Month: September 2018

Reality- Big Brother Wins Again

From the time the 2018 LSU football schedule was announced, I had many doubts about many games and as I discussed last week, I couldn’t find more than 7 wins.  I thought there was a strong likelihood that LSU would come out the gates 1-2 limping into the LA Tech game beaten down and likely demoralized from a disastrous start.  That said, I never, not one time, ever thought LSU would lose to the Bulldogs from Ruston.

I was peppered on Facebook by a friend who is a proud LA Tech alum boldly proclaiming that this year LA Tech would beat LSU.  It continued after the season began.  I rarely replied because I know what it feels like to cheer on the underdog.  I am 45 years old so the majority of my life has been spent as a LSU and Saints fan which means I used to also dream up of ways that my team could pull off the upset.  It’s natural; it’s the beauty of sports; and it rarely happens.

Back to my friend, this was the proverbial let down game on LSU’s early season schedule that would trip up the Tigers (he said).  Tech was coming off a bye week and would be ready this week (he said).  LSU wouldn’t be able to slow down the Bulldog passing attack and would wear out (he said).

Truth of the matter is that every one of those assertions had legs to stand on.  They weren’t the ramblings of a lunatic but they were ramblings of a fan and therein lies the rub.

When you view and predict things via the lense of a fan, it distorts reality and doesn’t come close to allowing for clear 20/20 vision.

Reality is that while LA Tech has a roster of legitimate college football players, they are not in the same class as LSU and they never will in football. LSU plays in the SEC West, the hardest division in all of college football.  LA Tech competes in Conference USA.  LA Tech has good coaches and a few players on this year’s team will play in the NFL. LSU is a factory of NFL talent.  While I may rant about the lack of winning and competing for championships the last 5 years, what can never be questioned is the amount of pro-level talent that LSU has and like the old saying “it’s not as much about the X’s and O’s as about the Jimmy’s and the Joe’s”.

Reality is that LSU jumped out to a 24-0 lead by running power football and playing good D.  The team slept walked through the majority of the game on both sides of the ball.

Reality is that LSU’s Offensive line without Charles at Left Tackle is a hot mess.  Deculus at Right Tackle was abused much of the night.  When Brumfield went down, Hines played admirably at Left Guard as a true freshman.  Hard to believe that just a month ago Hines was practicing at Defensive Line.  If Brumfield is out for any significant amount of time, this team is in trouble heading into the teeth of the SEC schedule.  If he is out for the year, I am not sure what can be done because they are running out of scholarship Offensive Lineman to put in.

Reality is that LSU could not get a pass rush against LA Tech and that is a major concern heading into SEC play.

Reality is that the Tech QB played well.  He hit open receivers.  Tech called a good game on Offense.  Tech wasn’t afraid of “Big Brother” in Tiger stadium.

Reality is LA Tech scored 21 unanswered points and reality is even when LA Tech closed to within 3 points, I never got nervous nor worried that LSU would lose this game. That wasn’t false bravado or stubbornness, it was seeing the game for what it was and the teams for what they were.

LSU pounded LA Tech when it needed to and closed the game out. It was an ugly win but it was a win as it should have been by the way.

LSU hosts Ole Miss on Sat night at 8:15 in Tiger Stadium.  LSU will unveil the Billy Cannon statue on Sat as well. Something tells me the crowd will be into that game and that this team will come out with a much improved effort and performance. It will need to.

LSU has a lot to learn and many areas to improve on.  They play up and down to the opponent’s level which is a surefire sign of a team lacking focus and leadership within the team.

All the talk about hosting UGA in Tiger Stadium for a potential top 3 clash is the proverbial Rat Poison a young team doesn’t usually handle well. The Florida game in the Swamp will not be easy. That game has trouble written all over it if you ask me.

But for now, Reality is this team is 4-0 and Number 5 in the country.

PS- when the game is over and your team has lost, it’s always best to tip the hat to the victor than to say things like “LSU didn’t cover”. It makes little brother look, well, like a little brother if you do things like that…….

 

 

 

Here We Geaux

Like most, I rarely lack an opinion.  Unlike most, people don’t have to twist my arm for me to share my thoughts on most topics. Over the last few years, I have used Facebook as the main platform for providing my takes particularly on sports or food.  Truth is, I have been that way since I was fairly young.  I have matured enough to not get into too many controversially topics on Social Media because its a recipe for disaster.  I also have to admit that since taking a Creative Writing class back in High School, I enjoy writing.  Don’t claim to be good at it but I do enjoy expressing myself through words.

Any way, Valerie and others have mentioned to me on more than a few occasions that some of my Facebook posts were long enough to be articles in magazines or chapters in books so why not just start blogging instead of pecking away on my iPhone which at time would take longer than I care to admit.  I had surgery to reattach a ruptured elbow tendon in my right arm as well as carpal tunnel surgery in my right wrist a few months ago so here I am joining many others in the world of blogging.

