Meyer, 46, informed Florida Athletic Director Jeremy Foley over the weekend that he was contemplating resigning and the two finalized the plan Tuesday. Meyer told the Gators of his decision during a team meeting earlier this afternoon. UF has scheduled a press conference for 6 p.m. at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium where Meyer and Foley will address the media.

Meyer will remain Florida’s head coach through the Outback Bowl in Tampa on New Year’s Day.

CFN: SEC Bloggers’ All-Conference Team

It’s not A&M week yet, but you may want to check out I Am The 12th Man. (Remember when we were offering them a seat at the table? I swear the preseason feels like years ago)

Here are your AP and Coach’s All-SEC Teams

AP

FIRST TEAM

Offense

K – u-Josh Jasper, LSU, 5-11, 171, Sr.

Defense

T – u-Drake Nevis, LSU, 6-2, 285, Sr.

LB – Kelvin Sheppard, LSU, 6-3, 240, Sr.

CB – u-Patrick Peterson, LSU, 6-1, 222, Jr.

SECOND TEAM

Offense

L – Joseph Barksdale, LSU, 6-6, 318, Sr.

RB – Stevan Ridley, LSU, 6-0, 226, Jr.

All-Purpose – Patrick Peterson, LSU, 6-1, 222, Jr.

Defense

CB – Morris Claiborne, LSU, 6-0, 177, So.

Coach’s

FIRST TEAM

Offense

RB Stevan Ridley LSU 6-0 226 Jr. Natchez, Miss.

Defense

DL Drake Nevis LSU 6-2 285 Sr. Marrero, La.

LB Kelvin Sheppard LSU 6-3 240 Sr. Stone Mountain, Ga.

DB Patrick Peterson LSU (CB) 6-1 222 Jr. Pompano Beach, Fla.

Special Teams

RS Patrick Peterson LSU 6-1 222 Jr. Pompano Beach, Fla.

SECOND TEAM

Offense

OL Joseph Barksdale LSU (T) 6-6 318 Sr. Detroit, Mich.

Defense

DB Morris Claiborne LSU (CB) 6-0 177 So. Shreveport, La.

Special Teams

PK Josh Jasper LSU 5-11 171 Sr. Memphis, Tenn.

Patrick Peterson is on the awards circuit this week. He did not win the Nagurski on Monday night (it went to Clemson’s Da’Quan Bowers ) but he is still in the running for the Thorpe and Bednarik awards (part of the big ESPN awards show on Thursday Night) and the Lott Trophy on Sunday.

Meanwhile, A&M’s Von Miller has won the Butkus Award for nation’s best Linebacker.

Jerry Stovall was inducted into the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame at a ceremony in New York last night.

The final BCS rankings before the end of the season have LSU at #10…..or do they? Either way, it doesn’t matter much. There’s also this great graph of the coach’s poll final ballots from USA Today. Try not to get too mad at some of those Graduate Assistant’s work.

ESPN’s short summary of our season says the same thing everyone else is saying: It’s amazing we won that many games with that offense.

A recruiting season is not won or lost on one player, and it certainly doesn’t stop for you to have a victory party. While we were all celebrating the Mettenberger pick-up, top rated RB recruit (and BR native) Jeremy Hill backed out of a long standing verbal commit to LSU shortly after taking a campus visit to Bama. He’s not ruling LSU out of the running, but it’s not a good sign when a local kid who’s been a verbal since 2009 decides to start shopping again. Here’s a quick summary of how we and the rest of the SEC are doing so far in the second season.

This is a great in-depth piece on the folks responsible for the care of Mike VI.

“The biggest name in college football you’ve never heard of” Well of course that’s Tommy Moffit.

Big Herman got signed by the Bears yesterday, currently weighing in at 360 pounds.

SBNation.com rates the best and worst of the announcer line-up for the bowls (note that ATVS favorite Ron Franklin is covering the Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve shut-in specials, along with the Fiesta Bowl) The Cotton Bowl, run by Fox, has not made an announcement on this matter, but Pat Summerall has been calling it since 2007 and I see no reason to think he wont continue this year. There is also a list of the bowl swag, but the Cotton doesn’t release that either.

Here’s a well thought out summary of where the last few realignment moves have left us, from Illini blog Frank The Tank.

Pour one out for your homie, The Wannstache is no more at Pitt.

A few college baseball notes here in December. The 20 second pitch clock (which will be enforced throughout all of D-1 baseball) will be kept by base umps during the CWS. And while Cal’s decision to cut it’s more than a century old baseball program is shocking, it’s more indicative of the problems facing the California state schools than any overarching money problems with the sport itself.

A mention here for one of our professional counterparts: The New Orleans Hornets, after multiple years of being unprofitable, are now owned outright by the NBA, who intends to find a new owner. Our friends at At The Hive aren’t panicking yet, but the point remains: the best way to support the team is to get yourself and your friends to some games.

Forget the campus budget problems for a minute, this is just despicable.

We are still in the middle of the exam break (WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?! GO STUDY!) LSU returns to action with a Men’s Basketball game v Central Michigan on Saturday.

Zach Mettenberger Commits!

The LSU Tigers will play the Texas A&M Aggies in the 75th AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic! Under the lights on Friday night!

Butler begins the drive at its own 23 with 1:05 left. Mettenberger’s pass is intercepted by Chazz Edmond-Paris. Since Butler has only one timeout left, the Bulldogs can run out the clock.

Billy: Well fellas, that’s another season in the books. 10-2 (6-2 in conference), and waiting on a bowl invite. So what’s the verdict?

Poseur: Do you even need to ask me? 

This season is a resounding success (ok, it ended on a sour note, but that doesn’t detract from what this team accomplished). Think back to the preseason. LSU was picked fourth in the SEC West. The standard chatter was whether Les Miles was on the hot seat.  The talk was how this was a program on decline. The Delusional Optimism campaign kicked off the wild and crazy prediction that LSU would win 10 games and finish the season ranked right in the top ten.

And here we are. 10 wins. A bowl win away from finishing the season in the top ten. LSU beat Bama.  LSU beat Ole Miss. LSU went unbeaten at home. LSU finished tied for second in the West Division, a division so tough that five of its teams are ranked in the top 25. This team went out and had a great year while playing one of the most difficult schedules in the country. At the end of the day, LSU simply lost two games on the road to top ten teams. 

Just as important, this year was fun. The games were tight. Les Miles became the Mad Hatter again. Underclassmen not only played key roles this year, they excelled at them. This was one of the craziest years this team has had, and the team played with a chip on its shoulder. I hate the term “swagger,” but this team got its swagger back. It was hard to follow this team and not love the players on it. Kelvin Sheppard is the defensive version of Jacob Hester, a guy who has maxed out his ability and is a leader through his sheer will and heart. 

Not only was this year a success, but the program seems poised to do big things in the very short future.  It’s hard not to be excited.

Billy: I came into this season wanting to see signs that the trends of the last two years reversed, and I’m pretty comfortable saying that for the most part, that’s what happened. I worried how a team this young would navigate a schedule like this, and 10-2 is a pretty damn good job.

The defense was an absolute joy to watch (big plays aside), especially with a great group of upperclassmen like Nevis, K-Shepp and Patrick Peterson. Our dear General Zod is going to go down on that list of LSU players I tell my grandkids about. Watching him accelerate in coverage or on a return was like watching a Ferrari shift gears.

This was just a fun season, even with the frustrations. The offense, for all its issues, rediscovered the running game with Stevan Ridley – and that’s a spot that the future is bright at with Michael Ford, Spencer Ware and the other incoming freshmen we all know about. Even with all the passing game’s struggles, watching Jarrett Lee and Jordan Jefferson redeem themselves at different points in the season still felt great.

The frustrations found a way to balance out. Les Miles, for all the flack he (rightfully) took for the ending of the Tennessee game, navigated masterful endings against Florida, Alabama and Ole Miss that featured a fake field goal, a tight-end reverse and a go-ahead touchdown when the field goal was in his back pocket. You take the good with the bad with any coach, and whether people want to believe it or not, there was more good than bad with LSU’s this season.

But like I said in the comments to the Arkansas post-game story, while this was a step in the right direction, it was just a first step.

PodKatt: I am also very pleased with the results. Anyone remember how concerned we were about Chavis’s D in year 2? Remember when we all thought “Speed over Power” was just code for “we don’t have the hosses, so they are going to be doing a lot of swarming to the ball?” With the exception of the key failures that led to our only losses, Chavis proved that this is more than just a last stop before retirement. He was tasked with molding a new D and was more than impressive. We lose key senior (and Zod) leadership in all 3 levels of the D next year, and I’m only slightly worried about it. Year 3 and 4 of The Chief are going to be spectacular to watch.

On the other hand, there are some things to temper the swagger party. As much credit as we got at the time for it, Florida fielded one of their worst squads in a while this season. Tennessee has proven themselves to be a better football team this year than many believed, but if not for T-Bob’s preservation instincts, we lose that game. I know none of the 10 wins have asterisks by them, and none of them should, but life on the razor’s edge can do a number on your health.

Who am I kidding? This has been the most entertaining set of games since ’07, and one of those losses won’t even be on the books in 2 years. 

I’ll say it was great, but still needs work. A little addition by subtraction would do us wonders. (/Sends15themailwithanoticeabouttheHCvacancyatUSLtoCrowton)

Paul: I’m trying to maintain perspective here. I think end of the season losses always hurt worse. After all, you can put away the early to midseason loss and replace it with a sweet memory from another game (yeah, losing to Auburn sucked, but hey, we beat Alabama!). But when you lose your last game of the regular season and don’t play another game for a month, the sting lingers.

What’s unfortunate about the Arkansas loss is that it reminds of the weaknesses we’ve been aware of for the past two seasons, particularly offensively. Regardless, when you honestly step back… LSU lost two games, both on the road to top 10 opponents (one of which is the best team in the country). The SEC is a big boy league. It’s tough to go undefeated in (even the 2008 Florida team, that I think is the best of this decade, lost a game). Even further, we have 5 top 25 teams in our own damn division. If we played in the SEC East, we’d be playing for an SEC Championship this weekend. That’s the reality of the situation.

I wrote a post about this prior to the Arkansas game, and I will stick to my guns. Enjoy the ride. This was a good season. If we win our bowl, we finish 11-2. That means four of Les’ six seasons at LSU will have ended in 11 wins. Many may not like the way these came about, but the results are the results and the fact that this season’s squad was entirely a group of Les Miles recruits, there’s no way to write it off as anything other than a good coaching job.

Like Billy said, we’re making steps in the positive directions. QB play hurt us badly this year. JJ regressed and Lee had his moments but then just kinda was there. The season was remarkably close to going one way or the other… close to be 12-0 right now, also close to being 8-4. Overall, I’m pleased. We’re clawing our way back up the SEC standings, and we’ve seen improvement from 2008 to 2010.

Now, go out and make a couple coaching changes, and 2012 has the chance to be a special year.

Billy: So what do each of you think is the next step for the program?

Paul: Priority number one is to finish up this recruiting class. Zach Mettenberger is all set to commit and sign in the next week or so. I don’t foresee any costly de-commits (maybe a guy like Dalton Botts or Stephen Rivers depending on how the chips fall). Get all those guys signed and on campus.

Next step is to evaluate the coaching staff and upgrade where necessary. The most obvious position to change is the offensive coordinator and I think the wheels are in motion for that. With Mettenberger coming in and having the opportunity to possibly start for three years, at worst two, a change of system may be in order. Mett is a classic pro-style QB, but the prevalence of spread offenses means we will likely stick to that. I’m okay with it, as long as we hire a guy who knows how to implement a strong spread passing attack. There are a few guys available that would definitely be on my call list. Mike Leach’s name will get thrown around, and he’s worth the call, but I’m not sure how realistic that is. If nothing else, talk to him about people he respects and admires from an X’s and O’s standpoint. Guys like Dana Holgorsen are obviously sexy picks, but probably unrealistic. So here’s a few guys that could be had and I think would be good:

1) Steve Logan

Great track record with QBs. Likes spread passing offenses. Has worked with Miles (both assistants at Colorado). This is my personal top choice.

2) Al Borges

Not a sexy pick, but a good teacher and fundamentals guy. If Borges was hired, I suspect it would be a lot like the John Chavis hire. Fans would range from a small group that are excited, the large group that are lukewarm and then the contingent that bash everything needlessly. But I think Borges and Miles share the same fundamentals on football and we would see significant improvement offensively.

Those are two names that I think should get a serious look. Here’s a couple other interesting ones to keep an eye on: Mike DeBord. He worked with Miles at Michigan in the early 90s, won a NC as a OC at Michigan in 1997. They brought him back in the mid 2000′s and he lead some successful offenses with a young Chad Henne from 2004-2007. He’s a TE coach for the Bears right now, and maybe he wants to stay in the NFL… but it’s a guy to keep an eye on. Another name to throw in the hat is Cam Cameron, who isn’t exactly fawned over in Baltimore. There were some rumblings of his release earlier this year. If that happens, he and Miles are close and while Cam has been a pure NFL guy since the mid 90s, he might opt to work with a friend as an OC rather than move back to positional coaching in the league (I put this in the highly unlikely category though).

The other guy to evaluate is Studrawa. He’s an average recruiter and while the line improved this year, I still wouldn’t say they’ve exhibited anything resembling dominance at any point in his tenure. Hell, if DeBord were hired, he could do both and it could free you up to bring Wilkerson on board as Co-OL coach. Also, there’s some rumblings that Ensminger may move into an administrative role. If that happens, could see a guy like Derek Lewis (who I believe will be job hunting) come in and coach TEs and be a recruiting dynamo.

PodKatt: I feel like we’ve said this before, but it is the same priorities as last year: better QB play and a new OC. I want Jefferswag to succeed, I really do, but he’s just so inconsistent. Combined occasionally with bad play-calling, receivers with the drops, and mediocre line play, and his bad days get magnified.

To Dan’s point, I’m not sure Mettenberger would pass Jefferson (or even Lee) but we do need something as a future at QB. TC is being groomed into a coach, and Bailey is just living out the walk-on’s dream. Rivers is by all accounts a project, so we need something that’s ready to go. Mettenberger is the answer. (Geez, are we really going to have 6 active QB’s on the roster? Somebody better be comfortable with running the practice squad)

As for OC, I think the replacement hire is already on staff. We didn’t hire Billy Gonzales to be a “Passing Game Coordinator” (what passing game?) We know now that he didn’t exactly leave UF on good terms, but I still believe we got him to come here as an OC, only we couldn’t get rid of Crowton last year. Hopefully Miles can find Gary another job and Billy G gets that OC spot he’s always wanted.

(/Sends21stemailwithanoticeabouttheHCvacancyatUSLtoCrowton)

Poseur: We fire Gary Crowton. We should have fired him last year, and the mistake has haunted us all season. When you are the OC of an offense that ranks in the bottom quartile, you get fired. If you do it two straight years, you usually have to move out under cover darkness. There is simply no earthly reason to keep Crowton on the staff. This isn’t personal, I’m sure he’s a nice guy.  But this level of performance, particularly given the talent available, is simply unacceptable. It would be unacceptable at Vanderbilt, much less LSU. I cannot say this strenuously enough:

GARY CROWTON MUST BE FIRED.

I’m actually onboard with firing most of the offensive staff, but Crowton for sure. Then we need to bring in a guy who knows how to teach quarterbacks. We can bring in QB’s until the cows come home, but we need someone to teach them. Our QB’s are simply not developing, and they need a coach who specializes in QB development. The light seems like it has come on for Jefferson, but it’s not a brilliant flash, more of a dim burn. He needs to progress. It is on the coaches.

Other than that, the team is in good shape. We’re going to say goodbye to some absolute studs (Zod, Nevis) and some incredible leaders (Sheppard). But this is a young, young team just bursting with talent. There are plenty of guys ready to step up. The future is incredibly bright.  We just need someone to coach the players on offense. 

Paul: I think that’s something most LSU fans realize, and the source of most frustration. The next few years should be absolutely brilliant. We played something like 22 freshman in significant roles this season. We’re re-stocking our lines, loading up our secondary and WRs, and now re-establishing the talent and depth at the QB position. The 2011 class will prove to be one of the most significant in the history of LSU and not just for talent level but because of unity and re-hammering the idea that LSU is the place to be for in-state athletes.

