LSU 20 - Georgia 13: Snap Judgments
Well well well. That was about the strangest game I've ever seen. We completely dominated the 1st half but didn't have a big lead to show for it because we kept stalling out when we got close to the end zone. We developed a power running game, spotty as it was, but the offense still struggled. Here are my snap judgments:
- You just can't say enough about how good A.J. Green is. We did a good job of holding him down, and he still had 5 catches for 99 yards and 1 spectacular touchdown catch that could have been a game-winner. He is obviously the best wide receiver in the conference. It's not even close. I think the world of Brandon Lafell, and Julio Jones is outstanding as well, but A.J. Green is the best of them all. He is probably the best offensive player in the conference right now. Tim Tebow is bigger because he touches the ball every play, but I don't think Tebow is a better quarterback than Green is a wide receiver.
- On Green's touchdown, Hawkins had perfect coverage. To do any better, he would have needed to be bigger and stronger. I just can't fault a guy who does everything right and gets victimized by someone who is just too good of an athlete.
- Jordan Jefferson is still not quite there as a quarterback. He got baited into his interception, and he went through one of his big lulls in the second half. Georgia got a lot of sacks that half, but it really wasn't entirely the line's fault. Jefferson just would not get rid of the ball. He'd hold it too long and the rush would get to him.
- The defense really played well all night. Sure, it wasn't nearly as dominant in the second half, and we gave up that big 18 play drive, but other than that drive and the 2-minute drill that ended with Green's great catch, they were fantastic.
- So LSU showed a power running game and Georgia only had one turnover. Who could have predicted that? Peterson was close to one or two interceptions but had the ball batted away at the last moment.
- Patrick Peterson did a really good job on A.J. Green. He got beat a couple times, but also made a big play a couple times to beat Green. And on one of the occasions when Green got the best of Peterson, Cox failed to make an accurate throw and so it went for nothing.
- Overall, I thought the playcalling was better in this game than in previous games. We changed them up a little by running Scott on options, which was effective except when Jefferson failed to properly execute them.
- Speaking of, Jordan Jefferson is still uncomfortable running the option. He is just not a natural at it, and appears to not want to set himself up for the hit from the contain man, but he HAS to make that man commit to tackling him or the play cannot have success. That means taking a hit. The strange thing is that Jefferson has been so averse to sliding and is willing to take hits in other situations, situations in which he should not take the hits.
- Our receiver corps had a drop or two tonight, but they are really good. Terrance Toliver has emerged as a real playmaker, and he made a good football move at one point to turn a 3rd down catch into a first down, despite making the catch and getting hit short of the first down yardage.
- I liked the decision to go for it on 4th and inches at the 9 yard line. I know it didn't work, but it was a good gamble. Our power running game had generally been working up to that point, and you had to anticipate we could get one foot. It was a good calculated risk, and when Les Miles is at his best, he makes good calculated risks. The thing is, sometimes when you make a calculated risk, you come out on the wrong end of it. It's hard to criticize the play choice of going with a QB sneak. Those usually get you a yard reliably.
- Then again, the sequence showed why it is good to go for it on 4th down and short near the goal line. We ended up giving the ball to Georgia, but they were in bad field position, couldn't do anything with it, and gave it back to us with an opportunity to get more points.
- Which brings us to the last possession of the 1st half. Things were going well. We ended up with 3rd and 1 around the 40 with the clock around 30 seconds. I liked calling a running play, but I would have went with a draw from the spread instead of a power run at that point. I think it would have worked, but we'll never know. The big problem was that the coaches had NO PLAN for if it didn't work. They could not stop the clock, and they took entirely too long to decide to bring the FG unit out, which was futile anyway. The only choice at that point was to snap the ball with a second or 2 on the clock and heave it to the end zone on 4th down. Rushing the FG unit on the field after talking about it for a while revealed a complete lack of plan on that play. It was a coaching error that was on display for all to see, and I don't like it.
- The offense was on the field for 6 plays in the 3rd quarter. 4 of those 6 plays went for a loss or for no gain. We had -11 yards of offense that quarter.
- The celebration penalty on A.J. Green was completely bogus. The celebration penalty on Charles Scott was within the parameters of what we know they call. The thing is, Green's penalty had a much bigger impact on the game. It gave us the ball in such good field position that we did not have to pass, which would not have been the case if we had been 15 yards further back. The 5 yards we got for the illegal procedure penalty also helped.
