Week 11: Ole Miss: Five Keys

1. Dexter McCluster.  The best running back we’ve faced not named Mark Ingram.  When Louisiana Tech runs for 150 yards on you the week before, run defense is obviously a concern.

2. Jordan Jefferson.  Will he start?  Will he be 100%?  Will a quarterback so dependent on rhythm be able to take a week off and pick up where he left off?

3. Wide Receivers.  Our biggest matchup advantage.  LaFell, Toliver, and Randle all pose significant height and speed advantages against the Ole Miss secondary.  On the other side, LSU will try to contain McCluster first, but Jevan Snead can be neutralized if his receivers are covered.

4. Houston Nutt.  Rumor has it, he hates us for our lack of interest in hiring him in both 1999 and 2004.  He sure does know how to craft a gameplan that specifically picks us apart (see 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008).  Houston Nutt has beaten LSU twice in a row and 3 of the past 5 years.

5. Open-field tackling.  Much more of a key than the play of the lines.  McCluster and Brandon Bolden are both east-west runners, and our ability to contain them at the corner might be more of a key than #5.

Week 9: Alabama 24 LSU 15: Thoughts

The SEC happens to be headquartered in Birmingham, AL.

• Losing to Alabama always hurts.  Always.  It hurt watching Shaun Alexander put the game away in the first quarter in 1996.  It hurt watching Fred Booker tip a game-changing interception into the hands of a wide-open ‘Bama receiver in 1998.  It hurt last year when Jarrett Lee cancelled out the defense’s best performance of the year with an ill-advised throw in overtime.  These are the losses that make us the fans we are.
• This was a rare type of loss in the Miles era: we played hard; we played smart; we executed for the most part.  The score was much closer than 24-15.  After the Washington, Vandy, and State games this year, I was more pissed than anything.  After this, I just felt bad for our players.  Patrick Peterson on sitting out due to cramps on Julio Jones’s 73-yard TD: “[it] left me with the emptiest feeling I can ever remember.”
• Some questionable coaching: the stubborn refusal to dump the option with Jefferson, the amount of corner blitzes that left safeties on dangerous receivers (see above bullet), the two-point conversion.
• But don’t get me wrong: this was the best Miles-led gameplan since the 2007 Championship.  We mixed it up with play action and no huddle early, we used Shepard extremely well, we even debuted the Jefferson-Scott-Shepard (!) backfield.
• Sure, we were playing with house money in 2005 and 2007.  This is the type of loss that makes up for those games we shouldn’t have won.  ‘Bama got the calls and the bounces, and only Lane Kiffin would call this a moral victory.
• But those injuries.  We’re not used to that.  Is Alabama any more well-conditioned than we are?  Their bye week, and luck, were the likely reasons they came out healthier in the end.
• Enough conspiracy theories are circulating about The Call; I thought this was most interesting: “That’s the problem with all the SEC officiating hijinks this season: Now we don’t know. Now we can’t be sure the best team won, because we know both teams didn’t get a fair shot. Saturday’s disputed call was as unfair to Alabama as it was to LSU, because a tiny seed of doubt has now planted itself in the minds of all but the most fervent Alabama supporters.”
• It may not show on the field, but it’s apparent that Florida is a notch above Alabama.  I’m pulling for Texas to beat either.
• We have a good number of responsible, classy, talented underclassmen on the team who genuinely care about each other more than anything.  It’s more apparent with every week.  I might not be Miles’s biggest fan, but a team is a reflection of its coach, and that’s why we have him.  We’ve gotten to see this team grow with each game this year, and it’s turned out to be special.  The program is in good shape.
• Game balls: Charles Scott, DeAngelo Peterson, Drake Nevis, Patrick Peterson.

Week 9: Alabama: Five Keys

1. Offensive Lines.  Alabama’s M.O. on defense is stopping the run with a solid front four and blitzing two or three backs during passing situations.  LSU’s offensive line has been suspect all season but improving a little with every game.  Still, the last time they faced a defense similar to ‘Bama, less than 180 yards of offense were gained in the game.  How LSU running backs and fullbacks pick up delayed blitzes will dictate their offensive performance.  LSU rarely blitzes and does not supply much pressure with its front four, but stopping the run has been a stalwart of their success on defense.

2. Quarterbacks.  Each is inexperienced and flaky, with moments of brilliance surrounded by stretches of mediocrity.  Each defense will bait the quarterback to throw deep into talented defensive backfields by trying to stop the run and 5-10 yard passes.  Whichever manages the game and protects the football more successfully will likely get the W.

3. Red Zone Play.  Both teams have had trouble getting six instead of three.  Alabama has scored two offensive touchdowns in its last three games; LSU had its own offensive drought against the only comparable defense they’ve faced all season.  In a game dictated by field position, rare trips to the red zone can’t be wasted.

