TCL and I were sitting right above the endzone where Early Doucet pulled in the game-winning TD last night in Knoxville. After the catch, we had to remind each other to do our traditional “High Ten” big-play celebration.
LSU had just beaten the No. 8 team in the country on the road with nine seconds left on an impressive 80-yard drive. We should have been going nuts, but this was just another moment in Les Miles football - a game we should have won easily but had to try to salvage in the end. The talent differential between LSU and Tennessee last night was stunning. Tennessee had nothing to bring but Jonathan “Straight Outta” Crompton and Robert Meachem, who hooked up on TD passes of 37 and 54 yards - those two plays representing a third of Tennessee”s total offense. Meachem beat the defense on both of those plays, and Crompton recognized and hit him. The Vols deserve credit for that.
But the game never should have come down to the last 80-yard drive to win it. As usual, the game was marked with frustration and mistakes.
The biggest factor keeping Tennessee in the game was JaMarcus” two interceptions in the 3rd quarter. Apparently (if you believe The Advocate; the Baton Rouge daily, not the national gay newspaper) a lot of LSU fans are laying blame on JaMarcus for his sometimes sloppy play and ill-timed picks. I don”t see it that way.
JaMarcus is an amazingly talented quarterback whose raw talent and strong arm have saved LSU time and time again over the last two seasons. At Florida, JaMarcus” fumbled snap on the goal line hurt us bad, and one of his three picks there was his fault, but he was hardly the reason we lost that game. He was the reason we stayed in it.
Yesterday JaMarcus threw two bad interceptions in the 3rd quarter; both clearly his fault and both very costly (one returned for at TD, one killing a drive deep in Vols territory). But the question that needs to be asked is why is he making those throws? JaMarcus is in his third year of NCAA football, having played significant minutes since his freshman year and having started since his sophomore year. But he hasn”t learned when to take a chance and when to play it safe. Because he hasn”t been taught.
The LSU coaches haven”t taught JaMarcus game management. They seem content to let Russell play his improv game full time. And too often, that leads to more drama than we need. And we got plenty of drama yesterday.
More unnecessary drama came from penalties. Nine in all, including a false start that turned a third-and-one on the Tennessee 23 into a third-and-six and ultimately a 52-yard missed field goal attempt and another false start that turned our fourth-and-two on the final drive into a fourth-and-seven. A roughing the passer call helped set up Tennessee”s first score.
LSU is back to the frustrating days of old, where fans always need to look for the flag on the field after a big play. The difference now is we have so damned much talent, it”s clear that our shortcoming is coaching. Fortunately for the coaching staff, that talent can mask a lot of incompetence.
Since Leslie came to town, the poor coaching and lack of discipline have defined 9 of LSU”s 22 games played. The breakout of Leslie”s 22 games looks like:
- Poor wins: 6 (Arizona State, Florida, Auburn, Alabama, Arkansas in 2005; Tennessee in 2006)
- Poor losses: 3 (Tennessee, Georgia in 2005; Florida in 2006)
- Good wins: 1 (Miami in 2005)
- Good losses: 1 (Auburn in 2006)
- Expected wins: 12 (Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, North Texas, Appalachian State, Ole Miss in 2005; UL-L, Arizona, Tulane, Mississippi State, Kentucky, Fresno State in 2006)
The case could be made that beating Miami in the Peach Bowl was - in retrospect - not such a big deal. But I”ll give Leslie that one.
My point is this: As a devout Tiger fan I was surprised at the reaction TCL and I had after the game yesterday. We should have been jubilant. LSU had finally passed a test and kept itself in position to maybe make another SEC Championship game. But even in a big win, it”s clear LSU is squandering its talent. I”m not content to skate by when we”re the superior team; and that”s been the case far too often.
It really sucks the fun out of LSU football.
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