Picking Up Pieces

Some random and not-so-random thoughts.

Troy Game Moved to Nov 15th. Good call. I have mixed feelings, but it's a good call. I think the staff and the team need some time to put the facilities back together and get the practice rhythm back. And Troy is a good enough team to sneak up on the Tigers while they are distracted and cause trouble.

I would have liked to have seen an extra week of the QB battle prior to Auburn. I think both Hatch and Lee could use two more games prior to Auburn. But do they NEED two more? Tough to tell. We'll see. My concern is that North Texas is not going to be as tough an opponent as Troy would have been. So the QBs won't get tested in the same way. Testing is what they need.

However, it was a good call. Although it's tough to remember at this time of year, there are priorities above Tiger football. Seriously. I wouldn't make that up.

So this is a great call.

Recruiting: Christine Michael vs. Trent Richardson. There is a very interesting football recruiting story brewing under the radar right now. The Tigers already have two very, very good running backs on the commitment list. And both seem very solid at this time. Dexter Pratt from Texas and Michael Ford from LA are both high 4 star recruits who provide next year's recruiting class with a solid mix of running style and skill sets. Pratt is a big back with some speed, Ford is a smaller back with tons of speed and cutback capability. Technically, LSU doesn't need another RB in this class. Which is why LSU has aggressively gone after Alex Singleton, a FB candidate from East St John.

However, Christine Michael - a 5 star from Texas - has made it clear in multiple interviews and on his myspace page that he'd jump on a committable offer from LSU. So why doesn't Michael have such an offer? Well, apparently not because LSU doesn't want another RB. Rather, it seems that LSU is holding a possible third RB spot open in case they can get Trent Richardson to decommit from Alabama and become a Tiger. Richardson is also a 5 star RB and he has recently made comments that lead one to believe that he's still in play and LSU is one of a few schools he's looking at.

The difference between Michael and Richardson is running style. Michael is a Ford-style of runner and LSU is very happy with Ford. Richardson, however, is more of a hybrid type of back like Richard Murphy. So the staff is likely holding out because Richardson fits a need better than Michael. At the end of the day, I'm becoming more and more convinced that LSU would be happy taking one or none of these two backs. So they're waiting for Richardson to solidify his intent before providing Michael with a committable offer. If Michael decides to stop waiting and commit elsewhere, then I think the staff is fine with it and happy with the two RB commits on the board right now.

It's an interesting story that may be the most watched recruiting drama in LSU's 09 class closer to national signing day.

Tennessee Autoerotica. WTF? Somebody revoke Tennessee's permit for playing football in the Pac-10. How does the SEC "Sleeper Team of the Year" according to various and sundry pundits lose to a team that throws 4 first half interceptions? What happened to Tennessee's defense? I thought their secondary was one of the best in the country? I thought the Vol offensive line was strong? If you watched this game, you understand my frustration. The Vols should've won this game by 14. They just choked themselves repeatedly.

If you didn't watch the game - good on ya. Do yourself a favor and block Tennessee football on your TV's parental controls. Because they suck in a very pornographic manner.

USC is Number 1? Really? Sure. Why not. Many LSU fans hate USC. So the reaction in some circles to USC jumping up to #1 in the polls was quick and predictably negative. The narrative is that the media loves USC so they prop them up. Maybe. LA is a media hotspot, full of media elites. There's probably a grain of truth in this. But it doesn't follow that USC has been placed on top because of it.

I'd argue that, short of evidence to the contrary, USC deserves the #1 spot for now. No team has won more games in the last half decade. Few if any teams have recruited better. Few if any teams have ended their seasons in higher position over the past few seasons. And USC is loaded this year. Again.

USC crushed a BCS opponent. CRUSHED them. Say what you want about running up the score and such (and I'd agree). But the result of that game is undeniable.

It's very early in the season. I really could not care any less where USC is ranked right now. If they beat Ohio State and run the table in their conference, then they'll be #1 anyway.

If Georgia runs the table as well, then we'll have a controversy on our hands. And at that point, I'll join the public outcry.

