris Todd isn't.

BOTTOM LINE: I'm stoked that the Tigers beat Auburn and still control their own destiny. But I'm maintaining that LSU will be a 2-loss team at best, and more likely a 3-loss team when all is said and done. Because a QB that doesn't scare defensive coordinators and a defense that can't pressure the opposing QB is a recipe for exploitation by top caliber teams. Florida has already done it. Alabama will do it next.

I hope Jordan Jefferson and the LSU defensive front improve greatly against Tulane and just shuts me up against Bama, Ole Miss and Arkansas (Mallett is a good QB).

Tough to be pessimistic about a 31-10 dominating effort of Auburn. But that's where I'm at.

Thoughts

2009-10-22T16:23:00.002-04:00

Auburn sucks.

Seriously, no one buys your mascot bs. Pick one. Pick between Eagles or Plainsmen, the nickname you idiots started with. The name you gave your school paper and to your new baseball park. Hell, go with the bird, you already have one and you have a cheer/catchphrase already. If you wanted to be the Tigers, you'd have one, like we do. But you're all too dumb for something even that simple, so you have a bird you named after another animal. I have a big bad black labrador retriever and some people suggested the name Bear when I got him. I rejected that. Why? Because it's indescribably stupid to name one animal after another. If you don't want to pick, then I will call you the Chopblockers. That one fits best of all anyway.

Anyone who smokes cigars on someone else's field deserves contempt. Yes, I still remember that. Why? Cause you're the only assholes that have EVER done that ANYWHERE in college football. You're also the only school that had a football player lose a fight to a band member on the field. He started the fight because he was on the field kicking WHILE THE BAND WAS PERFORMING. No one I know has ever seen that happen. It's like you try to stand out in unexplored fields of creative idiocy and looking stupid.

Yeah, maybe we burned your barn down. Whoopdedoo. I wish we burned down the whole campus. I would say the state. But it's nice having Alabama always rank 50th in whatever matters and keep Louisiana from the bottom spot. So thanks.

This week in Bandit's brought to you in part by:

2009-10-20T17:32:00.003-04:00

Sixteen time world heavyweight champion, the Nature Boy, Ric Flair, who reminds you that he, besides being the champion:
-is custom made
-can dance all night long
-his shoes cost more than your house
-he has a big house on the big side of town
-he can have any woman in world he wants.... just like that.

The BBC and talking animals:

The number 113. That's where the Bayou Bengals rank in Total Offense for Div. 1-A. We're keeping company with Western Kentucky and New Mexico State. This is: pathetic, abysmal, shameful, a waste of talent, a waste of resources, terrible coaching, terrible playcalling, terrible, bad, shitty, piss poor, crappy, failuretastic, the worst I've seen in quite a while, unsatisfactory to say the least, embarrassing and going to result in more losses if it isn't drastically improved.

Outgoing Mail

2009-10-16T19:18:00.003-04:00

SNAP JUDGEMENTS: Florida 13, LSU 3

2009-10-10T22:00:00.000-04:00

What a painful football game to watch. Florida dominated LSU and the game wasn't anywhere near as close as the score. Nothing has changed for the Tigers. So this one is ridiculously easy to analyze.

DEFENSE

LSU's defense bends but doesn't break. The Tigers held the Gators to 327 total yards and 13 points. But the Gators only punted once. And they dominated the time of possession by 13 minutes. Thats, like, a lot.
LSU's weakness on defense continues to be the defensive line. No sacks.

OFFENSE

I'm going to say it. Jordan Jefferson is not a good QB at this point. He has a glaring weakness and teams will continue to exploit it - he has horrible downfield vision and timing. LSU will not beat Alabama and may not beat Auburn, Ole Miss and Arkansas unless Jefferson steps up his game. Half of his sacks were his fault - he just does not see the receivers getting open and holds the ball too long.
The Tiger offensive line continues to be average. But I'm done complaining about them because, other than the penalties early in the game, they played well considering Florida's defensive line and Jefferson's inability to get rid of the football.
If Jefferson can't throw, defenses will continue to stack the box and Charles Scott will continue to have a frustrating senior season.
Too many dropped passes. And Jefferson continues to throw behind and too high. And WTF with not finding Dickson more often?

SPECIAL TEAMS

Still solid. Good kick coverage and kickoffs, and besides Helton's ridiculous shank punt, the punting was good as well.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Florida may not be good enough to beat Alabama. I think Bama has a better offense and as good a defense.
LSU better find a QB between now and next season if there is any hope of competing for championships next year. Jordan Jefferson is not that guy right now. He's still playing high school football. That ain't gonna cut it. If he doesn't improve, he may find himself with stiff competition for the starting job next year. Hell, at this point, he may need some serious competition THIS year. NOT throwing interceptions and pick-sixes is NOT the measure of a good QB.
LSU's all-star secondary is not getting any help from LSU's hapless pass rush. Something needs to happen there.

Outgoing Mail

2009-10-09T10:22:00.005-04:00

Fraternizing with the enemy: Florida

2009-10-08T11:19:00.004-04:00

A hale and hearty welcome to the what Nature Boy Ric Flair called, "the best blogger going on today, WOOOOO!", Mr. Orson Swindle of Every Day Should Be Saturday ladies and gents. He agreed, in exchange for a complete set of game programs from the 1979 UF football season, to be interviewed by this outfit. Away we go...

1. Outside of the qb position, who has been the Blue & Orange's biggest offensive threat? How should the Purple & Gold go about stopping them or scheming against that?

The biggest offensive threat besides the qb (whoever that is) will be RB Jeff Demps. Demps is the fastest player LSU will face this year in terms of both straight speed and elusiveness. Tackle him firmly, or risk discovering the ability to slip arm tackles most people don't know he has. A blur with a jersey who you do not want to see retreating from your perspective and on to the infinite horizon, because he disappears in a hurry.

2. Should there be an established exchange rate for taunts and profanity directed towards opposing fans in return for libations and renowned food? Or do we have a handle on this already?

The established range is this: one toss-off accusation of homosexuality=beer in can, combo homosexuality accusation + major profanity= beer and food, any exchange past that involves multiple beers, food, and of course invitations to each others' holidays afterwards. This is all contingent on tolerant and cheerful behavior by the visiting fan; if they do not pass the initial test, you owe them nothing.

3. We all know who is most likely the best coach during the game, but who would you rather team up with during a zombie apocalypse, Meyer or Miles? Someone else? (JoePa not elligible for reasons already known).

I'm going with Meyer thanks to his discipline, ability to adjust, and steely composure. Miles might decide to find this risky but potentially impregnable bunker across town, venture successfully through hordes of unwitting zombies, and then discover his gamble has paid off in what turns out to be a greenhouse with a loud, zombie-attracting burglar alarm that he sets off accidentally. If I had to pick an alternate, I'd take Howard Schnellenberger, because you know there's nothing he hasn't seen before, zombie invasion included.

4. Is there a weakness in that Florida defense, something for Crowton to exploit in the first quarter and then inexplicably abandon? Case in point, as predicted by a certain smart and handsome writer, Florida and Harvin abused LSU from the slot last year with linebackers laughably trying to defend man to man.

The best solution really is the oldest trick in the book: pound up the middle, control clock, and let Jordan Jefferson throw off the fake into the vacated spots in the defense. It's as good a plan as anyone has had, and certainly better than whatever baroque fanciness Crowton will want to throw out there.

5. Airplane or Caddyshack?

Caddyshack, but only because of the combo of Ted Knight and Rodney Dangerfield.

If you haven't asked someone "you wanna make 14 dollars the hard way?" you haven't lived.

6. What's more fun, the first trip to Tiger Stadium or the second time, when you know what to expect?

Probably the first time, since I am now fairly certain I won't get killed. Once you know you won't die doing something, it's never quite as fun.

7. Will God hold it against us if we hurt Tebow? Not saying we want to, but it could happen. And there are a lot of Catholics down here and they love guilt and all.

Trick question: you'd have to ask Tebow that, since HE IS GOD.

8. How old are the religious jokes with Tebow?

Positively antediluvian. I plan on riding them 'till they die, though, because they never get old for me, and therefore can't possibly be old for anyone else.

9. Name the LSU player you'd most like to draft onto your team based on this year so far?

Terrance Tolliver, We're in serious need of a wideout, and he appears to be the standard running-back sized, fleet-footed muscular bastards you always end up with at LSU.

10. Why has Florida not blessed us with another Tony Joiner-ism? It's not too late to have Joe Haden or Ryan Stamper do something and be cleared to play.

You're certainly right, though Haden and Stamper would be poor suspects. My money would be on a concussed Tebow, who in a confused rage is capable of inflicting serious damage on an unwary populace. If he gets loose, perplexed, and scared, call the National Guard, because it's gonna look like the video game Rampage when he's done.

(ed: I only picked Haden or Stamper since their names would be easily translated into a verb a la "I'm gonna Tony Joiner my car out of that tow lot." Nothing personal against messrs Stamper or Haden. I didn't name Jenkins since he might hear of it, find me and physically confront me. That would be bad)

11. Prediction?

16-10. Unpretty, close, and ultimately a Florida victory thanks to special teams and defense. No one's blowing doors on anyone in a game of two teams still attempting to find their offensive rhythm.

I love it, the man used antediluvian. While we normally don't cotton to such talk, we embrace it this time. Let's see how the Nature Boy rates this interview:

I agree Ric, I agree. Thanks for spending some time with us Orson! It's hard to tell who's the bigger fag, you or Tebow. Your deep fried beer and boubon on the rocks await you at the tailgate.

Will Florida Exploit LSU's Lack of Sack?

2009-10-07T23:59:00.000-04:00

The Tiger defense hasn't had a sack since Vandy. Lots of folks, including me, have talked about it. And Rahim Alem is understandably frustrated.

Why is this a problem? Well, obviously sacks stall offensive drives and cause all but the most experienced and steely-eyed QBs to flinch and make more mistakes. Without a credible pass rush, good QBs (like Florida's) will be able to pick apart almost any secondary.

Can LSU develop a pass rush? Sure. Florida has given up 7 sacks over 4 games, with a high of 3 against the Volunteers. LSU has some talent on the defensive line, but we haven't seen much sack production yet.

But the question on my mind is not, "Will LSU get some sacks against Florida?"

My question is, "Will Florida exploit LSU's desire to get to Tebow/Brantley?"

I think they will. I'm sure LSU's coaches have thought about this well before I did. But the fact is: LSU's defensive line will be hungry for Gator QB. And I think we may see some corner blitzes to try to get to Brantley, who may not have the experience to pick these up. But Florida, if they're paying attention, should have a gameplan in place to exploit this when it starts happening.

Sometimes weakness can be exploited both at the depth of the weakness and during the attempt to fix the problem.

I'll be watching for it.

Thoughts, somewhat narrow in scope and kinda repetitive

2009-10-06T22:19:00.010-04:00

Georgia is a bunch of crybabies. They whined in 2003 after our win in the regular season that they played the better game and were the better team. They cried in 2007 over the post season when they didn't even win their own division, much less play for the conference title. Then there is this last episode. They had as much time and timeouts to score that we did. they then threw an interception. If the Bulldogs put forth half the effort their fans do whining and crying into winning, they would win. And their fans would be happy. So then we would have no perspective for the start of this thought. It's like some weird moebius strip.

