SB Nation User Blog: BSD

LSU In Review - Week Six Vs. OH MY TIM TEBOW!

BSD — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 15:43:00 -0000

by Bill Haber - AP

2 months ago: Florida wide receiver Chris Tolliver (21) is stopped by LSU linebacker Harry Coleman (24) in the first half of an NCAA college football game in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)

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Final - 10.10.2009	1	2	3	4	Total
Florida Gators	3	7	0	3	13
LSU Tigers	0	3	0	0	3

Complete Coverage >

The two week lead up to this game featured ridiculous report after ridiculous report with ESPN reporters standing outside of hospitals and medical clinics giving every up-to-the-minute updates about the status of Tim Tebow who had suffered a concussion against Kentucky. They were filled with juicy morsels like, "Tim Tebow's status will be a game time decision." "Tim Tebow is just going through his normal game day routine today." "Tim Tebow elected for scrambled eggs this morning, but went with the sausage links instead of bacon. Sausage futures on the New York exchange skyrocket. Chinese bacon factories declare this aggression will not stand."

The 93,000 soggy fans in attendance at Tiger Stadium didn't care. All they cared about was beating Florida and returning LSU to the top of the SEC.

The Tiger defense was stout as usual holding the Gators to their lowest point total in ten years. Florida was held to just 327 total yards, but 193 of them came on the ground. LSU played some remarkable bend-but-don't-suck defense as every Florida drive entered LSU territory. But the Tigers forced a punt, a missed field goal, a turnover on downs, and got an interception to keep the score close.

But it wasn't enough this day, and the woes of the LSU offense finally caught up with them. Jordan Jefferson had a frustrating day with only 96 yards on 11-of-17 passing. He was intercepted once and sacked five times in the second half. The running game wasn't much better as LSU only managed 66 yards on 30 carries. Charles Scott was the leading rusher with 53 yards on 13 carries. LSU's lone scoring drive went 78 yards in 12 plays, but was greatly aided by two personal foul penalties on the Gators. Florida ultimately stopped them at the two yard line and forced them to take the field goal. LSU was a dismal 1-of-9 in third down conversions, and 1-of-3 in fourth down conversions. Oddly, Russell Shepard, who had given the LSU offense an occassional spark in previous games, did not see the field leading many LSU fans to wonder what the coaches were thinking.

Quotes From The Game

"Three points on offense. We just got to play better."

- Les Miles -

The team did not play loose. It did not play like a team with nothing to lose. It was, in fight, the tightest I've ever seen our offense play in memory. It was, in fact, a lost opportunity to develop team character, to be a fun and inspiring team to watch.

A team with nothing to lose doesn't leave Russell Shepard on the bench all game. A team with nothing to lose does not abandon the downfield passing game. A team with nothing to lose does not kick a field goal from inside the 1 yard line. A team with nothing to lose puts on a show, and if it must take the loss it does so with style and gusto.

The coaching staff appeared to be playing not to get blown out. It tried nothing innovative. It tried nothing to try to put the Florida defense off-balance, I suppose out of fear of making a big mistake. With Florida being bound and determined to play the game just as conservatively as they could, we had an opportunity to take advantage of their play by trying to pile up points quickly. Sure, it could have backfired and put us out of the game early, but so what? The game did not really matter.

- And The Valley Shook -

Yes, it was a poorly played game for our offense. No, Jordan Jefferson did not play particularly well. And it is correct that it is difficult to mark any improvement in his play from the beginning of the season to now. Do I think another QB should be given a chance? I'm not sure on that yet, but I am definitely thinking about it.

- And The Valley Shook -

Penn State Defeats America - Capitalism Next

BSD — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 16:26:18 -0000

Final - 12.21.2009	1	2	Total
American U. Eagles	30	27	57
Penn St. Nittany Lions	36	40	76

Complete Coverage >

Last night Penn State defeated American 76-57 in front of a sparce Jordan Center crowd of just over 7500 fans to close out their out of conference schedule. The Nittany Lions will begin their holiday break now and resume their schedule with the Big Ten opener against Minnesota on December 29.

With the out of conference slate out of the way the Nittany Lions sit at 8-4 just as I predicted.

