First Impressions: LSU v Florida
by Poseur on Oct 9, 2010 11:19 PM CDT
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And that was before Tolliver caught the game winner. Holy crap.
First and foremost, no one believed in this team. Every talking head on ESPN's GameDay picked against LSU. Herbie went so far as to say LSU would finish 8-4 or 7-5. Every "expert" on SI.com and CBS Sportsline picked Florida to win. CFN would have unanimously picked Florida, except Clucko the Chicken randomly selected LSU. This was a matchup between two roughly even teams and everybody, and I mean everybody, picked against LSU. So, to all of the haters... up yours.
This game was won on sheer tenacity. LSU simply would not lose. People can whine about luck, but Les made his own luck in this game. A lot of calls went against LSU early, and Florida's first 21 points came on incredibly short drives. But, somehow down by 3 in a game in which they looked like the superior team all night, Les Miles made calls in the end to go for the win. He made gutsy, gutsy calls that, had they failed, would have opened him up to extreme criticism. The gambles worked, so he deserves credit. He played to win, and his players rewarded him. He didn't play it safe, he went for the jackpot. He got it.
Some other stray observations...
... The two QB system worked great. We'll get to the numbers later, but the quarterbacks are playing greater than the sum of their parts.
... Our special teams were awful. Very rarely does LSU get outplayed on special teams, but they did. By a very wide margin. Had LSU lost this game, it would have been because the team's best unit, the special teams, had their worst game of the season.
... The defense was great until it mattered. allowing a 10-play, 80-yard drive with the game on the line is just something top tier defenses do not do. Very disappointing.
... The offense showed up again. Terrance Tolliver had his best game as a Tiger. He was a man possessed.
... Florida converted three third downs due to LSU penalties. Just infuriating. Still, this team has too many self-inflicted wounds.
... LSU was the better team all night long. This could have, and maybe should have, been a blowout. Give Florida a lot of credit for continuing to throw haymakers.
... But no one is tougher and more clutch than these Tigers. I hate the cliche, but this team refuses to lose. I love this team's grit.
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Even with a really strong unit ( like our defense )
some days, you need the other units to win the game for you when its on the line. BOOM! The offense and FG kicking team did just that. Way to go guys! 6-0!
( ok I have to say this though… ffs kill the ultra conservative, ultra predictable play calling we saw on 4 of the last 5 drives! damn you Crowton, damn you! )
Crowton
I have to agree. I really don’t like bashing anything or anyone connected with LSU. But, I tried doing what one commenter said he could do last week, i.e., call the plays Crowton would run before the team was ready to begin play. Sure enough, I was able to do it on quite a few occasions. And, I guarantee you that if I can do it than anyone can. The element of “surprise” in any physical encounter with another person or team is extremely important and effective. More than anything else, it’s the one thing we need to get out of Crowton. If he’s capable of doing it and will do it, the offense will become exponentially better.
Anyone who tries to shortchange this win can bite my ass
On edsbs it’s all “LSU got lucky AGAIN” and “Florida isn’t that good a team.” They are literally incapable of giving LSU, specifically Miles, any credit for anything. I’ll tell you this. This LSU team looked a hell of a lot more talented, a hell of a lot more intense, and a hell of a lot more prepared than that Bama squad that got its doors blown off in Columbia.
Don't Panic.
by 4.0 Point Stance on Oct 9, 2010 11:43 PM CDT reply actions
I know thi sis crappy...
as I suck at photo editing, but I had to try:
I'd like to make the point:
Stewart Mandel picked LSU to win. So, not everyone picked against the Tigers. You’re trying like a coach to play the underdog card.
See, it’s true
So Stewart Mandel and Clucky the Chicken are the only two
Journalist that think for themselves, hahahahahaha
GEAUX TIGERS!!!
I missed him
After the game, I went to every site to check everyone’s picks and couldn’t find Mandel’s. My apologies to Stewart. One mainstream journalist believed in us. Stewart Mandel is now the official sports columnist of ATVS
Fake Pundit. Real Fan.