Reading bloggers defend their rankings is disheartening. I've said it once, but it just keeps happening. I've seen them punish LSU for their 'dismal' performance yet reward other teams for how they could/would/should perform in the future (Oklahoma when Bradford is back for instance). Sometimes, this is just as bad as the media. I still think the blogpoll is an improvment since they actually watch. But there's no teaching logic to some fools I guess.

Damn the torpedos, let's win every game. Both in person and on the internet I've heard the opinion, and a solid one at that, that neither of these teams really need to win this game. And it's true, they don't. That position is correct as both will still control their SEC destiny. I default back to my primordial make up and tradition as an LSU fan. I don't like anyone in this conference and I don' t like losing. Therefore, I love having a positive record against all foes. Thanks to Archer, Hallman and Dinardo, we're now down a few to Florida. So I'm fine with notching another win, ugly or not. And I hope LSU can keep it going. Besides, I never saw anyone take away Ohio States' title for winning ugly.

No matter the outcome, I really want the SEC champ to play and wipe the floor with Texas. That appeared to be the matchup before the season and so far that hasn't changed. Despite what I just wrote, I have a hard time seeing LSU it make there. So, I'd be happy with a Cotton Bowl against OU or Nebraska or something. It'd be a fun match up and could settle some scores from past bowl games.

My darkhorse Stanford still rolling. Gerhart is a fun running back to watch and is actually pretty talented. Nice test weekend in Corvallis against the Beavers.

This week in Bandit's brought to you in part by:

2009-10-05T16:05:00.006-04:00

"Frank's Motorcycle Emporium, where everyone can ride"

The genius of Andy Samberg, the only positive thing left on SNL:

The number 1864. As in the year LSU's first president, William Tecumseh Sherman burned down half the state of Georgia. I swear, if Dawg fans keep up the whining over penalties, I will burn down the other half of that state. Learn to tackle or shut up. Such crybabies. First 2007 now this. This week in Georgia athletics sponsored by the word "WAAAHHHHHHHH!" and tears. Lots of sad tears that taste of loss and bitterness and broken hope.

SUNDAY SOAPBOX: Quarterback Questions

2009-10-04T01:41:00.001-04:00

First of all, I'm not whining about LSU's QB situation at all. Jefferson, so far, has earned his spot, is leading LSU to victory, and takes care of the football generally. But, he's also not exactly burning up the joint. So it's interesting to me to compare the two heading into the Florida game. Because after Florida last year, Lee went on a pick-six streak that had Tiger fans booing the young QB.

So - I'm gonna take a look at Lee and Jefferson, and throw in a little post-script about Russell Shepard.

COMPARING 2008 JARRETT LEE & 2009 JORDAN JEFFERSON

Heading into last year's matchup with Florida, redshirt freshman QB Jarrett Lee was under a lot of scrutiny. Tiger fans were generally very unhappy, still high on BCS championship champagne from 2007. But, statistically, Lee was having a reasonable freshman season at that point. After 4 games, he had completed approximately 58% of his passes for 161 yards/game, 6 TDs and 3 interceptions. Unfortunately, 1 of those picks was returned for a TD (Auburn). Little did any of us know, there were going to be 6 more pick-sixes for Lee.

After the first five games this season, sophomore QB Jordan Jefferson heads into his matchup against Tim Tebow (maybe?) having completed 63% of his passes for 184 yards/game, 7 TDs and 2 picks.

On the surface, those stats aren't all that different from one another. Jefferson's numbers are slightly better than Lee's in each category. But not significantly better.

But two distinctions leap out when comparing Jefferson and Lee.

The first, and to me the most glaring, is expectations.

Lee was leading a team that was following the 2007 national championship run. Jefferson is following a 5 loss "disaster" season.
Lee was following a 5th year senior QB. Jefferson is following Lee's 7 pick-sixes.

The second distinction is sacks. This time last year, Lee had been sacked one time. Jefferson, has been sacked 13 times. Now, the offensive line is different this year without Helms and Big Herman. But 12 sacks different? OK - throw out the fifth game and the SIX sacks Georgia amassed. That still leaves 7 sacks in four games for Jefferson. And one last year for Lee. And Jefferson is supposed to be a mobile QB (which he decidedly is). Lee is supposed to be a classic pocket passer.

So, why the huge increase in sacks? Simple. Lee is a better passing QB. Period. Dot.

It's OK, Rantards of the world. Breathe. Read it again. Ponder it. Because it's true.

Go back and watch game film. Lee is a much more polished passer. Better throwing motion. More accurate. Hits far more receivers in stride. Throws far fewer passes behind receivers. And gets rid of the football quicker. Lee is a better passer than Jordan Jefferson. Jefferson's numbers are slightly better for a couple of reasons. First, Jefferson throws A TON of short passes. Second, Jefferson hasn't had the benefit of a healthy running attack so he's HAD to throw more. And Lee shared time with Hatch for the first few games. After 4 games, Lee had thrown 77 passes to Jefferson's 101.

Lee is also braver than Jefferson. He took more chances last year. He made more great throws. He also overplayed his hand a lot and threw a BUNCH of interceptions, 7 of them returned for touchdowns.

So. What am I saying? I'm saying Jordan Jefferson is having a pretty good sophomore year as a QB. I'm saying at this time last year, Jarrett Lee was having a pretty good freshman year as a QB. Until Florida.

Would Lee be able to lead this LSU team to the same 5-0 record? Obviously, there's absolutely no way to tell. But there's at least a small chance that Lee would have better numbers this year, be more accurate, and have hit Lafell and Toliver in stride more consistently. Or not. We'll probably never know. But if it becomes necessary to know, I hope Lee is ready to grab the reins. Because as crazy as this season seems, it will get crazier if Jefferson gets hurt and Lee returns to 2008 form. Because this next fella isn't ready to take the whole shebang.

RUSSELL SHEPARD

This kid is impressive. He hasn't really been a big factor in any games, but that's not his fault. First of all, he's only played a few downs per game. Secondly, the defense knows he's going to carry the ball every time he's in the game. It's not exactly deceptive. And yet he still gets about 7 yards per carry. That's pretty impressive. Imagine how effective he could be if defenses were forced to honor the pass when he's in the game.

So why not have him throw the ball? Seems like Gary Crowton and Les Miles are missing the boat on Shepard's talent. Nah.

When the game is in doubt, Shep doesn't see the field. I think it's pretty clear that Miles and Crowton are giving Shep his touches to get him seasoned, to let him get bloodied a bit. But it's not Shep's time yet. The Tigers have ~~boup coup~~ beaucoup weapons in the arsenal.

Still - the first time Shep throws the ball, some defense is going to be very surprised and it could be a very big play.

Perhaps that team will be Florida? Hmmm...

Bullet Points - Great Win for LSU

2009-10-03T22:55:00.001-04:00

GOOD STUFF

Offensive line play. Yes, LSU was sacked 6 times. But that sits on Jefferson, not the line. Jefferson had time to throw but held onto the ball too long too many times. The offensive line also generated some push against the defensive line. And you gotta give props to a unit that was obviously suffering some illness.
The Defense. LSU's defense will continue to bend but not break. And although Georgia had a couple of big plays, the defense came through allowing only 13 points to an offense with enough firepower to pile up 52 and 41 points on Arkansas and South Carolina.
Patrick Peterson. Yes, A.J. Green had a good day. But A.J. Green is a fantastic receiver and Peterson was great keeping him at bay. Most of Green's big plays came when Peterson was on the other side.
Special teams. The Tiger kicking game was very good. The punting game pinned Georgia against their goal line twice. And kickoff coverage continues to be aggressive and good.
The team's character - Miles said it himself. This team won't quit. I remember saying that about the 2007 team. I'm not expecting the same result. And I don't see the same obvious team leaders. But there's a no-quit feel to this team.

WTFO?

Red Zone? The score should've been 28-0 at half time. LSU's Red Zone disease in the first half was kind of unbelievable.
Third Downs. The Tigers were only 5 of 14 on 3rd downs, but allowed Georgia to convert 7 of 17. Wouldn't it be nice if those stats were reversed...
Jordan Jefferson's timing. The LSU quarterback is a great athlete, and he has earned praise from coaches and media for being unflappable. But his timing is still way off. Lots of passes behind and over receivers. Jefferson has been hitting receivers after they're obviously open, and not as they're getting open. Honestly, he's fortunate to not have had more passes picked. And he has been sacked a lot this year, mostly because he holds onto the ball too long. As Jefferson fixes his timing, he will become a very good SEC QB. But he needs to fix it.
Excessive celebration penalties? Stupid. Absolutely ridiculous. None of those were excessive. I think LSU scores anyway, but that last penalty against Georgia was just stupid.
Will LSU develop a pass rush and sack QBs? Stay tuned. (If Cox were a better QB, UGA would've easily won this game. No secondary can cover everyone all the time.)

SUNDAY SOAPBOX tomorrow, and hopefully a podcast on the way.

Geaux Tigers!

What I want to see out of the Tigers

2009-10-03T12:46:00.007-04:00

1. First and foremost, heart/pride/fight. It's a broken record, but this is THE most crucial ingredient that separates the truly great teams from the also rans. There's no reason that LSU can't show up and win, they are a better team. They just have to want to be great and impose their will on Georgia.

2.

Patrick Peterson all over this poor All Pro Hall of Famer stuck in college AJ Green. Only Peterson stands a chance against this unstoppable force of catching. No matter where Green is, Peterson should be right there opposite him, smothering him and making him look like a poor insulting imitation of the actual best receiver in the SEC, LaFell.

(photo credit: nola.com)

3. Keep taking care of the ball and force turnovers.

If the Tigers do these three things, I will be happy and a win should be the result. Say what you will about the d line, the o line, Jefferson, the Tigers can win with the same levels of performance there as long as they execute those three maxims.

Outgoing Mail

2009-10-02T10:27:00.002-04:00

Thoughts, wide ranging and varying in scope

2009-10-01T13:06:00.002-04:00

Last Thursday I noticed two things: the SC defense is stout. and you can run on Ole Miss. Hell between that and a decent defense stopping them cold, they may be a big let down for the Rebels. Either way, it will be fun watching the season play out for these squads. I have no idea which way to pick Auburn and Tennessee. So this will be the learning game for me this week.

I wasn't the only one who called Southern Cal at Washington. What's funny is how all the bloggers had them vastly overrated in the polls. And refused to acknowledge such after their battle of mediocrity in Columbus the previous week. You want to see good prognostication? Forget mainstream media, forget even the bloggers. Go listen to habitual degenerate dirty bettors. Everyone was all over Washington.

To say nothing of how I was after LSU won in Seattle. So yeah, I called Washington being good, giving SC fits and going to a bowl after the first game. I'm sooooooo smart (really I did, in the airport in Seattle). But really, having them at #2 for weeks before their comeuppance was just foolish. Bloggers who style themselves amongst the best were guilty of this mistake. No one's perfect, but it irks me when people place any team up there without thinking one little bit about it.

