Sweep the Leg!!

Week 8: October 20, 2007
(4) LSU defeats (17) Auburn, 30-24
Death Valley, Baton Rouge

Game Recap:
It was another cardiac game inside Death Valley. I think this season alone has erased about 4 years off the end of my life. LSU again played a poor first half, falling behind 17-7 at the halfway point. It took a dominating 3rd quarter and a pretty good 4th quarter to pull off another last second win.
The offensive game plan was solid. LSU opened up the playbook a little bit, and it showed. LSU put up 488 yards of total offense against a very good Auburn defense. The return of Early Doucet was huge. His presence in the game is invaluable. As predicted, Matt Flynn looked like his old self as he had a great game and a career night with 319 yards passing. The offensive line gave Flynn time to throw the ball and opened up nice holes for the running backs. But the hero of the game was Demetrius Byrd. I’ve been lauding this guy since he got here, and he’s finally made a name for himself. Everyone will remember the Flynn-Byrd connection at the end of this game like they remember the Hodson-Fuller, or Mauck-Green, connections. It was a special play and a great way to end the game.
The defense had a good, not great, game overall. They still are having trouble getting a consistent pass rush on the quarterback. This gives the receivers plenty of time to find an opening in the secondary. They also are getting suckered into coverage mismatches. For example, the last couple of weeks, our linebackers have been forced to cover the running backs releasing from the backfield. Our linebackers are fast, but not that fast. We need to find a way to get our linebackers some help in those situations. Poor tackling was a problem in this game as well. We did not wrap up Brad Lester and he had a lot of yards on second effort.

The Good:
Although it wasn’t pretty in the first half, LSU did what they had to do to keep their dreams alive for another national title. It appears now more than ever that the Kentucky loss did not hurt us in that respect. Win out, and you’re in. It’s as simple as that.
I’m impressed with the heart of this team. It’s not easy to make a comeback like we witnessed in the second half. A 10 point deficit to a very defensive Auburn team was a huge hurdle to overcome. But they did it. They stayed true to their gameplan and executed much better in the second half. This comeback will serve as valuable experience the next time this team is trailing.

The Bad:
What is going on with the game management at the end of games? While I’m not really convinced that the clock should have gone all the way down to 1 second, I don’t understand why we had to cut it so close. The play call was good. Taking a shot at the endzone was the right call. But Les Miles did himself no favors by once again taking unnecessary risks. The key word there is unnecessary, and the Les Miles naysayers have another bullet for their guns. Clock management, especially at the end of games, has been one of Miles’ biggest problems.

Another criticism I have of miles is his personnel choices. Why can’t Charles Scott and Keiland Williams get more touches? They have big play potential and can score from anywhere on the field. Charles Scott hits the open holes so hard that he’s already gained 5 yards before the defense takes a hit on him. Yet he only gets the ball 5 times??? Keiland Williams takes a shovel pass 46 yards for a TD and then only gets one more carry the whole game??? I don’t get it. I’d like to see a little more of them on first and second down. If you want to use Hester on 3rd downs, that’s fine with me. But give Scott and Williams the rock! They can go the distance.

The Ugly:
Chaz Ramsey. Punk!

You are the most pathetic type of human being in civilized society. Like a spoiled kid, you resort to cheating when you know you can’t win fairly. The knee chop was the most unsportsmanlike play I have EVER seen in my entire life. I’ve been around sports since before I can remember, and I’ve never witnessed such a malicious attack in any sport on any level. Chaz Ramsey is a punk! He’s a cheater and a criminal. You jeopardized a man’s entire future. His life. The life of his kids. You crossed the line and you should be suspended from college athletics for the rest of your life. Get on your knees tonight and thank God that you didn’t accomplish what you intended to do. If you had done permanent damage to Dorsey, your life as you know it would be over. You’re the type of person that will eventually be a wife beater and child abuser. You are a waste of a human being. Take your beating like a man instead of trying to ruin someone’s career. If I were Glenn Dorsey, I’d be on my way to Auburn, Alabama right now to beat you within an inch of your life. But I’m not Glenn Dorsey; he’s too classy to do something like that.

And Tuberville, you should be ashamed of yourself. With your record of classless behavior, it is not out of the question that you instructed this type of play. Your defensive attitude after the game reeks of a guilty conscience. You were quoted as saying, “We did not teach it, will not teach it, and won’t tolerate it.” YES YOU DID! YES YOU WILL! YES YOU DO! I hate you even more now.

Game Stats:
Rushing: LSU-169 , AU-97
Passing: LSU-319 , AU-199
Total: LSU-488 , AU-296

Game Ball:
Matt Flynn. Excellent game. Flynn was 22 of 34 for 319 yards, all career highs. He also had another 34 yards rushing. The interception was not his fault and his receivers dropped 6 catchable balls. Still, Flynn had the best game of his career. Now let’s see that against Bama!

Did you notice?
After Dorsey was injured on the first illegal chop block, he returned a few series later. On his first play back, he tossed Chaz Ramsey into the backfield like the punk he is. It was nice to see good triumph over evil.

Did you notice part II?
Did you see who was lined up in the noseguard position on the punt return team? Yes, it was big Trindon Holliday trying to sneak through the line and get a hand on the ball.

Week 8 Games of the Week:
UCLA def. (10) California, 30-21
(14) Southern Cal def. Notre Dame, 38-0
(15) Florida def. (7) Kentucky, 45-37
Alabama def. (20) Tennessee, 41-17
Vanderbilt def. (6) South Carolina, 17-6
Rutgers def. (2) South Florida, 30-27

Rankings:
Here’s the updated top 10 BCS rankings:

1. Ohio St.
2. Boston College
3, LSU
4. Arizona St.
5. Oregon
6. Oklahoma
7. West Virginia
8. Virginia Tech
9. Kansas
10. South Florida

Whack Stats:
The Big Ten Conference, as a whole, has won only one non-conference game against a Division 1-A opponent with a winning record. That win came against Bowling Green. Not a single win against a BCS conference team with a winning record for any of its eleven members. That’s whack!!