And The Valley Shook!
Please no
Not that assface
You may outfit the Trolley.
by Man Mountain on Oct 10, 2010 2:59 PM CDT up reply actions
I'm having trouble going to sleep
The Tigers got me all flustered
Don't Panic.
by 4.0 Point Stance on Oct 10, 2010 1:18 AM CDT reply actions
Great win...
Problems remain with this team, but offense showed improvement. hope the upward momentum continues. Miles deserves credit for gutsy calls. but if the fla game sets the tempo for the rest of the season, as some say, get ready for a wild finish.
The fake FG was gutsy, but not crazy
What’s the least sure of these 3: fake FG, 53 yard attempt, or lining it up and going for it on 4th down? I’d say probably the 53 yarder, even with a great kicker. Plus all that does i get you to overtime. The fake is the same as a well executed 4th down attempt, with the added bonus of surprise.
My early perusal of the sportswriters has the “crazy/lucky/your coach is a fool” theme out pacing the “great win in the swamp” theme by about 9:1. As we all know, it matters zero, but it would be nice to see the same level of scruitny applied to the coaches that actually lose the games rather than the ones that win.
Eat Crow
Screw you Tim Brando
Screw you J Darin Darst
Screw you Larry Burton
and you too YourGatorOverlord..
We beat’em down first half. Only reason they were still in the game was refs/dumb penalties/turnovers…GIFTS.
2QB SYSTEM
I agree that it should be two QB’s, but only if it’s 90/10 Lee/JJ. JJ’s interception was just putrid, disconcertingly awful, and Lee led the team down the field for the game winning score for the second week in a row after being given barely any playing time in the last couple of years. JJ made one nice throw, but Lee made a few in less attempts, and made zero mistakes.
Bottom line: Without Lee, LSU is 4-2 right now — how has he not earned the starting QB job by now?! 2QB’s seems the way to go right now, but only if Lee starts and stays in there until he screws up or there’s a situational mismatch that favors having JJ in there for a play or two. Lee will only grow more, and grow faster, if he’s given the reigns.
ALSO --
Please Tigers, stop shooting yourselves in the foot with the damn penalties and turnovers!
You could’ve won by 3 TD’s or more last night, and we’ve got the 3 big A’s coming up soon — they won’t be nearly as forgiving as UF was last night. Would love to see a mentally sharp, low penalty, zero turnover game with McNeese with Auburn on deck.
The same can be said for JJ
we need them both and so far, its working very well.
Super exciting game - LSUs best game this season
Somehow I found myself puzzled that Florida was somehow in this game. We dominated them on both sides of the ball. Two bad turnovers and a kickoff return is what got the Gators in it. So there are things to clean up.
For the most part I have to give it up to the coaching staff. Smart clock management, gutsy play calling, and a pretty smart plan for using the 2 QBs (although just about everyone HATES a two QB system). I’m happy to see Jarrett Lee have a good moment at the end – he deserves it after what he has been through.
Caution still: this is a team Alabama beat 31-6. And it’s not the Florida teams of past. However, we are squarely a team to deal with in the SEC West. LSU-Auburn is going to be fun. Geaux Tigers!
After last night it's clear to me
LSU is really the only thing that can stop LSU. If we get out of our own way and avoid silly turnovers and untimely penalties, we’ll be almost impossible to beat.
btw….the facemask called on Nevis…..that was barely a grab and it was clearly unintentional….shouldn’t that have been a 5 yard penalty? They have made the distinction this year, and not all facemasks are 15 yd/1st downs anymore. That was a 5 yarder if I’ve ever seen one, yet they got 15 yards and got to keep their drive alive.
it is my understanding
that they dont make a distinction between 5 & 15 yarders on facemask penalties. they are all 15 yard personal fouls. however, i would have thought that the safety would have stood and that the yardage would have been assessed on the free punt. moot point now i guess. hell of a game.
there's no more 5 yard penalties
but if it’s really incidental, as that was, it’s supposed to be a no call
i have seen a 5 yd facemask penalty this year
I was confused when it was called earlier this season
Ah, ok
guess I wasn’t clear on the rules.
i could be wrong, but that's how i understood the rules change
if anyone knows something different- please say
There's no more incidental facemasks penalties...