I'll say Penn State goes 8-4 through the non-conference schedule. They'll drop one in the Charleston Classic. Then they'll lose to Temple and Virginia because those games are on the road. Then I say they gak up a game they should win somewhere along the line due to the lack of experience.

Well, they beat Virginia, but lost to Virginia Tech. And they gaked up two games in the Charleston Classic they should have won. So the question begs, is the resume of this team good enough to make the NCAA tournament?

No way. Not a chance. Virginia is their signature win, and the Cavaliers are sitting at 5-4 right now. Penn State's RPI is currently 220. Last year Penn State finished fourth in the conference and didn't make the tournament. So you have to figure with this resume they have to finish better than that, and right now I don't think they're playing well enough to do that. But an NIT bid is still within reach. Especially with how well the Nittany Lions filled up Madison Square Garden last year.

But things aren't all bad. Talor Battle is playing at a much more consistent level than he was a year ago, and he looks much more mature. I don't think we'll see the midseason slump we saw from him last year. He just looks more physically ready for the Big Ten season than he ever has. But the question lies with the players around him.

It's no secret that in order for this team to be successful other players will have to step up. The talent is there, but there are no other go-to guys on this team. Some nights David Jackson steps up. Then he goes scoreless the next game. Jeff Brooks looks like a human highlight reel for five minute spurts here and there. But he's largely invisible three-quarters of the time. Chris Babb looked horrible for most of the season, but he's starting to find the bottom of the bucket from behind the arc going 5-for-7 in his last two games.

Tim Frazier has a ton of talent, but he's still developing the mental maturity. You can see him get frustrated at times and he tries to take over the game. It's a noble trait, but when you don't come through you just let down your coaches and teammates by not playing within the system. He's got to learn to forget a bad play when it's over and move on. He can't let things bother him.

Somebody in the front court has to step up and become a go-to guy. Andrew Jones isn't getting the ball enough despite the fact he's hitting over 50% from the field on the season. Good things happen when he gets the ball in the low post. Even when he doesn't score he either dishes it out for an open look from three or he draws the defense and opens things up for the weak side. He needs to get the ball more often.

So we'll see how the Big Ten season goes. I predicted seven wins in the conference and I still think that looks about right. They'll prey on the weaker teams of the conference, they'll get a few wins against the middle teams, and I think they'll pull a major upset or two. All it takes for this team is to have one player like Chris Babb or Andrew Jones get hot and I really believe they can play with anyone. But the flip side is if nobody shows up, and Talor Battle has to do it all himself, they can lose to anyone as well.

LSU In Review - Week Five Vs. #18 Georgia

BSD — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 23:19:32 -0000

by John Bazemore - AP

2 months ago: LSU receiver Terrance Toliver (80) is stopped by Georgia's Bacarri Rambo during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game in Athens, Ga., Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

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Final - 10.3.2009	1	2	3	4	Total
LSU Tigers	3	3	0	14	20
Georgia Bulldogs	0	0	0	13	13

Complete Coverage >

In week five the LSU Tigers traveled to Athens to take on the Georgia Bulldogs in a game that would go a long way toward sorting out the SEC race. LSU had not won between the hedges since 1987, and Les Miles had never beaten the Bulldogs who came into the game with a #18 ranking despite an opening day loss to Oklahoma State.

If you fell asleep right after kickoff and woke up midway through the fourth quarter, you didn't miss much in this game. It was basically more of the same from what we saw out of the Tigers the first four weeks of the season. The defense smothered their opponent for much of the game while the offense did just enough to get by. Then there was a flurry of activity at the end with LSU somehow pulling out a win.

Georgia went three-and-out in their first possession giving LSU the ball at their own 37. The Tigers drove down the field largley on the back of a 34 yard pass from Jordan Jefferson to Brandon LaFell. But on 3rd and 4 at the Georgia 9 yard line, Jefferson threw a pick in the endzone to kill the drive.

Georgia ran the interception out of the endzone and got tackled at the two yard line. They puckered up with their back to the endzone and ended up punting from the five. A 14 yard return by Trindon Holiday set up the Tigers with a first down at the Georgia 43 yard line. By the way, did you hear that Holiday won the NCAA 100 meter dash championship? I'm sure the Capital One Bowl announcers will only remind us of that every time he touches the ball just in case you forget.

