I said it, I'm a big Buckeye fan, but we are going to get beat by atleast 3 TDs. After reading the LSU season breakdown (the long bit of good reading below) I know we will lose.
Special to ESPiN from Tony
By Tony Gerdeman
Dear ESPiN
Every week during the season I do a game-by-game recap of how Michigan fared on the-Ozone.net (It's a little web site I'm sure you've never heard of. When you're the world-wide leader, you don't have to bother with little stuff like that.) so that Buckeye fans can keep up with what's going on with the enemy. I thought it might be a good idea if we do the same thing for LSU. When I thought this project out, however, I did it with the intention of picking LSU apart and just focusing on their weaknesses. Unfortunately, I couldn't really find any.
So, rather than scrap the piece altogether, I decided that Buckeye fans need to wake up and see just exactly what they'll be up against on January 7. It's not pretty, so I thought you guys at ESPiN would definitetly be interested.
Now I'm not suggesting Coach Tressel and the Buckeyes should just pack it up and give in. If nothing else, that would be bad for TV ratings, and everbody knows that's what this game is all about, but at some point reality has to set in. The LSU Tigers aren't your normal football team. They are a team of speed, power, ferocity, depth, and speed. Whereas the Buckeyes are basically just a team of depth.
Basically, these two teams just don't really match up well. But then again, that's what LSU is used to. LSU is favored wherever they go, and for good reason. LSU has failed to lose eleven times this year--thirteen if we're just talking regulation. Numbers like those are unheard of in the loaded SEC. The scary thing for the Buckeyes is that this LSU team may be the most talented team college football has seen in nearly a year.
People throw around grandiose claims about the levels of talent that this LSU team possesses, but after looking back on their season, I think people are being conservative with their praise. They are not giving enough credit where credit is due. And, frankly, it's an insult to what LSU has accomplished this year. So, in order to maybe right a few wrongs, let's take a look back, week by week, and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about.
October 30, LSU 45 - Mississippi State 0
This game was nowhere near as close as the score indicates. In fact, the 17-0 halftime score was more like 31-0 when you consider factors that I don't have the time to mention. And even more impressive than the score, the LSU Tigers amassed an unheard of 347 yards of total offense and averaged an amazing 4.0 yards per rush and 6.8 yards per pass! And LSU's big-play offense did not take the day off, as both quarterback Matt Flynn and back-up running back Richard Murphy had carries of 21 yards, respectively. With speed like LSU has, big plays are just part of the game. Get used to it. And we can't talk about big plays without mentioning receiver Early Doucet. Doucet finished with an unbelievable nine receptions for 78 yards! That's nearly nine yards per reception! That's almost a first down every time he catches a football! And amazingly, LSU was only forced to punt seven times against a ferocious defense that had not given up a single point this season prior to this game. And what about LSU's defense? Well, you see the "0" next to Mississippi State's name, right? The Tiger defense forced Heisman candidate Michael Henig into six interceptions. In fact, he only made one more start the rest of the season. It would not be the last Heisman candidate that LSU destroyed. And it should also be mentioned that Mississippi State was only able to come up with three plays of 20 yards or longer against this LSU defense. It is awesome what a defense like this does against a high-scoring offense like Mississippi State. In fact, it had been nearly an entire year since Mississippi State was last shutout! These things don't happen every day!
September 8, LSU 48 - Virginia Tech 7
One week after unleashing the Hokie fury on East Carolina to the tune of 17 points and 278 total yards, Virginia Tech had to go from pillaging Pirates to getting mauled by Tigers. LSU held the jet-fueled Hokie offense to 149 total yards, while churning out 598 total yards of their own. Virginia Tech quarterback Sean Glennon was the second consecutive Heisman candidate that the Tiger defense embarrassed and abused. Glennon finished 2-10 for 16 yards. He was benched shortly thereafter. The LSU defense isn't just physical, it's psychological. It took Glennon weeks to get back to his All-American-type self.