They basically turned it into a zero tolerance rule- all of them are 15 yards & incidental or not, if the ref judges it to be a facemask penalty, it’s a penalty, period.
by Curtis Bleaux on Oct 10, 2010 10:33 PM CDT up reply actions
right, but isn't it the case that
if it really is incidental (judgement call, obviously) the refs aren’t supposed to call it at all? I don’t think i’ve seen them give a no call once yet.
technically
the way refs are taught, according to some announcer I heard at some point, is that “if you have to think about it at all, throw the flag. if you don’t think ‘was that a facemask or wasn’t it’ then it clearly wasn’t. but if you have to ask yourself, throw the flag.”
essentially, it gives refs a little leeway but if that’s truly the way they are taught, then just about any time a hand goes near a facemask it’s gonna get called.
What ORtiger fan said...
If the hand touches the facemask & they see it, these days they’re going to basically call it. Tap, tug, yank, whatever. Except of course in Tuscaloosa on a Tide defender. :)
by Curtis Bleaux on Oct 11, 2010 6:16 PM CDT up reply actions
Unreal...
I know this is not my board since I’m obviously a Bama fan, but I have to compliment you on the game. That was a pretty dominant performance.
The one question I have for you is regarding Miles – Has there ever been anyone as lucky as this guy in the history of college football?
Make no mistake, the talent is there. The defense is a dominant group and the offense seems to be headed ni the right direction, but LSU’s theme this season from what I have seen so far is “win despite how Les tries to screw things up.”
It’s just watching the Madhatter keep pulling stuff out like the fake, game after game. It’s gone beyond comical to historically amazing.
He's NOT abnormally lucky
And frankly I’m sick of it. Ashlon Jeffrey makes a sick one-haded grab against Bama, keying a huge upset win, and not one person cries luck. LSU runs a fake FG, one they said they have practiced routinely, in a game that by all rights they should have won by double digits, and people cry luck. It is starting to piss me off. (Not you, just in general). It’s just a way of minimizing Miles’ rather impressive accomplishments at LSU.
LSU had a ton of bad breaks in the Florida game (the PI call on Jai Eugene was awful, the incidental facemask wiping out a safety and turning into a 15 yard penatly, the refs not whistling Brantley down for two to three seconds, giving him time to suddenly regain forward momentum and score a TD, and an unforced fumble on a punt leading to a UF touchdown). All just simple bad luck. LSU just overcame all that bad luck and won the game.
Reducing LSU’s win to luck is just a way to say “y’all didn’t deserve to win.” and LSU deserved to win that game. And Tolliver being a great receiver is no more lucky than Jeffery being a great receiver.
sorry to go off. It’s not you, but I’m tired of people not giving us credit. LSU isn’t lucky. We’re good.
Fake Pundit. Real Fan.
And The Valley Shook!
by Poseur on Oct 11, 2010 8:41 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
+ infinity
Forgive me, I’m a bit of a science nerd.
by Displaced Tiger on Oct 11, 2010 8:49 AM CDT up reply actions
No worries...
Just to clarify – I do think LSU is good. Obviously Miles has to be doing something right to have LSU where they are right now. The luck I’m referring to pertains to Miles and his play calling at key moments of various games (which almost always go in his favor). He’s a HUGE risk taker and almost all of his risks have paid dividends.
Maybe that’s it. Perhaps it’s not viewed as a risk by him and therefore his players buy into it and it’s just and everyday type of deal (increasing the odds of success since there’s less anxiety to pull it off).
Thanks for not taking it personally
It’s just my standard rant. You can understand why we’re on edge right now.
