Sports

Final Thoughts about LSU vs. Alabama

In my prediction earlier this week, I said that Alabama would win and that there was no other team in the country that could touch the Crimson Tide. I was wrong about that. LSU dominated Alabama in every stat except the one that counts–the final score. LSU had few penalties. LSU never turned the ball over. Zach Mettenberger finally showed up and led the team to put up over 400 yards of offense on the best defense in the nation. It was really impressive. At the end of the day, however, Alabama had it when it counted–like all championship teams do.

LSU fans will be tempted to blame this loss on Les Miles and some risky plays that he called that didn’t work out (fake field goal, onside kick, etc.). I disagree with that view. Should he have kicked the onside kick? No. Should he have faked the field goal? No. But the overall attitude of playing aggressively is exactly what LSU needs. They wouldn’t have gotten as far as they did in this game without it. LSU lost the game when they started playing conservatively in the final offensive drive. They should have played to score a touchdown, not to run the clock out. In other words, they should have played risky at the end.

I doubt that any other team Alabama plays this year will give them the game that LSU gave them tonight. LSU is the only team in the country that could possibly beat Alabama, and they almost did it this evening. The Tide will roll over everyone else.

12 Comments

  • cb scott

    The LSU Tiger is a hard cat to clean after. You are right. Those who would be critical of Les Miles will simply be revealing the fact that they do not understand the game or the opponent he faced.

    It was a great game. I am glad the SABANATION won, but I had my doubts to the very end. LSU is the real deal and so is their coach.

  • David Thomas

    Denny, I feel your pain. But it appears that Les Miles disagrees with your analysis. LSU players (many the very ones whose faces their coach smeared with those tacky “2nd Nationally” SEC champ rings at the end of last season) outplayed ‘Bama (which even Saban admitted afterwards), but Les Miles managed to leave at least 6 easy points on the field. It is a false choice to say that /either/ Miles is aggressive (including a fake FG attempt on 4th and 12, and going for it on 4th and 1, when BOTH times he could have kicked FGs), /or/ he is passive and lets the Tide roll over him. He could have done and been both, just as other top shelf coaches have. It was bad coaching, period, and he admitted as much regarding his questionable decisions in the post game conference.

    If any coach owes his players an apology (not to mention other hoping for this upset, hint, hint), it is Les Miles. He made bad decisions that betrayed his insecurities about playing Alabama. It’s almost like he didn’t believe what he was seeing, viz., that his Tigers were mauling the Elephant. He tried to get tricky and cute instead of relying on fundamentals to win. If he had done the right thing, the Drive of the last minute would have been moot.

    Sorry for LSU. And KSU. And Oregon. And Notre Dame. And even lowly but undefeated Louisville…

  • J O E B L A C K M O N

    LSU played a great game. My Tide most certainly didn’t dominate them like that had every other team they played this year. I guess that’s why this is such a great revalry–in the game either team has a chance to win if they execute and make more plays than the other guy. I sure hope we don’t have to play them again this year.

  • Joe Blankenship

    With all of the other variables – it seems to me that it came down to what was supposed to be the one given for LSU – a super defense and when they needed a stop to win they weren’t able to get it.

  • KMostella

    LSU played over thier heads and the Tide played like they didn’t have to show up the results 21-17. Les Miles coached the way Saban Coached last year thinking they had to score every time they had the ball even on 50 yd field goals. Roll Tide

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