September 15, LSU 44 - Middle Tennessee 0
In a match-up that both schools had been looking forward to for quite some time, the most prestigious directional school in the entire state of Tennessee (provided we consider "middle" to be a direction) came into Baton Rouge expecting to give the Tigers the fight of their lives. Instead, LSU held Middle Tennessee to 90 total yards of offense, including a whopping nine rushing yards! LSU's offense, meanwhile, put up 505 total yards on the Blue Raiders, and that was without starting quarterback Matt Flynn at the helm! Ryan Perrilloux stepped in seamlessly for Flynn and went 20-25 for 298 yards and three touchdowns. Along with those passing numbers was the amazing 5.0 yards per rush that superback Jacob Hester averaged. Some will say that Hester's rushing average was skewed by a miraculous 22-yard jaunt during the game, but that would be unnecessary nitpicking done by petty panderers! LSU also displayed their tremendous discipline in this game, as they were only called for ten penalties. LSU isn't going to beat themselves, folks!
September 22, LSU 28 - South Carolina 16
South Carolina came into this game having shut down Georgia just two weeks earlier. In that game, the Bulldogs only managed to score 12 points and could only amass 341 yards of total offense. Obviously, the Game s came into this game feeling pretty confident. And then the Bayou Bengals smacked the Game s in the mouth and welcomed them to the cold steely reality that is LSU football.
When it was all said and done, LSU rolled up a staggering 360 yards of total offense, including a near-record 290 yards on the ground! Chief among those ground-gainers was running back Jacob Hester. Hester carried the ball 17 times for 88 yards and a touchdown. He also had a 15-yard carry that was reminiscent of a stronger, faster Roger Craig, but with more determination. And despite South Carolina's best efforts, quarterback Matt Flynn was still able to complete eight of his 19 passes for 70 yards. Try as you might, you cannot shut this passing game down! LSU also finished 4-14 on third down conversions, but you have to think that with the game never really in doubt, this is a meaningless stat. Just like South Carolina's 8-16 third down conversion rate. Meaningless. What is meaningful, however, is the fact that South Carolina was held to 17 yards rushing. Steve Spurrier's teams have always cemented their on-field success with the running game, and if you can shut down a Steve Spurrier running game, then you can shut down any running game.
September 29, LSU 34 – Tulane 9
In-state battles are never easy, and this one was almost no exception. Tulane only trailed 10-9 at the half, but that’s not too surprising considering that Tulane went undefeated just ten seasons ago. LSU knew that they were in a fight, but once halftime was over, the Tigers went out there and dropped 24 second-half points on the Green Wave and put this puppy to bed. LSU averaged a whopping 3.5 yards per rush, showing the ground domination that we have come to expect. Jacob Hester carried the ball ten times for 33 yards and two touchdowns! Tulane simply could not stop him. Not to be outdone, quarterback Matt Flynn was 17-32 for 257 yards passing. He was, however, sacked six times; but like I said, Tulane was undefeated just ten seasons ago, so they have some real talent in this program. Also, Tulane is no stranger to in-state sacking, as they sacked Southeastern Louisiana quarterback Brian Babin five times just a week earlier. However, despite the early game struggles, LSU prevailed in the end, just as they usually do in regulation.
October 16, LSU 28 – Florida 24
This game was a classic that required LSU to convert all five of their fourth-down attempts. That is how good they are. They view punting as a loss, and they hate to lose, as their regulation schedule would attest. The Tigers’ backs were against the wall in this game, but they found the will, the strength, and the for ude to score 14 fourth-quarter points to secure the 28-24 victory. Florida was basically helpless in the second half, and they were pretty much just holding on in the first half. For the game, LSU compiled 391 yards of total offense, including 247 yards on the ground. Jacob Hester was his usually prolific self, rushing for 106 yards on 23 carries. Matt Flynn was 14-28 passing for 144 yards, averaging a Montana-esque 5.1 yards per pass attempt! And what about the LSU defense? They held Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow to only 67 yards rushing—and 21 of those yards came on one carry! As you would expect, Tebow was shut down, as he only accounted for three touchdowns. Speaking of being shut down, Florida running back Kestahn Moore rushed for a paltry 79 yards, and this was just weeks after he ran for an astounding 91 yards against Western Kentucky in the season opener! Florida put up a nice fight in this game, but they were simply out-classed.