- Speaking of field position on that last drive, that was a very nice return by Trindon Holliday, who had a couple of those on the night.
- The defensive line was really quiet all night, and did not get much pressure on Joe Cox for most of the game, but the linebackers were everywhere. I have to single out Kelvin Sheppard for having a very nice game. In general, our tackling was much better tonight than it had been previously.
- I said before that any win here is a good win, and I mean that. This was a huge win for us. It makes the Florida game virtually a no-lose situation. No matter what happens against Florida, we control our destiny. A win lifts us, and a loss doesn't really hurt us. Of course, there will be more on that game in the coming week.
- That's all for now. I'll watch the game again tomorrow morning.
0 recs |
45 comments
|
Comments
Don't forget
Les won with his players. The end.
Jrlz rhymes with Charles.
by Jrlz on Oct 3, 2009 6:56 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
O-line food poisioning
And we still somehow pulled out the win AWAY. GEAUX TIGAHS!
by Dan Kern on Oct 3, 2009 7:07 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Has it been established that it was food poisoning?
remarkable. I wonder if the unit on the field at the end was better than the unit on the field at the beginning.
Father. Husband. Lawyer. Nerd.
by Richard Pittman on Oct 3, 2009 7:09 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
That is...
an interesting question. Can anyone get me the place where they ate, so that I may avoid it when I get back to the states?
Defense played well, special teams played well. It was good to see Randle with those 2 big grabs in the 4th quarter.
by expat-tiger on Oct 3, 2009 7:27 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Don't deviate from ATVS blog..
Other blogs have many classless “message board” fans. It’s rather disgusting.
by Mikeno on Oct 3, 2009 7:09 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Is this related to anything in particular? Or just saying it?
Father. Husband. Lawyer. Nerd.
by Richard Pittman on Oct 3, 2009 7:11 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Haha..
No non-related, random outburst.
by Mikeno on Oct 3, 2009 7:13 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
That's ok.. I was just wondering if something happened that you were complaining about.. I like our commenters
Father. Husband. Lawyer. Nerd.
by Richard Pittman on Oct 3, 2009 7:14 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Also..
AJ Green is a man-monster. We played exceptional as a secondary and he still managed 99 yards and a TD.
by Mikeno on Oct 3, 2009 7:10 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
That shocked me
that he got that many yards. It just doesn’t seem like he did. But I guess he did.
Gregatron is not responsible for any of the crap he just wrote.
St. Louis vegetarian blog
by Gregatron on Oct 3, 2009 11:34 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Feeling better
The key is we beat a team with a good reputation. It’s been a long time since we beat a good team/a team with a good reputation. The best example last year was the bowl game vs. GT, but few people watch or remember a game played at 7 PM on New Year’s Eve. Prior to that the best win of 2008 had been South Carolina, and no one is excited about that.
In another month we may discover UGA isn’t very good this year, but I think that is very doubtful. No, they aren’t as good as they were in 2006-2008, but that was a good team we beat on their own field, and those who know about college football will recognize it. No longer can they say LSU hasn’t beaten anyone. They may argue we’re not a legit #4, but we’re clearly a legit top 10 team.
by uberschuck on Oct 3, 2009 7:18 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
missing last bullet point
should have been: Hell yeah!! Great win!!! How can you be rational at a time like this?
Joking aside, I’m going to enjoy this win immensely. When my rational mind takes back over I might start to get annoyed by some of the “not to lose” play calling that contributed to the offensive futility in the middle half of the game. But for now… sweet victory!!
by no brainer on Oct 3, 2009 7:34 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
In Athens as I post this
Made it n the stadium for $30!!!!
Eating chilli dogs at the varsity talking to uga fans who are being very classy despite a heartbreaking loss
plan on posting a trip report
what a win!!!!!
by LSU Jonno on Oct 3, 2009 7:42 PM CDT via mobile reply actions 0 recs
I'm giving you author access to make that post.
Father. Husband. Lawyer. Nerd.
by Richard Pittman on Oct 3, 2009 7:53 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Congrats to LSU
These are all good observations. Even as a UGA fan, I thought all of them were about right. The unsportsmanlike penalty on Scott was closer to reality than the one on AJ, but both were bogus, in my opinion. This is college football — the emotional aspects are one of the reasons it is more appealing, IMHO, than the pros. Unless post-TD showboating is outrageous (and it wasn’t in either case here), they ought to let them play.