Here’s how Miles has surpassed what Saban did recruiting wise (and Saban may have reached this point as well). Now, instead of being dependent upon the state of Louisiana to stock most of our class (yes, I acknowledge Saban did pull some OOS kids), we now get the pick of the litter in-state and go hunting OOS for top-tier athletes.

My whole point is that everyone realizes that if LSU gets an offense, the rest of the country better look out. Miles knows this as well, and good things are on the horizon.

Billy: Yeah, we’re all in agreement that there has to be change on the offensive staff. I’m okay with keeping just about all of them except Crowton. There are a lot of theories around about why the offense has struggled, and the only thing that is abundantly clear is that the tipping point has been reached. If its not the play-calling, it’s certainly the quarterback development. And in the end, there’s just no identity to this offense.

I’m not opposed to promoting Gonzales, if that was part of the condition of hiring him last year. He’s a bright young coach, and I liked a lot of what he’s brought to the table in the past year. The Humanoids aren’t happy with the receivers, but given the general suckiness factor of the entire passing game, I’m not willing to give Gonzales a full evaluation. A lot of people didn’t think Brick Haley could coach a year ago when the defensive line sucked, either. A year and a talent-infusion later and that worm turned.

Mettenberger is clearly the future, even if he’s not the starter in a year (and it would certainly be a mistake to name him such before he’s set foot on a practice field – see Schaeffer, Brent) he has a clear path to the job in 2012 after Lee and Jefferson graduate. Personally, I’d rather go back to basics and bring in a coordinator with a background in fundamental, pro-style quarterback coaching. The offense can be basic and stodgy. If it’s fundamentally sound and disciplined, talent will win out. We just saw that play out on defense with John Chavis. So my first choice would be Steve Logan. He’s done great work with guys like Jeff Blake, David Garrard and Matt Ryan over the years, and his offenses have a reputation for being relatively plug-and-play, with solid concepts that can be easily taught and built upon. He’s even worked with Miles before at the University of Colorado. The question is how much does he like coaching in the NFL?

On a final note, anybody have any bowl-game preferences?

Poseur: Yeah, the Sugar. Unfair? Surely. Possible? Not really. But it’s still on the table. If you think about it, outside of the National Title game, bowls are just meaningless exhibitions designed to make the organizers as much money as possible. If you’re the Sugar Bowl, you know that both Arkansas and LSU would sell out their ticket allotment, but which team gets you more national exposure? LSU’s got a higher national profile. Also, the state of Louisiana has been keeping the Sugar Bowl afloat, and might look kindly on continuing to subsidize this enterprise if the Sugar Bowl shows some favorable treatment to the native team. If Auburn makes the title game, I think the Sugar Bowl would rather have LSU, they just haven’t figured out the political cover for it yet (or ever). Also, it would be really funny to lose and still go to the Sugar Bowl. 

 More realistically, I want the Cotton. We should play A&M every year. They want to play us. We want to play them. Dallas likely wants us as well, as LSU has a huge Texas presence. This is, by far, my most preferred game.

PodKatt: At this point it seems almost certain that we are Cotton bowl bound. It doesn’t matter to me much where we end up, just as long as it isn’t the dump that is the Citrus Bowl. The high payout is the only thing that gives that game a high status.

Paul: I’m fairly certain we will be Cotton Bowl bound and renewing the old school rivalry with Texas A&M. To be honest, it’s a matchup that scares me a bit. A&M has a high-powered offense with a dual-threat QB (exactly the types that burned us this year). As with most bowl matchups, we will have a sizable talent advantage. I’m just glad there’s no Citrus bullshit for us this year. Everyone hates that stinker, and it’s basically the bowl where SEC teams go to die.

Now if we could only have a new OC in place by then…

Billy: Looking more and more like the Cotton, which will be a little weird given LSU will be headed back there in August. What’s funny to me is all the anti-Capital One Bowl rhetoric. Yeah, it’s no fun to go to the same place two years in a row, but it’s still sort of the official SEC #2 bowl slot. Besides, a Big 10 team like Michigan State is probably a better match-up for LSU than Texas A&M.

I do suppose that new after-New-Years’ date makes the Cotton a little more attractive as well.

Time for Verne, Gary, and some scoreboard watching.

For those playing along at home, DawgSports has an excellent drinking game for the occasion.

Some of you decided not to watch the MAC Championship last night. Shame on you. Here are the highlights (both via Bubbaprog at 30fps)

#1 This Guy got on TV

#2 This Play

That’s Miami (OH)’s Austin Boucher. It kept the last drive alive that allowed Miami to go ahead and win the MAC Championship, a helluva turn around for a team that had only 1 win last season.

Here’s your National Buffet and TSK’s SECCG preview

Games on the docket (and on the Pick’em list)

11am

Rutgers at West Virginia (ABC)

Pittsburgh at Cincinnati (ESPN)

2:30pm

Oregon at Oregon St. (ABC)

There will be a separate thread for the SECCG, appearing near kickoff.

Your Pick’em standings through the 1st 3 games

Recruiting sometimes gets called college football’s “silly season,” but to me, that phrase applies a lot more towards the annual December-through-February coaching carousel.

Part of what makes it silly is that fans buy into the idea that programs can just “cherry pick” any coach the way they “cherry pick” the top recruits. And of course, the process is a lot more complicated than that.

As such, allow me to present the official And the Valley Shook Guide to the Hiring of College Football Coaches ^TM!

Part 1: Hiring Assistant Coaches  

We’ll break this into two parts, but start with assistant coaches because, well, that’s the most relevant process to LSU right now (although you can apply these principles to any program). While there’s been no official word, most of us are expecting there to be some shaking up of the offensive staff.

Whenever there’s a coaching opening at a major program fans tend to throw out every name they can think of, as though there’s a grocery list of the top assistants for any head coach to pick up at the supermarket. Every message board will have multiple threads dedicated to why a team should (or should not) hire this guy or that guy. Half of the time, the coach in question isn’t even an actual candidate for said job opening. Why? Because there’s a process to how these candidates are identified, whittled down, interviews and hired. In order to understand how this process works, you have to answer two questions:

What coaches are available?

In theory, they all are. After all, everybody has a price, right?

He says yes. And then he cackles.

via www.onlineworldofwrestling.com

Of course, reality and theory don’t always line up.

Does the coach in question have a job? Are you offering him a better one? Would his current employer make efforts keep him?

Obviously, these things depend on what job you’re trying to fill, and what coach you’re pursuing. If you’re, say, LSU and you’re, say, trying to hire a new offensive coordinator*, you would probably start with offensive assistants and coordinators for other teams, or perhaps from the NFL.

And here’s where the supermarket analogy comes back into play. People have gotten into the mindset that a top-10 program like LSU can have any assistant they might want, because, well, who wouldn’t want to come and coach here.

**Ed. Note: I have to stress that as far as I know as of this writing, this is entirely hypothetical. While we all expect Gary Crowton to leave, there’s been no official word yet. And I want to be clear that I’m not implying any sort of inside information on this front. **

There’s more to it than that. In this modern age of big-money TV contracts and hundreds of cable channels, the stage is bigger, and so is the spotlight. If you’re at least middle-of-the-pack in any BCS conference, chances are you get to play in front of a nation-wide audience on either a cable or broadcast network several times a season. Big time schools can no longer exclusively offer that. So that means they have to offer other things, like a promotion, or a bigger paycheck.

Diddy knows what’s up.

If you’re at a program from a mid-major conference, a major conference is an automatic upgrade. But if you’re already at one, it’s generally all about the Benjamins. Otherwise, why take the risk? Think about it in terms of your own employment. You have a perfectly stable job that you enjoy at a nice mid-sized [insert business] firm. A bigger firm in another town wants you for a job. Sure, it’s clearly a more prestigious gig, but there’s also pressure and more spotlight, which also means less security. On top of that, you’d have to move your family, leave behind friends, pull kids out of a school, etc…Would you do it if the bigger firm wasn’t making it worth your while financially? Of course not. Prestige won’t pay your bills or send your kids to college. So why would a coach be any different?

If they’re not getting a clear position-coach-to-coordinator promotion, a lot of coaches are generally given some sort of other title like assistant or associate head coach, passing or running game coordinator, recruiting coordinator, etc…in order to justify a higher salary. Sometimes this is due to state laws or university hiring bylaws, or sometimes it’s just a way of getting a foot in the door with said assistant, as some schools will hold them to their contracts unless they are seeking career advancement. Both of LSU’s big assistant hires of last year are examples of this. Billy Gonzales and Frank Wilson, received extra titles (passing game coordinator and recruiting coordinator) and raises from their previous jobs. We’ve also seen it with other major hires. In his coordinator days, Gene Chizik went from Auburn to Texas and gained an associate head coach title and accompanying raise. Mack Brown also gave Will Muschamp a salary bump for the same move a few years later. 

In a previous post and commenting thread, the name Dana Holgorsen came up. He and Gus Malzahn are probably the two hottest coordinators in the country right now, which is why I don’t think he’s really a viable candidate for LSU. The university can’t really offer him a lot more exposure (this is obvious in Malzahn’s case). Oklahoma State is a 10-win team that’s been winning steadily the last few years with an entertaining attack and big-name offensive players. Can LSU offer him more exposure? Yes, but not a lot in relative terms. Regardless of whether he stays in Stillwater or not, Holgorsen will be the head coach at a non-AQ-conference school in the next two or three years. That leaves money as the next best incentive, and then T. Boone Pickens enters the picture. LSU can pay a lot of money for a coach, but it can still be outbid at a high enough level.

Now, obviously, personal issues are the wild card in all of this. A coach may simply enjoy his current lot in life or be reluctant to uproot his family (a close friend of mine currently in high school coaching passed on a chance to follow Mack Brown from Tulane to North Carolina years ago for this very reason). Or he may have a falling out with his current university or coach. These situations are generally rare, but they do come up. In those cases, you can throw a lot of these guidelines out.

Hiring coaches out of the NFL is also a different process, because coaching in the NFL is very different from the college level. Coaches who get to that level generally like to stay there, whether as the head guy, a position coach or a coordinator. They have excellent health benefits, including a pension. Plus, the schedule is less rigorous, despite what you may have seen from time to time about the work habits of guys like John Gruden or Bill Belichick, because there’s no recruiting. Sure, you might work a 12 or 16-hour day between film sessions, meetings and practices, but so do college coaches. Only in the NFL, when all that is done, you are done and you get to go home. You don’t have to call your assigned recruits, or keep taps on the grades/social lives of your current players. In college, if a third-string receiver is failing his classes, the head coach will want that receivers coach to explain why he wasn’t getting the proper tutoring or spending the necessary time in study hall. In the NFL, all a coach is responsible for is preparing the current players he’s coaching for the opponents on the schedule. This is why you see old hands like Pete Jenkins, George Stewart, Alex Gibbs or Bobby April coaching well into old age. So once again, if you want an NFL guy, a promotion and a raise have to be a given part of the offer.

What is the connection?

Finding a job is almost always about who you know. That idea shouldn’t be new to anybody. Sometimes it’s a friend who tells you that a company will be hiring soon. Sometimes it’s a friend who recommends you to another friend. Sometimes it’s a headhunter, who makes it his business to know what jobs are open and the qualified professionals looking for them.

Coaching is the same way. Personal connections are always in play when a hiring is made. Staffs work closely together, so everybody has to be on the same page in terms of work ethic, on-field philosophy and personal relationships. After all, who wants to work with a complete dick you hate to see every day?

So when a head coach has a position to fill, he generally starts by putting out feelers among friends and colleagues he knows that he and his other assistants can work with. It might be somebody that either he or a member of his staff has worked with (or even against) in the past. It might be somebody a friend or colleague recommends. Take the rumors regarding Les Miles seeking out Mike Leach. I doubt Leach would ever consider going back to coordinating (he’ll almost certainly have a chance at a head-coaching gig soon enough) but he’s an offensive mind any coach would respect, and he could definitely point Miles in the direction of other coaches.  

Sometimes the recommendation even comes from an outside party or non-coach – such as when Pete Jenkins, a well-known coach in Louisiana, was recommended to Nick Saban for his first staff at LSU by people close to the program. Or it might even be somebody he’s spent time with at a camp or clinic. Whichever way the new guy arrives, chances are he won’t be a complete stranger.

College coaching’s a very regional profession for this very reason. Coaches and assistants in the same conference are all generally pretty close to each other and even with other coaches in the area that might work in other conferences. You run the roads in recruiting and develop relationships in certain areas with the high school coaches and officials (which is why you generally see a specific coach assigned to recruit specific state or a specific part of it) and you meet at coaching clinics or conference meetings. As such, you don’t see a lot of long-distance coaching moves. Coaches in the southeast generally stick around in leagues like the SEC, ACC, Sun Belt or Conference USA. A coach that gets his start on the West Coast rarely makes a sudden jump to the East Coast, and vice-versa. Usually (there are, of course, always exceptions) there’s a journey to it. Take Miles for example. Born, raised and reared as a coach in Big 10 country, he followed Michigan assistant Bill McCartney to Colorado. There, he learned about working in the Big 8/12 region and Texas, and from there he worked his way southeast to Oklahoma State, Dallas and eventually, here. It is worth noting that coaches that work in the NFL are usually the ones most likely to break out of a region, as it gets easier to branch out the most in the pro ranks.

Of course, there’s also the schematic connection. A coach who wants to run a pure option attack isn’t going to hire a receivers coach with a background in a West Coast Offense, just like a coach from a pro-style background isn’t going to hire a quarterbacks coach with an option background. But things can mesh and evolve, as a lot of times systems that may seem very different, aren’t quite to the degree you might think. LSU’s offense might not look anything like the Mike Leach Air Raid, but that doesn’t mean they don’t occasionally run some of the same pass plays. And despite the Humanoid reputation of Les Miles as “a Bo Schembechler three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust wannabe,” he’s run one-back, three-wide attacks before at Oklahoma State.

And another thing that I really can’t stress enough. Don’t expect any sort of decision to come quickly. I would hope people would have learned this by now after the last two offseasons, but these decisions rarely happen before the bowl game. That’s not a Miles thing, that’s just how it generally works for most schools. For one, there’s very little benefit to bringing in a new guy before a bowl game, and to be honest, the only two examples of a new one coming in pre-bowl involve Lou Tepper and Tony Franklin, so there’s bad precedent. You only get a week of practice — not enough time to implement a new scheme. So why bother changing the players’ routine? There’s also recruiting to consider, which is at a crucial juncture in December and January. If a head coach knows he has an assistant on his way out, he’ll want to make sure he and other members of the staff can develop good enough relationships with that coach’s recruits in order to soften the blow of a departure. Some coaches have also been known to let a vacancy linger for a few weeks deliberately. NCAA bylaws allow for head coaches to make extra visits when they don’t have a full staff (a rule Miles has deliberately taken advantage of in each of the last two seasons). So expect quiet on this front for several more weeks.

All of this being said, here is what most of you have probably been waiting to see — a list of realistic potential candidates to be LSU’s offensive coordinator should Gary Crowton leave.

**Ed. Note: I cannot stress enough that I have no insider information as to who really is or isn’t being considered, or even if a change is certain. But here’s an educated guess, based on the availability/connection questions, of names that could possibly be up for consideration.**

We’ll start with current college coaches.