LSU drove down the field to get a first and goal at the Bulldog 9. But Charles Scott got blown up on a screen pass on second down for a one yard loss. Then Jefferson sailed a pass over the head of Terrance Toliver and the Tigers were forced to kick a field goal.

On the ensuing possession, Georgia strung together a few first downs and managed to flip the field position, but they had to punt and LSU took over at their own 20. To spark the team a bit, Miles put in Russell Shepard at quarterback, and he gained 26 yards on the first three plays from the Wildcat. The drive ended at the Georgia 22 when Charles Scott got stuffed for a two yard loss on 3rd and 1. Perhaps showing a little sign of redzone desperation, Les Miles tried a trick play on fourth down where LaFell jogged toward the sideline like he was coming out of the game but then lined up in formation. A slight delay in placing the ball by the officials allowed Georgia to spot him and run a man out to defend him. LSU was forced to call timeout, and then kicked the field goal to take a 6-0 lead.

After another Georgia three-and-out, LSU took over at their own 26 and made another nice drive down to the Georgia redzone. But another gaffe would cost them points. Again showing frustration with the redzone problems, Miles elected to go for a first down on 4th and 1 at the Georgia 9. With the play clock running down, Jefferson decided to hurry the snap rather than call another timeout. The quarterback sneak failed, and Georgia took over on downs.

Though LSU completely dominated the first half, they had to be disappointed that the first half ended with them only up by six points.

In the second half it was the Georgia defense that came out determined to dominate. LSU's first possession went backwards as Jefferson was sacked on three straight plays. The Tigers were forced to punt from their own two yard line giving the Bulldogs the ball at the LSU 44 yard line. But Georgia would later miss a 32 yard field goal to cut the score in half. LSU's next possession went three-and-out, and the third quarter would later run out with the Tigers only running six offensive plays.

Georgia took the ball at their own 40 yard line and finally got some mojo. An 18 play drive that consumed nearly eight minutes off the clock ended when Joe Cox found Shaun Chapas for a touchdown pass on 4th and goal at the 1. The Bulldogs took their first lead of the game at 7-6 just as the fourth quarter began.

Both teams traded punts over the next four possessions, and then LSU began a drive at their own 12 yard line and went the length of the field in 12 plays. The drive ended when Scott smashed through the line for a 2 yard touchdown. A two point conversion attempt failed when Jefferson was sacked, and LSU took a 12-7 lead with 2:53 to go in the game.

Georgia responded with a drive of their own. An LSU defensive breakdown allowed a 46 yard pass to Tavarres King to get the Bulldogs in the redzone. Then Cox found A.J. Green who leaped over a defender to make a catch in the endzone. Georgia failed on their own two point conversion when LSU broke up a slant pass, so the Bulldogs took a 13-12 lead with just over one minute to go.

But Georgia shot themselves in the foot with an unsportsmanlike conduct that forced them to kick off from their 15. Holiday returned the kick 40 yards, and another Georgia penalty tacked on another five yards to give LSU the ball at the Georgia 38. Two plays later Scott slashed through the line and took it to the house for a 33 yard touchdown. Then in what appears to be typical SEC tradition, LSU drew an unsportsmanlike conduct making them kick off from the 15. But Georgia's final drive ended with an interception by Perry Riley, and LSU escaped with another ugly win.

It was another game where LSU dominated defensively but couldn't put their opponent away. They outgained the Bulldogs 368-274 in total yards and 154-45 on the ground. Jefferson finished the day 18-of-27 for 212 yards, but he was intercepted once and gave up six sacks, many of which were from him holding the ball too long. Charles Scott was the offensive hero on the day with 95 yards and 2 TD on 19 carries. But remember that 33 of those yards came on the winning touchdown. The two quarterbacks combined for 56 yards on 22 carries for the rest of the yards LSU gained on the ground.

Drive Chart

FULL SCREEN VERSION

Quotes From The Game

"I think our guys wanted to rush the football and certainly prepared last week to do so. I think it’s hard work. I think it’s attitude. I think it’s something that this team pointed at and achieved."

