The Joe Burrow Touchdown Bracket Round of 32: Day Nine

Folks we are officially halfway through the JBTB Round of 32. Yesterday saw a slight upset as the 5 seed, Thaddeus Moss’ catch right before the half against Clemson defeated one of the Justin Jefferson touchdowns against Oklahoma. I can’t remember whuch one because I mean who can keep track of those.

Based on the results so far, it’s pretty clear that the most important factor in each matchup to the voters is how pivotal the game is. Routine plays in a tighter game have consistently advanced over more stylish touchdowns in blowouts. With that in mind, today’s matchup will be interesting considering it pits each of LSU’s first two touchdowns in the National Championship Game, both of which happened while LSU was trailing. Pretty fitting way to kick off the Get The Nat Region.

No. 1: Ja’Marr Chase’s 52 yard bomb against Clemson

Why it should advance:

Thanks to an overblown narrative involving LSU and the 50-yard line at the Superdome, we all felt a little uneasy late in the first quarter of the Natty. We punted on our first THREE drives! We didn’t punt three times in half our games this year! But this fears were assuaged when Joe Burrow noticed that Clemson was putting the Atlanta Falcons’ future first-round pick alone in coverage on Ja’Marr Chase. That was a bad idea!

A touchdown drive to get going is always needed. Deciding to drop a bomb after sputtering on offense is how 2019 LSU does things.

No. 8: Joe Burrow’s 3 yard run against Clemson

Why it should advance:

Because for the first time all season LSU trailed by double digits. This was a score they needed more than many others. Something I noticed is that Burrow’s best running games seemed to be against Alabama, Georgia and Clemson. I don’t know if those were in fact his three highest rushing totals, but those were the games where his running/scrambling ability was a weapon. Those were three of the best defenses LSU played all year, and the conscious decision to use Burrow’s legs as one more thing they had to account for was a genius move by Steve Ensminger and Joe Brady. That extra factor is what tipped some of those even matchups into an advantage for LSU.

I’m kidding, LSU’s offense always had an advantage over the defense, but this strategy was still smart.