Empty stadium at Baton Rouge/ Four years later and LSU is back to being LSU (Merged)

[rolltidescott]

Re: Four years later and LSU is back to being LSU

Miles is the Cajun Coker.

:biggrin: :biggrin:

This may prove to be a very accurate statement.

 

[Hal Bennett]

Re: Four years later and LSU is back to being LSU

The very first time I ever heard Nick Saban on WWL Radio out of New Orleans, I thought the guy had it. After a few times of listening to Les Miles, I was sort of confused, I guess, but the longer I have observed the guy, the less I have had a lot of confidence in his ability to coach football.

The situation that LSU has is this. Because Miles proclaimed last year that even with two losses they ought to win the national championship -- and they actually then proceeded to win it -- LSU people finally stopped grieving over the loss of Saban and they bought into the idea, pretty much so, that Miles is the Second Coming of Saban. Now, after four losses, they are beginning to "smell the coffee."

The more I have looked at Miles, the more I am convinced that his personality is what some psychologists refer to as "dominant-aggressive." This would account for the fact that even though they had lost two games last year, Les was still certain that LSU ought to win the national championship. Now, last night after the OM game, he said something about how "we aren't satisfied to come in second." That, my friend, is being "dominant-aggressive." The DA person always has to be on top, and if he isn't, he has to try to make himself and those around him think that he IS on top.

We live over here on the Alabama Coast where the winters see the "Snowbirds" come down until it warms back up in the Spring. The great majority of these people are from Michigan. Lest I succumb to prejudicial thinking too obviously, I hasten to say that Michigan people are just like other people -- they are PEOPLE. After you get to know people up close, they become PEOPLE. Michigan people as a whole remind me, however, of Les Miles. I have given thought to why they may be this way. Michigan is COLD. Within its borders are many, many lakes that get COLD in the Winter. These people seem to feel that the rest of the country doesn't know what it is like to be on the EDMUND FITZGERALD in the middle of Lake Michigan in the middle of the winter -- but THEY DO. They seem to grow up with this attitude, and that's how I look at Les. He is a "Michigander," as they are known down here.

LSU people have read into Les' confident attitude that he really knows what he is doing. Now they are beginning to question this. Early in Miles' stay at Baton Rouge, one ex-LSU football player said on WWL that Miles' practices in no way resembled those of Saban's, that Saban's were much more organized and efficient and they were faster-paced than Miles' practices. THAT said a lot, I thought. The further LSU football has gone under Miles, the less-organized it seems ON GAME DAY.

Years ago, I noticed that the same football team that looked so good last year can look very different THIS year, and that the reason is you can't replace the playmakers by just assuming that the new guys will do as well as the previous guys did. That seems so simplistic as to be a stupid statement -- but it is the TRUTH. LSU supporters are now clinging to the belief that "Les will pull it out because look at all those 4- and 5-star recruits he has in this upcoming class." That is a good argument, granted. But it begs several questions? Isn't it a fact that Saban has a knack for choosing CHARACTER as well as for picking a group who will have a good chemistry? How do we know that -- VOILA! -- Miles has that knack? Saban is one of those coaches who, when he leaves a program, he leaves an "establishment" of organized player personnel. Is it reasonable to think that Miles can do that, when his team seems to be disorganized on the field?

I am not saying that Saban is a bad coach, or even that he is not a good coach. But is he a top-tier coach like he has led LSU people to believe he is? I don't think so. As someone has said, he is probably an 8-3, 7-4 type of coach at best, no matter how much he says, "We are not comfortable coming in second."

 

[NYBamaFan]

Re: Four years later and LSU is back to being LSU

...I am not saying that Saban is a bad coach, or even that he is not a good coach. But is he a top-tier coach like he has led LSU people to believe he is? I don't think so. As someone has said, he is probably an 8-3, 7-4 type of coach at best, no matter how much he says, "We are not comfortable coming in second."

Typo? :conf2:

 

[CrimsonCT]

Re: Four years later and LSU is back to being LSU

Yep, typo. Great summary, regardless.

 

[TiderMan]

Re: Four years later and LSU is back to being LSU

I would not count LSU out yet. Anyone's fortunes can turn around in one season. We ought to know as well as anybody. Just think if we would have lost JPW before the season. We would have played this year with a group of QB's that had not had any career starts either. Having a proven senior QB that will not let you get beat or get you beat is a big key to our success this year.