- Les Miles -

"I think our offense has confidence in Charles Scott. I think our offense has confidence in the ability to run the football. We just needed to do it and put it together. I think that’s a piece that we can’t lose. We can’t lose sight of it, and it must continue to grow, but I don’t know that Charles needed that. I can tell you that his team needed him to have that day."

- Les Miles -

"I would like to get some production in the sack area. I like, again, the position that our defense puts our team in and the opportunity to win a game on the road at Georgia. For me to say I need more sacks, I like the pressure that was put on. I like the opportunity to get turnovers. I like the opportunity to stop the rushing game. I thought our defense played well. Yes, I would like to have some more sacks but not at the cost of overall production."

- Les Miles -

"Part of me is tempted to say that Jordan Jefferson had a weak game. He certainly made some critical mistakes, and continues to struggle running the option. He just does not run it authoritatively. He gets too far into the backfield, and too close to the pitch man, making it easy for one defender to cover both him and the pitch, which defeats the whole purpose of the option. In the passing game, he would hold the ball too long, and would end up getting sacked when he could have thrown the ball to an open receiver or at least thrown the ball away to avoid a big loss."

-And The Valley Shook-

LSU In Review - Week Four Vs. Mississippi State

BSD — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 18:52:01 -0000

by Rogelio V. Solis - AP

2 months ago: LSU defensive tackle Al Woods (97) signals after the defense denied Mississippi State a last minute fourth quarter touchdown during an NCAA college football game in Starkville, Miss., Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009. LUS won 30-26. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

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Final - 9.26.2009	1	2	3	4	Total
LSU Tigers	13	3	7	7	30
Mississippi St. Bulldogs	14	0	7	5	26

Complete Coverage >

The LSU offense did their best to lose their road game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in week four of the season. But the LSU defense and special teams were not going to let it happen.

Jordan Jefferson had a career game completing 15-of-28 passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns of 4 and 58 yards to Brandon LaFell, who caught six passes on the day for 101 yards. But the LSU ground attack sputtered for just 30 yards on 31 carries. In fairness, the TIgers lost 18 yards on two sacks, and lost 37 yards rushing on special teams gaffs and in taking an intentional safety. But still. Russell Shepard was the leading rusher with 26 yards on 4 carries from the wildcat formation. Keiland Williams and Charles Scott combined for just 35 yards on 15 carries for the day. LSU converted only 2-of-13 third downs and only managed 12 first downs in the game.

But the Tiger defense bailed them out again. Patrick Peterson grabbed a tipped ball on Mississippi State's first pass of the game and scampered 37 yards for a touchdown. Then in what appears to be a recurring theme this year, LSU shot themselves in the foot. Peterson got flagged for unsportsman like conduct giving the Bulldogs a short field to work with on their drive. But first the holder and center couldn't hook up on the PAT, and they didn't covert. The Bulldogs took the short field and drove 66 yards for a score. They were aided by a pass interference penalty in the endzone that set up a first and goal at the two.

Later in the first quarter, with LSU up 13-7, a snap went over the LSU punter Derek Helton's head. Helton fell on it, but it set up a first and goal for MSU at the LSU 1 yard line. The Bulldogs punched it in to take a 14-13 lead at the end of one.

LSU was set up beautifully in the second quarter when MSU running back Arnil Stallworth fumbled on his own 25 yard line and the Tigers recovered. Shepard then picked up 15 yards on two successive running plays. But then the offense stalled, and LSU was forced to settle for a 22 yard field goal.

MSU took their next drive well into LSU territory before Brandon Taylor intercepted a pass from Tyson Lee at the LSU 17 yard line. After an LSU three-and-out, the Bulldogs were driving again right before the half. But they bungled their own snap on a field goal attempt just before intermission, and the score remained 16-14.

LSU came out firing on their first play of the second half when Jefferson hit LaFell on their 58 yard touchdown hookup. Later in the quarter the Bulldogs responded with a bomb of their own when Lee hit Marcus Green for a 50 yard touchdown to pull the score to 23-21.

On the ensuing drive, the Tigers would blow a chance for more points when a 40 yard pass to R.J. Jackson set up a first and goal at the MSU seven yard line. Jefferson threw two incomplete passes, and then on third and goal at the seven, Jefferson tried to run it in coming up short at the two. Then LSU kicker Josh Jasper missed the chip shot field goal and LSU came away empty allowing the Bulldogs to hang around.