Which brings me to the hypocrisy of the talk about LSU. Everyone and I mean everyone is and has been talking trash about LSU, questioning how good they are and placing them far far down in their rankings. And that's fine, free speech is free speech and everyone has an opinion. But this just makes the people I mentioned earlier look really stupid. Touting an obviously deficient Southern Cal and trashing LSU reeks of amateurism and shoddy work. As I said, these are bloggers holding themselves out as the elite and they're only making fools of themselves.

LSU, contrary to mass groupthink in the media and blogs, is not as much an unknown as they say. LSU has 3 decent wins and one blemish of a game (which was a win!). Someone over at ATVS summed it up, you can rationalize every game, including State. Moreover, everyone is bitching about #4 LSU. But every team some pundit suggests or ranks there has the same record. Some like Iowa, some Houston, some Boise or TCU. Everyone of those teams has the same type of performances as LSU, or worse. It's just a goofy season like that so far. Outside of UF, UT and Bama, no one is that impressive.

Of course, UGA will tell us much more. But LSU can take it one game at a time, they can be in every game. But that's asking for some improvement. And I think the easiest improvement they can buy is on the defense. But we've gotta get a pass rush out of the front four.

On offense, I think Jordan can come along, but it may take all season. In the meantime, the quick improvement is, again on the line. We've gotta get the straight ahead power running game going. That or change some playcalling. I think LSU could be deadly running a spread and wildcat with Jefferson, Sheppard, Williams and Holliday. That's fodder for an explorative post of another time.

So it kind of comes down to our lines. They improve, LSU can easily attain my 10-2 mark. They don't we're perilously close to 8-4. Either way, as suggested in comments below, these are investments that can come to maturity for us next year. What MUST happen for success now and in the future, is to find the leadership, pride, fight, fire, whatever that LSU had in 2007 and other seasons. It is imperative for leaders to step up and take control of this team. I think we may be seeing that with Jones. Let's keep an eye on it.

I read my Phil Steele's like a good boy in the preseason. I ended up reading about the Pac10 after studying up on Washington. I meant to say it earlier, Stanford is for real. They were my dark horse before the season. They are covering every game and playing solidly so why are they not ranked highly and respected? I will admit I had Cal as my Pac10 favorite and Southern Cal as losing 2 -4 games. This weekend's game will make me look average or brilliant in that respect. But keep an eye on Stanford, they are rolling. They could actually sneak in there, but I'm sure they'll drop a game.

I was watching ESPN News during their college football roundup and you know they have the bottom line running all the time with updates on every sport. They had one little runner for the WNBA saying Diana Taurasi was going to win MVP. I really don't care less about the news. I mention it because they ran a little portrait of her down there. Someone should tell ESPN doing so hurts my eyes and makes it reeeeaaaaal easy to change the channel. Talk about WNBA or other crap all you want, just put pictures of someone else up there. It can be completely unrelated, I don't care. Just no more Diana Taurasi.

This week in Bandit's brought to you in part by:

2009-09-29T16:22:00.006-04:00

Whatever body shop that hangs its hat on this work:

A movie I wish was being made:
*

And the number 0.154, the Tigers third down conversion rate against Miss. St. after going 2 for 13 (2 for 15 if you count 4th downs). That has to change, or my liquor bill will.

* if they actually made a movie like this, it would probably bring together generations. Or not. It's shame that parodying crappy teen comedies is easy. I want more like this.

SUNDAY SOAPBOX: An Intervention

2009-09-27T11:28:00.001-04:00

We need to talk.

You have an expectation problem and you need help.

Ever since LSU blew out Georgia Tech in the Peach Bowl last year, you've been secretly expecting a dominating season this year. Don't deny it - you thought we'd crush teams with our offense and maybe only lose to Florida.

Oh, that's not what you've been SAYING to people. You've been telling your friends that LSU will probably lose three games this year. But secretly, you've been expecting MUCH more.

You're destroying your season, dude. There's a perfectly good football seaon happening right under your nose, a winning football season, a bowl season - and you're destroying it - all because you have an expectation problem. You need to stop.

You need to face some facts and rehabilitate your expectations.

FACT: Jordan Jefferson is a true sophomore QB with only, what, 6 starts? He's not a world-beater yet. The QBs that led the 2003 and 2007 teams were fifth year seniors. HUGE difference. Jefferson is doing fine. He's working on his timing. But he's not there yet. When he gets there, though, he'll be special.

FACT: LSU's offensive line is still a work in progress. That's regettable, since we're approaching mid-season, but it's a fact. And we're seriously missing Brett Helms and Herman Johnson! But this offensive line is NOT last year's offensive line. The running game is NOT Charles Scott's fault. It's not the coaches' fault. Everyone is waiting for the offensive line to wake up.

FACT: Without a quality offensive line that can open holes, and without a seasoned QB that can pick apart a secondary, LSU isn't going to dominate anyone consistently. The offense is going to sputter at times this year.

FACT: LSU's defense this year is not going to dominate anyone. Period. The defense is going to bend. Occassionally it will break. But sometimes, they'll also make big plays because of the amazing athletes LSU has. So stop expecting a game full of 3 and outs. Aint gonna happen. Stop expecting a top 10 ranking in defensive statistics. Not very likely.

FINAL FACT: This LSU football team is going to play up or down to it's competition. All year. The team isn't looking for it's peronality anymore. The team has found it's personality - and that's it. Cardiac Cats, 2009 version.

Look. You and I have a lot in common. And I enjoy hanging out with you. But you are ruining your football season and running off your friends with all your unrealistic expectations. No one wants to be around an angry, unhappy, manic-depressive football fan.

If you need treatment, spend time pondering the LSU football teams under Mike Archer and Curley Hallman. That's what LSU football used to be like.

You need to do something, dude. And quickly. Because LSU is about to enter the meat of the SEC schedule. And with your expectations, I'm worried about you. You may not have any sanity or friends left after the Florida game.

I'm only pointing all this out because I care.

Outgoing Mail

2009-09-25T12:56:00.002-04:00

Don't Go Away - We'll Be Right Back

2009-09-23T11:17:00.000-04:00

I've moved my entire existence westward across the country. The next week or so will be spent holding paint brushes, screw drivers and box cutters instead of my laptop. So blogging and pod casting will be sparse.

Go Tigers!

SUNDAY SOAPBOX: Driveby Edition

2009-09-20T09:54:00.004-04:00

On the road. My random and haphazard thoughts on last night's 31-3 win over the Ragin Cajuns.

Good stuff

A win is a win. And this one was never in doubt, not even close.
Defense looked very good in spots and didn't give up a big play.
Chad Jones - 2 interceptions, 1 pass breakup, 4 tackles - very good night.
That win over UW looks pretty sweet considering they beat the Trojans!
Lafell and Toliver looked good. Randle got his first catch.
Helton was consistent and had a 44 yard average per punt.
Awesome goal line stand!
The school formerly known as USL still hasn't scored a TD on LSU in like 85 years.

Annoying, Fans are Never Happy Stuff

Jordan Jefferson still not opening the field with a credible long ball = stack the box.
Offensive line is inconsistent to be generous. Big Herm's/Brett Helms absences are being felt in a huge way.
No killer instinct so far in this team.
Shepard will not be effective if he runs every single time he gets the ball.
Richard Dickson should be getting 3 or 4 more passes per game over the middle to make the LBs honor the pass.
There was no flow to this game, and the offense looked downright confused at times.

It's still early, but it's getting less early. Mississippi State is the last tune up game of the season. Georgia's offense is rolling. Florida is Florida. I expect LSU will be 5-1 coming out of the Florida game, but to avoid being 4-2, the offense is going to have to get moving. 360 total yards against this Ragin Cajun team does not give me confidence that LSU will be able to run with the SEC big dogs, even if the defense is able to rein in UGA and Tebow a bit.

OVERALL: Glad of the easy win, but nervous about the next three games.

Outgoing Mail

2009-09-18T09:22:00.002-04:00

Ragin' on the Cajuns: Will the Real LSU Offense Please Stand Up?!

2009-09-17T07:04:00.003-04:00

I'm in the middle of moving West (and I don't mean Lake Charles), so this is gonna be quick.

I've already said below that I expect LSU to enter this game looking to prove (to themselves, the fans and the nation) that they are a championship caliber team. What that translates to in the game is a more aggressive offense. And the defense is going to look to equal or better it's domination of Vandy last week.

LSU Offense vs Ragin' Cajun Defense

UL-L has a couple of good linebackers and a reasonable defensive line, but I don't expect them to be able to stop the LSU offense very much. The LSU offensive line remains the question - if they gel, and can protect Jefferson, then game over. Of course, establishing the passing game over the middle (Richard Dickson) and deep (Lafell/Toliver), will greatly aid the offensive line. It's tough to protect the QB, or open up running lanes, when the defense "stacks the box" and feels comfortable blitzing multiple folks on passing downs.

I look for Jefferson to be tasked to throw deeper down field in this game. So far, he hasn't shown the touch to hit receivers in good coverage, but he also hasn't attempted very many of those throws. I think LSU will willingly risk ruining his interception-free season so far by pushing him to go for the tough strikes in order to stretch the field on UL-L and prepare for SEC defenses down the road. He's got the arm strength. So the question is can he thread the needle or hit the receivers on the run? I think he can - he's done it in the past. It's a question of gaining confidence during the game and not being overly conservative.

Advantage: LSU

LSU Defense vs. UL-L Offense

Ragin' Cajun QB Chris Masson has a good arm and drew pretty high praise from Les Miles during his Monday press conference. Couple that with an experienced and hefty offensive line and UL-L should be able to threaten to move the football and score points. RB Undrea Sails is having a solid season so far, with a 114 yard effort against Southern and around 80 yards last week in the win against Kansas State. The Ragin' Cajun offense has been balanced so far this year, and Masson is completing close to 60% of his passes with 4 TDs and 1 interception.

With such a veteran, experienced OL, I expect UL-L to be able to move the football at times. But LSU clearly has the better athletes in this matchup. The unit that will determine if/how much LSU dominates this matchup is the linebackers. Harry Coleman had a great game against Vandy, but the entire LB corps needs to step up in this game. Assuming the LSU defensive front has their hands full with a good Cajun offensive line, the LBs stand to see a lot of action. LSU's secondary is good and improving, so Masson will have to earn his completions downfield. If the LBs step up, UL-L could be frustrated all night. And I doubt seriously Sails has a 100 yard game against a solid LSU middle and talented LSU DEs.

Advantage: LSU

Special Teams

Cajun kicker Albrecht is coming off a game-winning FG against Kansas State. But he's clearly matched by Josh Jasper, who is perfect so far on FGs and extra points. LSU has yet to scare anyone in the return game (except for maybe frightening Tiger Fans with a bobbled punt return last week), and the long snapper had a screw up against Vandy. Overall, based on limited knowledge and LSU's mediocre (overall) performance last week, this is a push.

Advantage: Tie

Result: I see UL-L driving twice and benefiting from good field position on a third possession. One TD, two FGs. I see LSU driving relentlessly against the Cajuns with a wide-open offense.