• Dana Holgorsen
  Current job: Offensive coordinator, Oklahoma State
  Holgorsen is just about everybody’s top choice (and I don’t just mean LSU fans), but for the reasons I’ve already outlined, I’m doubt he’s really available.
• Lincoln Riley
  Current job: Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach, East Carolina
  Riley is a wunderkind of a coach at just 26 years old. He cut his teeth as the receivers coach at Texas Tech under Mike Leach. In his first year at ECU the Pirates jumped from 27 to 38 points per game, despite breaking a new quarterback. A move from ECU to LSU would be a no-brainer for a young guy like Riley, and if the Miles/Leach rumors are true, it could be to do some due diligence on him.
• Phillip Montgomery
  Current job: Co-offensive coordinator, quarterbacks/running backs, Baylor
  Montgomery goes way back with Baylor head man Art Briles, and he played a big role in Briles’ high-octane offenses at Houston. Though his background is in the spread, Montgomery’s offenses have always been incredibly balanced (Baylor rushed for 2,406 yards this season and still threw for 3,336), and he’s played a major role in developing productive quarterbacks and running backs. But he could also be somebody who would want to stay with Briles. And Baylor’s not very likely to be Briles’ last stop.
• Blake Anderson
  Current job: Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach, Southern Mississippi
  He’s in his third year at Hattiesburg under Larry Fedora, an old-school spread offense guru, and USM has passed for 3,000 yards in each of those seasons with an average team passer rating of 136. Anderson also served as ULL’s offensive coordinator in 2007, during which the team ranked 6th in the nation in rushing. Louisiana connections, and with Fedora rumored for the Minnesota job, may not be eager to move so far north.
• Danny Langsdorf
  Current job: Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach, Oregon State
  Langsdorf is a veteran of teaching the passing game, and Oregon State has annually ranked high in passing since he joined Mike Riley’s staff in 2004. Their offense uses a lot of multi-receiver packages, but at its heart is a run-and-play-action attack. He’s spent two stints in the professional ranks, in the Canadian league and the New Orleans Saints for the 2002-2003 seaons.
• Andy Ludwig
  Current job: Offensive coordinator, California
  A student of Jeff Tedford’s pro-style offense and also the spread passing game, Ludwig worked with Tedford at Fresno State in the 90s before succeeding him at Oregon, and eventually moving on to Utah. He was the coordinator for the Utes’ undefeated 2008 squad (which famously dissected Alabama in the Sugar Bowl). Played roles in the development of David Carr, Kellen Clements and Brian Johnson.
• Kurt Roper
  Current job: Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach, Duke
  A David Cutcliffe disciple, Roper got his start as a GA at Tennessee before becoming the QB coach at Ole Miss during Cutcliffe’s time there. There, he served as the passing game coordinator for Eli Manning’s last two seasons. Also worked as a running backs coach at UT in 2006-2007 when Cutcliffe returned, so John Chavis should have some familiarity as well. Did some great work with Duke’s Thaddeus Lewis the last few seasons.
• Kliff Kingsbury
  Current job: Co-offensive coordinator/QB coach, Houston
  You may remember Kingsbury as one of the ultra-productive quarterbacks of Leach’s Texas Tech days. He just wrapped his first season working with Kevin Sumlin in Houston, following the aforementioned Holgorsen. The Cougars averaged 327 passing yard a game this year, despite using four different quarterbacks due to injury. Kingsbury could be a rising star, and is on the list of possible topics for the rumored Les/Leach powwow.
• Steve Kragthorpe
  Currently unemployed
  The former Tulsa and Louisville head coach was supposed to serve as Texas A&M’s passing game coordinator this year, but resigned the post in the summer due to an illness in his family. It was rumored Miles spoke with Kragthorpe about the OC job last winter, and is interested in talking to him again this season. He’s a veteran pro-style type of coordinator, with a good reputation for working with QBs. Coached Drew Bledsoe to one the best seasons of his career with the Buffalo Bills in 2002. He was once considered one of the top up-and-coming coaches when he was hired in Louisville. The results at UL put a bad taste in most fans’ mouths, but the list of good offensive minds that have failed as head coaches is a long one.
• Al Borges
  Current job: Offensive coordinator, San Diego State
  A veteran West-Coast-Offense guy, Borges is probably most well-known in LSU circles for his work at Auburn, which started out great in 2004 but tailed off over the next few seasons. He also worked with ex-LSU coach Gerry DiNardo (a close friend to Miles from their days on the Colorado staff) at Indiana, and ran the UCLA offense when Bob Toledo had them rolling in the late 90s. Tutored first-round quarterbacks Cade McNown and Jason Campbell.

Borges and Kragthorpe aren’t the type of hires that make fans ooh and aah, but I liken them to the Chavis hire on defense. They run solid, fundamentally sound schemes built upon basic concepts. That may not reinvent the wheel, but it will work as long as there’s good talent around. Borges gets a Crowton-like rap for the way the Auburn offense tailed off in 2006 and 2007, but when the talent was there (the immortal Brandon Cox, anybody?), so was the offense.

Current NFL Coaches:
These coaches are all something of long-shots, unless their head coaches find themselves unemployed.  Most of these are position coaches, so offensive coordinator would be a promotion, but the question will be whether or not they would rather hold on to their current pro jobs. But all have some sort of connection to the LSU staff, so they are worthy of mention

• Steve Logan
  Current job: Running backs coach, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  If I were asked to pick a first choice, Logan would be the man. He fits for a number of reasons, but first foremost would be his work with quarterbacks. He’s mostly known for coaching Jeff Blake and David Garrard at East Carolina, and then Matt Ryan at Boston College, and he even spent a season with Rohan Davey in NFL Europe. He runs a pro-style attack built largely on the one-back set, and is known for teaching a system that new starters can transition into with relative ease. Perhaps the only smart step Jeff Jagodzinski has ever made as a head coach was bringing Logan with him to BC, and once that coaching situation blew up in Jags’ face, it didn’t take long for people to find out who was the brains of the outfit. Both were hired by the Bucs, with Jagodzinski as OC and Logan as running backs coach, but only one actually made it to the season once Raheem Morris realized Jagodzinski had very little to do with the game-planning or play-calling at BC. The NFL position coach situation could make Logan a tough pull, but he and Miles have coached together briefly before, with a year together on the Colorado staff.
• David Lee
  Current job: Quarterbacks coach, Miami Dolphins
  Lee would be another dream hire, though it may be unlikely. He has two stints on Houston Nutt’s Arkansas staff on his resume, and was due to follow him to Ole Miss before the Dolphins came calling. As a quarterbacks coach, he could be compared to Kragthorpe or Borges. Known for stressing the classic fundamentals we all think about in a pro-style offense. He helped coach Chad Pennington to an NFL Comeback Player of the Year award in 2008, and breathed competence into Casey Dick in 2007. He’s also credited with bringing the Wildcat offense to the Dolphins from Arkansas. Also worked with Sean Payton on the Dallas Cowboys staff from 2003-2005.
• Dirk Koetter
  Current job: Offensive coordinator, Jacksonville Jaguars
  A long shot, but Jack Del Rio’s not exactly sitting on the most secure of seats. Koetter’s developed a run-first and well-managed attack in the NFL, but his college offenses were known for high-octane passing attacks. He spent five years at Arizona State (I’m sure everybody remembers the Sun Devils pushing LSU to the limit in 2005) and coached the school’s all-time leading passer (Andrew Walter), receiver (Derek Hagan) and a Makey-Award-winning tight end in Zach Miller. Before he was at ASU, Koetter was one of the early architects of the Boise State program in the late 90s. His offensive style has always leaned towards running and play-action, but he his passing game attacks down the field from a variety of angles. Works with former LSU receivers coach Todd Monken and former Alabama head coach Mike Shula.
• Todd Monken
  Current job: Wide Receivers coach, Jacksonville Jaguars
  He was a member of Miles’ first staff at LSU, and developed a great reputation those first two seasons as Dwayne Bowe and Buster Davis blossomed into first-round draft picks. Many thought he’d get the coordinator job when Jimbo Fisher left, but the NFL came calling. His name got a mention last year during the OC speculation as well. There are definitely questions, as he’s never actually called plays before, but Monken has a great reputation as a teacher and definitely had his hands in the explosive 2006 passing game. He’s also an excellent recruiter.
• Craig Ver Steeg
  Current job: Offensive assistant, Baltimore Ravens
  Ver Steeg is a bit of a wildcard. He served as Rutgers’ offensive coordinator and running backs coach from 2003-2007, including Ray Rice’s ultra-productive last two seasons. Since then he’s worked under Ravens’ coordinator Cam Cameron, a colleague Miles has been known to consult from time to time. If Ver Steeg is interested in getting back in the college game, Cameron would likely point him in LSU’s direction.

Coming next week: Part 2 – Hiring Head Coaches

Back by request

With finals week approaching and no post season football to worry about yet, it’s been quiet on the football front. However, Miles and crew have been very busy on the recruiting trail as chronicled by the twitter feed of Shea Dixon from TigerSportsDigest.com. They’ve also put up some free film of Mettenberger’s JUCO games that’s worth a watch. The Daily Rev is also reporting that we’ve offered QB Dak Prescott and WR Odell Beckham Jr, who’s father Beckham Sr. can been seen above greeting an Aggie in the proper manor.

Speaking of the Aggies, TSK did their own bowl projections and none of them feature the LSU A&M match up we are now all actively hoping for. For what it’s worth, I keep getting passed rumors that Bama to Cap One is a done deal, so we are probably not going to know the truth until ESPN’s interminably long BCS show Sunday night (important to remember here that the Cotton Bowl is run by Fox, and they will likely issue a separate press release before or during the ESPN reveal). And if we do get stuck in the Citrus, at least it wont be in the muck.

We fell to 3rd in the SEC Power Poll and down to 10th in the BlogPoll, which is not nearly as bad as I expected.

The NCAA was roundly slammed yesterday over the Cam Newton ruling, so much so that our buddy Mark Emmert had to come out and say a few words in their defense.

It’s always good to enter the break on a win, and both teams did it Tuesday, with the Ladies blasting Nicholls 88-35 and the Men puling away from Houston 73-57. All y’all up in S’port take note that tickets for the Dec. 18th game against Wichita State in the CenturyTel Center go on sale Friday.

GYM will start the season with a #12 preseason ranking.

I was unaware that the MWC and C-USA have been discussing a pseudo-merger.

This SMU documentary looks to be awesome. 

The only LSU team in action this weekend is Volleyball against Tulsa in the opening round of the NCAA tourney tonight at 5pm. Live video will be free in the Geaux Zone.

We’ll be doing a game thread or two for the weekend’s action, so keep an eye out.

Wee, Pat, Poseur, and Michael from InTheBleachers.net look back in despair at the Arkansas game, lament the play of Karnell Hatcher, and discuss the bigger picture of the college football landscape. All that, plus this week’s picks. Subscribe in iTunes or stream it live from the links below.

Auburn University football student-athlete Cam Newton is immediately eligible to compete, according to a decision today by the NCAA student-athlete reinstatement staff. The NCAA concluded on Monday that a violation of amateurism rules occurred, therefore Auburn University declared the student-athlete ineligible yesterday for violations of NCAA amateurism rules.

…

According to facts of the case agreed upon by Auburn University and the NCAA enforcement staff, the student-athlete’s father and an owner of a scouting service worked together to actively market the student-athlete as a part of a pay-for-play scenario in return for Newton’s commitment to attend college and play football. NCAA rules (Bylaw 12.3.3) do not allow individuals or entities to represent a prospective student-athlete for compensation to a school for an athletic scholarship.

In conjunction with the case, Auburn University has limited the access Newton’s father has to the athletics program and Mississippi State has disassociated the involved individual.

“The conduct of Cam Newton’s father and the involved individual is unacceptable and has no place in the SEC or in intercollegiate athletics,” said Mike Slive, Southeastern Conference Commissioner. “The actions taken by Auburn University and Mississippi State University make it clear this behavior will not be tolerated in the SEC.”

…

“We are pleased that the NCAA has agreed with our position that Cam Newton has been and continues to be eligible to play football at Auburn University,” Auburn University Director of Athletics Jay Jacobs said. “We appreciate the diligence and professionalism of the NCAA and its handling of this matter. “

Here we are Ladies and Gentlemen, the final week of the regular season. Remember it well. Pretty bad on average last week, as all but the Top 17 were under .500. Big congrats to BZACHARY, who’s 12-3 record was enough to catapult him from the mid 20′s to #10 in the overall. That’s not the biggest news in the standings, however…

That’s right, a tie! Even with an average picks week, ADD-Day couldn’t hold off LSU Chad and we now have a dead heat going into the final weekend, with everyone within the top ten still capable of pulling a late upset. A dismal year for your editorial staff as Kattgodfather (Pat from The Geaux Show) is the highest ranked at a mere 13th.

Big shockers are mainly local, with LSU and ULM letting us down. USC found new depths against Notre Dame and Vandy let us all down.

PodKATT’s Pick	Picks For		Matchup	Picks For		Home Spread	PodKATT’s Pick	PodKATT’s Points
	19 pick(s)	48%	vs 27 - 50	53%	21 pick(s)	-18.5
	23 pick(s)	59%	vs 28 - 27	41%	16 pick(s)	-4.5
	22 pick(s)	55%	vs 31 - 34	45%	18 pick(s)	+14.5		1
	17 pick(s)	43%	vs 7 - 31	58%	23 pick(s)	-2.5
	19 pick(s)	48%	vs 34 - 42	53%	21 pick(s)	-13.5		1
	16 pick(s)	40%	vs 14 - 24	60%	24 pick(s)	-3.5
	6 pick(s)	15%	vs 23 - 22	85%	34 pick(s)	-6.5
	32 pick(s)	80%	vs 23 - 31	20%	8 pick(s)	-3.5
	15 pick(s)	38%	vs 7 - 37	63%	25 pick(s)	-17.5		1
	35 pick(s)	88%	vs 31 - 23	13%	5 pick(s)	+2.5		1
	6 pick(s)	15%	vs 20 - 16	85%	34 pick(s)	-4.5
	13 pick(s)	33%	vs 47 - 41	68%	27 pick(s)	-2.5		1
	36 pick(s)	90%	vs 29 - 7	10%	4 pick(s)	+2.5		1
	30 pick(s)	79%	vs 24 - 17	21%	8 pick(s)	+3.5		1
	5 pick(s)	13%	vs 34 - 13	88%	35 pick(s)	-5.5

Not much choice this week, so the CUSA and MAC championships are on the board, along with all three parts of the Big East title. Zook vs Pat Hill for just sheer oddity.

Date	Away Team	Pick	Point Value	Pick	Home Team	Home Spread	Selection
Thu 12/02 08:00pm	Arizona St. (5-6)		1		(23)Arizona (7-4)	-6.5 Matchup
Sat 12/04 04:00pm	(1)Auburn (12-0)		1		(19)South Carolina (9-3)	+5.5 Matchup
Sat 12/04 08:00pm	Connecticut (7-4)		1		South Fla. (7-4)	-1.5 Matchup
Sat 12/04 07:45pm	(21)Florida St. (9-3)		1		(15)Virginia Tech (10-2)	-4.5 Matchup
Fri 12/03 10:15pm	Illinois (6-5)		1		Fresno St. (7-4)	+6.5 Matchup
Sat 12/04 08:00pm	(13)Nebraska (10-2)		1		(9)Oklahoma (10-2)	-4.5 Matchup
Fri 12/03 07:00pm	(25)Northern Ill. (10-2)		1		Miami (Ohio) (8-4)	+15.5 Matchup
Sat 12/04 03:30pm	(2)Oregon (11-0)		1		Oregon St. (5-6)	+15.5 Matchup
Sat 12/04 12:00pm	Pittsburgh (6-5)		1		Cincinnati (4-7)	+0.5 Matchup
Sat 12/04 12:00pm	Rutgers (4-7)		1		(24)West Virginia (8-3)	-20.5 Matchup
Sat 12/04 12:00pm	Southern Methodist (7-5)		1		UCF (9-3)	-9.5 Matchup
Sat 12/04 10:30pm	Southern California (7-5)		1		UCLA (4-7)	+7.5 Matchup

PICKS ARE DUE THURSDAY BEFORE KICKOFF!

Who’s ready for a rematch of the ’95 Weed Eater Bowl?

The LSUSports.net hostage situation has ended and normal service should be returning to your area soon, if not already.

Patrick Peterson has been named a 1st team All-American, just the 67th Tiger to ever gain the honor and the 9th under Miles.

Rosetta at The Advoc says the season was “Good, not Great” Kleinpeter, in his excellent as usual film study, believes last week was our worst game of the season.

Alleva says Miles has the only call on keeping assistants. (also, 2 punts in the 1st half last weekend hit camera wires. War Memorial is a truly awful place)

From our SBN Neighbors: The Expats are understandably ecstatic and they should be with the potential of the Hawgs first ever BCS bid.

LSU fell to 10, 11, and 12 in the BCS, AP, and USA polls respectively. The Blog and SEC Power Polls are out tomorrow, and I expect them to be much less forgiving.

It wasn’t a bad enough loss to warrant inclusion in the Schadenfreude, but if you’re looking for the lowlights without having to go to TigerDroppings, RBR’s Meltdown recap will do the job.

There is more to the LSU-A&M Cotton Bowl than just both fanbases hopes, as it seems the committee is also in favor of the matchup. (H/T Advoc Blog)

The Men’s team beat up on South Alabama, 80-65 (and got the first LSU road win since the 09 tourney.) They’ll face a 4-2 Houston team in the PMAC tonight before going on exam break. And don’t feel too bad about that early Nicholls St. loss, It turns out the whole SEC West division is already a smoldering crater and it’s not even December yet.