October 13, LSU 27 – Kentucky 27 (Regulation)
Sure, everybody knows LSU lost this game 43-37 in three overtimes, but taking overtimes into accounts is so subjective. What really counts is what happened in the sixty minutes that matter! And in those sixty minutes, LSU pummeled their way to 261 yards rushing against a Kentucky defense that fields eleven defenders just like the ’85 Bears did. And the Tigers STILL ran on them! Jacob Hester had the lights on the scoreboard reading like a digital speedometer as he put the pedal down and tallied a staggering 61 yards rushing on only 18 carries! And when Kentucky geared up to try and stop Hester, the Tigers would throw the ball downfield at will. Matt Flynn finished 18-37 for 142 yards passing for a very respectable 3.8 yards per attempt. And as I mentioned, Flynn didn’t hesitate to go downfield. He completed passes of 18, 12, 14 and 13 yards! The Kentucky secondary was bombarded with deep passes and really could not contain this LSU passing attack. But, not all was perfect for LSU; after all, they did give up 27 points in regulation. However, if you look at it closely, you’ll see that those 27 points probably should have only been 20 points, considering the fact that Kentucky got a cheap touchdown drive at the end of the first half. It was a five play drive that went 78 yards in only 44 seconds, so obviously it was a fluke. People may want to point to the fact that LSU failed to sack Kentucky quarterback Andre Woodson during the game, but that’s Kentucky’s game. They pass protect like nobody else in the nation. People will try to point out that Mississippi State sacked Woodson three times this season, but I would point out that three isn’t really that much more than zero, so it’s pretty much a wash. And people will try to say that LSU’s defense was suspect in this game because Kentucky scored 20 straight points, but I would say that it’s pretty amazing that after Kentucky had gained all of that momentum, somehow, this LSU team was able to fight back and actually take the lead in the second overtime! And people love to talk about LSU’s failures in overtime. Yes, Kentucky scored in all three overtimes, but in only two of the three overtimes did they score a touchdown, and only one of those touchdowns was followed by an extra point! People don’t talk about that, do they? No! LSU didn’t lose this game because of LSU, nor because of their twelve penalties, they lost this game because--sometimes--losing builds character. It’s a natural selection-type of thing. LSU is stronger because of this game, and they won’t allow what happened in this game to happen again.
October 20, LSU 30 – Auburn 24
Auburn came into Baton Rouge on a Saturday night, and left with their losing tails between their losing legs. LSU outgained Auburn 488-296 yards in what can only be categorized as ultimate domination. Jacob Hester only needed to carry the ball nine times to tally up 50 yards, continuing his onslaught of the SEC rushing record books. Auburn was held to a paltry 97 yards rushing. It was truly a sad display. And not that Auburn was bad, because they were not. This Auburn Tiger team is truly one of the twelve best teams in the nation, but they were no match for LSU at home. Haymaker after haymaker, Auburn tried their best. But it was essentially baby fists against mighty bricks. And in the end, LSU scored the winning touchdown with one second remaining on the clock. Domination was never so timely.
November 3, LSU 41 – Alabama 34
LSU had a week off to prepare for this game, and boy did they use it well! They scored 41 points on Alabama, and it had been five seasons since somebody had scored more than 38 points on the Crimson Tide! LSU again dominated statistically, outgaining Alabama 475 yards to 254 yards. The Tide could only manage 20 yards rushing, while the Tigers more than quadrupled that with a hefty 87 yards on just 34 carries. It was awesome to behold. Jacob Hester again displayed his grit and zazz with 47 yards rushing on 16 carries. The passing game was on fire for LSU as Matt Flynn went 24-44 for 353 yards and three touchdowns. In a bit of flukishness, Alabama did manage to intercept three passes, but you can throw those out as statistical anomalies. Also, Flynn was only sacked three times, so the pass blocking was again stellar. On the flipside of that, Alabama was sacked seven times! And somehow this LSU defense held a high-scoring Alabama offense to just 34 points in regulation! The Tigers were also called for 14 penalties, totaling 130 yards, so you know they were getting totally homered. However, just two weeks later, the great state of Louisiana exacted their revenge when Louisiana-Monroe came into Tuscaloosa and beat Alabama 21-14!