Score: LSU 45, UL-L 13

Tigers and Ragin' Cajuns: It's a Trap! But for Who?

2009-09-16T09:51:00.004-04:00

The School Formerly Known as Southwestern is bringing a fired up, confident football team into Tiger Stadium this weekend. And they should be fired up and confident - they are 2-0 for the first time in awhile, and they are fresh from an upset of the Big-12's Kentucky/South Carolina/Mississippi State clone, Kansas State. That's no small feat. You can bet Kansas State scheduled that game as a tune up for their Big 12 schedule and got handed more than they bargained for.

LSU, on the other hand, is used to being 2-0 at this point in the season, used to being ranked in or near the Top-10, used to working out the kinks against rent-a-win teams before the meat of the SEC schedule. With Mississippi State next week, Georgia the week after, and The Leviathan featuring Tim Tebow after that, LSU might be tempted to look past the Ragin' Cajuns.

In that configuration, this weekend could be called a Trap Game - an easily overlooked but deceptively solid opponent sneaking up on a team focused elsewhere.

Well, I think this is a Trap Game. But not for LSU. It's a trap for the Ragin' Cajuns.

The Tigers are #9 in the country and have victories over respectable opponents in the bag. But this is not a team that is at all comfortable with how they're playing. From the coaches to the players, there is a very evident focus on regaining dominance on offense and defense.

There are many examples of this attitude. For instance, after being named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against Vandy, defensive end Rahim Alem quipped, "I guess it was a down week." He didn't like his peformance, thought he was not at his best, and is looking to prove himself as a complete defensive end. Another example is Les Miles' post-game comments to his team. He clearly called out the offense for putting the defense on the field too much and not scoring enough points.

Although neither Washington or Vanderbilt are slouch opponents, this LSU football team has not yet played a game that approaches their potential. The offense is scoring, but not consistently. Jordan Jefferson is efficient, but he hasn't established the "vertical" game - the deep ball threat. Keiland Williams and Charles Scott are solid, but neither has a 100 yard game yet. The offensive line has not gelled and is probably getting tired of being called "a concern". You know Ciron Black is not enjoying his unit being the center of negative media attention.

The defense played better against Vandy, but they were far less than dominant by any stretch. And while it is true that spread offenses have made it almost impossible to completely stymie offensive production, the defense expects more of itself than what it has shown so far. Chad Jones hasn't been the dominating safety many hope he will be. The QB pressure hasn't been as consistent yet. And teams have been able to run the ball on the vaunted LSU defensive line.

And then there's the Ragin' Cajuns. After beating Kansas State last week, they're not sneaking up on anyone. That jig is up.

Overall, some pundits have opined that this LSU team is "a joke" at #9 in the AP rankings. And certainly almost everyone in the media, including local Louisiana types, expect Alabama and Ole Miss to beat LSU and be the only true contenders for the SEC West title.

All of that has created an underlying lack of respect both nationally and locally for LSU's lofty national ranking. That perception is not lost on the coaches or the team. And they won't be just accepting it during practice this week.

No, this is not a trap game for LSU. The Tigers will be extremely focused on proving to themselves and their fans that this 2009 team deserves to be in the Top 10 and has a legitimate shot at playing Florida for the SEC championship.

This may in fact be a Trap Game for the Ragin' Cajuns. Certainly, the boys from Lafayette will show up prepared and ready to play. I don't think for a second that they'll be looking past LSU or over-confident. But this solid Ragin' Cajun football team may be walking into a meat grinder. The weather should be good. It's a night game in Tiger Stadium. And the 2009 LSU Tigers are healthy, dissatisfied, and have something to prove.

More specifics of what I expect to see in the next entry, but if I were a betting man I'd give the 26 points in this one. Normally, LSU doesn't seem to cover. But I think this game in some ways puts the rest of the season in perspective for LSU, and I think the team and coaches will be looking to make a statement.

New TMD Podcast is Up.

2009-09-15T11:35:00.000-04:00

As always, your comments are welcome. Skype us at banditslsusports and leave us a message - we'll include it in our next podcast.

SUNDAY SOAPBOX: Wet and Ugly-- LSU 23, Vandy 9

2009-09-13T11:34:00.001-04:00

(image: LSUSports.net)

To paraphrase Coach Miles himself, it wasn't the prettiest of wins. But victory is the key point.

It was the offense's turn to underperform as LSU struggled to establish a consistent running attack against Vanderbilt. The defense, however, played much better football, particularly in the second half.

The weather clearly impacted the game in the first half, drenching almost the entire second quarter. With that in mind, it's a good sign that LSU only lost one fumble. Both teams, however, put the ball on the carpet a few times. But by the mid-third quarter, even the mist subsided and the field was in remarkably good shape for the amount of rain the stadium got during the day.

Rather than recap (you can get that here), lets laser in on a few positions on both sides of the football.

OFFENSE

1. Running game. The Tigers put 173 yards of rushing on the books against a reasonable Vanderbilt defense. Keiland Williams seemed to be inspired, consistently finding seams and making cuts that made him tough to bring down. When he sees daylight and shifts gears, he's very explosive and he showed that a lot last night, gaining 73 yards on 10 carries. Charles Scott had 13 carries for 50 yards. On paper, Scott's game doesn't look very good, and there may be a tendency for some to wonder if Scott's off his game. But Scott lined up at fullback a bit last night, and he also got the call on tough 3rd and short situations. His runs generally took him between the tackles in obvious running situations, and on a couple of occassions he carried defenders with him as he trucked his way to first downs. Scott is still running hard. Richard Murphy had at least one nice carry, but unfortunately got hurt and will miss at least one game. And Russell Shepard finally saw the field, but we'll cover his action in a bit.

Overall, the running game was OK. But the Tigers couldn't run the ball when Vandy knew they were going to run. And Coach Miles is understandably concerned about that - Vandy is good, but there be dragons ahead. Part of the problem is that the LSU offensive line has still not lived up to expectations and billing (of the coaches). And part of the problem is that Charles Scott just seemed determined to run North/South last night, instead of abandoning a clogged middle for daylight to the East/West.

The running game will have to open up so that the offense can remain balanced against quality defenses like Florida and others.

2. Russell Shepard. This guy is everything he's been hyped to be, maybe more. He lined up at QB three times, I think, and averaged 9 yards per carry. Perhaps his most impressive carry came when he quickly reversed field in the face of a wall of defenders and turned a loss/no gain into an 8 yard gain. He's just flat out fast and quick.   If Shepard learns to throw the football well, LSU fans will be rooting for Jefferson to go to the NFL early in 2010 so Shep can take the QB spot. He's going to be amazing.

One negative note - after a nice reception and a few yards after catch, Shepard coughed up the football on his second play as a Tiger. Fumbles are not brushed aside on Les Miles football teams. Shepard did not see the field much after the fumble and I can't help but wonder if Miles was making a point with the young future superstar.

3. R. J. Jackson. Who? R. J. Jackson is a fifth-year senior WR that has had to play behind the likes of Dwayne Bowe, Buster Davis, Early Doucet and Brandon LaFell. Last night, he had a career performance, with 6 catches for 55 yards. Les Miles has a well deserved, and to me admirable, reputation for giving deserving seniors a chance to shine, sometimes at the cost of stunting the potential growth of talented underclassmen. There are many examples from previous seasons, including DT Charles Alexander, who has been less than healthy for a long time, but seems to be having a good year so far this year. R.J. Jackson is in that group and he took full advantage last night, getting open, catching everything thrown to him, and playing smart, tough-nosed football. There are so many weapons on LSU's roster, it's hard to imagine Jackson will continue to breakout all season long - but he may. One thing is certain - he proved last night that he can be a very potent possession receiver for LSU.

4. Jordan Jefferson. 20-29, 138 yards, 0 TDs, 0 ints, 3 sacks. On the surface, not brilliant numbers. Taken in context with the rain and how much pressure Jefferson felt most of the night, those are very good numbers. The low yardage total reflects the nature of the play calling - lots of short, safe passes. Jefferson went deep a couple of times but did not connect.   Maybe the ball was wet, or maybe he's just not got his touch down yet. But he did miss a few open receivers downfield. Also, Vanderbilt has a pretty talented secondary and the yards after catch were tough to get last night. The 3 sacks is telling because it could have been 6 or more. Jefferson did a very nice job of using his feet to avoid losses and also stepping up in the pocket at times. By mid-SEC play, Jefferson may be a very, very dangerous QB and LSU's WR corps may start piling up the yardage.

5. Offensive Line. This unit continues to be somewhat of an enigma. At times, they seem sharp, and at other times they seem discombobulated. I think there were 3 or 4 penalties on the OL last night, including one holding call. That's not awful, but it's also a bit uncharacteristic compared to last season and the first game at Washington. Jefferson also felt a lot of pressure yet again. Some of that pressure came for blitzes, but not all of it. There wasn't a lot of rotation last night on the line, so if everyone stays healthy, they should be on the same page by Georgia. We'll have to see. The offensive line remains the only real question mark on this side of the football.

DEFENSE

1. Patrick Peterson. After a huge game against Washington, the superstar sophomore CB was absolutely silent against Vanderbilt. Peterson has no stats from the game, and I don't remember seeing him much or hearing his name. He definitely started and played most of the game. It's hard to tell without a wider perspective of the game than the TV allows, but I'd have to guess that LSU played a lot of man-man coverage and Peterson's man just took him away from the football all night. There's no other explanation unless he got injured or was taken out of the game and I just didn't notice it. If I were Vandy, I'd try to negate Peterson as much as possible. Maybe they were effective. And maybe he covered his man like a blanket all night and they just didn't challenge him at all.

2. Harry Coleman. Chavis' move of Coleman from safety to LB has been a huge success in my opinion. Coleman has always been a vicious tackler, and his speed on the outside makes him a very effective option in cover situations as well. Coleman led LSU tacklers last night with 10 combined including a QB hurry, and he was close to getting to Vanderbilt's talented signal caller, Larry Smith, a couple of times.

3. Defensive Line. I remain convinced that the defensive line play, more than any other unit, will determine the course of LSU's season. As they are wont to do, LSU rotated the front four a lot last night and they all played well. My only complaint is that LSU had a tough time getting to the QB again. But in fairness, both Washington and Vandy have very mobile and talented QBs and Smith more often that not threw the ball very quickly last night - similar to Troy and North Texas last year. Tough to get a sack when the QB has the ball out of his hands in 2-3 seconds. Rahim Alem was all over the field and a factor in both running and passing situations. But the biggest story is probably Charles Alexander, who (knock on wood) is healthy and playing with fire. Woods, Aghayere, Nevis, Edwards and Downs all saw time on the line and played well. Edwards had a big sack and pressured the QB on the plays he was in the game.

4. 3 and outs. LSU's defense forced Vandy to "3 and out" far more times than they were able to achieve in Washington. Obviously, this keeps the defense off the field and this is crucial. Time of possession for this game was much more to LSU's advantage (36 to 24) than last week. The only negative to that stat is that LSU didn't score more when they had the opportunity.