The Ladies played a 3 game tourney @ UCONN and whupped Leigh and Howard before falling to the Juggernaut that is the Lady Huskies, 81-51 (now winners of 84 straight). They play at Nicholls St. tonight before the break.

Volleyball earned their 6th straight tourney berth as a 13 seed and will start in the Norman, OK regional this Friday against Tulsa.

So, after kicking their way back home in a loss to Nevada, Boise St. woke up to the nightmare that TCU is leaving the MWC for the Big East, leaving behind a shell of a conference that can now charitably be described as “WAC 2.0″ Meanwhile, some Big East stalwarts are learning, as Kansas did when the B12 nearly fell apart, that football is all that really matters in college athletics these days.

In local news, The Bustle Hustle has ended in Lafayette after what I’m told was a particularly engaging version of The Battle of The Hyphenated in which the Cajun’s won on a missed extra point. Potential candidates vary wildly (including a Miss St. assistant and *gasp* Gary Crowton) but we all know who the only candidate should be.

As for the SEC, the only confirmed death is Robbie Caldwell at Vandy. (Rumors of Nutt’s demise/banishment to Colorado were greatly exaggerated) The ‘Dores are hoping for a top flight hire. The only real flight risk at this point is Gus Malzahn.

Finally, a great quote from Vol Basketball coach Bruce Pearl.

Alright, I don’t wanna see any students here tomorrow, you’ve got finals next week.

It’s likely to be the big question repeated ad nauseum over the next few days for all us Tiger fans, so lets break it down. Since there is only 1 SEC game to be played, we’ll do a few sets of projections based on both possible outcomes.

But first, the bowl selection order for the SEC (Yes, I am holding on to the old bowl names as long as there is a breath in my body)

1. BCS
2. Citrus (Capitol One)[Best available after BCS]
3. Cotton [Best available West]
4. Hall of Fame (Outback) [Best available East]
5. Peach (Chick Fil A)
6. Gator
7. Music City [Pick order interchangeable to provide a better matchup as determined by SEC]
8. Liberty [Pick order interchangeable to provide a better matchup as determined by SEC]
9. Dixie (BBVA Compass, formerly PapaJohns.com)

The list can go either way depending on if SCar can pull the upset, but the conference is at least in the enviable position of having 10 bowl-eligible teams. Only Vandy and Ole Miss will stay home this year (Say it again, it makes you feel good every time you say it.)

Shreveport residents take note that the Indy bowl is no longer a tie-in for either the SEC or the Big 12. Instead you get ACC #7 vs Mountain #3, which I’m going to project as North Carolina (7-5) vs San Diego State (8-4). It should be noted that Boston College could be chosen as the ACC opponent instead and that SD State is actually the MWC #4, but moves up due to TCU’s projected Rose Bowl berth.

Scenario #1 Auburn wins

1. Auburn (BCS – Championship Game) v BCS #2
2. Arkansas (BCS – Sugar) v BCS at large (likely Ohio St.)
3. LSU (Citrus) v Big Ten best after BCS (Mich St.)
4. Bama (Cotton) v Big 12 best after BCS (loser of B12 champ game, Neb or OU)
5. S Car (Hall of Fame) v B10 best after Citrus (Iowa)
6. Miss St (Peach) v ACC Champ game loser (VT or FSU)
7. Florida (Gator) v B10 #4 or #5 (Illinois)
8. Tennessee (Music City) v ACC #6 (BC or UNC)
9. Georgia (Liberty) v C-USA Champ (UCF or SMU)
10. Kentucky (Dixie) v Big East #5 (Pitt, USF, or UL)

Lots of caveats to the above. If ILL beats Fresno St. this week, they could swap with Iowa (same record, no head-to-head), depriving us of seeing ZOOK face UF in Jacksonville. The Music and Liberty Bowls are both in Tennessee, but the Music has expressed interest in bringing the Vols to Nashville, so I see the SEC making that happen, even though UGA has a head-to-head win. And for sheer insanity, remember that Pitt could also win the Big East title this weekend. Wannstache, you sly dog.

Mich St. is the #3 B10 team, but the loser of the 3 way tie for the B10 title only because of BCS rankings. Dantonio has already given himself a heart attack because of a game, imagine what Les will do to him (too soon?) It will be the 3rd Big 10 Team Les Miles has faced in a bowl as LSU head coach (4th if you want to count Notre Dame)

Scenario #2 Auburn loses and is pushed out of the Championship Game

1. S Car (BCS – Sugar) v BCS at large (likely Ohio St.)
2. Auburn (BCS – Rose ) v BCS B10 Champ (Wisconsin)
3. Arkansas (Citrus) v Big Ten best after BCS (Mich St.)
4. LSU (Cotton) v Big 12 best after BCS (loser of B12 champ game, Neb or OU)
5. Florida (Hall of Fame) v B10 best after Citrus (Iowa)
6. Bama (Peach) v ACC Champ game loser (VT or FSU)
7. Miss St. (Gator) v B10 #4 or #5 (Illinois)
8. Tennessee (Music City) v ACC #6 (BC or UNC)
9. Georgia (Liberty) v C-USA Champ (UCF or SMU)
10. Kentucky (Dixie) v Big East #5 (Pitt, USF, or UL)

Thanks to their passing of Oregon last night for the BCS #1, there is some speculation that Auburn could still make the title game. Let’s assume for now that they don’t, but are still ranked high enough to get an at-large spot. Auburn becomes the 4th SEC team to ever go to the Rose. Everyone gets knocked down a peg, and we get a potential match-up with a pissed off Bo Pelini and Neb squad in the Jerry Dome. 

Scenario #3 Auburn loses and is NOT pushed out of the Championship Game

1. S Car (BCS – Sugar) v BCS at large (likely Ohio St.)
2. Auburn (BCS – Championship) v BCS #1
3. Arkansas (Citrus) v Big Ten best after BCS (Mich St.)
4. LSU (Cotton) v Big 12 best after BCS (loser of B12 champ game, Neb or OU)
5. Florida (Hall of Fame) v B10 best after Citrus (Iowa)
6. Bama (Peach) v ACC Champ game loser (VT or FSU)
7. Miss St. (Gator) v B10 #4 or #5 (Illinois)
8. Tennessee (Music City) v ACC #6 (BC or UNC)
9. Georgia (Liberty) v C-USA Champ (UCF or SMU)
10. Kentucky (Dixie) v Big East #5 (Pitt, USF, or UL)

Not much change (though TCU fans will be pissed) if you’re a fan of the BCS looking so stupid that it breaks, this is your dream scenario.

Scenario #4 Auburn loses and is pushed out of the BCS

1. S Car (BCS – Sugar) v BCS at large (likely Ohio St.)
2. Auburn (Citrus) v Big Ten best after BCS (Mich St.)
3. Arkansas (Cotton) v Big 12 best after BCS (loser of B12 champ game, Neb or OU)
4. Florida (Hall of Fame) v B10 best after Citrus (Iowa)
5. LSU (Peach) v ACC Champ game loser (VT or FSU)
6. Bama (Gator) v B10 #4 or #5 (Illinois)
7. Miss St. (Liberty) v C-USA Champ (UCF or SMU)
8. Tennessee (Music City) v ACC #6 (BC or UNC)
9. Georgia (Dixie) v Big East #5 (Pitt, USF, or UL)
10. Kentucky ???? (no bowl tie-in left, will fill empty spot somewhere else)

A real nightmare here as everyone falls down 2 pegs. In a year when the West is clearly better than the East, It’s S Car that is the lone BCS team. We’ll see an ACC team in the GA Dome to bookend the year, Miss St. falls all the way to the Liberty (Music still would have the ability to pull UT), UGA goes to Birmingham, and Kentucky fills an empty slot somewhere. Remember that this only happens if Auburn loses badly enough to drop all the way out of the BCS. We are talking a collapse of epic proportions.

Scenario #5 Auburn wins and Cam Newton Ruled Ineligible, Wins Vacated.

1. Arkansas (BCS – Sugar) v BCS at large (likely Ohio St.)
2. LSU (Citrus) v Big Ten best after BCS (Mich St.)
3. Bama (Cotton) v Big 12 best after BCS (loser of B12 champ game, Neb or OU)
4. S Car (Hall of Fame) v B10 best after Citrus (Iowa)
5.  Florida(Peach) v ACC Champ game loser (VT or FSU)
6.  Miss St.(Gator) v B10 #4 or #5 (Illinois)
7.  Georgia (Liberty) v C-USA Champ (UCF or SMU)
8. Tennessee (Music City) v ACC #6 (BC or UNC)
9.  Kentucky(Dixie) v Big East #5 (Pitt, USF, or UL)

Scenario #6 Auburn loses and Cam Newton Ruled Ineligible, Wins Vacated.

1. S Car (BCS – Sugar) v BCS at large (likely Ohio St.)
2. Arkansas (Citrus) v Big Ten best after BCS (Mich St.)
3. LSU (Cotton) v Big 12 best after BCS (loser of B12 champ game, Neb or OU)
4. Florida (Hall of Fame) v B10 best after Citrus (Iowa)
5. Bama (Peach) v ACC Champ game loser (VT or FSU)
6. Miss St. (Gator) v B10 #4 or #5 (Illinois)
7. Georgia (Liberty) v C-USA Champ (UCF or SMU)
8. Tennessee (Music City) v ACC #6 (BC or UNC)
9. Kentucky (Dixie) v Big East #5 (Pitt, USF, or UL)

Here’s a fun exercise. The only difference in either is that Auburn isn’t bowling. (Not trolling, Auburn fans, just laying out the hypothetical. We all know the NCAA won’t be able to rule Cam ineligible until after Auburn wins the championship).

(OK, trolling just a bit there)

Alternate projections are welcome in the comments below (LSU v A&M in the Cotton is a popular one, but not likely unless the B-12 pulls some shenanigans to screw with Nebraska) Those looking to get a head start on scouting potential opponents should start with these blogs:

Mich St. The Only Colors

Nebraska Corn Nation

OU Crimson And Cream Machine

VT Gobbler Country

FSU Tomahawk Nation

It’s really hard to complain about a 10-2 regular season, but man, that’s a rough way to end it. There are a couple of easy targets of blame for this one, but the reality is this goes on the whole team.

Notes:

• What is it about LSU-Arkansas that causes these crazy things to happen? A punt catches the back of an LSU player’s ankle for an easy Arkansas recovery, but the Tigers fail to fall on a Joe Adams muff. Never mind the fumble/interception/punt 80-yard touchdown sequence.
• In terms of Arkansas’ plan of attack, it was pretty much what I expected – outside zone runs or draw plays with Knile Davis that took advantage of the LSU pursuit, and downfield passing from Ryan Mallett designed to attack the Tiger safeties and linebackers.
• Karnell Hatcher…wow…it’s rare that you make mistakes that directly cost 14 points, but that’s pretty much what he did, and that’s kind of part of the gig with a safety. The first big play to Cobi Hamilton, that’s a throw not many quarterbacks can make that quickly, but you have to know that Mallett can and you have to rotate over there. On the second one, there’s no excuse to play the ball on a last-ditch throw at halftime unless you have a clear path to knock it down (and he didn’t). You get the guy on the ground, half over. You knock your own guy down, and suddenly there isn’t a lot of help to get the guy down. Of course, there was also no reason for the Tigers to be in a 3-deep zone instead of a pure prevent. Arkansas wouldn’t have had time for more than one play.
• Hatcher’s going to get piled on, but at the same time, LSU got the ball inside the Arkansas 10 with a chance to tie the game and couldn’t punch it in.
• Really rough game for the offensive tackles, especially Chris Faulk, who got worked over by Arkansas’ Damario Ambrose (coincidentally, the only senior starter on the Razorback d-line). Arkansas even managed to get pressure with three rushers at times, which was just plain sad. In general the offensive line wasn’t great – including the normally solid Josh Dworacyzk. Stevan Ridley’s first TD required the effort it did because Josh D. failed to get his guy on the ground.
• LSU had some pretty good success with the spread/zone read running game, and even the option in the first half, but tried to get back to I-formation running in the second for some reason. Arkansas has an under-sized front, but the second they saw a two-back set they packed the box and swarmed the line of scrimmage. Spreading things out was the way to go. And I think more option game would have continued to be successful — particularly with Michael Ford. There’s really no reason for Jefferson to throw 27 passes. There was also no reason for Richard Murphy to be carrying the ball in the fourth quarter.
• Horribly managed game by head referee Steve Shaw’s crew. Really bad clock management at times – including on Knile Davis’ injury in the final two minutes. Bobby Petrino was rightly angry about it. The holding call on P.J. Lonergan was atrocious in particular – calling holding on a center on an outside run (unless that center is pulling) is about as ticky tack as calling pass interference on a hail-mary. Nevermind the facemask on Michael Ford on the play. Shaw generally has a good rep with fans, but this wasn’t his first rough game. I’d say Matt Austin has passed him up in the pecking order.
• Speaking of Lonergan…oof. He’s had some really good games this season, but today might have been worse than his game against Auburn. But instead of getting pushed around by the Arkansas front, he let them get in his head and badly botched two snaps. The 6-7 Mallett couldn’t have caught that second bad snap.
• Finally, the only way I can explain Craig Bolerjack and Steve Buerlein’s employment is as a foil for Verne and Gary. From referring to Josh Jasper as a Groza finalist (he’s not), to calling for both teams to constantly go for punt blocks in spite of having the two top punt-returners in the SEC to referring to the game as an upset multiple times (Arkansas was a 3.5 point favorite), the mute button wasn’t good enough to express my discuss. Honestly, I wanted to skip duct tape even and just go straight to chloroform. Is it really that hard for CBS to get Gus Johnson on SEC football games? I would have even preferred the Mark Jones/Bob Davie combo. I may have even preferred Craig James (/slaps self).

Ouch. This one stings. For me, it stings worse than the Auburn loss. I guess only because the later you get into the season the closer you get to realizing how close you are to great post season opportunities, only to see them dashed away (though I’m not yet certain we’re a lock to not make the BCS, though I think the likelihood is pretty small).

I spend most of my time being optimistic about the state of LSU football, the success of Coach Miles, our strong defensive coordinator and gobs of talent. But tonight is just one of those nights where you can’t help but feel down… deflated. In truth, we had a successful season. We’ve improved every year over the past three years. Most penciled us in for at least three losses, and happily declared a 10-2 season would be a resounding success. Well, here we are. How does it feel?

I think in a few days, when I’m completely over the loss, I’ll look back and genuinely say, “It was a good regular season.” Unfortunately, the bitter taste of defeat is still fresh on my tongue. It’s tough losing late. It’s tough going from near BCS lock to likely Capitol One Bowl bound (which is the SEC nightmare bowl, to make matters worse). So it is… there’s plenty of time to discuss outcomes later, let me get back to the task at hand.

I can’t help but feel this was our worst showing of the year. Neither the offense, nor the defense played well. We missed a field goal. We turned the ball over on special teams (fluky as it was). It seemed apparent early on that the ball just wasn’t going to bounce our way today. But really, when I look back on it, this game perfectly encapsulates our team from the year: Moments of greatness, surrendering big plays on defense (more on that later) and offensive ineptitude. I’m not big on “one call” or “one play” making a game, but it is weird to think back and realize that we were about 4 plays away from being undefeated (two big Auburn TD runs, two big Arkansas TD catches).

Defensively, what has happened? Honestly, I can’t help but believe the defense just wore down after having to soldier through so many early season games shouldering the team. At least, that’s what I want to hope is what happened, because if not, we have some serious defensive coordination issues. Realistically, injuries played heavily into the mix as well. We played some good offenses with experienced quarterbacks down the stretch, and those teams took advantage of our defensive weaknesses. But I do believe we wore down. Teams had little to no success running the ball on us early in the year, but as the season wore down you saw teams being more and more effective doing it.

I hate picking on a particular player, and overall the defensive unit did not play well as a whole, but I just can’t go without acknowledging Karnell Hatcher’s poor play. I’ve not been a fan of Hatcher all season. He’s a one-dimensional safety that closes hard on the run and often goes for the killshot rather than making sound tackles.  His game, from my perspective, is better suited at linebacker. Arkansas went at him today, and twice he was directly responsible for huge plays in the passing game. It’s unfortunate to think that without those two plays, we probably win this game. I may even go as far as to say without the one at the end of the 1st half, we win the game, because that really shifted everything for the 2nd half.