4. Jones/Peterson.  Part two.  The flashy side of this year’s installment.  Both are future pros and will be physically challenged for only the second or third time all season.  Peterson must stay step-for-step with Julio Jones, who is fully recovered from ankle and knee injuries.  If Jones does catch the ball, Peterson’s superb open-field tackling must continue against a player used to getting chunks of yards-after-catch.

5. Russell Shepard.  He was sick for the Florida game, but finally made a significant impact in the Auburn game.  Could this be the week we see him throw his first pass?  It seems like LSU has been sitting on 8-10 specialty plays for Shepard, and we could see a couple this week.  Without a big play for Shepard, it’s hard to imagine the LSU offense mixing it up enough to keep the ‘Bama defense on its toes.

Week 7: LSU 31 Auburn 10: Thoughts

“Nobody will ever know how it feels.  I got all kinds of things running through my mind. I got my chance and I took it.”

• First off, let’s never take beating Auburn for granted.  Let’s never take for granted talking about taking beating Auburn for granted, either.
• My God, Tommy Tuberville was a fantastic coach.  Looking back on it, Auburn was basically a house of cards for years now (when’s the last time they had a decent quarterback?  wide receiver?  safety?  kick returner?).  But ol’ Tubbs got them motivated week after week, especially for the LSU game.  This LSU/Auburn contest didn’t quite have the same palpable, blood-boiling hatred.
• JoJef was challenged to throw deeper, and he certainly did, but let’s not overlook the main reason why: the offensive line played their most complete game by far.  Jefferson was rarely hurried, and when he was, it was usually a designed rollout.
• “Let’s not start sucking each others’ dicks just yet.”  Things that need improvement: north/south running game, red zone offense, front four pressure, consistent WR play, Jefferson’s confidence, offensive creativity.
• On a scale of one to Colt David, how funny would it have been if Jarrett Lee threw a pick six in the final minutes of the fourth quarter?
• Russell Shepard!  So proud of him.  When you read Facebook status updates like, “God, please don’t let me feel like I’m about to make the biggest mistake of my life” from two weeks ago, things are not optimal.  But dude has more passion for this program as a freshman than most of our seniors.
• Alabama looms large, but let’s not take an opportunity to beat the fuck out of Tulane for granted.
• Game balls: Harry Coleman, Russell Shepard, Terrance Tolliver, Kelvin Sheppard.  And Chief Chavis.

Week 7: Auburn: Five Keys

1. Gus Malzahn.  Auburn’s generally known for their running game and defense, but the addition of kitchen-sink offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn is very un-Auburn.  At Tulsa and Arkansas, he was known for pulling out whatever trick or gadget play was necessary at the time.  Whether Chris Todd and the Auburn offense can execute them is another story.

2. Jordan Jefferson.  More specifically, how much his coaches trust him, how much he trusts himself, and how he fares throwing downfield into coverage.  Because, so far, he’s clearly afraid to throw any kind of interception… and that’s handcuffing us to 10-yard outs.  Florida sat on those all game and challenged him to throw deep.  When he tried, he usually ate a sack or threw it away.

3. Auburn linebackers.  They’re always good.  They’re always physical.  But this game in particular will be huge for them: LSU has said it will try to reestablish the run with Charles Scott early.  If Scott can break the D-line, the onus is on these linebackers to stop the run and make Jordan Jefferson beat them.

4. Open-field tackling.  Ben Tate, Ontario McCalebb, and Kodi Burns have all proved they can get the corner on any SEC defense.  Whether it’s LSU’s corners, safeties, or linebackers, they’ll need to make the first tackle to prevent unnecessary yardage, something Auburn feeded off of in their last two visits to Tiger Stadium.

5. Bye week adjustments.  If we’re still running the option with Jefferson and Williams… I just don’t know what to say.

“Criticism is fine.  We’re pretty critical around these parts as well.  But this Chicken Little attitude which has infected the LSU fanbase has got to go.  When Auburn comes to Baton Rouge this weekend, I want all of you Tiger fans to give them the greeting they deserve: loud as hell and full of vitriol.  It is the coaches’ job to teach, it is the players’ job to learn, and it is our job to cheer.  Let’s hold up our end of the bargain.

Down with Auburn.”

- ATVS

Commence Auburn Hate Week.

Week 6: Florida 13 LSU 3: Thoughts

P-Pete with another solid open-field tackle.