With the game in the balance, it was becoming obvious the offense wasn't going to pull it out on their own. So the special teams stepped up on the first play of the fourth quarter. Chad Jones, who LSU fans will not hesitate to tell you is TEH AWSUM, fielded a punt at his own seven yard line. Then in a return that featured more cuts than a person sticking their arm in a bucket of broken glass, Jones returned the kick 93 yards for the score. The extra point was true and LSU took a 30-21 lead.

On MSU's next drive, the Tigers once again gave up a big play of 46 yards on a pass by backup quarterback Chris Relf to O'Neil Wilder to the LSU 21 yard line. From there the LSU defense held up, and MSU was forced to settle for a 22 yard field goal to pull within six points.

With just 10 minutes to go in the game, a long sustained scoring drive could have sealed the game for LSU. They started out promising gaining 29 yards on their first two plays. But then that was it. Four plays later, Helton punted into the endzone for a touchback, and LSU had only consumed two minutes on five plays. After a failed MSU drive, LSU got the ball with just under six minutes to play and a chance to ice the game. But this time they only gained 9 yards on 5 plays after consuming 1:55, and LSU had to punt from their own 12 yard line.

MSU took the ball at the 50 with 3:53 to play and drove down the field. An 18 yard rush by Anthony Dixon gave them a first and goal at the LSU 2 yard line and it looked like the Tigers were going down. Dixon ran for one yard on first down, and then he got stuffed for no gain on second down. Tyson Lee threw an incomplete pass that was broken up by Chad Jones. Then Lee tried to sneak it in on fourth down, but came up short. The LSU defense saved the game, and the Tigers advanced to the ugliest 4-0 record in the country. But it was good enough to launch them into the top five in the polls.

Drive Chart

FULL SCREEN VERSION

Quotes From The Game

"I still want to run the football. It’s too fundamental to me not to be important, and I want that. I want it for Charles Scottand that offensive line and Keiland Williams, and I want to be able to come off the football." - Les Miles

"Russell Shepard got into the game for a short series, and I really wanted to get him back in the game in the second half. The difference is that we wanted to be in two-back, and we wanted to throw the football, and that’s not necessarily what we want to do with Russell Shepard in the game." - Les Miles

"The offensive line flat out sucks right now. There's no nice way to say it. They suck. They know they suck." - And The Valley Shook

"After the TD to open the half, LSU's offense went into the tank. LSU only had three 1st downs from that point on. The defense wore down as the half went on, but that was due to an offense that simply didn't show up for the second half." - And The Valley Shook

NATIONAL CHAMPIONS

BSD — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 04:32:36 -0000

Congrats to the Penn State Women's Volleyball team on their third straight National Championship!

WE ARE!!!

National Championship Game Open Thread

BSD — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 03:23:26 -0000

Maybe one day we'll have one of these for football. But tonight it's the Penn State women's volleyball team that plays for their unprecedented third straight national championship against the Texas Longhorns. The game will be televised on ESPN2 at 8 PM.

And if the national championship game isn't exciting enough for you, or if you're not the kind of guy that digs tall, hot girls in tight shorts, then flip over to ESPNU at 9 PM and check out the men's basketball team play Gardner-Webb.

We'll probably set up another thread of this one gets out of control.

LSU In Review - Weeks Two And Three

BSD — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:38:11 -0000

More photos » by Bill Haber - AP

3 months ago: LSU running back Keiland Williams (5) gets away from Louisiana-Lafayette defensive tackle Jordan Topp (98) in the first half of an NCAA college football game in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)

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Week Two - Vanderbilt Commodores

Final - 9.12.2009	1	2	3	4	Total
Vanderbilt Commodores	0	7	2	0	9
LSU Tigers	7	6	3	7	23

Complete Coverage >

In week two the LSU Tigers defeated the Vanderbilt Commodores on a rain soaked home opener night game in front of a crowd of 91,000 fans.

Running back Keiland Williams was the star of the night scoring two touchdowns and rushing for 72 yards on 10 carries. Charles Scott added another 49 yards on 13 carries as the Tigers outrushed the Commodores 178-122.