Speaking of those huge plays, it’s remarkable to look at this issue that has plagued our defense all season long. Here’s a breakdown of big scoring plays we surrendered.

Big Passing TDs Surrendered

97 yards (UNC)
65 yards (OM)
85 yards (Arky)
80 yards (Arky)
39 yards (Arky)

Big Rushing TDs Surrendered

49 yards (Auburn)
70 yards (Auburn)
50 yards (OM)

Ouch. Keep in mind, this is only scoring plays. I imagine there’s plenty of other examples of big plays we gave up throughout the year. Overall, I think Chavis made strides with the defense from year one to year two. The pass rush certainly improved. Losing Sam Montgomery likely altered this defense in ways we will never know. Not that Lavar Edwards hasn’t played well, but Sam is just a special kind of talent and difference maker and having BOTH of those guys rotating is even more menacing. Losing Brandon Taylor just added to the devastation. I do have some lingering concerns about our defenses ability to perform against unconventional offenses (Auburn/Ole Miss) and in big time games (Arkansas). These were major criticisms of Chavis prior to his arrival at LSU and thus far I’ve seen nothing to alter that perception. However, Chavis is a great teacher of fundamentals, and I do think he’s still good enough to win a championship with (though I’m a rueing that early season matchup with Oregon next season).

Offensively… what more can you say? We saw a little bit of both Jordan Jefferson/swag today. We saw the atrocious offensive line play that ravaged our chances last season. We saw the horrible game planning, clock managing and play calling that made us all despise Gary Crowton (who I seriously  doubt coaches another game at LSU). Early season I declared that LSU found something to hang their hat on… a zone blocking, downhill running scheme. Well, we sorta did that? It never seemed like we stuck with that identity. Instead, we kept trying to be “multiple” whatever the hell “multiple” means. Our grab bag offense worked just well enough for most of the season, but today our inability to convert in the red zone, get the ball to our playmakers (I know Randle is hobbled, but one catch?) and stick to our strengths (Ridley had 17 carries… and ran it at a respectable 4.4 clip) are just microcosms of the painful struggles we have witnessed for the previous two seasons. About the only good thing we did on offense was hit 10 different receivers in meaningful game action. I can’t remember the last time we had so many different targets.

The offense had ridiculous field position all day long. Zod AVERAGED 40.8 yards on kick returns. That’s an incredibly high average for someone who didn’t house one of them. Even Ron Brooks’ single return he got out past the 30. Yet, we were unable to capitalize. JJ spent a lot of the night running for his life. The pass protection was dreadful. PJ Lonergan played his worst game in a long time. Two costly poor snaps and just general suckage up front. Oh yeah, losing Alex Hurst didn’t help our line much either. 

Overall, we’ve made positive strides the past two seasons. By all means, we should be better next year. But, I can’t help but shake this nagging bug of “when will Miles lose less than two?” If anyone has a good way to assuage that doubt for me, I’d love to hear it. I also think there’s a decent probability we may be looking for a new coach in January. I can’t see Rich Rodriguez lasting at Michigan, and I know Miles would be near the top of the list, whether Michigan fans want it or not. So maybe that question will answer itself for me.

Don’t read me wrong. I like Miles. I want Miles to be our coach. If he returns, I won’t crow about how we’re sure to lose X number of games because Miles is our coach. The people that believe that nonsense are foolish and like Les said probably don’t think their wives are pretty or whatever the hell he said.

A lot to play for today, especially with things starting to fall our way in the BCS.

LET’S GEAUX!

(Opened early for the Iron Bowl and various other games)

It’s GameDay: LSU Faces Final Test at Arkansas – LSUSports.net

For Arky coverage, check out Arkansas Expats, Where they don’t take too kindly to our fans.

TSK’s SEC Slate and the SB Nation National Buffet Rootability Index (no buffet this week, everyone has leftovers to get through)

It seems we have reached the end. The final game of the regular season. If you’ll allow me a moment…

(Ed. Note: The next paragraph contains strong language. Parental discretion is advised.)

(Seriously, don’t say I didn’t warn you…)

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHY? WHY? WHY WAS IT SO SHORT? WAS THAT 13 WEEKS? THAT COULDN’T HAVE BEEN 13 WEEKS! IT WAS WAY TOO FAST! CAN’T WE GO BACK AND START AGAIN? I PROMISE I’LL PAY EVEN MORE ATTENTION! WHAT AM I GOING TO DO ON SATURDAYS NOW? NO MORE LSU FOOTBALL GAMES FOR A WHOLE YEAR? FUCK! I’LL BE EXPECTED TO, LIKE, DO SHIT NOW! THAT BLOWS! GIVE ME AT LEAST TWO MORE MONTHS! YEAH I KNOW THERE’S THE BOWL GAMES BUT THOSE DON’T START FOR ANOTHER MONTH AND THEN IT’S REALLY OVER AND THEN FUCK. MY. LIFE. WE NEED A LONGER REGULAR SEASON. 13 WEEKS? IT SHOULD BE LIKE 113 WEEKS! YEAH! THAT CAN BE DONE, RIGHT? GET ON THAT SHIT MARK EMMERT!

/lets out breath

Okay. Now that it’s out of my system, we can actually talk about the LSU-Arkansas game, i.e. the semi-official Sugar Bowl playoff game.

What to watch for on Saturday

Heartburn                 

You might want to douse those leftovers with some Pepto instead of a cold beer, because chances are this one’s gonna try the nerves.

Les Miles is 3-2 against the Razorbacks in his tenure, and every single one of those games has come down to the final possession. Two have been decided in overtime and none by more than 5 points. In the last three games, the aggregate score is tied at 111 points apiece with a combined four overtimes (h/t to Arkansas Democrat-Gazette writer Tom Murphy for that stat). To recap the series under Miles:

2005, 19-17 LSU: A Tiger team playing its 10^th straight game struggled to put a bad Razorbacks team away in the fourth quarter, intercepting a desperation final pass. In hindsight, it was a sign that this team was running on empty, as we all saw the following week in an SEC title game loss to Georgia.

2006, 31-26 LSU: The Darren McFadden/Felix Jones machine pushes Jamarcus Russell and Co. to the limit, with four fourth-quarter touchdowns between the two teams.

2007, 50-48 Arkansas: A four-and-a-half-hour heart attack that I don’t care to relive.

2008, 31-30 Arkansas: Casey Dick’s 24-yard touchdown pass with 21 seconds left was the depressing icing on the terrible, terrible cake that was Maleveto.

2009, 33-30 LSU: Ryan Mallett rallies back in the fourth quarter, but the Tigers find a way to shrug off the Ole Miss debacle with an overtime win.

Nevermind the 41-38 shootout in 2001, or the Miracle on Markham in ’02.

If history wasn’t enough, we’re looking at a fairly even matchup anyway, with the SEC’s No. 2 scoring offense going against the second-ranked scoring defense, and the league’s best passing attack against its best secondary.

Pass the Tums, please.

Low Margins

It’s pretty easy to look at Ryan Mallett and see Jamarcus Russell, because they’re obviously very similar talents. Huge quarterbacks, with arms to match, that can just make throws that other people can’t make. And I don’t just mean in terms of distance. People always associate arm strength with launching some 80-yard bomb. That’s part of the package – but the biggest plus is the combination of power and control you get with a big arm. That ability to softly drop a pass between the linebacker and safety, but still have enough speed on the throw get it there before the zone defenders in zone coverage. The power to drill a dart between two linebackers that still hits its target in stride. It’s the ability to, for lack of a better word, make the perfect throw.

 What that means (/puts on Ron Jaworski glasses) is the ability to “throw a receiver open.”

via www.tvweek.com

When you see that over-the-outside-shoulder throw on a post pattern that just clears a DB’s hands, that a short, back-shoulder fade route that allows the receiver to keep his body between the ball and the defender or that low-and-away bullet on a slant route in traffic, you’re seeing the quarterback throw his guy open. Really, there are only a few guys in the National Football League (sorry, these glasses make me channel my inner ESPN analyst) that can do this consistently, and an even smaller number of college quarterbacks can do it at all. And Mallett’s one of them. It means that even if the LSU secondary is totally on their game, he can still burn them.

A great passing quarterback also shrinks the field in the same way a game-breaking running back or receiver can. We all know that play-calling is partially dictated by down and distance – but field position is also a factor. For example, if your offense is on the right hash-mark, chances are you won’t call many deep routes along the left sideline, like comebacks or outs. Those throws require a lot of zip even to the near sideline, so on the opposite side of the field, that ball really has to be moving. Defenses know this, and it helps them eliminate guesswork. A quarterback like Mallett (or Russell at LSU), gives you the freedom to break through that limitation. And the principle also applies in movement situations like scrambles or roll-outs, because the QB can still power the ball across his body. So basically, on any given pass, the entire field has to be covered, because a receiver can be open virtually anywhere. Just like a great big-play runner like a Percy Harvin or a Darren McFadden can break off an 80-yarder on any given down, a quarterback like Mallett can launch a rocket to any target you let get behind you. That gives LSU very little margin for error.

Defending it will require more than just great coverage from Patrick Peterson and the Oreo Explosion. LSU’s front seven has to defend the run well enough (more on this later) to keep Arkansas in passing situations, and apply enough pressure to keep Mallett uncomfortable. He may be a statue in the pocket, but the thing about statues is they don’t always go down easy. The defensive line will have to bring pressure with four when needed, and blitzes will have to be well-timed and well-executed. Jeremiah Masoli did a great job of hitting his hot reads right behind a blitzing Ron Brooks or Tyrann Mathieu last week, and you can bet Mallett won’t miss those when he has the chance. And Joe Adams, Jairus Wright and D.J. Williams are much scarier receivers than Markeith Summers or Jam-es Logan.

Keep an eye on Barkevious Mingo, who has probably whiffed on four or five potential sacks against the faster quarterbacks he’s faced. He’ll have to be under control, because while Mallett might not take off for many runs, he’s more than capable of shuffling his feet to sidestep a defender.

Two Quarterbacks

I don’t imagine another appearance of Jefferswag will mean an end to the 2-QB rotation for LSU, at least not entering the game. Whether one guy catches fire and gets to keep playing will probably depend on how the game goes.

Arkansas field a pretty good pass defense (ranked fifth in the SEC and 18^th nationally), with a solidly experienced secondary that has taken advantage of a speedy front-seven that has 31 sacks on the year. Of course, the Tigers gameplan shouldn’t change. Run the football and manage the passing game in the right situations (avoid third and long). The Razorback run defense hasn’t been nearly as effective this season, and has struggled with the same spread rushing attacks as LSU (an average of 259 yards given up versus Auburn, Ole Miss and Mississippi State). So the same midline veer/zone read plays that were so effective last week with Jordan Jefferson, Stevan Ridley and Michael Ford, should be available again.

The Razorbacks do have a pretty athletic linebacker corps, staring the very underrated Jerry Franklin and Jefferson’s former Destrehan teammate Jerico Nelson (who, coincidentally, was passed on by LSU because the Tigers wanted him on defense instead of his high school position of running back), who have a combined 156 tackles and 21.5 tackles for loss. On the upside for the Tigers, Arkansas will be without outside linebacker Anthony Leon (57 tackles, 10.5 TFLs), who will serve a first-half suspension after getting ejected for throwing a punch versus Mississippi State.

Twins

Arkansas’ defensive line is a lot like LSU’s – undersized, young (just a single senior in the entire 2-deep) and very active. And just like LSU’s some zone-blocking lines have been perfectly willing to let them come right up the field and wall them off so the ball carrier can go in the other direction.

That’s obviously an advantage for the Tigers, who have had a lot of success of late with those spread/zone running plays, but don’t think Arkansas can’t take advantage of the principle as well with Knile Davis.

Davis has gone from third-string to one of the best in the SEC, averaging 147 yards and two touchdowns in his last five games. He’s the classic one-cut back, 220 pounds with the speed to get outside. And his best runs have come on zone plays out of the pistol formation or on sprint-draws. These runs allow him to read the defense and pick his hole, or cut against the grain if needed. The Tigers will have to hold their gaps and keep those runs strung out towards the sideline. Ryan Baker in particular has been guilty of getting caught up in the wash and losing his gap. And he’s one guy who has the speed to prevent Davis from getting north-south on those outside zone plays.

Arkansas has allowed the most tackles-for-loss in the SEC, so Drake Nevis and friends should be able to make some plays. But their aggression will have to be controlled.

Safety Dance

Eric Reid, Karnell Hatcher, Jai Eugene and Craig Loston will be in the crosshairs this week, along with Ryan Baker and Steffoin Francois. They’ve been targeted in coverage all season long by tight ends and slot receivers, and now they draw one of the best receiving tight ends in SEC history in D.J. Williams.

All of the safeties took their turns last week, especially in blitz situations, when they were asked to man-up on some of Ole Miss’ inside receivers. Hatcher and Reid really struggled at times, getting caught inside on run support and biting on play-action fakes.

And if Williams wasn’t enough for Francois and Baker to worry about, Bobby Petrino loves to use his running backs in the passing game on screens, and attack down the field on wheel routes. They need to stay on their keys and avoid biting on double-moves and play fakes. Realistically, given the way things have gone this year, they’ll get exploited a few times. The Tiger pass rush will have to try and help them out.

Wee and Pat celebrate a swaggerific offensive performance, figure out how to stop Ryan Mallet, and discuss some post season scenarios. All that, plus this week’s picks. Subscribe in iTunes or stream it live from the links below.

It’s Thanksgiving, and we Tiger fans have much to be thankful for.  Before we indulge in the annual ritual in which we ingest our own body weight in food, and then pass in front of the TV watching truly terrible football games, I wanted to take this moment to say thank you to some people. 

Thank you to Les Miles.  OK, I don’t think Les reads ATVS, but if someone who does knows him, please pass along the message.  Les’ teams win, they play hard, they play with emotion, they represent the school in the best possible way, and most of all, they are entertaining.  Les Miles’ tenure has brought the most exciting football seasons of my lifetime.  Every game is adventure and football is, well, fun.  The way it’s supposed to be.

Thanks to all of the seniors.  This class has been through a lot, and they’ve been the first group to survive four to five yer of the Les Miles era.  You are stronger people for it, especially your hearts.  I can’t imagine a Tiger senior ever feeling pressure in the “real world”.  Thanks to the Cookie Monster, we’ll leave you a plate of cookies.  Thanks to Absolute Zero, you’ve been a tremendous leader.  Thanks to Jasper, even though we never got around to giving you a nickname, you are still the greatest kicker in LSU history. 

Thanks to every opposing punter who ever kicked to Patrick Peterson.  It gave us all the chance to kneel before Zod.  Peterson is likely off to the NFL, where he’ll make millions upon millions of dollars, and we would never begrudge a player that chance.  He’ll wear another uniform, but he will always be a Tiger.  Thank you for three spectacular years. 

Thanks to the trainers, team managers, and all of the support personnel involved with the team.  These are the people who work long, thankless hours to keep LSU football going.  And not just the on-field personnel, but the less glamorous jobs like cleaning Tiger Stadium after the fans trash it every week, selling tickets, and everyone in the administrative buildings.  They’ll never have a moment in the spotlight, but we do appreciate all that you do for LSU.  You are true Tigers.

Thank you to James Stampley.  No, he’s not our best player, not by a wide margin.  But he’s an inspiration to me.  Stampley was a walk-on two years ago with little chance of ever seeing a scholarship or making it to the field.  When the need for a fullback arose, he stepped up and filled it.  He doesn’t just have a scholarship, he’s a starter.  This was simply unimaginable when he first stepped foot on campus, and it is a testament to his hard work and commitment.  I have nothing but the utmost respect for that.

Thank you to both quarterbacks.  Speaking of guys who have demonstrated hard work and commitment.  Jefferwswag and Lee have both been hailed as saviors and denounced as worthless.  Several times.  They have both endured criticism that would make most of us pack up and quit.  Both of them have kept working and while the road has been rocky, both of them have contributed to a team that has won at least 10 games this year. 

Hell, thanks to every player.  LSU football is a religion, so enjoy your four to five years as the high priests.