I really felt Georgia would pull this out. Cox found himself in the second half, and the team was clicking on both sides of the ball. Unfortunately, the defense, which has been great at crunch time so far, couldn’t hold on when it really counted. The penalties really hurt, particularly the one on AJ, but that certainly didn’t have anything to do with Scott’s run. Congrats to LSU on a hard-fought victory. We’ll get you next time.
by Kumatan on Oct 3, 2009 7:50 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Thanks for the good words.
Now I can support UGA again until next we meet….
I agree that the celebration penalties have severely deamaged the game by removing one of the main things in college football, raw emotion.
by lawildbull on Oct 3, 2009 7:59 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Great Game by Charles Scott
The offensive line on a whole played much better considering most appeared ill. First big win by Jefferson away at a bigtime SEC stadium. I am sure people will continue to question Miles and some of the playcalls, but when the game was on the line on the last drive the coaches made the right calls. This team is tough and a team that beats LSU will have to earn it for four full quarters.
by NOPE on Oct 3, 2009 8:36 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Celebration calls were legit
Ref on the Green call gave him time to celebrate, but once he turned to the crowd he through the flag. Scotts was just stupid considering the previous call on Green.
by NOPE on Oct 3, 2009 8:48 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
My impression
which is not nearly as thought out at Richard’s (obviously).
It was a fluke the game was this close. LSU was clearly the better team. Clearly.
Gregatron is not responsible for any of the crap he just wrote.
St. Louis vegetarian blog
by Gregatron on Oct 3, 2009 9:56 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
I completely agree with that Gregatron.
I don’t think for second that a questionable call changed the outcome of the game. We were a better team, period.
Our defense played very well. Jordan looked very good when actually passing (he did underthrow a couple of times). Jordan’s running looked clunky. We still have problems scoring in the red zone, although I don’t blame Charles Scott for that.
by tomsmail on Oct 3, 2009 10:33 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
The celebration penalty argument
Is a non-starter. The penalties were applied evenly. LSU took better advantage. Thank you everyone, good night.
by Billy Gomila on Oct 3, 2009 10:32 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
As far as the end of the half
I would have liked to see us be more aggressive, but I wouldn’t go so far as to call it poor coaching. To that point our defense had been absolutely DOMINATING, and trying a 57 yard field goal can lead to a return (against a team that’s not set up to protect against it) or a block, with probably a small chance of success. A bomb to the endzone? Again, very small chance of success, more bad would probably happen then good-pick, sack, fumble, something. I’m not saying I agree with it, but I certainly understand where they’re coming from.
by Ianoka on Oct 4, 2009 1:22 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Kelvin Sheppard and more
I agree with the kudos to Sheppard. He did play well. On top of that, I think this might have been the best played game of the season for our entire linebacker unit. It looked like solid play from all of them.
And memo to the defensive line…I’d really like to see you guys get a sack next week. You’ve gone two games without one.
by uberschuck on Oct 4, 2009 4:01 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Story
I had to stop watching the game at halftime because I had to go play a gig last night about 20 minutes away. When we start setting up on stage, I notice there’s a TV at the way back of the club that’s showing the game. But you can only really see it from my side of the stage.
Right in the middle of our first tune, Green scores the 4th quarter touchdown to go up with a minute left and I let out “you have to f^&*%ing kidding me.” Everyone thinks I’ve lost my mind.
A few minutes later, we were between songs when LSU scored. I was able to yell touchdown and celebrate a little without throwing off any of my bandmates.
People, please. We're all frightened and horny, but we can't let some killer dolphins keep us from living and scoring
by Man Mountain on Oct 4, 2009 6:54 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
That's a great story
CHAD JONES! WOOOO!!!!
by The Bengal on Oct 4, 2009 11:01 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Option and sacks
I think the coaches have drilled 2 things into Jeff’s head:
1) Don’t take hard hits when running the ball. This is why he holds the ball too long and goes too wide looking for a lane on the option plays. He often puts our RBs in a tough position to receive the pitch right at the sideline and they either have no room to do anything with it or they get popped. He’s regressed in running the option from last year (heck, from the Washington game) and I think it’s b/c he took a lot of hits.
2) Don’t throw interceptions. This leads to his indecisiveness and he holds the ball too long often resulting in a sack.