• This is long, so bear with me.
• First off: the defense played inspired football.  That’s the crispest tackling we’ve had since the ‘07 Va. Tech game.  Players like Patrick Peterson and Kelvin Sheppard are really becoming the cornerstones of a unit improving every week.  Sure, the score was more like 23-3, but give the D credit for bending but not breaking most of the time.
• On the one time they broke: no jersey can be pulled so that the DB is ten yards behind the receiver.  Chris Hawkins played the wrong coverage, and Jai Eugene took his spot in the second half as a result.
• I think I’ve figured out the major issue with the offense.  Crowton, for the first time in earnest, decided to heavily feature a no-huddle, audible-at-line offense this season.  Teams like Florida and Auburn have done the same in the past, with good/bad (Florida/Auburn) results.  In addition to the fact that it’s a rhythym killer and the players are obviously confused, it really limits the plays a sophomore quarterback can run.  Basically, you have a nineteen-year-old making his eighth start.  He looks to the sidelines during the final fifteen seconds of the play clock to read hand signals teaching him the play.  With this system, LSU is limited to not only the parts of the playbook Jefferson has learned as an eight-game starter, but to those plays that are communicable via hand signals.  It’s why our offense has been putridly vanilla all season long.  Crowton hasn’t out-thought any defensive coordinator he’s faced, only himself.
• As a result, message boards are clamoring for Gary Crowton’s dismissal from the team.  There’s no doubt that the passion of LSU fans is unmatched, but let’s keep in mind that no recruits/coaches would ever want to be a part of a program so volatile.
• On the other hand, it’s no secret that Les Miles isn’t the most technically sound Xs-and-Os coach.  It’s pretty apparent that his role is that of the motivator, recruiter, and delegator.  The team respects and genuinely wants to play for him, so his role as motivator is not in question.  Our current and past few recruiting classes are sterling.  However, his third role— and perhaps the most important— has to do with his staff hirings.  Peveto/Mallory was a nightmare, and Miles was directly responsible for us losing two or three otherwise winnable games last season.  Crowton worked in 2007, but seems to distrust anybody under the age of 20 to grow in real game situations.  If Miles can’t surround himself with technically skilled assistants, he’s the football version of Dale Brown.
• There’s enough out there about this but I thought I should remind: we’re 109th in the country on offense.
• Saturday’s game can’t be solely placed on the shoulders of Jordan Jefferson.  In fact, I thought JoJef played one of the best halves of his short career in the first.  Nearly every throw was in-stride, and he tucked the ball and ran in the correct situations.
• About half of the sacks JJ took were his fault; the other were simple coverage sacks for a pro-caliber secondary.  Joe Haden and Will Hill are Patrick Peterson and Chad Jones with more experience.  However, many of the sacks likely had to do with Jefferson’s knack for eyeing only one or two receivers in a five-wide set.
• I literally feel embarrassed for Russell Shepard at this point.  Please don’t transfer.
• Game balls (the usuals): Patrick Peterson, Jai Eugene, Drake Nevis, Coach Chavis.

Week 6: Florida: Five Keys

1. Coaches.  Florida has a new offensive coordinator.  The old one played us a couple weeks ago and drew up a near-perfect gameplan on both sides of the ball.  Our new defensive coordinator was not exactly, ahem, sterling against Florida in the past.  Both head coaches have combined for the past three national titles with very different management styles.  These off-the-field stories all add up to the most critical factor in the game.

2. Tebow Tebow Tebow.  Every possible angle has been exhausted here, with Tebow, his concussion, and John Brantley.  It’s been an unexpected wrinkle, since we’ve likely been preparing for this game all summer, that we might have to face Tebow and/or Brantley, who no one knows anything about.  Depending on how Brantley handles himself— and I do think he’ll start— it could be a major advantage or disadvantage for Florida.

3. The quarkbacks.  Jeff Demps, Chris Rainey, Emmanuel Moody.  They’re all tiny, feature world-class speed, and have been successfully utilized way more than Trindon Holliday.  Their role has suddenly become huge with Tebow not able to run the spread 100%.

4. Offensive Lines.  Florida’s front four is the best we’ve seen this year by far.  All have pro potential, and, when you factor in the delayed LB blitzes Charlie Strong favors, it could be a disastrous night for our pass protection.  Meanwhile, Florida’s offensive line isn’t nearly as patchwork as the past few years, when they still managed two win a couple titles.  Rahim Alem has been the only DE on our roster so far capable of consistently getting to the QB.  Florida’s offense relies heavily on misdirections and screens, so we can’t be overaggressive either.

5. The line.  When’s the last time LSU was a home underdog?  That one’s easy, it was last November against #1 Alabama.  Ok, when’s the last time LSU was a home underdog by nine points or more?  I’ve thought a while about it, and it was likely the October 2001 game against Rex Grossman’s Florida (it was 41-9 UF I believe).  These players have never had any kind of motivation like this since possibly high school, and it’s scary to think there are high school lines in the middle of Louisiana.