Thank you to the assorted media, who has spent all year telling us how LSU isn’t that good or how our wins don’t count.  This year wouldn’t be as special without your constant negativity.  Regardless of how these last two games go, the 2010 team will be one of my absolute favorite LSU teams.  This team was picked fourth in the SEC West, and now they are on the verge of a BCS Bowl and still are in the national title conversation (it’s not likely, but neither was 2007).  Every week LSU wins, and every week we endure an avalanche of article on why that win wasn’t impressive enough.  Nothing rallies a team or a fanbase like a siege mentality.  Without the skeptics, this team would have had no one to prove wrong. 

But most of all, thank you.  Yeah, you.  I’m humbled and a little amazed that we have so many loyal readers, and that the size of the ATVS community keeps growing.  Thank you for constantly keeping me honest and calling BS when I go too far.  Thank you for the debates we constantly have in the comments.  Thank you for the running jokes, and laughing at mine.  We have a smart and sharp-witted community here, and I’m constantly checking the comments to see what y’all will say next.  The articles are my chance to stand on a soapbox, but the fun of this site is when my ranting ends and our dialogue begins.  We simply have the best commenters on the web.  Thanks to Richard for initially giving me the chance to write here, and to PodKatt for keeping me on.  But mostly, thanks to you for reading.  I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it.

Now, let’s go eat some turkey.  

Very basic today. Be careful with those fried turkeys. And be sure to get your picks in before kickoff tonight.

FOOTBALL

From the above press conference: Hurst and Randle both doing fine.

Rabalais at The Advoc lays out our bowl scenarios.

Zod was named to the finalist lists for both the Thorpe and Bednarik awards.

Jasper on the other hand, inexplicably, did not make the Groza list.

Apparently a close win against a rival doesn’t help you get respect, especially when that rival is a terrible Ole Miss team. LSU drops 2 spots to #7 in this weeks BlogPoll. (Poseur didn’t submit a ballot this week. SHAME!)

Still #2 in the SEC Power Poll.

Vandy thinking of canning Caldwell? I don’t buy it, but stranger things have happened.

Mettenberger was in town for the Ole Miss game, but did not commit.

There is an ESPN video after the break about the role of State Troopers in big time college football that’s a fun watch, in addition to an interview with the Cookie Monster, K Shep, and post game player interviews I missed earlier this week.

BASKETBALL

The Ladies, returning home from a sweep of the Seton Hall tourney last weekend, came home for a nice and easy filler of Tulane and looked to extend their own 33-game win streak against in-state teams. The result of that game was something not fit for consumption on this day.

The Men had a much better than expected performance against #19 Memphis, but the other Tigers pulled ahead late for a 70-61 loss. They came back to the PMAC last night for a sound drubbing of Centenary, 78-36.

Video highlights, where available, after the break.

BASEBALL

Thanks to the new contract, there will be 7 SEC v SEC baseball games on Thursday Nights, Live on ESPNU. LSU will be hosting Kentucky on April 28th.

UT v Aggies tonight (or, more importantly, SAINTS GONNA WHUP DEM BOYS!) The tradition Pregame Open Thread will go up before the Iron Bowl and stay up for the duration of the weekend.

State Troopers in Football

COOKIE, COOKIE, COOKIE

K Shep

Player Interviews – Ole Miss Postgame

Ladies v Tulane Highlights

Men @ Memphis (in Tupelo) Highlights

Men v Centenary Highlights

As a card carrying member of the Delusional Optimism club, I’m proud to say that we here at ATVS have proudly kept our heads down, kept on plugging and delightfully enjoyed a season with successes that are no surprise of us. I genuinely feel this way, and it’s not just some retrospective “I told ya so” rubbish I can spew now that the Tigers are 10-1 and on the verge of locking down a BCS bid.

To be honest, what came as a shock to me this season is when our players played poorly. I’ve seen many express surprise at Jefferson’s recent play. I’m not surprised. I was surprised he played so poorly throughout the first 3/4ths of the season. I’m not surprised LSU broke free from average seasons, because when I reviewed the attrition that ravaged our roster at key positions the previous two seasons, it was no shocker why we struggled. I’m not surprised Miles has succeeded either. Far too much credit is given to Saban for Miles’ coached teams in ’05, ’06 and ’07. Not that Saban’s impact on LSU should be minimized in any way, but neither should Miles’ successes be casually swept under the rug and labeled “Saban’s players.”

The the truth is, the 2010 LSU Tigers may be the most shining example of Miles’ brilliant coaching. We knocked out 8 wins with subpar quarterback play. We beat Alabama soundly while losing three starters in the first half. We’ve lost key starters at every level of our defense for some period of time. We lost an OL starter on the first play of the game. Started the season without our dynamic TE. Lost our best defensive end. Our best safety. And for a time, our best linebacker (I’m speaking of Ryan Baker). Yet, we kept trucking along. The media didn’t give us the injuries excuse (I guarantee had Alabama lost three key starters and beaten us, all they would have talked about was “Saban’s masterful coaching job.”). Many of our own fans scarcely acknowledged the success of the season, loudly proclaiming it would be just like ’08 and ’09 where we’d lose to Bama, Ole Miss and Arkansas to finish the year with a modest record. Yet here we are, heading into the Battle for the Golden Boot with a chance to beat all three.

The truth is, everything about this team has the stamp of Miles. Their toughness, their charisma… their ability to never say die. There is never a head hung, never a play given up on, never a moment when you can count this team out of it. After the Florida game, I compared Les to Mickey O’Neill. Just ask his opponents, right when you least expect it, Les is liable to knock your ass out.  Is it aggravating that we can never seem to just blow the doors off an SEC opponent? Sure. But I can tell you this, from a national perspective, the LSU game is one NO ONE wants to miss… Les’ team is fun to watch.

And maybe, just maybe, the 2010 team is the sweet reminder of that very principle that our fanbase needed. Football is a game and a fun one at that. Why shouldn’t it be enjoyed? Through the weeping and gnashing of teeth of the previous two seasons, it seems the joy of LSU football was simply drained from the fan base. Some began to boo our own team (shame on you). But Les has reminded us all this season to enjoy it.

What’s the point of following if you are going to write the team off midway through the season? Why go if you are going to boo your own team? Why did so many simply quit enjoying the beauty and terror that is Tiger Stadium? I know one man who didn’t… Les Miles. He loves it enough to eat the grass. My colleague Richard Pittman wrote a great comment about how Les seems to understand his role in the bigger process of it all. In the era of the domineering, business-like coach (Saban, Meyer), Miles is that rare categorical opposite.

For all the slanderous references to his preference for old school football, he’s probably the most anti-traditional coach in the NCAA. Miles gets that the end game isn’t about him or his legacy. He isn’t obsessed with being perceived as the greatest coach in the history of college football. He doesn’t care if people poke fun at his hat or the way he talks. It’s not about him. It’s about his guys. It’s about coming to work every day making sure he does his level best to make sure his guys have the best experience possible. His players love him for it. And I don’t know about you, but I love when I hear Miles say things like, “It would have been wrong of me NOT to call that play.” 

That’s what makes Miles a fantastic coach. It’s about belief and motivation. It’s about trusting that your underlings will do their job without having to micro-manage every little facet of their lives. And regardless of the ridiculously wrong assumptions, it’s about training guys to become better and better every day, both as football players and as human beings. The 2010 football team may well be remembered as the squad that restored Miles reputation amongst his own fan base.

I’ve seen people remark that Les being a nice guy should have no bearing on the perception of his performance as a coach. After all, “who cares if he’s an asshole if he wins?” I do. I like that Les is a good person. I like that people enjoy his company. I like that he’s gracious to high school coaches and random fans alike. I like that parents trust him. You tell me those things don’t matter on the recruiting trail. Gary Danielson commented that Les is a guy he would trust his son to play for. That’s a major compliment in my eyes. Danielson is a former player, so he knows the ropes. Saying that indicates to me that he believes that Les would both take care of his son as a person and improve him as a player. And at the very heart of the matter, that’s what 2010 has been all about anyways. Care and improvement.

If you’ve been too cynical and too critical to enjoy the ride, I feel sorry for you. There’s a time for analysis, and there’s a time for criticism. And then there’s a time to just sit back and enjoy the ride. Enjoy Turkey Day folks. Relax and enjoy your Tigers. Delight in the fun that is ahead, because I guarantee there is a lot of it, both this year and in the years to come.

College Football News: SEC Players to Watch in Week 13

Nice of you all to start playing again. I picked the wrong week to crater and went 3-10. Lots of familiar faces at the top with some leaders just off the board. More charts, analysis, and this week’s pics after the break.

Just 2 weeks to go and it’s anybody’s game. The top 10 could shuffle tremendously this week, but for now ADD-Day holds the lead by the slimmest of margins. Thanks to my own horrible performance, I’ve slipped into the ranks of the losing.

This is horrible. The big upsets on the week were the ‘Cuse falling flat, Northwestern losing in one direction, and the questionable calls against Nebraska. And oh yeah, we failed to cover again.

PodKATT’s Pick	Picks For		Matchup	Picks For		Home Spread	PodKATT’s Pick	PodKATT’s Points
	14 pick(s)	32%	vs 10 - 48	68%	30 pick(s)	-35.5
	32 pick(s)	73%	vs 38 - 31	27%	12 pick(s)	+4.5
	9 pick(s)	20%	vs 23 - 6	80%	35 pick(s)	-4.5
	7 pick(s)	16%	vs 48 - 27	84%	37 pick(s)	+7.5
	7 pick(s)	16%	vs 36 - 43	84%	37 pick(s)	-16.5
	35 pick(s)	80%	vs 6 - 9	20%	9 pick(s)	+3.5
	24 pick(s)	55%	vs 20 - 17	45%	20 pick(s)	+3.5		1
	34 pick(s)	77%	vs 53 - 24	23%	10 pick(s)	+7.5
	32 pick(s)	73%	vs 48 - 14	27%	12 pick(s)	+8.5		1
	37 pick(s)	84%	vs 24 - 10	16%	7 pick(s)	+10.5
	11 pick(s)	25%	vs 24 - 69	75%	33 pick(s)	-23.5
	31 pick(s)	70%	vs 31 - 17	30%	13 pick(s)	+2.5
	34 pick(s)	77%	vs 48 - 28	23%	10 pick(s)	+5.5		1

My track record has gotten worse over the season, so be wary of my advice as I’m trying to make up some ground. ‘Zona covers (the ducks first loss isn’t till next week), Bama wins, and Nevada scares the bejeesus out of Boise, maybe even enough to drop them a spot. Richt spends another off-season in the combustible armchair and Tenn. will have to wait till next year to go bowling. In a battle of two horrible U of L system teams, I’ll take NLU over SLI. There was no option for “Meteor” in the ND-USC game. Vandy ends the year by gaining some conference pride.

Date	Away Team	Pick	Point Value	Pick	Home Team	Home Spread	Selection
Fri 11/26 07:00pm	(21)Arizona (7-3)		1		(1)Oregon (10-0)	-18.5 Matchup
Fri 11/26 02:30pm	(2)Auburn (11-0)		1		(11)Alabama (9-2)	-4.5 Matchup
Fri 11/26 10:15pm	(4)Boise St. (10-0)		1		(19)Nevada (10-1)	+14.5 Matchup
Sat 11/27 03:30pm	Florida (7-4)		1		(22)Florida St. (8-3)	-2.5 Matchup
Sat 11/27 07:45pm	Georgia Tech (6-5)		1		Georgia (5-6)	-13.5 Matchup
Sat 11/27 12:21pm	Kentucky (6-5)		1		Tennessee (5-6)	-3.5 Matchup
Sat 11/27 03:30pm	La.-Lafayette (2-9)		1		La.-Monroe (5-6)	-6.5 Matchup
Sat 11/27 03:30pm	(5)LSU (10-1)		1		(12)Arkansas (9-2)	-3.5 Matchup
Sat 11/27 12:00pm	Michigan (7-4)		1		(8)Ohio St. (10-1)	-17.5 Matchup
Sat 11/27 07:00pm	(25)Mississippi St. (7-4)		1		Mississippi (4-7)	+2.5 Matchup
Sat 11/27 08:00pm	Notre Dame (6-5)		1		Southern California (7-4)	-4.5 Matchup
Sat 11/27 08:00pm	(13)Oklahoma (9-2)		1		(9)Oklahoma St. (10-1)	-2.5 Matchup
Sat 11/27 07:00pm	(18)South Carolina (8-3)		1		Clemson (6-5)	+2.5 Matchup
Thu 11/25 08:00pm	(17)Texas A&M (8-3)		1		Texas (5-6)	+3.5 Matchup
Sat 11/27 07:30pm	Wake Forest (2-9)		1		Vanderbilt (2-9)	-5.5 Matchup

Be aware of the start times this Holiday week:

ALL PICKS ARE DUE THURSDAY BEFORE KICKOFF!

As part of our ongoing service to you, the ATVS reader, we once again try to translate a Miles press conference from Milesian to English. 

WHAT HE SAID: “Happy Thanksgiving. We have a lot to be thankful for, all of us. Our football team, our state, and our community have a lot to be thankful for. I have to say finishing a home stand at Tiger Stadium undefeated, I would have to thank the fans. I think those people that come and sit in those seats are rare and they make a great difference to our team. I can tell you that we play with more passion, and it is a wonderful place. I just want to say thanks. How wonderful it is to walk into a stadium where 92,500 fans believe in their hearts that you are supposed to beat the ever living tar out of your opponents just like you are supposed to believe. We set out together to that eventual end, and thanks.”

WHAT HE MEANT: Dear, Poseur.  Thank you for starting the Delusional Optimism campaign.  You’re right.  Positive energy brings positive results.  I know most Tiger fans aren’t as unhinged as the Humanoids.  I kick ass.  Did I mention that we went undefeated at home this year?

WHAT HE SAID: “This senior class has accomplished quite a lot. I want to say thanks to them, because as a group they have been outstanding leaders, they have been guys that like to work hard, and they are committed to the team. I believe in my heart they will be great husbands, fathers and people in business. I think we will really enjoy these seniors as they go on. Let’s not lose sight of the fact that they averaged 10 victories for five years, one of the winningest senior cases in school history. They are the sixth straight senior class to win 50 games, they have five straight bowl appearances and they are all on pace to graduate. They take a national title and 16 wins over top 25 teams with them. They are a very quality group of men, and I am fortunate to have worked with them.”

WHAT HE MEANT: Did I mention that this was my first recruiting class?  You can’t give any of the credit to what’s-his-name.  All me.  Again, I rule. Our kids win and also succeed in the classroom.  These seniors are totally awesome.   

WHAT HE SAID: “The Ole Miss game, I think Jeremiah Masoli waited for this game to play his best, and he was just uncanny. I thought he was as talented a quarterback as we have seen, and I have watched every game that he played and he played his best. I give it to coach (Houston) Nutt for having that team ready to play. Certainly we have to tackle better. There are ways to get better. There were a couple places where we missed the line on defense, a couple signals that they just didn’t quite get accomplished on the field and it led to some big plays. These things are definitely correctable, and the issue that I enjoy is I like how our defense plays. They are fast and they are hard-hitting guys that tackle. We will make some corrections and certainly continue to improve, and we will return that defense to playing a style of defense that we are used to seeing play.”

WHAT HE MEANT: Our defense is usually great, but this weekend, they made Jeremiah friggin’ Masoli look good.  I shall reign down terror upon the defensive unit this week in practice for letting that happen.  It was bad enough when Cam Newton ran through us like a knife through butter, but Masoli?  Come on. 

WHAT HE SAID: “Offensively we had a big day. I thought Jordan Jefferson had his best day to date, and he is the SEC Offensive Player of the Week. I think Stevan Ridley with three touchdowns, and giving him the ball in tough situations, displays each week with more confidence that he is capable. I would have to say the first game the defense won it for us. If you go on through and you look at how well the teams play, it takes a team. This week it was the offense’s turn. There was a point in time in that game where the defense had a busted coverage that led to a fast score by our opponent. It was told to me that Kelvin Sheppard went to the offensive leaders and told them ‘Guys, right now we need you. You need to come to play. You give us a chance to get back on the field, we blew that drive and we need to play. You have our back.’ Let me tell you something that defense has had that offense’s back a great majority of the season, so it was right. It was their time and they played well.”

WHAT HE MEANT: Jefferson.  Ridley.  Let those names sink in.  Those are the guys all y’all said I was stupid for starting.  Who’s stupid now?  Huh?  Oh, and Kelvin Sheppard is a bad ass.  In case you didn’t already know.

