I know it's Monday, so these are kind of late, but I spent all day Sunday driving and recovering from Saturday. Can you blame me?
From my seat as part of a record crowd at Death Valley, I could not believe my eyes Saturday night. Yes, I fully expected the defense to be lights out. And by that, I literally mean not allowing points ... EVER. But the offense against Virginia Tech was brilliant. The only time I remember anything close to as efficient was the 2002 Sugar Bowl thrashing of Illinois. But that was Illinois, this was Virginia Tech!
Matt Flynn was about as crisp as you could expect, doing everything he needs to do to win games. He converted third downs, he didn't turn it over and he got the ball to his playmakers.
I think the most obvious, most important revelation from the offense was the emergence of Brandon LaFell. I said after last week's game that some receiver -- any receiver -- was going to have to step up opposite Early Doucet. LaFell did that and then some, constantly finding seams in the Hokies' defense and torching them for seven catches and 125 yards. It seemed like he was wide open every time Flynn dropped back.
It's also obvious that the running back-by-committee approach is here to stay. Jacob Hester was his typical solid self, but Keiland Williams showed the home run threat we all felt he could be. He hurdled his fullback, then outran the Virginia Tech secondary, for the love. I'd still like to see him getting 10-15 carries instead of just seven.
And as for that 67-yard run, as long with his 32-yard TD, it was great to see the receivers blocking downfield to make it happen. It seems like ever since Michael Clayton donned the purple and gold, LSU receivers have been among the nation's best at blocking for their running backs. I love seeing that trend continue, because I think it's one of the most underrated aspects of a running game.
All that said, I did manage to find something to bother me besides that God-awful punt formation. Why on earth Doucet is fair catching every punt is beyond me. LSU didn't have a single punt return yard on Saturday night. I mean, catch it and fall down to gain a yard at least. Otherwise, send the other 10 guys after the punter to try to block it, there's no point in setting up any type of return.