SPECIAL TEAMS

1. Derek Helton. Better. And one flash of his potential - a very nice 50 yarder with enough hang time to force a fair catch. Other punts were average or below average.   But perhaps he's warming to big time college football. He did have one snap go sailing over his head that forced a safety, but clearly not his fault.

2. Josh Jasper. 3/3 from 32/22/24. Too bad he had to kick all three. But he did a fine job. His kickoffs were generally deep with good hang time as well.

3. Trindon Holliday. Not as effective last night returning punts or kicks, and made a couple of mental errors. He fumbled a punt return that was fortunately recovered by LSU. And he drifted over and almost interfered with Ron Brooks' fielding of a kickoff. Holliday is a threat with his legs. But sometimes he's scary fielding the football.

BOTTOM LINE

This was a solid win against a good Vandy team. Biggest points to work on are still tackling by the defense and shoring up the offensive line. Once that's fixed, and the playbook gets opened up even more, LSU fans should expect a very good, very exciting season.

And with Georgia not exaclty looking like a defensive power this year, I'm starting to really like LSU's chances between the hedges in a few weeks.

Outgoing Mail

2009-09-11T13:54:00.004-04:00

Two Minute Drill #3 Podcast is up

2009-09-10T22:36:00.000-04:00

Quick overview and keys to the game. Leave comments here. Also, you can Skype us at banditslsusports and leave comments or a message. We'll include comments in our next podcast.

Joshua Goes to Seattle Chapter 1, Where Joshua Sleeps and Drinks in Various Places

2009-09-09T00:32:00.007-04:00

If you ever forget your drivers license, you can still get onto a plane without it. With an expired passport, apologetic smile and a charming personality, I was able to board my flight to the northwest. Thanks to the generosity of a friend, I was able to fly for free, albeit with a convoluted tour of every time zone in the United States. I left NOLA for Atlanta, departed Atlanta for Salt Lake City and fled Salt Lake City for Seattle.

The best money spent? $50 for some decent earphones for my ipod. The 4 hour flight from Atlanta to Salt Lake had lots of kids and other undesirables I was forced to travel with. With the dulcet tones of Flogging Molly, Morphine and Every Time I Die, slumber was easily found. Runner up on expenditures? The Beam and coke in the Salt Lake airport. It's my traditional Fall saturday tailgate drink and it was the first one of the season, in Mormon land no less. Sweet, sweet booze. Worst expenditure? The damned cab ride from Sea-Tac to the Queen Anne district downtown.

The Queen Anne district is a charming neighborhood that boasted a remarkable landmark, the hotel containing my bed. Oh, and the Space Needle was there as well. Also present were LSU fans on every block, like repeatedly spawning characters in a Grand Theft Auto Seattle landscape, as was a nice Irish pub who offered the usual succulent brews and comestibles. Not present were women who cared one iota for their appearance. I was saddened and offer that as the reason I returned to the hotel and fell asleep till midnight, when a partner in crime arrived.

My partner in crime is a terrifically intelligent fellow who also managed to leave his wallet in the cab. One Beam and RC made for travel later and it was tally ho for the airport to get the wallet. Upon our 1:30am return to our stomping grounds to meet other accomplices, we found that despite the 2am closing time we were not to be admitted to any bar as they were done serving at 1:30am. This completely mystified everyone from Louisiana.

So our merry band returned to the hotel. Drinking and planning ensued. Followed quickly like the restless sleep of a child on Christmas Eve.

New Podcast is Up on the Blog

2009-09-08T23:12:00.000-04:00

Check the right panel for Two Minute Drill #2. Will have it up on iTunes in the next day or so - having technical difficulties (i.e. I'm not good at this yet...)

As always, leave your feedback in the comments!

Bob Wynn's LSU vs. Vandy Blog

2009-09-08T13:23:00.000-04:00

Bob has another single-game blog up for Saturday's matchup. Already some good stuff there. Go check it out.

Early Impressions Around the Internets...

2009-09-06T08:41:00.002-04:00

Since the game was so late, there's not a lot worth quoting out there. Here are a couple of tidbits.

Randy Rosetta, The Advocate:

Sparked by quarterback Jake Locker’s 321-yard passing night and Chris Polk’s 90 yards rushing, Washington dissected the defense for 478 total yards — more than they allowed in any game a year ago.

Wow. Just, wow. That's more than Florida and Georgia, who put up over 50 points on LSU and the co-coordinator system. Thanks for the perspective, Randy. Ouch.

Bob Condotta, Seattle Times:

The Washington Huskies have come a long way under new coach Steve Sarkisian.

That was evident in the glorious first few minutes of their season opener Saturday night against Louisiana State.

Richard Pittman, ATVS

Jordan Jefferson had a pretty nice night. He started 1 for 6 but after that went 10 for 13 with 3 touchdowns and zero INTs. He was also effective with his legs and had an ATVSQBPI of 10.2 yards per play

I agree - statistically, Jefferson did fine. (ATVSQBPI is Pittman's own QB rating formula). Subjectively, he looked like the young sophomore with minimal experience that he is. Folks will take solace that he doesn't throw interceptions (because that's the best way to compare him to Lee). Personally, I want to see Jefferson taking some chances, standing in the pocket longer, and firing to Lafell and Toliver at a more frequent clip. He should be comfortable doing that by Georgia.

John Berkowitz, UW Dog Pound

The difference in this one was big plays and penalties. The Pac 10 refs did their best SEC imitiation by questionably penalizing the Huskies for 11 penalties for 85 yards in comparison to 3 for 35 for the Tigers. The ofifciating (sic) as usual in the Pac 10 was bad and had a anti UW slant.

Well, from a different perspective, LSU was being held flagrantly all night long, and I don't remember a single holding penalty against UW. I will agree that the officiating was shoddy. Biased against UW? Maybe LSU is just more disciplined at this stage of the season.

Here's a YouTube vid of the last two drives - sorta painful to watch Washington just waltz down the field on the LSU defense in the last 2 mins of the game.

DISAPPOINTING WIN: LSU 31, Washington 23

2009-09-06T03:03:00.003-04:00

I don't want to overreact. A win is a win, especially on the road against a BCS school with a proud heritage and something to prove. But there are some clear reasons to be disappointed in this win. In my opinion, LSU's performance tonight raised more questions than it answered.

(DISCLAIMER: I'm not discounting that Washington is probably a better team than some expected them to be. But I don't think they'll be in the top half of the Pac-10 this year, so I'm going to assume they're close enough to expectations for the season - improved, but not awesome.)

But first, just to stay positive, let's give a couple of answers to questions. The first one is, "Will Terrance Toliver have a breakout season?" I think the answer is yes. He led all receivers in the game with 117 yards and 2 TDs on 4 catches. Most impressively, Toliver's yards after catch (I don't have the number) were very good. Teams now have to honor Toliver (not that they weren't aware of him before), watch Lafell, and there more arrows in the quiver that were not revealed tonight.

Another question that seems to at least be trending to an acceptable answer is, "Will LSU be able to return to the 2007 level of advantageous turnover ratio?" LSU had one fumble (Charles Scott) that was just barely a fumble (last minute strip), but a fumble nonetheless. Conversely, the Tigers got a pick-six and a fumble recovery. That's a nice change of pace from last year, and I'll just leave that right where it is.

I think that's about all I can say positively about tonight's game. There are a lot of questions, but let's just choose 5 for now.

1. "Is John Chavis really a great Defensive Coordinator?" I don't know. But, if you read the press and message boards about Chavis' hire, you'd think this couldn't possibly be a serious question. He has been hailed as the savior of LSU defenses. The genius who will bring LSU back to national defensive prowess. Yet his defense just gave up 478 yards and 23 points to a team with a patchwork offensive line. Yep - 478 yards. 25 first downs. And LOTS of big plays given up. LSU's vaunted secondary, the one that Coach Miles says has 3 future NFL first rounders in it, just gave up 320 yards passing. Dayum. Yes, Jake Locker is a pretty good QB. "320 yards and 2 TDs against future NFL first round draft picks" good? Personally - I don't think so. Anyway - this is a big, fat, nasty open question as of right now. If LSU cannot rush the passer, we, as LSU fans, are in for a long, disappointing year. I know this because I lived it last year. And if we repeat last year, then tell me why Mallory and Peveto got such a bad rap again?

2. "Is LSU's offensive line going to be able to handle SEC play?" Again, I thought the only question was at center. But Washington's DL held LSU's awesome RB stable to less than 150 yards rushing. And Jefferson had very few opportunities to check down and choose receivers unmolested. I know Washington has a couple of really good DLinemen. But so does every SEC team, and some non-SEC teams, on the LSU schedule. This is another very troubling question.

3. "Does the coaching staff trust Jordan Jefferson?" I was very surprised at the lack of balance in the play calling. Consequently I was also suprised at how predictable and vanilla the offense was. Call me crazy (go ahead, I'll wait........thanks, you may be right), but when you're averaging 16.5 yards per reception against a team that has a very young, very weak secondary, then shouldn't you target that youth/weakness a bit more? Yet the pass to run ratio was 19/29. And Jefferson did not attempt many throws over the middle (but when he did (and completed them) they went for big gains). So, I'm wondering if the coaches are just afraid to turn Jefferson into the next Lee by asking too much of him too early? Maybe. Is that a good call - being that risk averse I mean? We'll call that Question 3b.

4. "Was this game indicative of our special teams this year, or an aberration?" Kick returns were pedestrian at less than 6 yards per. Only one punt returned (not a great sign for the defense), and it was only 9 yards. And Derek Helton's inaugural punting stint ended with a 32 yard average and a long of 38 yards. I don't care how good his hang time is.

5. Finally - "Is Jordan Jefferson going to last the season?" By this question, I mean two things. First, he took some hard shots today. It's not that he's not tough, it's just that he's tall and not stocky and seems to not mind sacrificing himself for an extra yard. He got rocked twice tonight, and I don't think he'll be able to withstand that all season long. Second, he really looked wide-eyed and awkward throwing the football tonight. He made some good decisions regards throwing the ball away, but he also nearly got a couple of forced throws picked. End of the day, lot's of balls thrown behind or in inconvenient places for the receivers. So, I'm wondering if he can become the solid passing threat that any contemporary offense needs their QB to be? He just did not pass the eye test throwing the ball tonight.

These five are not comforting questions, and there are more to be asked and answered.

I'm relieved the Tigers got the win. But (and maybe it's just me) it sorta feels like a tie. Like, we didn't lose - but we didn't really have a great result either.

I am actually concerned enough about the Vandy game now that I'm going to spend some time getting to know the Commodores in more detail.

Just to close on a positive note - Josh Downs, from what I could tell, looked like a man out there on the defensive line in the second half. Amazing that he's a true freshman. He's going to be a Glenn Dorsey kinda guy, and it may not take him all that long to get there.

Outgoing Mail

2009-09-04T09:33:00.000-04:00

Season Off to a Bangin' Start

2009-09-04T06:58:00.005-04:00

I'm not sure what Boise State DE Byron Hout said - but he was clearly talkin' some smack. And SMACK is what he got. Oregon RB LeGarrette Blount didn't even hesitate with his right jab.