November 10, LSU 58 – Louisiana Tech 10
Just as you’d expect, the LSU Tigers own the state of Louisiana. They invited their little cousin into town on a Saturday night and pitched him over the side of the well. They rolled up 595 yards of total offense, with 321 of those coming by way of the ground game. Jacob Hester recorded the second 100-yard game of his amazing senior season, finishing with 115 yards on eleven carries. And even if you take away the 87-yard carry that he had, he still finished with an impressively efficient 28 yards on just ten carries. Big-play receiver Early Doucet again dazzled, snagging three receptions for 22 yards. When he is running around in the secondary, defenders hold their breath! And getting back to their monk-like discipline, the Tigers were only penalized eight times in this game. It may have been as close to a perfect game as any we have seen this season.
November 17, LSU 41 – Ole Miss 24
Now this game…this game was a battle. Ole Miss brought in one of the nation’s great offenses, but against LSU, they could only manage 466 yards of total offense. The Rebels rushed for 201 yards, but it took them 28 carries to reach that number, meaning they only averaged a scant 7.2 yards per carry! After about 20 carries, wouldn’t you get tired of running into a brick wall? LOL! But they foolishly kept running the ball. It should come as no surprise, then, when LSU ended up winning the game. And to be honest, the 17 fourth-quarter points that LSU scored really didn’t even matter. This was LSU’s game from the outset. Don’t get me wrong, Ole Miss tried as valiantly as they could, but they just didn’t have the offense. They could only muster six plays of 20 yards or more against the amazing Tiger defense. LSU’s offense, however, didn’t have those same problems against the Rebel defense. Receivers Early Doucet, Brandon LaFell and Demetrius Byrd combined to catch twelve passes for 98 yards! They were simply everywhere. Honestly, there have been grand finales at big-city fireworks displays that have been less impressive than what this receiving corps accomplished on this day.
November 23, LSU 28 – Arkansas 28 (Regulation)
Again, this was yet another game where LSU couldn’t be beaten in regulation; rather it took Arkansas an amazing three overtimes to finally beat LSU 50-48. But I think we would all agree that if this game was played in regulation again, LSU would undoubtedly not lose. And the stats would back me up on this. Yes, Arkansas won this game, but LSU held the Razorbacks to a meager 128 yards passing. People will want to point to Arkansas’ 385 yards rushing in an effort to display some type of lacking defense for the Tigers, but I would argue that if you take away Darren McFadden’s 73-yard run, Peyton Hillis’ 65-yard run and Felix Jones’ 31-yard run, then Arkansas would have only rushed for 216 yards—which is fairly mediocre. And let’s not forget that the Tigers held Heisman runner-up Darren McFadden to a 3-6 passing day, and only allowed him to throw for 34 yards and just one touchdown! Yes, Darren McFadden rushed for 206 yards, but like I said, 73 of those yards came on one lucky play. When McFadden isn’t the beneficiary of such fortune, he is a pedestrian back. For instance, Florida International held McFadden to 61 yards on 19 carries, and Auburn held him to 43 yards on 17 carries. Why? Because he didn’t get any cheap runs against them, that’s why! And if LSU and Arkansas were to play again, I guarantee you that he wouldn’t get any 70-yard runs in regulation OR overtime this time around. That’s why I prefer Jacob Hester’s game to McFadden’s. Hester carried the ball 28 times for 126 yards, and his longest carry of the day was for twelve yards. He doesn’t need flukes—he has consistency! And people should really just shut up about how Arkansas scored a touchdown in each overtime—so did LSU! And nobody else had stopped Arkansas in overtime this year, so why should LSU be held accountable for something that nobody else could manage? It’s not fair to blame LSU for something that we’re not even sure is possible. Also, it bears mentioning that Early Doucet again dazzled viewers with 52 yards receiving on seven receptions.
