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Story Archives: Tiger lines step up
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Tiger lines step up
Les Miles needs a new hat.
He's no longer the Mad Hatter. He's happy to be ahead or behind by three points with one quarter remaining in a ballgame.
The Riverboat Gambler has turned into Charles McClendon.
Then again, when you have a quarterback who has no touch on the football whatsoever inside the 10-yard line, it's tough to call a passing play.
Maybe Gunner Kiel knew what he was doing.
The one-time LSU commitment changed his mind and decided to pick Notre Dame as the place he wanted to play quarterback.
Maybe he figured out he would only get five or six snaps until the starting quarterback - no matter how much he struggles - graduates.
Miles even made the statement at a fan gathering (Les, they have cameras there) that Kiel didn't have the "chest" to be an LSU quarterback.
LSU's play-calling started out promising, but the coaches seemed to get more conservative as Mettenberger missed some passes.
I loved when the CBS cameras panned over to the LSU sideline with just over five minutes remaining in the third quarter and an animated Miles was talking with quarterback coach Steve Kragthorpe, who had a look as if, "What in the world are you talking about?"
Well, you certainly will not find an "S" on Mettenberger's chest.
The biggest concern going into the South Carolina game was the offensive line with the injuries and personal situations.
But kudos to a revamped offensive line that did an outstanding job against a top-rated defense.
And LSU's defensive front certainly came to play as well. If Kwon Alexander doesn't get hurt, then I would consider the front seven as good as anybody's. Lamin Barrow has come a long way. He still has to learn to hit the quarterback on the option and not go after the pitch after the quarterback dishes it off.
They did give Connor Shaw a little too much time to pass on a few occasions, but I was also amazed that the Gamecocks did not have one single holding penalty. How in the world the officials missed linebacker Nick Rice being pulled down by his jersey on South Carolina's huge pass play boggles the mind.
LSU will have a tough time at Texas A&M. I know, Louisiana Tech put 57 points on the Aggies. Well, LSU does not have a passing game like Tech.
The defense will have to win it again. And Brad Wing will have to show up this week.
And Odell Beckham will have to stop taking so many chances on punt returns. One of those is going to backfire in a big way, which is what A&M has long been known for through the years.
And, of course, there's Miles. He can't waste time outs the way he did against South Carolina.
And now you also have an 11 a.m. kickoff at College Station.
What are you thinking ESPN? Then again, this is the same network that chose to have Game Day at South Bend Saturday instead of Baton Rouge. Wonder if they stayed at Lou Holtz's house?
I can certainly understand CBS picking South Carolina at Florida for its 2:30 p.m. game on Saturday. But Alabama at Tennessee at 6 p.m. ESPN?
That game will be history by halftime.
Mississippi State hosts Middle Tennessee at 6 p.m. on ESPN2.
Then comes a wicked stretch for State that begins with Alabama on the road. But a victory over Middle Tennessee would ensure a third consecutive winning season for the Bulldogs, and the last time that happened was 1997-2000, when they had four straight under Jackie Sherrill.
State plays at LSU on November 10, one week after LSU hosts Alabama. This one has "Danger Will Robinson" written all over it.
LSU has five games remaining in the regular season.
With no mulligans remaining after the loss to Florida, running the table may be a bit much to ask.
Especially if someone doesn't change their hat. |
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