Wild West Showdown

Week 10: November 3, 2007
(3) LSU vs. (17) Alabama
Bryant-Denny Stadium (92,138): Tuscaloosa, AL
CBS 4pm

Miles….. Saban….Back to Back. Just 10 short paces until they turn around and draw weapons on each other. If only this game were at high noon, it would make for the perfect Hollywood movie. Make no mistake, there will be a dual on the field of Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday. The winner takes the west, and the loser rides off into the sunset in the opposite direction of Atlanta. Weather Saban or Miles admits it or not, they are going head to head, or back to back as it may be. The outward love affair each coach has displayed this week will not be enough to mask the hatred that burns just below the surface, especially for Miles. Since day 1 in Baton Rouge, Miles hasn’t gone a day without being compared to the great Nick Saban. The shadow cast by Nick has been inescapable thus far for Les. Maybe this is the week that the sun shines upon Miles and he sees the light. Or maybe the shadow becomes so dark that Miles loses his way in Baton Rouge. Am I over dramatizing this??? Not at all. This is it for Miles. His legacy, his reputation, his manhood rides on this game. I can’t even imagine the mutiny that will ensue if Miles returns to Baton Rouge with a loss. It will be ugly, and Miles knows it. Miles has had this game circled since January 3rd, the day Saban took the Bama job and the credit for LSU beat down of Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl. I think that angered Les Miles. His anger boiled over again last February 7th when Miles went into a rant at the Recruiting Bash, culminating in an F-Bomb dropped on Tuscaloosa. Let’s hope that same intensity is on display this Saturday.

Point Spread:
LSU -7.5

Bama Bound:
I, joined by several other Samsonites, will be in hostile territory this weekend. We don’t have tickets, but we’ll be there to absorb the abuse from the delusional Bama faithful. I’m not too worried about it. I’ll let the scoreboard do the talking for me.

"You tell them I’m coming. And Hell’s coming with me!"

Know thy Foe:
Head Coach: Nick Saban

Since 2000, LSU is 6-1 against Alabama, their best stretch ever against the Crimson Tide. LSU has won the last 4 games and 6 of the last 7.
This is a series that has been dominated by the visiting team. The Tigers are 9-3 at Bama during my lifetime. Over that same period, Bama is 9-3-1 at Tiger Stadium.
LSU and Alabama do not have a common opponent yet this season. Four of Alabama’s wins this season have been by seven points or less. Alabama is 0-2 this season in games played when they are ranked. They are 2-1 vs. ranked teams while LSU is 4-1 against ranked teams.

Week 1: Defeated Western Carolina, 52-6
Week 2: Defeated Vanderbilt, 24-10
Week 3: Defeated Arkansas, 41-38
Week 4: Lost to Georgia, 23-26
Week 5: Lost to Florida St., 14-21
Week 6: Defeated Houston, 30-24
Week 7: Defeated Ole Miss, 27-24
Week 8: Defeated Tennessee, 41-17
Week 9: OFF

LSU Offense vs. Alabama Defense:
I won’t sugar coat it. Alabama is weak on defense and I’d be disappointed if LSU is not able to rack up at least 30 points. They are young and inexperienced. On top of that, they are still trying to learn Saban’s very complex defense. It took LSU almost 2 years to learn it. But still, it is a Saban defense. So you can expect to see a lot of blitzing and pressure put on Flynn. He should have a great day running the ball if he can feel the pressure and escape the pocket before it collapses. I think he’ll be ready for it. After all, he spent 2 years going against the Saban defense while he was running the scout team offense for LSU. We should have a great day running the ball as Alabama has given up tons of yards. The passing game could be just as successful if Miles/Crowton can keep them off balance and spread it out. One play that always seemed to work against Saban was the middle screen to the running back releasing from the backfield. Alabama may target Early Doucet with backer Siemeon Castille. I don’t think they’ll let Doucet have single coverage on passing downs. LSU must move the ball consistently and not settle for field goals when they enter the red zone.

Alabama Offense vs. LSU Defense:
John Parker Wilson is Bama’s QB. He is not a great quarterback, but he did have a lot of success last season against LSU. Major Applewhite, former Catholic High and Texas QB, is the wonder boy offensive coordinator. He’s only 28 years old, but he’s done a good job so far. Alabama uses two halfbacks in speedster Terry Grant and bruiser Glen Coffee. Coffee, however, may be suspended for the game since he was part of the textbook scandal (more on that later). D.J. Hall, the SEC’s leading receiver, is Alabama’s Early Doucet and he is very effective. He averages over 15 yards per reception. I expect to hear his name a lot on Saturday. Alabama’s offensive line is pretty good despite the possible suspension of 2 starters, guard Marlon Davis and center Antoine Caldwell. Andre Smith is a great left tackle. Justin Britt will go against Dorsey. The O-line has looked good so far this season, but they have not gone against a defensive line like LSU’s. This match up between the big uglies will determine the outcome of the game in my opinion. LSU needs to put a rush on Parker Wilson and make him get rid of the ball before he’s ready. He is a 3 step drop QB much like Kentucky’s Andre Woodson. If you remember, the only success LSU had against Woodson was when the rush was on. I hope Pelini re-watched that tape.

Keys to the Game:
Score early. If you win the toss, take the ball. We must score early to take the crowd out of the game. Alabama is not known to be the loudest fan base, but they are the most delusional and myopic. They think they should beat everybody, because they are ALABAMA. They don’t have much perspective when it comes to college football. Anyway, back on topic; we must not have a slow start like we’ve been doing the last few games. Get ahead and stay ahead.