But it's too early right now and too inconsequential. Congrats to USC. Really.

But who cares? There's lots more football ahead. Including Stanford...

The Committee protects the ball.

Of the bunch, only Hester has lost a fumble, and that came in his first
game, against Georgia in 2004. Since that blunder, which Hester said his
teammates still remind him of from time to time, the tailback foursome has
carried 303 times without putting the ball on the ground.

Impressive. And important!

The Nagging Tailback Question

So is Jacob Hester the best tailback on the team? Or, the safest tailback for a season opener on the road against a desperate and potentially dangerous SEC bottom dweller? Or, are there unresolved and significant problems with Williams and Scott? Or, is Shawn Jordan so strong at fullback that Coach Miles sees an opportunity for something different here?

One explanation floating around is that Coach Miles wants to make sure that the Tigers don't get surprised in Starkville by making silly mistakes, like an especially costly fumble. What does that have to do with starting tailback, though? Williams and Scott are sure to see playing time, even in a close game. The threat of a critical error at the wrong time is always there.

Another potential explanation is that Coach Miles is trying to be coy with Virginia Tech's coaching staff. Really? Does Virginia Tech care that much whether Hester or one of the other backs gets the nod? I have a hard time believing they'll change their gameplan significantly based on the name of our starting tailback. They're all talented and have potential, but only Hester has proven himself to be an impact player. So I have an even harder time believing that Coach Miles is trying to deceive Virginia Tech by not putting his A-team on the field against the dangerous Dawgs.

Some on fan bulletin boards are even saying that Hester is getting the nod out of respect for his contributions over his career. OK - but why at tailback? He's competent there, without doubt. But isn't this team good enough to be looking for excellence at that position?

As the saying goes, "all things being equal, go with the simplest explanation." Coach Miles just isn't confident in his other tailbacks yet. If true, that's not a good thing.

Last season, LSU's offense was first in the SEC in scoring and total offense. And, like both USC and Florida, last year's offense relied on the passing game. The difference this year is that Flynn, although the leader of the [Peach] Bowl trouncing of Miami two years ago, is not Russell. He may prove to be just as good - maybe even better at some things, like mobility. But he also may prove lacking in some areas, like physicality or the ability to change the game with one throw. Russell and the receivers were able to overcome (most of the time) the fact that LSU did not have a game-winning ground game. Solid? Most of the time. Game-winning? Never. Will Flynn be able to carry a below average running attack?

I'm not doubting Flynn. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised at all if Matt Flynn has a great senior year and is ultimately touted as one of the most underrated signal callers in the nation. The question is, can an LSU team with BCS credentials afford another year without a consistent and explosive running threat? Flynn is a pretty good runner himself. But if he gets hurt? Uh...let's not talk about that just yet....too scary.

Auburn and Florida held the Tigers to under 100 yards total rushing - and beat us. In both of those games, the passing attack was about average for the season, with Russell completing 55% and 58% for 269 and 228 yards respectively. Of course, the Tigers had 5 turnovers against Florida - that didn't help. Later in the season, Ole Miss held the Tigers under 100 yards on the ground and gave all Tiger fans more drama than we wanted. These games provide a stark reminder of what can happen in the SEC to a powerful passing offense that lacks balance on the ground. Conversely, the Tigers dominated Arizona and Notre Dame with a balanced running and passing attack that arguably left both defenses grasping at straws.

Tailback by committee might be good enough to give LSU another 11-2 season. With three strong runners who can pick up first downs and execute inside the red zone, the Tigers will be able to run the ball. But if Coach Miles can find one to step up and be a first down breakaway threat, we might have something very special on our hands. I don't imagine Coach Miles thinks Hester is that guy. I think he's playing it safe and waiting these other guys out. It sure would be nice if either Williams or Scott would run all over the Bulldog defense and claim the spot for the rest of the year. If that happens, and Matt Flynn stays healthy, LSU could live up to the pre-season hype. If not, then I guess we'll get to enjoy another successful but stressful season, bite our nails and gnash our teeth, and dream of what might have been.