After cooling off, Blount (the puncher) made this, probably futile, apology:

"I couldn't have envisioned anything worse right here," said Blount after the game. "That will never happen again. I will never lose my head like that again. I apologize. I will never resort to that level. I should have handled that situation a lot better than I did."

Yeah - whatever. Emotions running high, disappointing start to a season, blah blah blah. This is (brace yourselves, mealy-mouthed apologists of the world) thug behavior.

What would I expect? Well, I'd expect a senior RB to have enough maturity to take any of the following, far more appropriate actions when a victorious rival fronts him with smack talk:

A. Just keep walkin', dude.
B. Make a quick, appropriate retort - something witty like "Fuck You" would've done nicely
C. Or how about one of those "That's not what your Momma told me in bed last night" jokes?

Anything besides throwing your season away by resorting to violence.

I don't know Blount - I don't know if this is par for his course, or something freakish. Judging by his reactions to fans after the punching, I'd say it's safe to assume Blount is a hot head - he almost got into it with some Boise State jerks taunting him on his way to the locker room. He has been on troubled ground with Oregon coach Bellotti before.

He needs to get suspended for a significant portion of the season if not the entire season. NCAA football does not want to go the way of the NBA.

One day till

2009-09-04T01:58:00.006-04:00

Time to celebrate kids, football is here.

It's the last day, forgive me for posting two pics. And here's your last We're Almost To Football bonus for yet more fun:

I know, it's kinda fuzzy and out of focus, kind of like this kid's head probably still is:

After watching those two plays alone I am geeked and more than ready to see some Tiger football.

Two days till

2009-09-03T01:43:00.003-04:00

The scuttlebutt is we and especially our enemies are going to be seeing a great deal of this, #2 pulling in a pass, in the coming weeks.

Also, TWO DAYS!!!!! It's getting hard to think about anything else.

Your We're Almost To Football bonus? His predecessor, Demetrius Byrd, on the receiving end of a halfback pass:

Damn that's fun.

Our First Podcast is Up

2009-09-03T00:42:00.000-04:00

Joshua and I will be experimenting with podcasting this season. Here's our first attempt - in a two-minute rapid fire format. We'll do longer podcasts as well. I'm getting them set up with iTunes. In the meantime, you can listen to them through the player on the right of the blog page.

Drop us an email or comment and let us know what you think.

LSU @ WASHINGTON, Sat, August 5th: A Massacre

2009-09-02T22:25:00.000-04:00

Kickoff: 7:30 Pacific (9:30 Central)

Weather Outlook: Cloudy Thurs thru Sat, 60% chance of showers on gameday, but clearing towards kickoff. Highs in mid 60s, lows in mid 50s, light winds.

If you've found our little blog, you already know the standard Husky stuff: new coaching staff, winless 2008, athletic QB, nice venue, guardedly optimistic fanbase.

Stuff you may not know?

-- The Huskies were Co-National Champs in 1991 with Miami, and have 15 conference titles, including winning the very first PAC-10 title in 1916, and their most recent was in 2000 (3-way with Oregon and Oregon State).

-- The Huskies are 15-14-1 all-time in bowl games with their last appearance in the 2002 Sun Bowl (24-34 loss to Purdue).

-- Sarkesian is the 27th Head Coach of the program. Don James took the Huskies to the National Championship in 1991 in his 17th year as Head Coach.

-- Washington is 2-5 against SEC teams all-time, with wins against Florida and Mississippi St, and losses to Alabama (x4) and LSU (x1). Interestingly, the Mississippi St game was actually a loss, but the Bulldogs had to forfeit the game later due to an ineligible player.

(Incidentally, LSU is 12-3 against PAC-10 teams all-time with a winning or even record against all teams they've played except - wait for it - STANFORD! Played them once, lost 24-14 in 1977 Sun Bowl.)

-- Big name NFL players: Warren Moon (QB) and Steve Emtman (DL).

Enough of that. :) What does it all mean? Washington has a proud football heritage, has a good history of competing nationally and in their conference, and hasn't done anything since about 2002. And by haven't done anything, I mean they're 25-59 (.423) from 2002-2008. It's a pretty stark turnaround and their fanbase has to be hurting mightily.

MATCHUPS

Washington's Offense vs. LSU's Defense. Jake Locker has wheels and is a great athlete. Is he a great college QB? Washington fans will find out this year, because he sat out most of last year with an injury. In Locker, LSU faces what some folks call a poor man's Tim Tebow. Whatever. I don't think Locker has anywhere near Tebow's influence on his teammates, his power, his finesse throwing the football. Personally, I think Locker looks like a nifty runner for a QB (an upgraded Andrew Hatch) with a decent arm. The problem for Washington is that they don't have enough high quality skill players to keep LSU from putting a spy on Locker almost every play.

Without going into a roster exercise, let me wrap it up with the following sample quotes from an article (Scout, $$) I read recently about the last Washington scrimmage prior to this week's LSU prep:

The offense looked out of sync and very bad at times. Jake Locker was
rushed and receivers dropped balls.

And about the offensive line:

It is not the most imposing of lines, but the left side of the line seems
experienced enough and may be able to do the job. However, the right side is going to get tested, and oh are they young.

By contrast, LSU's defense is going to be vastly improved over last season. Hell, the defense was vastly improved by the time the Chik-fil-A Bowl rolled around. If Washington's defense (a defense Locker and the offense see every day) can dominate in a scrimmage, imagine the challenge LSU's defense is going to present. Containing Locker will be the order of the day on Saturday, because he's not going to have time to throw and will get flushed out of the pocket a lot. I think Alem, Levingston, and the LBers are going to be visiting Locker all evening and he's going to throw a couple of picks.

Advantage LSU.

LSU's Offense vs. Washington's Defense. The Husky defense is likely going to challenge LSU's offense in the first half. The defensive line is fairly stout, led by Daniel Te'o Nieshiem. There's also a good bit of depth there relative to the rest of the team. The linebackers seem solid as well. But the Huskies are not boasting a very good defensive backfield, and have significant vulnerabilities at cornerback. I look for LSU to try to establish the run early and wear down the defensive line. But the key, in my opinion, will be pass protection for Jordan Jefferson. If JJ has time, he will be able to pick the Washington secondary apart. Terrance Toliver, with his length, should have a coming out party of sorts. The wildcard here will be turnovers and penalties. If LSU maintains it's stingy fumble-free offense, and Jefferson can avoid interceptions, I don't see how Washington's secondary can contain the weapons that LSU will present.

Advantage LSU.

Special Teams. I have no idea. Helton and Jasper are getting good reviews from the coaches. And their fall stats, at least what's been released, sound good. Washington's kicker seems to be making his coaches happy. I think Trindon Holliday is always a threat, and Ron Brooks will probably have a good year returning as well. But I'm not willing to call this one.

We'll call it even.

Intangibles. Both of these teams are hungry. Very hungry. UW is sick and tired of mediocrity. You can sense it on their message boards, and you only have to look at their football history to know that the last 6 or 7 years have been gut wrenching for true Husky fans. Likewise, the team and coaches are going to be out to prove that a PAC-10 team can handle an SEC powerhouse. On the other sideline, LSU will be looking to take their 8-5 frustrations out on their first opponent. This will be a grudge game, and the grudge won't be against Washington, it'll be against the memory of last season. Washington fans and players may not fully understand this because it's a different perspective. Theirs is the perspective LSU had during the Archer/Hallman years. It's hard to understand how bad 8-5 feels when your team just went 0-12. Anyway - both teams hungry, but LSU has more to prove and more to lose.

Advantage LSU.

WRAP-UP: LSU jumps on the Huskies early thanks to turnovers and big plays. Washington makes a short run to get it closer, but LSU is ahead by 14 by halftime.

Final score: 45-7 LSU.

Three days till

2009-09-02T09:49:00.002-04:00

I was really let down last year, but not by Jones. The defensive coaching and playcalling last year was an abomination and a waste of a year's eligibility for everyone on that side of the ball. This year, we have an actual coach calling schemes that will allow the players to shine, much less make plays. Jones is at the top of a list of players (Dickson, Jefferson, Tolliver, Coleman) who are my pick to click this year. So here's to a return of our safeties adding a traditional annual highlight of Alabama quarterback abuse.

You're We're Almost To Football Bonus? Our starting free safety dominating in baseball:

Four days till

2009-09-01T04:41:00.004-04:00

He's pointing at me, thanking me for all the hard work I've put in here. Thanks Jai, get you some this year. If you and the guys do well enough, you can muss Urban's hair again:

SPOTLIGHT: Washington QB Jake Locker

2009-08-31T14:30:00.171-04:00

If the Huskies have any chance of upsetting LSU in Seattle this weekend, that hope rests on the shoulders of their junior QB - Jake Locker. After missing most of last season with an injured hand, Locker is healthy and back in charge of the Washington offense.

U-Dub fans are high on Locker (in more ways than one, I must say). I've done a fair amount of searching and reading and I cannot find many folks (media or fans) who have anything but adulation for the 6'3, 230lb signal caller. So how good is he? Well, I'll let you judge for yourself. Let's take a look at his chronology so far.

HIGH SCHOOL

Locker was a four-year starter at 3A Ferndale High in Washington - CB as a freshman, QB the last three years. In his senior year, he led his team to a 14-0 season and a State Championship and a #12 National Ranking in MaxPrep's 2005 final poll. His stats are pretty good, nothing earth shattering. It's tough to legitimately compare high school kids on stats alone, but since comparisons have been made between Locker and Tebow, here are Tebow's stats (senior year) for comparison. Bottom line - Locker didn't throw an exceptional amount or exceptionally well, ran a lot (95.6 ypg in his senior year), and was the #4 Dual Threat QB in the 2005/6 recruiting class (Rivals). Here's a HS vid if you want a look.

Jake Locker - Ferndale, W @ Rivals Video

FRESHMAN YEARS (2006, 2007)

Locker redshirted in 2006, working as the Service Team (scout team) QB. In 2007, Locker started all but one game (California). His signature game during the season came against Arizona, where he rushed for 157 yards, 2 TDs and completed 17/30 for 336 yards, 2 TDs and 2 ints. Cumulatively, Locker had a modest year throwing and a strong year running - similar to his high school playing style.

His stats for 2007 were: Passing - 155/328, 2062yds, 14 TDs, 15 ints; Rushing - 172 carries, 986 yds, 13TDs. Locker was the second leading rusher behind Louis Rankin, who gained 1294 yards.

Locker was showered with Freshman accolades in 2007, including Pac-10 Freshman of the Year.

Here's a video of a 95 or so yarder against Arizona.

And, if you have much more time, here are his 2007 highlights (5:56 seconds - get a drink!)

SOPHOMORE - 2008

Locker started the first four games of 2008 but sustained a broken thumb trying to throw a block in the Stanford game. His 2008 stats over 4 games were: Passing - 50/93, 512 yds, 1 TD, 0 ints; Rushing - 56 carries, 180 yards, 3 TDs. Locker actually grossed 275 yards rushing, but was sacked for 95 yards in just a little over three games.