Injury Report:
Glenn Dorsey: Probable. Not at 100%.
Ali Highsmith: Close to 100%
Darry Beckwith: Close to 100%. He popped that shoulder back in and got back in the game against Auburn. What a beast!
Kirston Pittman: Close to 100%.

Game Prediction:
This game is a hard one to predict. I think LSU will have success on offense if they show some creativity. On defense, it’s pretty simple. RUSH THE QUARTERBACK! Will they do these things?? I think they will because Miles’ butt is on the line.
I’ll take LSU – 34, Bama – 24

Week 10 Games of the Week: (Predicted winners in CAPS)
(11) VIRGINIA TECH @ Georgia Tech
Nebraska @ (8) KANSAS
(4) Arizona St. @ (5) OREGON
(21) Wisconsin @ (1) OHIO ST.
(15) TEXAS @ Oklahoma St.
Florida St. @ (2) BOSTON COLLEGE

Lock of the Week: (3-4)
Georgia (-16.5) vs. Troy

Upset Special: (4-5)
Navy (+3.5) over Notre Dame. Go Midshipmen!

Whack Stats!
LSU has not lost in November since 2002, over 15 games. That’s Whack!!

The Varsity Situation:
I’m not going to go too far into this, as I know you’ve been beat down by this story over the last few days. Everyone by now knows what happened. Odom and Benton are thugs and Perrilloux suffers from some of the worst judgement I’ve ever seen. The penalty fit the crime and I’m happy with the way Miles handled it. I don’t think the team has been too distracted by this but the fans have obsessed over this story all week. It’s time to put this behind us and focus on the Crimson Tide.

Perrilloux will not be making the trip to BAMA. Who will we ever find to take the snap and run left? Miles lists walk-on Andrew Hatch (#14) as the backup QB. I hope Hatch can handle it because I really don’t want to take the redshirt off Jarrett Lee. Odom and Benton are toast, as they should be. Have a nice life, don’t drop the soap.

The Textbook Situation:
Here’s the short version. Alabama players have been abusing scholarship money set aside for textbook purchases. It’s not just the football team, but 5 players were suspended for last week’s Tennessee game and will probably remain suspended for the LSU game. They have been allowed to practice but they’ve been working with the 3rd team all week. Textbook abuse is not something invented by Bama. It goes on at a lot of places since it is very easy to get away with. However, Bama’s textbook program makes it even easier to abuse by giving each player bookstore debit cards. This is being investigated by the SEC Conference in Birmingham so don’t expect any harsh penalties for Bama.

My thoughts of Nick Saban:
Like most people, I have mixed feelings about this guy. As usual, my opinion falls somewhere in the middle of the pack between those that hate his guts and those that still pray to Lord Saban. This is a classic case of the jilted lover. He left us. He broke our hearts. The natural human reaction is to hate him and find someone else to love. Les Miles has definitely benefited from this reaction by the fanbase. Consider this…

Here are some reasons to hate Nick Saban:
He coaches at Alabama, a division foe in the SEC.
He uses his coaching contacts in Louisiana to recruit our players.
He uses negative recruiting tactics to put down LSU.
He waited until the end of December to resign the LSU job, giving us very little time to find a new coach.
He tried to raid our personnel staff and coaches once he was hired on at Bama.
He made insulting comments about Louisiana people and our culture.
He treats people with no respect, unless he needs something from them.
He’s a liar and only cares about himself.
He’s a money grubbing a-hole.

Here are some reasons to love Nick Saban:
He led LSU to a National Title.
He won two SEC Championships for LSU.
He resurrected the LSU program from mediocrity and made us a national powerhouse.
He put up a fence around Louisiana and recruited the best in-state players.
He demanded changes be made to all LSU sports facilities.
He demanded the Cox Center for Student Athletes.

Love him or hate him????

Les Miles Winning with Saban’s Players??
Yes and No. Here are a few stats to ponder:
*30 current LSU players, including 7 starters, were on the roster in 2004, Saban’s last season.
*The tigers have scored 294 points this season, 240 of which were scored by players signed after Saban left.
*Eleven of the top 15 tacklers on LSU’s team are Saban recruits.

BCS News:
Ohio St. remained #1 and Boston College remained #2 in the latest BCS poll. Here’s what those two teams have accomplished and what they have remaining.

Week:----------------Ohio St.-------------------------Boston College
---1----------Defeated Youngstown St., 38-6----------Defeated Wake Forrest, 38-28
---2----------Defeated Akron, 20-2-------------------Defeated N.C. State, 37-17
---3----------Defeated Washington, 33-14------------Defeated Ga. Tech, 24-10
---4----------Defeated Northwestern, 58-7-----------Defeated Army, 37-17
---5----------Defeated Minnesota, 30-7---------------Defeated UMass, 24-14
---6----------Defeated Purdue, 23-7------------------Defeated Bowling Green, 55-24
---7----------Defeated Kent St., 48-3-----------------Defeated Notre Dame, 27-14
---8----------Defeated Michigan St., 24-17------------OFF
---9----------Defeated Penn St., 37-17----------------Defeated Va. Tech, 14-10
---10---------vs. Wisconsin---------------------------vs. Florida St.
---11---------vs. Illinois-------------------------------vs. Maryland
---12---------vs. Michigan----------------------------vs. Clemson
---13---------OFF------------------------------------vs. Miami
---14---------No Championship Game----------------ACC Championship Game


BCS Top 10:
1. Ohio St.
2. Boston College
3. LSU
4. Arizona St.
5. Oregon
6. Oklahoma
7. West Virginia
8. Kansas
9. Missouri
10. Georgia

Samson’s Top 10:
1. Ohio St.
2. LSU
3. Oregon
4. Oklahoma
5. Boston College
6. Arizona St.
7. West Virginia
8. Kansas
9. Georgia
10. Missouri