I don’t believe his risks have always paid off, or even that his risks are all that huge. The classic example is going for it on fourth down five times against Florida. Was that really lucky? Miles made the call (correctly, I believe) that if LSU punted, they would not get the ball back and would lose. So he went for it with Jacob Hester, a reliable run-to-the-sticks back over and over. Let’s put it like this, with the game on the line would you rather rely on Jacob Hester OR on stopping Tim Tebow? In those terms, the traditiona; “safe” call of punting is actually the call less likely to win.
What Miles does not do is make “safe” call that don’t increase your chance of winning but instead are designed to reduce criticism. Seriously, would you rather kick a 53-yard FG to force OT or go for it on 4th and 2? He was trading a highly unlikely kick to tie the game for a chance to win. I’d prefer if he hadn’t run off 30 seconds before the call, but no one’s perfect. His players belive they can make the big play, and they reward him.
Sometimes they don’t. See the last two Bama games. Or Penn St. Or all of 2008. We remember the times it works and forget the times it doesn’t. And honestly, if anything, he was too CONSERVATIVE against Florida (and UNC), letting both teams up off the mat.
Fake Pundit. Real Fan.
And The Valley Shook!
+1000
Poseur – you are right on. Sportswriters whine constantly about how conservative football coaches are, in college and the NFL. Miles does what they say they want – and they mock him for it. It’s media laziness. Not to go all political, but the storyline that Miles is a lucky idiot has no more basis in fact than the 10 year storyline that Bush (II) was a moron. You don’t have to always agree with Miles’ decisions (Or Bush’s, for that matter) to realize that neither guy is an idiot.
Yeah, Miles has been made out to be the Joe Dirt of college FB coaches.
But that turned out all right, didn’t it?
Agreed.
But like it or not, you’re HC has been cast with some dubious titles (none too flattering). This year though karma seems to be on his side. Regardless of the past, future games are squarely in favor of LSU from this point moving forward.
Nothing’s a lock of course, but I’m feeling less confident than before going into the LSU/BAMA game. And here’s why:
- Our secondary has struggled against big receivers and D-line has been suspect with very few examples of a consistent pass rush – Tolliver anyone?
- SC gave a good bluepint of how to stop GMAC’s passing game since he struggles with the deep ball.
- Our offensive line is beat up right now and proved suspect to run blitzes
- Our “quality” win was against a FL team who could very likely drop 2 more games this season
- This year we give up A LOT of points in the first quarter when traveling to opposing stadiums in the SEC
We’ll see. I’m interested to see how BAMA bounces back. All I know is that LSU is looking more dominant by the week and I consider them the real deal until they prove me wrong.
Playing not to lose...
is not playing to win.
If you have talent, 4th down is just another chance to get a 1st down. I really don’t understand how people don’t get this.
by Curtis Bleaux on Oct 11, 2010 6:22 PM CDT up reply actions
Yes there was somebody as lucky as Les...
they used to be called Notre Dame…..
by Curtis Bleaux on Oct 11, 2010 6:17 PM CDT up reply actions
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| West | Conf | Overall | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | W | L | |
1 LSU Tigers  |
19 | 11 | 42 | 14 |
| 6 Arkansas Razorbacks |
16 | 14 | 39 | 17 |
| 7 Mississippi St. Bulldogs |
16 | 14 | 34 | 21 |
| 9 Mississippi Rebels |
14 | 16 | 34 | 22 |
| 10 Auburn Tigers |
13 | 17 | 30 | 26 |
| |
9 | 21 | 21 | 34 |
| East | Conf | Overall | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | W | L | |
| 2 South Carolina Gamecocks |
18 | 11 | 39 | 15 |
| 4 Kentucky Wildcats |
18 | 12 | 41 | 15 |
| 3 Florida Gators |
18 | 12 | 40 | 16 |
| 5 Vanderbilt Commodores |
16 | 14 | 29 | 25 |
| 8 Georgia Bulldogs |
14 | 15 | 31 | 24 |
|
8 | 22 | 24 | 31 |