THE GAME

Locker is clearly a very good running QB. But he's not a great passer. He's not horrid. And we won't know how much he's improved until Saturday night. But I think passing is where Tebow and Locker show the most contrast. For all of Tim Tebow's prowess as a powerful runner, he's a very accurate and efficient passer as well. Locker - not so much. At least, not in the past.

Locker can hurt LSU with his feet. He's fast and confident with the ball in has hands, has great vision and can cut very well. Washington's new offensive scheme is supposedly going to force Locker to stand tall in the pocket more this year. We'll see. From his videos, his instinct will be to trust his wheels and bolt at the first sign of pressure.

The key to containing Locker will be for the defensive ends to pressure him, the defensive tackles to slow him by clogging the middle, and the second level to get him on the turf as soon as possible. Locker won't be shy about getting hit. But he'll likely be predictable. And, while he's not a deep ball threat, if he's successful running, he'll be able to turn short passes into to big gains by enticing the secondary to cheat up towards the box in support of the run defense.

End of the day, I think Locker will have a great first quarter running, maybe a great first half. But I think LSU's defense will adjust very quickly and shut him down. And that will lead to taking advantage of Locker's biggest potential liability - his accuracy.

Locker threw more picks than TDs and was sub-50% in his freshman year. THAT DOES NOT mean he won't have progressed a great deal since then. We don't know. However, I'd much rather see Locker trying to throw on 3rd and 7 than feeling free to scramble on 2nd and 2. So, if LSU can force long third down situations, I think Locker will be most vulnerable and the Tiger defense will get a chance to pick a couple off.

One thing we do know for sure is that Washington does not have the kind of offensive line that will provide Locker with a safe 5 second pocket inside which to check down. There are a couple of strong starters on the line, but overall the squad is young, inexperienced and shallow in replacements. By the second half, LSU will have worn them out and Locker will be attempting to dodge white jerseys on a regular basis.

WRAPUP

Jake Locker is a very good college QB and he's got a chance to be a great QB if he has an improved junior season throwing the football. At the end of the football game, I think his stats won't show how good he probably is. Mostly, because I think our defense is going to be all over him in the second half.

Sorta like this, only hopefully not quite so late...

Five days till

2009-08-31T00:52:00.003-04:00

He's second on the depth chart behind Scott so you know he'll see the field. This guy was hyped up and has delivered, but he's never quite broken through to star status. Some says it's because of troubles holding on to the ball, some say it's his hesitation in hitting the hole and just going all ahead full after being handed the ball. As we once more head into the breach dear friends, we'll be sure to see Williams and what he can offer this season.

Guilbeau Writes a Good One

2009-08-30T12:31:00.004-04:00

I've choked down my share of Glenn Guilbeau articles. Generally, I find them to be annoying.

It's not that Mr. Guilbeau doesn't do research or have interesting ideas. It's just that he has adopted, for his own reasons and in my opinion, a contrarian viewpoint to LSU football. Whether it's really how he sees it, or a ploy to generate emotion and therefor readership, it's annoying. I could say more, but I'm sure he's a nice guy who I'd like to buy a beer and I just don't want to get anymore personal than that.

However, I just read his latest piece on Rahim Alem and Chad Jones.

Bravo, Glenn. Very, very nice piece. Great subject, great reporting, great article construction in my view. Just really well done.

Favorite exerpt:

This season for the first time since 2004 at St. Augustine when Alem was still Jones and a senior and his brother was a sophomore, they'll be starting on the same team — Alem at defensive end, Jones at free safety.

"It's going to feel so much better with him on the field all the time because he raises my intensity," Jones said. "He raises the way I play. He raises my game. I love playing on the field with my brother — just like high school. This is his last season, so I'm going to try to make him go out with a bang."

Miles advised Alem to make sure he relishes it all.

"I told Rahim, 'You've got to recognize that some of these experiences that you and your brother are having, no other people are having,'" Miles said. "Those are dang special. Not only will you look back on your team, but you'll look back on your brother. What a great memory for life."

Wow. I cannot wait to watch them all year long.

2009-08-30T10:38:00.004-04:00

This fella Bob Wynn has a very good LSU/Washington blog up. I'm not sure where Bob's been or what he does, but he's obviously not a newbie to this game. Great stuff there. I'm going to try to find out more about Bob and what his future blogging plans are.

EDIT: Just found another "big game blog" by Bob for the Bama/VA Tech season opener. Enjoy!

EDIT 2: Bob tells me he is planning other "big game blogs" in the future, plans to cover most if not all of the LSU games (he's an LSU fan), and has an LSU/Vandy site in construction. Great to have him in the Tiger blogosphere!

Minor Construction

2009-08-30T10:35:00.003-04:00

Please excuse the morphing while we do a little site construction. In the meantime, read our drivel and rot your brain! You've got nothing else to do!

SUNDAY SOAPBOX PRELUDE: Surprises, Disappointments and WTFO?

2009-08-30T01:30:00.001-04:00

Aight. Here. We. Go! Game week.

Gonna take a look at the Huskies in a bit. But first, a quick rundown of stuff that caught my attention in the team's prep leading up to this week.

In no particular order - just as they arrive in my pea brain. By the way - my disappointment might be your surprise, or vice-versa. Go with it!

SURPRISE!

1. Craig Loston actually joined the team! I haven't followed recruiting for years and years, but Loston's recruitment, signing and ultimate clearance to play has to be one of the most dramatic of the last few years. Les Miles sez he'll play against the Huskies - which I take as meaning he'll play special teams. But I guess we'll see.

2. Harry Coleman is a linebackah! Those who follow Chavis closely say this is exactly the kind of guy he likes - fast, loves to hit, agile. Makes perfect sense to me - just as long as he's big enough to shed FBs and cut-blocking offensive linemen...But hey - I just sit here and type. Perhaps Chavis knows his business...

3. Freshman QB Chris Garrett is the real deal! I'm actually not completely surprised by this because his recruiting video looked pretty damned good and his all-star game performance was VERY good. I've been touting him for awhile. He'll redshirt unless LSU faces a catastrophe of injuries (knocking on wood).

4. Stevan Ridley may be ready to go! After ACL surgery and rehab, and very little info being released, it's tough to tell just how recovered he really is. But if you've watched Ridley run in the past, you know that this is the Charles Scott back of the immediate future for LSU. While some fans will impatiently call for Mike Ford to inherit the job next year, I predict - if he's healthy - Ridley will be that guy. I hope he gets some good, quality time this year. I'd play him over KW, personally. But Miles won't , and I don't blame him. I actually appreciate Miles' loyalty to his seniors - to a point. I think KW deserves the last chance at building his draft stock. I still hope Ridley gets his touches.

DISAPPOINTMENTS

1. Carneal Ainsworth quits the team. I feel for the kid and his family's loss. His departure is not a huge deal in terms of team depth. But playing LSU football is an awesome, life altering, opportunity and I hope Ainsworth finds his way back to the program as a walkon. Because he'll want those BCS championship rings from 2010 and 2011 - they'll be collectors items!

2. Freshman FB Dominique Allen. I'm not calling the kid out. I'm just disappointed for him that (it appears) he won't be able to take advantage of a golden opportunity of getting early FB time. Allen, it has been reported, is not in playing shape right now. Which is interesting because he played RB in high school and he's listed behind two former walkon offensive linemen at the moment. Anyway - Allen has a lot of potential if he focuses and does what the coaches are asking.

3. The schedule. I hate LSU's schedule this year. I hate the away games at Bama and Georgia and Ole Miss. I hate that Bama and Florida have the week off before playing LSU. And I hate that we are playing in-state rivals USL, Tulane and La Tech all in the same season. There ain't shit anyone can do about any of it. But it still pisses me off. Because, honestly, LSU has a chance to be very, very good this year. And with just one break in that schedule - like oh, I don't know, having Florida play Georgia before LSU instead of the other way around - the Tigers could realistically vie for the SEC championship. But as it stands, it's a very, very steep climb for a lot of reasons, not least among them the schedule. As for the small state schools - good for them, but I'm getting impatient for an ACC or a Big 12 mid-level team, especially early in the season.

4. Les Miles picking his nose during post practice interviews. Seriously, Coach. You're a millionaire executive of a multi-million dollar brand and you're on TV and camera all the time. Nobody thinks your scratching with that thumb move. Everyone knows you're about a heartbeat away from going knuckle deep on a booger safari. (I'm kidding, Coach. In fact, you average 10 wins every year, I'll dig it for ya!)

WTFO?

1. Walk-on OL Richard Dugas is our FB?! As a former high school offensive lineman who probably could've walked on at Southeastern or maybe Nicholls (shut up - it could've happened), I'm all about Dugas getting his chance. But wow. LSU has had some really good FBs in the recent past - Miles seems high on Dugas. Will Allen play later in the season?

2. Jarrett Lee. He could be in the disappointment section, but after last year, it doesn't fit. If anyone had taken my bet, I would've wagered that Lee would be a serious contender for the starting QB job right now. However, Jordan Jefferson is the LSU starting QB and I don't get the impression it's really even that close of a call. Will Jarrett Lee shake off last year and be ready to step up and provide an experienced hand if, God forbid, Jefferson gets hurt? Or will Russell Shepard take those reins? Or will Chris Garrett have to burn his redshirt?

3. Kellen Theriot. I was high on this kid when he committed to LSU in 2007. Mostly because, if I remember right, he played quarterback in high school and was rated that way. But he is a bull of an athlete, enrolled early, and I thought he looked pretty damned strong at LB during the 2008 Spring game. Since then, he's been injured and I haven't heard anything at all.

4. 2010 defensive line recruiting. This is a just a minor WTF, but for a team that has placed a lot of defensive lineman in the NFL, LSU seems to me to be having a tough time pulling high quality defensive linemen in this recruiting class. Of the 3 DEs and 2 DTs on the board right now (Scout), one is really a Tight End (Dickson), one is being rumored to have OL in his future (Allen), and the other three aren't exactly national recruits. Nothing wrong with that, per se. And Les Miles hasn't called me recently to give me his thoughts on the matter. I'm just sayin - WTFO? I thought we were defensive line university? Perhaps we're building gaps to entice Rasco and Johnson next year? Hmmm....

EXPECTATIONS: Part 2

2009-08-29T20:21:00.001-04:00

OK, so it's taken me a while to get the second part of this done. C'est la vie.

Before I delve into the second part of the season, a quick explanation and then a brief review.

Hopefully it's clear I'm not trying to break down each of these games and make a detailed prediction. I'm simply trying to look at the season in it's entirety and set a realistic expectation of what the final outcome should look like.

To review - LSU should enter the Georgia game with a 4-0 (2-0) record and some much needed game experience at QB and defensive line. I think Georgia will be a very, very tough game and Florida even tougher. My prediction is LSU starts the second half of the season 5-1 (3-1). But just barely, and I'm not really all that confident of that.

OK - on to the second half of the season.