December 1, LSU 21 – Tennessee 14
This was the SEC Championship, and there was never a doubt during the game who was in charge. Quarterback Matt Flynn sat this game out due to injury, but it still wasn’t enough to slow down this juggernautic offense. LSU’s offense, guided by Ryan Perrilloux, pelted the Vols’ defense with 13 points in under three quarters! Of course, the Tigers can’t take too much credit, as this Tennessee defense has struggled before, giving up 45 points to California, 59 to Florida, 27 to Arkansas State, 41 to Alabama, and 50 to Kentucky. And now add 13 more points, courtesy of the Bayou Bengals! LSU finished the game with 464 yards of total offense and threw in a defensive touchdown in the fourth quarter for good measure. LSU committed only nine penalties in this game, again showcasing the smarts that we’ve come to expect from head coach Les Miles and his team. The score may suggest otherwise, but this game was decided long before the fourth quarter.
So there you are. A little look into each of LSU’s thirteen regulation non-losses. I wish I could paint a more pleasant picture for fellow Buckeye fans, but sometimes the canvas just won’t allow it, no matter the paints and no matter the artist.
Truth can sometimes be the harshest mistress. And as I look back on LSU’s season, each game was a declaration of honesty. Painful, brutal honesty.
As the clock ticks closer, I am beginning to think that the best we can hope for as Buckeye fans is for this game to be as close as LSU allows it to be, because on January 7, it will be completely out of OSU's hands.
I'll have to disagree. LSU has been inconsistent and at times, even downright pedestrian. Yes, the SEC is a bloodbath sometimes, but they haven't been that impressive this season since the VT game. Frankly I don't think either program belongs in the top 2 of college football, but if I bet on this game I think I'll go with the Buckeyes.
read the long thing I posted, it's a very funny read even though it is long. The satire in it is 2nd to none
Then I approve of the satire I didn't have time to read through.
except LSU will smack ohio state around. here's a neat stat for you, Tressel is 0-8 against the SEC...lol.
I think it is flat out ridiculous that we're seeing this overrated team waltz into another BCS le game simply by virtue of the fact that they don't play a conference championship game.
It's such a in stupid system, moreover, this championship, like every other besides 2005, means nothing, because its not going to be undisputed.
1995, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, and 2006 were undisputed.
if im not mistaken weren't there other teams with the same number of losses as at least one of the championship contending teams?
What about Urrrrrrban's utah team in 2004?
Disputed. I said.
what part about read the total number of losses for every team heading into those bowl seasons don't you understand? Let me guess, you attended neither USC nor A&M
I did not deny the facts that the champ is the champ
I simply said that champ is Disputed
i said
The only time the BCS system worked in its history with no flaws or disputes was when my team impaled your teams tonsils--the biggest chode bloading in sports history I SAIDDD
incorrect, according to the Harris Poll, USC won it all in 2005...so the t.u. le was disputed. as far as what i said earlier and how disputed les are understood by the majority of the college football world...i was right.
LOL
yet we had less losses than USC and finished the only undefeated team for the season
seriously jgw,
own me right here
how do you justify a poll which places team 1 higher than team 2, when team 1 just lost to team 2, and has more losses for the season than team 2.
Seriously
own me right here and now
and i'll shut up
use "logic"
wait, i'll just own you straight up
the Harris poll does not release a final season ranking
the last harris poll was as of november 27th, 2005:
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/rankin...=2005&pollId=5
Last edited by LaMarcus Bryant; 12-28-2007 at 10:55 PM.
obviously i agree t.u. was the le holder that year, i am just making a point. what is considered disputed and a team not getting a chance to play in the national le are two different things. the years i gave you are undisputed le holders, regardless of who you think should have had a chance. and btw, this doesn't mean i don't think SC was better that year, cause they were...t.u. just happened to win the game that mattered, good for them. Harris obviously had the right team on top, even though they didn't deserve to win the le.
find me a link for the final harris poll standings after the Rose Bowl
why?...find it yourself, i already know who was #1.
well, by that logic a&m's last two wins over UT don't count! they weren't the better team!
way to miss the point and run with it, lol.
This is ownage of a higher level. That Harris poll thing was a classic backfire.
another 'sip chiming in...what else is new. you guys are like a swarm of 5 year olds always backing each other up, even when its foolish and you have no grounds.
Foolish and no grounds? Dude, even you - the king if illogical stances - has to admit you got shredded on that Harris poll thing. That blew up right in your face, or as some others would put it...
that's a sticky smegggggma splattering of the nastiest kind I saiiiiddddddd!
nothing backfired in my face...i guess you fail to understand what happened. nothing new...
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