The Joe Burrow Bracket Day 27

Day two of the Tiger King region, and yesterday our one-seed, Ja’Marr Chase’s game ending touchdown against Florida, advanced comfortably to the Round of 32. All four one seeds advanced and so far the twos are 3-3. Will they make it 4-4? Let’s get to today’s vote.

No. 2: Ja’Marr Chase’s 23 yard cross vs. Georgia

The context:

There’s always a play or two early in a game where you know “okay today’s just their day.” In LSU’s case it was when Joe Burrow completed a pass to himself and picked up 16 yards in the process. That was the third play from scrimmage for LSU and five plays later LSU scores a touchdown.

On the touchdown play Burrow has an eternity to find a target. The ball is snapped with 9:22 in the quarter and it lands in Ja’Marr Chase’s hands at the 9:12 mark. Georgia rushing three against Joe Burrow is about as “that’s a bold strategy Cotton,” as it gets and, shockingly, it doesn’t work. Burrow hits Chase and puts LSU up 7-0 on its opening drive of the SEC Championship. The play was reviewed which...okay, but the review took less time than Burrow had to work with on that play and the call rightly stood.

No. 15: Justin Jefferson’s 10-yard vs. Arkansas

The context:

You know if you take away the second and third quarters of this game, Arkansas scores an epic upset win over LSU 17-14 in Tiger Stadium and maybe ruins any hope LSU has of winning the national championship. Crazy right?

Well if you want to live in fantasy land, go read Lord of the Rings because LSU absolutely worked Arkansas in the middle two quarters by a combined score of 42-3. After Arkansas kicker Connor Limpert got Arkansas within a 7-6 ball game, LSU responded with three straight touchdowns to put the Tigers up 28-6 at the break.

This play to Jefferson was the third touchdown of that stretch. LSU goes 90 yards in nine plays and after Burrow picks up 22 yards with his —ahem—DECEPTIVE SPEED he finds Jefferson out of a 2x2 set running an underneath route. Also look at that touchdown dance! I don’t think any group of any kind ever had more fun than the 2019 LSU football team. The ‘92 Dream team? They had no fun winning the gold medal. The Beatles? Never once had fun. The Founding Fathers? All they were a bunch of nerds pre-choose your own destiny adventure games, of course they didn’t have fun. But 2019 LSU football? Brother that team had fun and let their opponents know they were having fun at their expense.