7. AUBURN - After a week off, LSU welcomes the other SEC Tigers to Death Valley under first year coach Gene Chizik, a strange hire from a losing program at Iowa State. I don't comment much on coaching stuff, but I just don't get this hire. We'll see. Anyway, Auburn's defense should once again be the team's strength if Antonio Coleman gets some help on the DL and the secondary stays healthy. Auburn hired Ted Roof from Minnesota to be the Def Coord, and he's apparently known for aggressive squads that generate turnovers. LSU will need solid play from a healthy offensive line to give Jordan Jefferson time to check down. If that happens, I don't see Auburn's defense being good enough this year to keep LSU below 28 points.

Auburn's big questions this year are QB and offensive line. Those two being questions together don't usually bode well. Kodi Burns returns from a lackluster 2008, but as a WR. Neil Caudle is making waves in practice, but Chris Todd will get the start. On the line, left tackle and future NFL lineman Lee Ziemba is the anchor of a talented group. The question, I'm reading, is whether they can be consistent. As for the rest of the offense, the talent is there for a huge improvement over last year's horrible squad. New Off Coord Gus Malzahn has talent like Ben Tate (RB), Mario Fannin and DeAngelo Benton (WR), and a freshman tight end named Lutzenkirchen. So the offense should be much improved. If Chris Todd can be a strong and reliable game manager, and the new offense can avoid killing itself with penalties, miscues and turnovers, Auburn should be a force again in the SEC West. The trouble is - LSU's defense is going to be seriously talented and on their game by this time.

While I give Auburn a much stronger chance at a solid season than many pundits, I think this one goes in the W column for LSU (6-1, 4-1)

8. Tulane. With LA Tech coming up, the Tulane game only serves to offer up more ammo for non-SEC fan bases to assault LSU's pansy-ass non-conference scheduling. And they would be correct. Tulane is not a good football team. True, their best offensive producers (RB Andre Anderson and WR Jeremy Williams) were injured last year. However, two players shouldn't send a decent football program into a 2-10 tailspin season. As you can imagine, Tulane finds it very difficult to recruit top talent. So the quality depth and top-shelf athleticism isn't there across the board. Look for Tulane to have a decent running game if Anderson remains healthy this year. Outside of that, this isn't even a football game. Lots of time for the backups in this one. LSU wins easily (7-1, 4-1).

9. @Alabama. By this time in the season, it gets very difficult to imagine what these two teams will look like in relation to each other. But, making some necessary assumptions like neither team will lose a critical skill position player, and neither team will suffer multiple casualties on the starting offensive lines, then I'll step out and say Bama will be very tough to beat in this game.

On offense, I think Bama will struggle against LSU's defense. First of all, while I give McElroy far more credit than many LSU fans are giving him, I think Bama was lucky to win against a struggling LSU last season. Bama won't be better this year, but LSU will be MUCH better. So, even if McElroy is an even swap for John Parker Wilson (who by the way was an outstanding two-sport star for Alabama), I see Bama falling short here. Yes, Julio Jones is a monster. Yes, Bama has some good RBs and has recruiting ridiculously well. Yes, Bama's defense will be great in all likelihood. But the same things can be said of LSU. I think where Bama falls short in this game will be the offensive line. There's some talent there, especially the youngsters. But against SEC defensive powerhouses (like LSU will be at this time of the season), the Bama OL will be a weak link.

However....on defense, Bama is going to be smokin' good. Behemoth Terrance Cody, super LBs McClain and Hightower, and DB Javier Arenas are names non-Alabama SEC fans are going to get sick of hearing this year. Not much else to say, really. LSU better be healthy and clicking on all cylinders because I get the feeling Bama's defense won't be giving up more than an average of 14 points a game. Although I think Bama's offense will struggle, I think their defense will shine and win it for them in a close one.

This one's another toss up, similar to the Georgia game. I see it being a defensive struggle with special teams and turnovers being a huge factor. Since I gave the first toss-up to LSU, I'll give this one to Bama in full-up brawl. When you account for the home field advantage and also the fact that Bama has a BYE the week before LSU, it just makes sense anyway. LSU down to 7-2, 4-2.

10. LA Tech. The Bulldogs enjoyed a bowl victory against Northern Illinois last year and return enough starters in key positions to be in the conversation for challenging Boise State for the WAC championship. But Tech won't beat LSU. Look for them to have a very respectable running game and a fairly tough defensive line against the run. LSU will coast in this one and play lots of reserves in preparation for the Bowl game. (8-2, 4-2)

11. @Ole Miss. For awhile, the word on the internet was that Ole Miss was a great team and might win the SEC West this year. Meh. I think that virus has run its course. No doubt, Ole Miss is a much improved football team from the dismal 2004-2007 seasons. Jevan Snead is a great QB. Houston Nutt is a crazy but, I think, very good football coach. And Ole Miss will have possibly the best all-around defensive line in the SEC, maybe one of the 5 best in the nation. But while all of that is eye-popping for Ole Miss, none of it is unusual in the SEC, where talented athletes, great coaches and tough defenses are the hallmarks of the conference.

Offensively, LSU will need to find a way to abuse Ole Miss' offensive line, which should be good but not as good as it was in 2008. If the Tigers can get Jevan Snead out of his rhythm and make it tough for him connect with Dexter McCluster, then the Ole Miss offense should be held in check. There are some good RBs on the roster, but nothing LSU won't have seen all year long.

On defense, Ole Miss has a great group of tackles and ends, but how deep that talent goes is up for debate. By this time in the season, fatigue and injuries may be an issue. Sure, it's an issue for both teams, but LSU (in my opinion) is more talented down the depth chart in all positions. Ole Miss defensive backs and LBers are good. But when I examine the roster, what jumps out at me is again a lack of quality depth. By the eleventh game of the season, that problem (if it is one) will likely be solved. But who knows. The point is, I think Ole Miss' weakness on defense may be it's vertically challenged defensive backs (against a lengthy and speedy LSU receiver corps) and depth across all of the second level.

Overall, Ole Miss in Oxford will be a tough win for LSU, but a win it will be. (9-2, 5-2)

12. Arkansas. Petrino will have a very good team this year. But, no friggin' way LSU loses ot Arkansas again. No. Friggin'. Way.

Now that we've got that out of the way. Petrino, as I said, has a good team cued up. First, the Arky passing game is going to be pretty good if Ryan Mallett can stay healthy and if the young receivers pan out as expected. The running game should be rockin' with senior Michael Smith. The big question is? Any guesses? Yep, the offensive line. Arkansas has pieced together a respectable offensive line, but theres been a lot of shifting and patchwork involved and it remains to be seen how effective the unit will be. Athleticism and size aren't a problem. But experience at individual positions may be a limitation. If Mallett doesn't have time to throw, he won't be as effective as he could otherwise be.

The Hawgs aren't really known for defense. That won't change this year. There are some bright spots in the roster. But, overall, the Tigers should be able to throw on Arkansas all day long, which should make the running game a snap. If Jordan Jefferson is still healthy and has learned to read SEC defenses by this time, the stat sheet for the passing attack could get ugly. With an expected weak pass rush and no consistent defensive backs to speak of, LSU should move the ball at will on the Razorbacks.

Both teams will be heading to bowls, but LSU is going to embarrass Arkansas in Tiger Stadium. Easy win for LSU. 10-2, 6-2.

SUMMARY. I think the best to expect from this team this year with this schedule is a 10-2 season and a possible Capital One or Cotton Bowl bid. (LSU would have to win the West, IMO, to get to the Sugar Bowl) But to get to 10-2, LSU has to upset Georgia in Athens AND Ole Miss in Oxford, as I've "predicted" above. Not an easy road, but achievable.

Conversely, the worst I think we should expect this year is 9-3. I say this because I think Ole Miss has a depth problem and they could be really hurting by the time they get to LSU. So I don't see them beating the Tigers this year. At 9-3, LSU is still probably #2 in the SEC West, and might expect to play in either the Captial One or Cotton bowls.

At the extremes of the spectrum of reality, I see 11-1 being the absolute best season to expect and 8-4 the absolute worst. I think beating Alabama in Tuscaloosa is possible. But I just don't see Florida - with a healthy Tebow and an extra week to prepare - falling to LSU this year. I think the hype is pretty accurate and Florida will be a monster of a team. On the flip side, while I think it's entirely possible that LSU drops losses to UGA, UF, Bama and OM this year, I don't see Arkansas getting another year with that ugly ass boot trophy in their field house.

Whew.

Bottom line: It's not unreasonable to expect 10-2, SEC West Runner Up behind Bama, Bowl win against Ohio State or Okie State (both would be poetic), and another insane recruiting year leading up to 2010 and 2011, when LSU will be favored to win the SEC and compete for the crystal footballs.

Seven days till

2009-08-29T17:58:00.003-04:00

Patrick Peterson begins his quest to become the best CB in the SEC. His words, not mine. He's good enough to do it. Awesome photo "borrowed" from Times-Picayune archives. I doubt they mind...Sorry about the size, but it's too good of a photo to reduce down.

THIS JUST IN

2009-08-29T10:20:00.003-04:00

Dandy Don, the original LSU blogger, said LSU is ready to "get it on."

Sorry, baby. But I gots to...

Eight days till

2009-08-28T01:17:00.003-04:00

I got a fever and the only prescription, is more football. Seriously, we're so close now. I'm getting the shakes and stuff. Or maybe that's just all the Fun Dip I just ate. It's so close now dammit!

Friday bonus:

Nine days till

2009-08-27T11:29:00.003-04:00

"We've got a chip on our shoulders," Jefferson said. "We've got a point to prove this year. We want to let everybody know that LSU hasn't gone anywhere. I know a lot of teams have us circled on their schedule.

"That's OK, because we've got a lot teams circled, too."

Bring it on brother. I am fired up to have this talented a kid, this much of a leader and this much of a player. He gets it. And I can't wait to see him for a whole season leading this team.

Ten days till

2009-08-26T10:57:00.002-04:00

I will echo the last line from Jeff's post. If you're not getting excited yet, you're probably dead. I'm excited we're only a week and some from football season. I'm excited about seeing what Russell Shepard can do on the field. I'm excited about tailgating with all my friends and family. The list could go on and on.

A Glimpse of Things to Come?

2009-08-26T07:21:00.003-04:00

Yesterday's scrimmage was completely shut off to outside sources. So we have no media reports other than what Coach Les Miles himself said in his post-practice press conference.

Those limited comments may (or may not) be revealing of what is to come from LSU's offense and defense. Here are the most significant stats, in order of significance in my opinion.

1. Jefferson was 11 of 14 for 150 yards and a TD. Lee was reportedly 6 of 12 for 50 yards. The gap is widening. Shepard was 3 of 4 for 73 yards.

2. Russell Shepard was the leading rusher with 60 yards on 6 carries. I can't find anything to say whether Shepard got his yardage as a QB on the run, out of the backfield, or both. Likely both.

3. Linebackers Riley and Coleman led the team in tackling and sacks. Linebackers are Chavis' specialty and they are a very experienced group on this LSU defense.

More info here and here (Scout $$).

Bottom line: On offense, look for Gary Crowton to befuddle defensive coordinators with an insane array of offensive weapons, featuring Russell Shepard. On defense, look for a much more solid, coherent defense that gives up fewer big plays and makes more things blowup in the offensive backfield.

Excited yet? If not, call 911 immediately because you're almost dead.