Quarterback Jordan Jefferson dinked and dunked his way for 138 yards on 20-of-29 passing. Brandon LaFell caught 7 passes for 38 yards while senior R.J. Jackson caught six passes for 55 yards. LSU used a little trickeration on their second series when backup quarterback Russell Shepard entered the game. They ran a wildcat play with him where he gained 13 yards. Then on the next play he lined up at reciever and caught a pass for eight yards, but he fumbled at the end of the play.

The LSU defense shut down Vanderbilt quarterback Zac Stacy holding him to just 88 yards passing and under 50% completion. The Tiger defense dominated the night all together holding the Vanderbilt offense to just 210 yards and 7 points.

But LSU was far from perfect on the evening. A poor snap on a punt gave Vanderbilt a safety, and Jefferson threw a pick near the goal line. LSU was fortunate that the latter play was overturned on a defensive holding call. But it was a solid win in the second week of the season for the Tigers.

Quotes From The Game

"Any time you play imperfectly and you come to the postgame, you have to recognize that first things first -- you'd much rather win than do any other thing. That being said, I think we've got to play better. ... There were no style points for this one. That's a fact." - Les Miles

"The defense saved the offense's bacon tonight. We had too many 3-and-outs, and more than one negative possession in the second half. Vandy had great field position for most of the 2nd half thanks to three consecutive possessions in which we ran a total of nine plays with two punts and a bad-snap safety." - And The Valley Shook

Week Three - Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns

Final - 9.19.2009	1	2	3	4	Total
Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns	0	3	0	0	3
LSU Tigers	7	10	7	7	31

Complete Coverage >

Week three was a sleeper against the Ragin Cajuns. The amazing statistic of the game is that the Cajuns doubled their all-time scoring against the Tigers in Tiger Stadium. In 12 total games played at Baton Rouge, the Cajuns have been outscored 618-6. They have never scored a touchdown. Ever. Wow. The Cajuns gained 272 total yards with 109 yards rushing. Safety Chad Jones had two interceptions for LSU.

The LSU offense wasn't spectacular, but they were good enough to win. Penalties and turnovers plagued them and held the score lower than it should have been. On the day, LSU only gained 330 total yards. Jefferson completed 16-of-25 passes for 165 yards, 2 TD, and 1 INT. He was also sacked once and fumbled. The LSU running back by committee gained 164 yards. Charles Scott gained 63 on 12 carries while Keiland Williams tallied 41 yards on 10 carries.

Though it was an easy win, it was a particularly brutal game from the injury standpoint for LSU. Tight End Richard Dickson suffered a concussion. Jefferson mildly sprained his knee. DT Josh Downs left with a knee problem. Right tackle Joseph Barksdale had to leave the game as well.

Quotes From The Game

"Our quarterback was not necessarily in a groove early, but we have some talent and we have the ability to make plays. We're not hitting on all cylinders just yet." - Les Miles

"The offensive line should be dominating teams like this and is not doing so. Jordan Jefferson misses open receivers at times. The defense is much improved from the Washington game to now, but still gives up the occasional long, methodical drive or big 3rd down conversion. " - And The Valley Shook

"He's a young quarterback. (Jefferson) He sees some guys open and he's 'Ooh, ooh . . .' and he's not comfortable in his mechanics. He rushes. We've got to get him in practice and do it again, do it again, do it again." - Les Miles

"Our strong preference is to remain the way we are," Swarbrick said, according to the report....

BSD — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:42:18 -0000

"Our strong preference is to remain the way we are," Swarbrick said, according to the report. "Independence is a big part of the tradition of the program and our identity. We'd sure like to try to maintain it."

Notre Dame Fighting Irish on potential Big Ten membership: We prefer independence - ESPN

"Our two conferences are a lot different," Jefferson said Monday after the Tigers' first practice...

BSD — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:04:16 -0000

"Our two conferences are a lot different," Jefferson said Monday after the Tigers' first practice in preparation for the bowl. "The SEC has a lot more speed-type people. They (the Big 10) have a lot more big guys. We've got great receivers and running backs to try to take advantage of something Penn State doesn't have."