WHAT HE SAID: “Again, it takes a team. Josh Jasper may be the finest field goal kicker in the country. He is tied for the lead nationally with 23, and he adds three more just when we need him. I ask him to go kick three and he does. Like our quarterback he is also the SEC Player of the Week. We are 10-1 and 6-1 in the conference, and ranked fifth in the country. I like the position we are in. I recognize the enjoyment to come over here and see you all, and that the quickness to which the season goes by really predicts how much fun you are having. I go to work every day with guys that have a smile on their face all the time, and I go to work with guys that fight like hell for victory. As we get to the back end of the season we have a lot to play for and that is a wonderful thing.”

WHAT HE MEANT: Yes, Jasper is awesome.  But let me once again mention that we’re 10-1 and in the top 5.  Everyone can kiss my ass.  Don’t think I don’t know who was calling for me to get canned. 

On how important the secondary will be against Arkansas …
WHAT HE SAID: “Our secondary play is certainly going to be tested as is our pass rush and our underneath coverage, because we are going to have to stop a very quality running game. That secondary has to play big in this game, but it is a different challenge and certainly something that I think they will forward to.”

WHAT HE MEANT: Ryan Mallett throws for about 300 yards a game.  What do you think? 

On Offensive Coordinator Gary Crowton re-inventing himself on offense …
WHAT HE SAID: “I don’t know if there is really a re-inventing, but I can tell you that the things that we need to have happen. There are different facets of calling a game on offense. Finishing a game like he did, and having the opportunity to make third down plays and calls and getting our playmakers the ball, all of those things need to take place for a quality offensive performance. I think he did a very strong job in that last game.”

WHAT HE MEANT: I’ll give him a reference as he looks for a new job this offseason.

On Jordan Jefferson‘s progression as the season has gone on …
WHAT HE SAID: “It is interesting. The thing that you have to allow is for our guys to get better. The observation of where they are at now and where they are going to be is always going to be different. I think you look at Jordan Jefferson, and certainly he has continued to improve. If you look at the style of throws and the things that we are doing, it is the same. It is the comfort of the offense and the taking the steps and strides that a college student athlete takes to get better. I think both he and (Jarrett) Lee have done that, and again if you go back to key contests this year you will find that Lee has made some very big plays for us as well.”

WHAT HE MEANT: Believe it or not, we actually coach people around here.  He got better because we worked with him.  I don’t sit around all week and think of new ways to mess up clock management.  Jefferson got better because some of us actually believed in him. 

On why the wildcat offense has given the LSU defense so many problems …
WHAT HE SAID: “I don’t think it is necessarily the wildcat quarterback, because I think if you look at wildcat formations nationally and certainly in our league it has kind of had a difficult time because that wildcat quarterback is virtually a non-throwing quarterback. He is more of a running back, so the passing game is all ground to a halt. It is that quarterback that has the ability to throw it and the ability to run it that gives the defense, and every defense, not just ours, its biggest headaches. We are challenged best by the guy who is most talented, and by the guy that runs fast, is strong, breaks tackles, and can sit in the pocket and make the read and deliver the ball. When the guy who has the ball is both a running threat, a play action passing threat, and a wide and inside threat every time he takes the ball, that is a tremendous challenge to defense. I think our defense is equipped with the speed we have on the field as any for that attack, but we have run into two very good quarterbacks.”

WHAT HE MEANT: Please tell me the defense who has stopped Cam Newton this season. 

On increasing the amount of passing plays on first down against Ole Miss…
WHAT HE SAID: “I think what we’ve tried to do is to be 50-50 (percentage) on first down when the game is in question or that the situation does not suggest that we need to run it like the back end of the Ole Miss game. We wanted to make sure that we ran the football, so we got some first downs there and followed with the run yet again. If you would have eliminated those with the game in question and where the situation didn’t absolutely predict us, I think we’re 50-50 on first down in that game certainly.”

WHAT HE MEANT:  The run worked, so we kept running.  They didn’t seem to be able to stop it, did they? 

On Kelvin Sheppard and Stevan Ridley participating on the final kickoff…
WHAT HE SAID: “Those are guys that have played in it for years. They are as trained as they can be. They said, ‘Hey, listen. I want in on this one. This may be the last play of the game. I want in.’”

WHAT HE MEANT: Because fuck Ole Miss, that’s why.

On what the ‘Boot’ trophy means to him…
WHAT HE SAID: “I can tell you that since I’ve been here, the Arkansas-LSU game has been tremendously contested. Every game has always come down to the back end. Every game has had big plays, and I can’t imagine it will be any different (this year). I promise you when it comes to the challenge of keeping that trophy, that’s something that we want to have happen. I can also tell you that the ‘Boot’ kind of reminds me of the shape of our state. I can tell you that a boot is also a piece of clothing worn on the foot. The key is to not be given the boot.”

WHAT HE MEANT: This stupid trophy could not mean less to me.  So instead, I’m not going to ramble on about boots for 30 seconds and hope you don’t ask a follow up question.

On RB Michael Ford‘s performance…
WHAT HE SAID: “Again, as you would review our quarterback, our guys are improving, and Michael Ford certainly is as well. He’s much more comfortable in the offense. He’s much more comfortable with the checks. We put him in every situation. He’s much improved, and he’s taking coaching. Again, when I tell you that this team is filled with a group of men that have character, want, ambition and commitment to team. It really is a special group. It’s a lot of fun to work with guys that are saying, ‘Take me where I can’t take myself. I need to know. Give me the information.’ Then, they want to play it big on Saturdays. I’m fortunate that way.”

WHAT HE MEANT: Patience, people.  He’s gonna be a great one.

On if he has noticed any change in QB Jordan Jefferson‘s demeanor or body language…
WHAT HE SAID: “I’m not necessarily following demeanor and body language. I can tell you at practice he has continued to want to improve. There is an understanding that he’s got to get this, and he understands that. He’s maybe a little bit more selfish with the reps, making sure that the reps that he takes and when he steps onto the field with that practice rep or that game rep, that he fully understands what’s coming. I just think he’s improved and has a desire to get it right and be excellent, not just be the guy but be an excellent quarterback. I just think there is a fine line between executing and just being somewhat less, and I just think he has stepped up and continues to call himself to a higher level.”

WHAT HE MEANT: Jefferswag. 

Aside from the 1st drive INT, the defensive struggles were maddening. It seems Masoli has some of that same talent that Cam Newton had, where he’s got great escape ability when the pocket collapses. It eats at you when the D comes within inches of a sack, only to give up a 1st down because of a dodged tackle. And I believe we can all now understand the nearly crippling mental blow Florida fans felt that comes when your opponent converts 4 4th downs. Any more than that is probably banned under treaties.

HALFTIME

You know what didn’t happen in this game? Jefferswag never got booed. Sure, there was consternation at the INT and the sack, but there is a difference and the regular boo birds in my section very clearly made notice that all of their ire was directed solely at the coaching staff.

…except when DeAngelo gave up on that route. Half the stadium wanted him benched before the play was blown dead.

The sun goes down and it gets properly dark very quickly in the 4th Qtr. At some point I notice my glasses seem a little foggy, only to discover some very ominous light fog rolling in. Ole Miss fans repeatedly do a Hotty Toddy, which is soon overwhelmed by a stadium-wide “Geaux to Hell, Ole Miss!” Hat tip to the students for starting that one. 

Another moment I missed capturing: After catching the final pass INT, PP7 runs straight towards us and hands the ball to a kid at the fence, then proceeds to shake hands with every fan as he walks back around to the band. Dan Borne says thanks for the memories and we all know we’ve just seen him play his last snap on this field. We’re gonna miss you Zod.

After meeting Joshua again, I make my way towards the exit. Some kids running a concession stand are shouting like carnies, trying to sell off the last of the hot food. I stop and buy a corndog. It tastes horrible, but I don’t care. It’ll be nine months before I can make that mistake again.

I hope you have enjoyed these stadium summaries, and indeed all of ATVS for the past 12 months. Last year’s debacle at Ole Miss was the first weekend I took over for Pittman. It’s been rough and we haven’t always been consistent, but for some strange reason y’all keep coming back. We’ve had amazing growth this year and broke our own visitors and page views records every single month this football season (including the very special milestone of having more visitors in October than Death Valley’s official capacity of 92,500) I’ve met quite a few of you out at the tailgates and despite my request, none of you have yet dared to tell me how piss-poor of a job we are doing. Thanks for that from all of us here at this “Coonass Cesspool”

The full press conference video and Full Game Replay of Ole Miss after the break

Notable moments:

23:20 SID Michael Bonnet has an inovative suggestion for solving the budget problems

26:38 Ted asks Miles “What’s it like to be interviewed by a sweet, young, thang like Erin Andrews?” The response and follow-up question makes this easily the best press conference since DAMN STRONG FOOTBALL TEAM

LSU Release [PDF Release]

Arkansas Relase [PDF Release]

Jefferson, Jasper Earn SEC Weekly Honors – LSUSports.net

LSU Remains No. 5 in BCS, 6th in Polls – LSUSports.net

Postseason Ticket Requests Due Monday, Nov. 22 – LSUSports.net

Lunch with Les for November 22, 2010

Full Game Replay – LSU v Ole Miss – 11/20/10

I’m damn proud of this team. I just have to say that.

You can say a lot of things about this team, and at times this season, people have. But these players ignored the bullshit, and fought their way to an undefeated home record. And, for the most part, they have made whatever plays they had to make in the big moments. And they deserve high praise for that.

But at the same time, if you would have told me before the game LSU would need 43 points to win, I would have been pretty worried. On to the notes:

• Jordan Jefferson’s first five completions each traveled at least 20 yards. With the lone exception of his interception, he was decisive and under control. When he’s helped out with a quality rushing attack and allowed to throw the routes he throws well (comebacks and corner routes), he can manage this team just the way he needs to. He’s also been dramatically improving as an option runner, all season really.
• Blocking on the edges was superb, from the tackles, tight ends and the wide receivers. Russell Shepard made a really nice block to spring Michael Ford’s would-be long TD run, and Rueben Randle also did an excellent job, despite playing with a noticeable limp.
• Loved Frank Wilson’s running back rotation. He rode Stevan Ridley early, stuck with Ford when he heated up in the third quarter, and then went back to a very fresh Ridley in the fourth.
• Let it not be said Houston Nutt is not true to himself. Multiple giggities, from the third Ole Miss possession, on. And he had a great gameplan. Jeremiah Masoli did great work against the blitz, and found his hot reads in the seams. And the Reb-bears treated third downs almost like second downs. Just a play to set up the next down. It just so happened that was setting up fourth down.
• Don’t be surprised if Arkansas used the spread and pistol elements of their running game next weekend. Teams are starting to take advantage of the speed of LSU’s front seven. Get them going one way, run the other and wall them off. Drake Nevis and company will have to remember their gap discipline more consistency.
• Lavar Edwards had a strong game with four tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss and that interception. He’s really coming into his own as a quality strong-side end, with the size and strength to hold up against the run and an athletic burst up the field.
• Interesting contrast between how ULM’s special teams handled Patrick Peterson and how Ole Miss handled him. The Warhawks used short kicks that gave him almost no room to field the ball. Ole Miss kicked the living hell out of the ball as far and as high as possible. Either way, it covered a weakness that LSU should have been able to exploit.
• Speaking of General Zod, I suppose it couldn’t be more appropriate that the final pass of the home schedule was intercepted by him. Dan Borne threw in a “thanks for the memories.” And while I would love to have No. 7 for another year, I think we all know that’s not likely. But I think I can speak on behalf of the entire ATVS family when I say that we will always kneel before Zod.

If I told you Monday that of last week that against Ole Miss we would have 470 yards and 43 offensive points; I think you would have laughed at me all the way up till kickoff. Hello offense, glad we found you. Unfortunately, it’s too bad it couldn’t have been a sound whipping (though, whoever expects that against Ole Miss at this point is out of their basket). For literally the first time all year I can say this and it not be a joke: We moved the ball at will for an entire game. I’ve stated my feelings on the matter in recent weeks, but this game more than ever cemented that there’s no reason to play Jarrett Lee any longer, Jordan Jefferson has taken ahold of the starting job. It appears the light has finally come on. For the previous 2 1/2 years we’ve seen Jefferson survive on athleticism (he’s a talented guy, after all). Recently, we’ve seen him become a quarterback. I’m not sure if he did, but I hope he got game ball. Jefferson played his ass off yesterday.

And that was the good news from Saturday… the bad after the jump…

Early in the 2nd half, my buddy, who is in law school, shot me a text and asked me to text him if the game was interesting with six minutes to go. My response? “It’s two of the craziest/dumbest coaches in college football… it’s going to be interesting.” Now, I don’t think Les is stupid, but in all likelihood Houston Nutt is. Both have a reputation for being gamblers. Both are pretty routinely mocked by talking heads. I think Miles is a superior coach, but the point is, count on this game to be close, particularly with the two coaches involved. 

I tip my hat to Jeremiah Masoli and the Ole Miss offense, not just for playing a great game, but for getting up off the mat after an early turnover that seemed damning. In most games this year our defense has ranged from anywhere to very good to downright dominant. But against both of the spread rushing offenses we faced, we’ve greatly struggled. Issues with tackling persisted in both games. What throws me for a loop is that the defense we throw out is undersized and fast, yet we’ve contained downhill, traditional power running attacks really well. But the two offenses which used more “speed” approaches (don’t read this to say “finesse” as both are very physical), have scorched us on the ground. We’ve struggled to bottle up speed sweeps and QB option plays whether they be zone read, or midline veer. It’s a defensive weakness and one I shutter to think about in a matchup against Oregon next season.

Yet, one thing sticks with me from an episode of Hard Knocks this season. Speaking to his team, Rex Ryan commented during film review that this is how we do things, “when the defense doesn’t show up the offense will pick them up.” I’m paraphrasing but you get the idea… it’s a team effort. It’s disappointing that the offense didn’t play well, but damn promising that the offense was able to rise up and win a game for us. It’s something we’ve been waiting for all year.

A Few Other Notes:

-Kudos to the Seniors and probably Patrick Peterson, who are playing their final games in Tiger Stadium.

-Our backfield is something else. Zero seniors, the the most talented guys are arguably the youngest (Ford, Ware, not to mentioned Hilliard and Hill coming in next year).

-This may well have been Michael Ford’s breakout game. Everyone’s preseason fantasies are finally coming true.

-Good to see Mr. Randle rise up and make a huge play yesterday.

-Chris Tolliver sighting, everyone. Good to see him finally emerging.

-The pass play to Clement, despite being ridiculously called “cute” was a beautiful play. Good Gary is fun to watch.

-Offense was still wretched on third down last night.

-We averaged 12.3 yards per pass. Big plays were to be had in the passing game and we took them.

-Maybe the presence of Zach Mettenberger was all the motivation Jefferson needed to prove his worth this week.

-10 wins. Some said it would never be repeated. Some said we wouldn’t beat Alabama or Florida again, much less in the same season. Hats off to Coach Miles and this damn strong team.

It’s like I don’t even get nervous anymore.  With five minutes left in the game and down by a point, was there a single Tiger fan who didn’t think LSU was going to win?  By LSU standards, this one wasn’t even stressful.  One of these days, LSU is going to have a nice comfortable win in which we can all sit back and enjoy the fourth quarter, secure in the victory… but I don’t think that day is coming any time soon.

LSU is just wired to play tough games.  Usually, it’s because the offense can’t score enough points to put anyone away, but today it was the defense’s turn to a have a rough night.  But, when it gets to crunch time, there is not a person affiliated with this program who even remotely panics.  The players expect to make plays.  And usually, they do.  It’s truly remarkable to watch this team and how it always competes for the full 60 minutes. 

Also, hats off to Ole Miss and Houston Nutt.  The Rebels did what they almost always do against LSU, they gave forth one of their best efforts of the season.  This rivalry is somewhat one-sided from an emotional standpoint.  Ole Miss simply cares about this game a lot more than LSU does.  And it shows.  Their playmakers came out and they made big plays all night long.  They very nearly made it three in a row. 

However, this was not to be.  The Rebels don’t really have anything to hang their heads about, they easily could have packed it in early.  But they rallied and not only made it game, but came very close to pulling the upset.  Nothing but respect for the game they played.  But, this year, LSU wins games like this.  When it’s close and those final ticks are going off the clock, that’s when LSU finds a way.  It’s been that way all season.  It’s been quite a ride.

Some random thoughts…

– It is quite likely that Patrick Peterson has played his last game in Tiger Stadium.  How fitting that his last play was an interception to seal the win.  Kneel before Zod.