One very important point to keep in mind if you decide for whatever reason that you want to read my blog: I am not trying to change your mind. I am not trying to debate.  These are MY thoughts and MY opinions and they will always be what I honestly believe.  I will not write my takes to just get clicks.  When it comes to my sports takes, I will do my best to be as objective as possible but I bleed purple and gold and am a member of the Who Dat Nation so my takes about them can’t help but be skewed because I am fan.  I will be wrong many times. I accept that reality so hopefully you will too.  Again, these are MY thoughts and MY opinions.

Now to the business at hand- LSU beats Auburn 22-21!!!

I have been beyond bitter and negative about the state of LSU Football under Alleva and never more so than the last 2 years with Ogeron as the head coach. Simply put, I just didn’t think Ogeron merited the LSU job and more bluntly put, I think that the way Alleva blundered the attempted Miles’ dismissal in 2015 then the way Alleva hired Ogeron after dismissing Miles in 2016 was a colossal embarrassment.  Admittedly, I have slowly become that LSU football fan that years ago I would have either avoided or disliked because of the pessimism.  You know, the kind of fan that Nick Saban once classified as suffering from “Catastrophe Syndrome”.  Life may not have been easier back in the day but it sure was nicer to be the quintessential LSU Super Fan that always wore Purple and Gold glasses.  My proverbial LSU glass was always half full back in the day even if it had several holes in it and only one drop of water remained.  Being that guy was always way more fun to be and to be around but LSU fatigue has set in the last handful of years.  And before anyone questions my allegiance or if I am a true fan, the fact that I have invested my time, money, and emotions on all things LSU since I was 11 years old should end that subject.  So no matter how it may appear, not many want LSU to win more than me.  I still get way too up after a win and way too down after a loss.

Before the season started, I predicted LSU would win 7 games mainly due to the “impossible” schedule but also because of the head coach.  In fact, I thought if the stars aligned, they could scratch out 8 wins and with some injuries at the wrong spots, 6 wins wasn’t that hard to imagine. I just couldn’t see this LSU team with a suspect Offensive Line and the question marks at QB and Running Back positions having a strong or special year.  I have often been critical of Ogeron as a head coach (Exhibit A- the Florida loss 2 seasons ago Exhibit B- the Troy loss last season).  However, LSU did something yesterday that it hasn’t done very often in the last 20 years AT Auburn- they got a win!

Ensminger’s offensive game plan was more than solid and dare I say, somewhat creative!  Burrow came out throwing the football.  LSU came out with multiple receiver sets.  The O line, that is still a major work in progress, competed and bought Burrow just enough time to allow him to make throws to Wide Receivers that we have been reading about being the strength of the team. Burrow’s stats may not be that impressive but LSU has a QB who knows how to make plays and isn’t afraid to lead his team nor is he afraid of the moment.  His pass to Dillon was a thing of beauty. While the RB’s didn’t have spectacular days, they ran hard and kept the Auburn Defense honest.  Through 12 quarters of football this season, LSU is one of only 6 teams that have yet to turn the ball over this season. The D was spectacular to start the game and in the 1st Qtr.  However, Auburn and Gus Malzahn took it to Aranda’s unit in the 2nd Qtr.  Auburn had the LSU D on their heels and they started to push the D line around which led to 14 points and the lead going into half. In the 3rd Qtr both teams traded blows but Auburn stretched out the lead.  Somehow, LSU’s D withstood injuries and fatigue and stiffened up in the 4th Qtr.  They got stops and the ball back to the LSU Offense down 11. It wasn’t always pretty and several times it appeared LSU was close to down and out but they fought, competed, and gave themselves a chance to win.  And in the end, Cole Tracy nailed the game winner. 2 years in a row, Ogeron and the Bayou Bengal Tigers beat Gus and the War Eagle Plainsmen Tigers.

So here we are, LSU is 3-0.  They will be well within the top 10 (my guess is they land around No 7 nationally this week) heading into the next home game against LA Tech.  And for all my pot shots and complaints about the coach I commonly refer to as The Binder, he is now 9-1 in the regular season since losing to Troy last year.  Oregon has the same number of wins against Top 10 teams (3) as Nick Saban and Urban Meyer do since the beginning of the 2017 season. No one else has a better resume than LSU and Ogeron through this part of the season.  Did I just type that?

Maybe the schedule isn’t “impossible” like I contended it was.  I have to admit that we are now positioned to get to 9 to 10 wins. Could it be that Ogeron is rebuilding the LSU football program back into a contender? Could the man Alleva hired because he loved LSU and was “one of us” be hitting his stride as a head coach after a failed experiment at Ole Miss? Could it be that Alleva made the right hire after whiffing on Jimbo Fisher twice and not landing Tom Herman?

Only time will tell but for now, it sure has been fun to be so wrong about this LSU football team.

PS-this crow tastes delicious!

Geaux Tigers!