LSU quarterback talkin' smack

LSU In Review - Week 1 vs. Washington

BSD — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 02:18:02 -0000

More photos » by John Froschauer - AP

3 months ago: LSU's Drake Nevis hits Washington quarterback Jake Locker who was called for intentional grounding during the second half of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009, in Seattle. LSU won 31-23. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)

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With Bowl Season starting up Saturday and the Capital One Bowl coming up fast, I figured I would take us on a magical mystery tour through the LSU Tigers' season to give us some perspective on how they got where they are. So in this exercise I'll recap each of their games to give you some insight into the Tigers. So with that, let's recap week 1.

Final - 9.5.2009	1	2	3	4	Total
LSU Tigers	10	7	7	7	31
Washington Huskies	7	6	0	10	23

Complete Coverage >

Week one was probably more of a challenge than the Tigers expected against Washington who failed to win a game in 2008. The Huskies jumped out to a 7-0 lead with the help of a 51 yard catch and run by Johri Forgerson. James Johnson finished off the drive when he caught a pass from Jake Locker, shook off a tackle by Chad Jones and walked the final five yards into the endzone.

LSU responded by gaining 40 yards on three running plays. But the drive eventually stalled at the three yard line and LSU had to kick a 24 yard field goal to cut the lead to 7-3.

On Washington's ensuing drive, LSU linebacker Jacob Cutrera intercepted Locker on the first play and ran it back 29 yards for a touchdown giving LSU a 10-7 lead.

Washington took the ball back and marched 69 yards down the field and looked like they were about to score. But Chris Polk fumbled the ball on the LSU 6 yard line where Patrick Peterson recovered it. But the LSU offense couldn't do anything and Derek Helton was forced to punt the ball from his own endzone.

Washington got the ball in excellent field position thanks to an 18 yard punt return by Fogerson. The punter, Helton, saved a touchdown with a tackle. But the Washington offense couldn't capitalize, and they were forced to take the 34 yard field goal to tie the game at 10.

The deadlock continued until about a minute to go in the first half when LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson hit Terrance Toliver over the middle. Toliver juked the safety and ran 45 yards for the score and a 17-10 lead.

Washington responded when Locker hit Devon Aguilar for a 46 yard gain to the LSU 20 yard line. But three incomplete passes killed the drive, and Washington kicked the field goal as time expired in the first half with the score 17-13. Though LSU led on the scoreboard, the Huskies rolled up 296 total yards with 183 coming in the air against LSU's supposedly superb secondary.

LSU tried to break the game open in the third quarter with an 86 yard scoring drive. Toliver capped off the drive when he caught a short pass from Jefferson, evaded two tacklers, and scampered 39 yards for the touchdown to give LSU a 24-13 lead. Toliver finished with 4 catches for 117 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Washington tried to respond, but placekicker Erik Folk hooked a field goal wide. But the LSU offense went into pucker mode and stalled giving the Huskies another scoring chance. This time Folk hit a 32 yard field goal to cut the lead to eight with just under six minutes to play.

But this time LSU responded with a 25 yard pass to Toliver that set up a six yard touchdown pass from Jefferson to Brandon LaFell. The game was sealed, but Washington added on a last second touchdown as time expired to close the gap to the final 31-23 score.

Quotes From The Game

"We sputtered in the first half at times on offense. There were opportunities to take advantage of our opponent, and we didn't attack them the way we should have." - Les Miles

"I think our new defensive coaches did a good job. The team was in position to make tackles and do things. We missed some tackles early on. At times I saw that Tiger defense that I want it to be." - Les Miles

"LSU's team speed negated Jake (Locker''s) ability to create a big play with his feet." - UW Dawg Pound

"Defensively, (LSU) just did not cover the other team well enough in the middle of the field. Usually, if the opponent was on the outside against Peterson, Eugene, or Hawkins, (LSU) had pretty solid coverage. Even when Riley had man coverage way on the outside and down the field, the coverage was there. Jake Locker's a really good quarterback, and sometimes he made a perfect throw, and there's nothing that can be done about that other than generate a better pass rush. If the receiver was in the middle of the field in a safety's or linebacker's zone though, he was usually wide open." - And The Valley Shook