– I truly admired the way Houston Nutt approached fourth down in this game.  Absolutely no hesitation.  If the Rebels had a fourth down around the 40-yard line, they were going for it.  After a while, it started to wear on LSU’s defense.  Then, after converting those fourth downs, Ole Miss always got points out of their second chance.  LSU’s usually the team going for it on fourth, but I admired Nutt’s approach to fourth down.

– The refs botched some calls in this game.  The unnecessary roughness call was especially egregious.  It didn’t make a difference in the game, but it did bother me.  That said, they did get the Michael Ford replay correct.  Which sucks. 

– Running quarterbacks absolutely destroy our defense.  All year long, mobile quarterbacks has given the defense fits.  Thank God Ryan Mallett is a pocket passer.

– Jordan Jefferson was truly Jefferswag tonight.  This was his best game as a Tiger.  He looked like a quarterback all night long.  It was truly wonderful to see.

– Congrats to the seniors. 

I just wanted to thank LSU Athletics, Coach Les Miles and the LSU Tigers for the wonderful 4 years of football I’ve gotten to enjoy in Tiger Stadium.  I’m proud to say that I attended every home game since 2007.

At Tiger Stadium, I saw 24 wins and 5 losses.  There’s been joy and there’s been heartbreak, and thank God there’s been much more joy than heartbreak.  Tonight was a bittersweet moment.  The win was sweet.  The fact that I probably won’t be returning to Tiger Stadium for awhile is bitter, but I’ll sign up for the season ticket waiting list as soon as I can.

Once again, thanks to everybody involved for making this a special time for me.  Geaux Tigers!

GIGGITY

v.

GRASS

LET’S GEAUX!

Live in just a few.

From today’s program

In Focus: Football’s Jai Eugene

In Focus: Women’s Golfer Megan McChrystal

Football to Honor 16 Seniors on Saturday

Cannon, Casanova to Appear at Andonie Museum

SEC Suspends Bruce Pearl for First Eight Conference Games

Illinois, Northwestern Football Teams To Utilize Magical Flipping Endzones At Wrigley Field

SB Nation’s National Buffet, TSK’s SEC Slate

Live in just a few.

Speaking to the Shreveport Times, Mettenberger’s father didn’t say that his son has made a decision but, based on his love of a History Channel series, he thinks he knows which school might have the edge at the moment. Bernie Mettenberger said Thursday. “From my conversations with Zach. He’s never been down there to LSU, but his favorite show is ‘Swamp People.’ And he’s got a real close relationship with Les Miles.” Mettenberger is at LSU today and will be at the school through the weekend on an official visit.

Senior day has kind of been a mixed bag for LSU under Les Miles. He’s 3-2 in those five games, but the Tigers have actually been outscored by a combined 12 points. Houston Nutt, or Ole Miss, was on the other side of each contest.

via assets.espn.go.com

The Right Reverend’s history should be known by most LSU fans by now (and chronicled by those much funnier than I), and we should all damn sure know better than to assume victory here, even over an Ole Miss squad in the midst of a pretty rough season. If the old revenge motif for the last two season wasn’t enough to rile up Tigers or Tiger fans, a win Saturday gets LSU to its first 10 win season since 2007 and to its highest conference mark in that time. So this game is big.

What to watch for on Saturday

Slap Fight

A Grey’s Anatomy video?! Hey, chicks read this blog too. (Right?)

I’m not sure how else to really describe this matchup of the SEC’s worst passing offense against its worst passing defense (Note: Ole Miss is actually ninth in the league in passing yards allowed, but last in pass efficiency D, interceptions, and touchdowns allowed, so I feel comfortable with the “worst” title). The completely resistible force versus the totally moveable object? Feather versus air? Martin Prince versus Milhouse Van Houten?

Anyways, the point is this is a rare weakness-on-weakness matchup. Seven of the Reb-bears’ (see what I did there?) opponents have passed for at least 200 yards, they’ve allowed 20 touchdown passes (10 of which have come on first down) and picked off just four passes. Of course, the Tigers have topped the 200 yards themselves just three times in 10 games, to go with just six touchdowns.

LSU may at least have a slight advantage in the receiver matchup (assuming they’re vaccinated against the dropsies this week). At least it appears that way after watching the Ole Miss defensive backs flail about the last few weeks. Tyrone Nix might be the perfect defensive coordinator for the Humanoids. He damn sure loves aggressive, man-to-man coverage. Of course, when you don’t have great defensive backs, you wind up getting scorched.

The temptation will be for LSU to attack this secondary first and foremost, but anybody by now that’s been reading this blog (or, you know, watching LSU in general) should know my stance there. However, look for the slot receivers (hello, Mr. Shepard), tight ends and running backs (Spencer Ware) to maybe play a role this week.

First and 10

Winning first down is going to be important for both of these teams, because neither one is all that great on third downs. So keeping those plays at a manageable distance will be extremely important. The Tigers convert a dreadful 25 percent of third-down passing situations, and Ole Miss’ 36 percent isn’t a figure to be proud of either.

Both teams will likely try and make that happen with their quarterbacks and running backs out of spread formations. For Ole Miss, that means Jeremiah Masoli and Baton Rouge-native Brandon Bolden. The SEC’s sixth-leading rusher, Bolden is a player I’ve always been a fan of. He’s a compact, hard runner with good speed, and is also an excellent receiver (he’s pretty much the go-to guy on third downs). The Tigers haven’t been lacking in running backs in recent years, but you do hate to see a local kid lighting things up for another conference team.

As for the Wild Samoan, Masoli’s been a bit of a mixed bag for his new team. At times, he can be downright scary, as he’s a stocky, elusive runner that can create big plays when he breaks contain. But he’s also clearly miscast in the drop-back elements of Houston Nutt’s offense, and doesn’t make great decisions in the pocket — evidenced by his 10 interceptions on the season. Most of those have come in Ole Miss territory or near midfield, which suggests that keeping the visiting team pinned back would be a good idea. In the red zone, Masoli’s had solid success throwing it up to his bigger receivers, like 6-3 Markeith Summers and 6-7 Melvin Harris.

On LSU’s end, the first-down sledding should be available. Ole Miss may be allowing just 140 yards per game on the ground, but that number is slightly padded by competition like Jacksonville State, Tulane and ULL (with those games factored out, its actually 163 ypg). In fact, opponents are gaining 4.5 yards per carry on the first down. Jerrell Powe and Ted Laurent are solid run-stuffing defensive tackles, but there just isn’t a lot of speed/athleticism behind them aside from end/linebacker D.T. Shackelford. Look for the Tigers to use that short zone toss that’s been so popular of late. It fits the running styles of Stevan Ridley, Michael Ford and Ware, and allows them to get to the edge if the defense can’t pursue, or cut back inside if they over-pursue. Will Blackwell’s return to the offensive line lineup will be very interesting to watch. He brings a unique enthusiasm and nastiness to the field. And I say it every week, but getting Russell Shepard involved in the running game wouldn’t be a bad idea either.

Return Policy

via i.cdn.turner.com

Here he comes…walkin’ down the street…he gets the funniest looks from…ev’ry punter he meets…

They always say that good pitching stops good hitting. And it’s the same with good punters/coverage teams against good punt returners. We’ve seen that in the last few games, as Patrick Peterson has been relatively held in check by teams like Auburn and Alabama, who keep the ball away from the returner and swarm to the returner. LSU’s own punt and coverage teams are also among the best at doing this.

As Ron White would say, I’m tellin’ you that story so I can tell you this one: Ole Miss’ punt teams blow. Chunks. Big ones, in fact.

Despite punter Tyler Campbell’s 45-yard average, the Reb-bears have allowed a league high 26 returns for a league-worst 367 yards (an average return of 14.12 yards). That’s more total returns and three times as much yardage as LSU has allowed the last two seasons combined.

Of course, ULM was basically willing to pooch the ball 30 yards or so to avoid keeping the ball away from General Zod. The question is, will the Ole Miss be that smart fearful of the great one.

Good Morning and

GEAUX TO HELL, OLE MISS!

Basketball got off the skid last night with a comfortable 79-56 win over UT-Martin. Jrlz should be around in a bit with a recap.

Lady Tigers had an epic home opener against #7 Ohio State and were tied at 53 with just 37 seconds to go before falling 59-55. Highlights after the break. The Ladies will be playing in a tourney at Seton Hall this weekend.

As The Cam Turns continued to get crazier this week, at one point involving a dog track owner, already under investigation for bribing Alabama politicians, who resembles a hairy Buford T. Justice. Where it stands now is that MSU booster Bill Bell now says he might have the proof about the payment plan, if only he could get it off his damaged phone.

The LSU take remains the same: While entertaining, nothing is going to happen fast enough to help us. Better focus on making it to the Sugar Bowl and hope our boy up in Indy can try and speed things along for us (WHAT UP, EMMERT!)

Not that Les isn’t already laying the ground work for the first undefeated national championship contender to have an asterisks in the record books before playing the title game.  Keep hope alive, folks. We ain’t out of it yet.

And a congrats to coach Miles on his 60th Tiger win. He’s behind only Bernie Moore and Cholly Mac on the All-time list and could pass Moore at his current rate in just 2 or 3 seasons.

Speaking of Aubie, they are lucky the BCS computer rankings don’t take into account strength of schedule (and frankly, so should everyone else. 2 loss bama ahead of us? Insanity)

Ladies and Gentlemen, THIS is how you stop a goal line leap.

No change in either of The Polls That Matter this week. Still 5th in the Blogpoll and a firm 2 in the SEC Power Poll.

Maybe we should have had a bit on Zod in the Seniors profile, as none of his teammates think he’ll play another game in Tiger Stadium.

In case you were wondering, Uncle Verne will continue to terrorize SEC on CBS games for the foreseeable future.

The league office put together a fantastically extensive piece detailing the history of the LSU-Ole Miss rivalry. Let it be known that the first LSU player caught with his pants around his ankles was Y.A. Tittle.

Wanna freeze your ass off playing baseball in November and December? LSU will gladly take your money.

HUGE weekend for 16th ranked Volleyball as they have their last homestand this weekend against SCar tonight and then #1 Florida on Sunday. The Sunday match will be televised on Cox Sports at 1pm

CONFERENCE EXPANDAGGEDON UPDATE

While you were sleeping, Hawai’i bolted for the Mountain West. Hey, LaTech fans, at least you’ll be the conference favorite for the next few years. The bad news is that the WAC will now be somewhere between the SoCon and the SWAC in the conference pecking order (if it even remains standing in the next few days. Time to swallow your pride and join the Sun Belt while you still can, Techsters).

Josh Jasper – Groza Highlight Reel

Women vs. #7 Ohio St. Highlights

With a little bit of lagniappe in the opening, Wee, Pat, and Bob from Red Cup Rebellion discuss the Rebels, the Tigers, the Reverend, and the Bears and preview the final LSU home game of the year. All that, plus this week’s picks. Subscribe in iTunes or stream it live from the links below.

Lest we not forget, 15 seniors will say goodbye to Tiger Stadium on Saturday. Ten scholarship players and five walk-ons. I can’t claim to know much about guys like Jonathan Nixon, Paul Felio, Zach Elkins, Jordan Newell and Richard Dugas (aside from Dugas’ brief time as the starting fullback), outside of the fact that they’ve basically paid to get their asses kicked by football players for the last few years (though they definitely deserve their props for that). But I know that the progress of a lot of the young talent on this roster is due, in part, to some outstanding senior leaders, and there are a few all-time great Tigers among this group as well.

And here’s a tribute to them.

Drake Nevis

Maybe I’m the only one who likes this meme, but that’s good enough for me.

What more can I say about our beloved Cookie Monster? From the second he stepped on campus we all knew Drake Nevis had a lot of talent. As a true freshman he cracked the defensive tackle rotation next to the legendary Glenn Dorsey (who later endorsed Nevis as a future star) and even earned a start late in that season. Short, stocky and hell for an offensive lineman, Nevis fits the prototype of an LSU defensive tackle (like Dorsey, Kyle Williams, Chad Lavalais and Henry Thomas before him).

The sophomore and junior years were sporadic with some conditioning issues, but Nevis has made his final one in Baton Rouge count. He was a midseason All-American and seems a lock for the same honor at the end of the year. Nick Fairley probably has conference defensive player of the year locked up, but you can bet LSU’s four-time SEC Defensive Linemen of the Week will get a few votes.  He’s really blossomed under the teaching of defensive line coach Brick Haley, and has learned to combine his explosive strength (a school-record 374-pound power clean!) with excellent technique and hands. Size will be a negative against him come draft-time, but teams that are looking for a true 3-technique DT (think teams that use the Tampa-2 type of defense) will have their eyes on him, and he won’t last long.

Kelvin Sheppard

Here’s a guy I’m personally going to miss. He’s the emotional leader of this football team, his development the last two seasons has just been plain fun to watch.

KShepp came to LSU in 2006 with high school teammate (and current Washington Redskin) Perry Riley, with both cracking the starting lineup in the ill-fated 2008 Maleveto year. Like most of the LSU defense he looked totally lost at times, but all that changed once LSU hired John Chavis as defensive coordinator. And the Chief’s earned his paycheck with his work with Sheppard. He’s blossomed into one of the top middle linebackers in the conference, a classic run stuffer with the size to shed blocks and the speed to run backs down in the flats. He turned in 110 tackles and 8.5 tackles for loss last year and will surpass those totals in 2010 (he already has 9.5 tackles for loss). He’s saved his best performances for the biggest games this season, with at least a half a TFL in every conference game, plus an interception and a fumble recovery against Alabama.

via image.cdnl3.xosnetwork.com

But more importantly, the thing I’ll always remember about Kelvin Sheppard is his emotion, and the way he pours it into this team before every game. This guy loves being a Tiger. And that means something.

 Joseph Barksdale

He was a surprise recruit in the 2007 class out of Detroit, but Barksdale didn’t take long to crack the o-line two deep and never left. He’s in this third year starting, and handled the transition from right to left tackle well. Outside of a few penalty problems, Barksdale has consistently graded out high and solidified the left side of the Tiger o-line with Josh Dworaczyk.

Jai Eugene

He’ll always have Urban Meyer’s hair!

Richard Murphy

Some will remember the what-could-have-been with Murphy, who lost two seasons to knee surgeries at LSU, but always managed to show some flashes of talent. Even in a limited role this season, Murphy’s been an outstanding pass-blocker at times, and deserves a lot of credit for helping get younger backs like Michael Ford and Spencer Ware ready to contribute.

Josh Jasper

Jasper may very well be the greatest kicker in LSU history. His career percentage of 84.8 ranks first in LSU and second in SEC history, and he also set a school record for field goals in a single game this season with five. He’s 10-13 from beyond 40 yards, including 4-6 beyond 50. And if nothing else, few kickers can match this for a memorable moment.

Terrance Toliver

I’ve been rough at times on this former five-star recruit, but we’ll never know if his issues had as much to do with the quarterbacking problems of the last two seasons or just his own inconsistency. Still, Terrance Toliver has had his moments this season, like the two huge touchdowns versus Florida, and deserves credit for never letting the offense’s struggles get him too down (he’s also been a diligent run blocker). He’ll have a better chance at impressing scouts once the season ends, and perhaps the NFL will provide him with a better canvas (and a better quarterback) to work with.

Lazarius Levingston

“Pep” won’t go down on any all-time lists, but he’s been a consistent contributor for three seasons now.

Daniel Graff

Ah, the walk-on made good. Graff earned a scholarship last year with seven special teams tackles and a blocked punt. He’s actually one of the faster players on the team (and the cream in the Oreo of Explosion) — and like I said earlier this season — some NFL special teams coach is going to watch his tape and really want him.

Derek Helton

Helton’s been knocked at times for not always having great averages, but he’s consistently been a strong directional punter, and is a big reason LSU has had just 23 of 109 punts (75 from Helton) returned for a total of 108 yards the last two seasons (75 from Helton).

via i.imgur.com

That’s me, Jrlz, holding up the “Jefferswag” sign behind Desmond Howard at College GameDay in Atlanta.  I had been using it earlier, but this, I believe, was the moment when “Jefferswag”, which I had been using amongst my friends since the season prior, gained infamy.

WHY, did I begin this trend, you ask?  Well… I have absolutely no idea.  Oh well.  But next time Jefferswag pops into your head (it happens), be sure to thank me.