I can appreciate being cautious, but it’s almost detrimental to be this cautious.
by amiznit on Oct 4, 2009 9:29 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Totally agree with this
And I think one more thing on the options. I think he runs it better with Keiland than with Scott. I think Keiland’s faster and gets out to the edge faster while Scott just doesn’t have the speed keep pace with Jefferson. There’s a reason Scott’s best runs are typically between the tackles.
I would love to see a triple option with Scott on the dive and Keiland and Jefferson on the outside sweep.
CHAD JONES! WOOOO!!!!
by The Bengal on Oct 4, 2009 11:11 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
End of first half failure
I agree with Richard here – and think some people here are being too nice about this. Especially considering the strategies that were employed late in the game. Getting 3 points there would have been huge – a two-score lead. You can’t be this incompetent at this level of play. We got away with it against an opponent that ranges somewhere between fairly good and fairly bad. Do this against Florida or Alabama – oy vey – .
by drbonne on Oct 4, 2009 11:28 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
if you're talking about going for it on 4th down, I agreed with the decision..
I criticize the strategy at the very end of the half, when we were unable to get any play off. yes, those 3 points on that 4th down play would have been nice, but it was the proper calculated risk to take. Sometimes when you take a calculated risk, it won’t work out for you. That’s why it’s called a “risk”. You can’t get upset about every time you take a chance and it doesn’t work out.
Father. Husband. Lawyer. Nerd.
by Richard Pittman on Oct 4, 2009 11:30 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
The only thing...
I didn’t like about the 4th and inches was the formation. I think Danielson mentioned the fact that it was a total telegraph for QB sneak. That being said, we should still be able to get 4th and inches. O, but wait…I remember another sneak that totally backfired: At Florida ’06 which led to a total meltdown…
by TigerTex on Oct 4, 2009 3:09 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Going on 4th
I agreed with the decision to go for it yesterday and I agreed with the decision last week to kick it against Miss. State. Both of them failed, but they both seemed to me to be the right decision for the circumstances.
Against Georgia, we dominated the line of scrimmage in the first half. The O-line showed enough to believe they could power for one yard. I’m going to be interested to review the play to see why the sneak failed.
Against State, we had no running game. It was tight and three points make State get a touchdown to take the lead. There was no confidence the line could push enough to get the 4th and the FG should have been automatic.
In both cases, the plays failed, but (IMO) the decisions were correct. That’s why I think it’s funny that Miles has this legend as some kind of riverboat gambler. He actually almost always goes with the higher percentage play. Now clock management, that’s another story. I would really like to see him appoint an assistant coach for clock management at the end of halves.
CHAD JONES! WOOOO!!!!
by The Bengal on Oct 4, 2009 11:48 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I also agreed with both calls
You have to be able to get a first down when it’s 4th and inches. You just have to. WIth Jefferson in that situation, I almost want to see some kind of an option pass. Since we have a mobile quarterback, we might as well put more pressure on the defense.
Speaking of defense on short yardage plays, I think it is going to be very hard for anyone to run it up the middle across the goal line against us. We just shut down any kind of a run, now we just need Peterson to stay out on the pass. It will be interesting to see how we do against Tebow’s shotgun dive next week (assuming he is playing).
by Ianoka on Oct 4, 2009 12:13 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Just don't give up that #*@^ jump pass
CHAD JONES! WOOOO!!!!
by The Bengal on Oct 4, 2009 12:39 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I was thinking..
immediately after the play was over that JJ should have hesitated a little more. All 11 of the Bulldogs defenders tried to stuff the middle no one was keeping proper contain on the sneak. Hopefully the coaches will address it for future 4 and inches plays.
by Mikeno on Oct 4, 2009 12:45 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Karma guy here...
Several years ago, I was passing through Kentucky when I stopped at a truck stop. There was a Flo-like lady behind the counter wearing a Wildcat hoodie. I mentioned the LSU-UK game to her.
“Down in Louisiana, we call that last play ‘the Bluegrass Miracle. What do ya’ll call it?”
She laughed and said in a very thick drawl, “The Curse of the Cajun Tiger!”
I saw Tolliver was wearing black eye tape with the word ‘Play" under his right eye and the word ’Maker’ under his left. At first, I thought that was rather arrogant until a closer shot revealed what was written across the bridge of his nose: ‘4 MY’. ‘Play 4 My Maker’. What a bold and beautiful thing.
When you consider how inconsistently LSU has played these first five games, one could hardly argue that they should have lost at least one ot them. Yet, they remain unbeaten. This must make even the most hardened atheist reconsider his position.
Does God watch football? Of course He does, He watches everything. And I firmly believe that He will reward those players and teams that show good character and respect for Him. He doesn’t win the game for them, but I do believe He definitely gives them the opportunity to win.
Who determines how the wind blows? Who can predict how the ball will bounce? Who can say for certain whether the knee will stand up to the hit?
To me, it’s obvious.
God loves the LSU Tigers because the LSU Tigers love God.
If we could just sythesize life in a laboratory, we could prove that the creation of life requires no intelligence.
by Tigernut on Oct 4, 2009 2:04 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Just read that Crowton wanted to call play action pass on the last TD
and Jefferson talked him into running Scott again.
Crowton told Jefferson to throw a play-action pass to Brandon LaFell on second down. But Jefferson persuaded his coach into changing the play, telling him to give it to Scott again.
“It was second-and-5, with under a minute to go, and Charles is a big, power back,” Jefferson said. “I recommended we run it. I didn’t want to pass the ball in that situation and throw a pick that would keep us from getting points.”
Pretty good judgment for a 19 year old.
CHAD JONES! WOOOO!!!!
by The Bengal on Oct 4, 2009 2:54 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
You have to like his confidence :/
Father. Husband. Lawyer. Nerd.
by Richard Pittman on Oct 4, 2009 2:57 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Maybe we should make JJ the OC?
If we could just sythesize life in a laboratory, we could prove that the creation of life requires no intelligence.
by Tigernut on Oct 4, 2009 3:11 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I know you can look at it that way
but it really was the smart play. Georgia is protecting pass, they probably aren’t going to bite on a play fake anyway. It’s second and 5 from the 33 so the most important thing is to avoid a sack and an interception to keep the field goal option alive.
CHAD JONES! WOOOO!!!!
by The Bengal on Oct 4, 2009 4:53 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I knew this was coming.
There are Christian players on every team. I did see the Bulldog players get in the face of the LSU players quite a bit. Bad karma. I didn’t see any particular player on the Dawgs team give any indication of respect for God, i.e. pointing to Heaven after a touchdown or anything. So, while I wouldn’t say that God hates the Dawgs, perhaps the Tigers simply were not as ashamed or reluctant to show their love for our Maker.
There are a lot of factors that play into God’s decisions that we cannot understand. He works in mysterious ways, it is said. Sometimes, a loss will do more good for a team’s character than a win. God, ultimately, isn’t as much concerned about a team’s record as He is their souls. He’s trying to lead His children home, after all. Just like in life, sometimes that means that we don’t always get the outcome we desire, but ultimately, it is the best outcome for us.
Haven’t you ever had an event in your life that, when it happened, you thought it was a curse, but after some time, realized it was a blessing?
If we could just sythesize life in a laboratory, we could prove that the creation of life requires no intelligence.
by Tigernut on Oct 4, 2009 3:04 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
If that's how you want to interpret what I said...
.. that’s your prerogative. I clearly stated that God is not concerned about the scoreboard, but about the souls of His children, just like any good parent is. God doesn’t ‘’choose sides’ as you seem to think I said, which I did not. However, God does say that He will bless those who love Him. That’s all I meant, no more, no less.
Lanoka, my friend, again as I stated in my post, what is good for the soul is not always a win. God is not concerned with institutions, religious or not, but with the people who attend them. Moreover, I made it clear that God doesn’t win the game for anyone, but He can give a team the OPPORTUNITY to win, just as He gives all of us the OPPORTUNITY to get to Heaven, but does not force or otherwise cause us to go. I would also disagree with you that people publicly thank God ‘so everyone knows how spiritual you are’. Has it occurred to you that they do it simply because they are grateful to God for His blessing?
Now, in spite of the fact that God plays a major role in many football players lives, I’m sure Richard doesn’t want this turning into a religious blog, so if anyone would like to discuss this matter further, you can e-mail me at greatcontender@yahoo.com
If we could just sythesize life in a laboratory, we could prove that the creation of life requires no intelligence.
by Tigernut on Oct 5, 2009 6:34 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

by 
