 

[BamaFossil]

Re: Four years later and LSU is back to being LSU

Actually, I prefer for LSU to have a credible team each year. (Not competitive with Bama... but decent.) However, I think last year was the tidal crest for LSU. I don't believe next year's team will be as good as this year's. Yes, their QB will have a year's experience... but he doesn't look that great to start with. They lose a pile of seniors. They pick up some tough road games.

In summary, I think BET is correct in projecting LSU to be 9-3 next year at best. I think they'll be more like 7-5.

Next year Bama walks into the SEC West corral as the Big Dog. The challenger entering through the opposite gate will be Ole Miss.

 

[NYBamaFan]

Re: Four years later and LSU is back to being LSU

... The challenger entering through the opposite gate will be Ole Miss.

I am not as sure as many that Ole Miss will be as good next year. They are going to lose their best O Linemen and their best D Linemen to the draft this year. For a team that plays the kind of football that they do, that is going to set them back a bit...

 

[TommyMac]

Re: Four years later and LSU is back to being LSU

I have to believe that if you give Coach Saban that LSU roster, there's no freaking way he loses 4 games, especially in the manner in which they lost them. They dang sure would be a lot better defensively and he would have compensated for his weakness at the QB position by relying heavily on the running game, which was supposed to be their strength to begin with.

If I were an LSU fan, I'd be concerned BIG TIME at the direction my program seemed to be headed.

 

[CrimsonCT]

Re: Four years later and LSU is back to being LSU

Charles Scott: 10 carries for 10 yards

 

[81usaf92]

Re: Four years later and LSU is back to being LSU

I am not as sure as many that Ole Miss will be as good next year. They are going to lose their best O Linemen and their best D Linemen to the draft this year. For a team that plays the kind of football that they do, that is going to set them back a bit...

I kinda see bama vs ole miss the divisional title in the west. reason behind it is there really are no other teams sticking out now.

the barn- tubbs should be gone after this saturday and nothing less than a miracle (pete carroll and nick saban caliber coach coming to the barn) is going to stop the mass decommits and the sub par recruiting class on a long road schedule.

lsu- we've talked enough on this thread about why.

moo state- dreaming

arkansas- 2 or 3 years away from anything big.

ole miss has a physical team with a pretty darn good qb in jevon snead, plus they have talent to beat a lot of teams as long as they are bying into houston nutt.

 

[NYBamaFan]

Re: Four years later and LSU is back to being LSU

I kinda see bama vs ole miss the divisional title in the west. reason behind it is there really are no other teams sticking out now.

the barn- tubbs should be gone after this saturday and nothing less than a miracle (pete carroll and nick saban caliber coach coming to the barn) is going to stop the mass decommits and the sub par recruiting class on a long road schedule.

lsu- we've talked enough on this thread about why.

moo state- dreaming

arkansas- 2 or 3 years away from anything big.

ole miss has a physical team with a pretty darn good qb in jevon snead, plus they have talent to beat a lot of teams as long as they are bying into houston nutt.

If you are correct, the SECW will be weaker than I ever imagined possible next year - but I'll take it... :biggrin:

 

[BigEasyTider]

Speaking of the SEC West next year, I will say this:

Everyone should look out for Ole Miss. They return most of their key players, sans Michael Oher, and they should be a dang good football team again next year.

Moreover, the schedule works out extremely well for them. They avoid both Georgia and Florida from the East, and pick up Vandy, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Moreover, the two SEC West games next year against Alabama and LSU will both be at home.

Bottom line, Ole Miss should legitimately contend for the SEC West next season. I'm not sure they will win it -- I honestly think we are still the favorite, and yes you can call me a crimson homer if you want -- but at the very least the SEC Western Division championship will have to go through Oxford.

 

[NYBamaFan]

... but at the very least the SEC Western Division championship will have to go through Oxford.

We are 11-0, about to be 12-0. They are 7-4. HUGE difference.

The SEC Western Division championship will have to go through Tuscaloosa. in 2009...

 

[81usaf92]

Speaking of the SEC West next year, I will say this:

Everyone should look out for Ole Miss. They return most of their key players, sans Michael Oher, and they should be a dang good football team again next year.

Moreover, the schedule works out extremely well for them. They avoid both Georgia and Florida from the East, and pick up Vandy, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Moreover, the two SEC West games next year against Alabama and LSU will both be at home.

Bottom line, Ole Miss should legitimately contend for the SEC West next season. I'm not sure they will win it -- I honestly think we are still the favorite, and yes you can call me a crimson homer if you want -- but at the very least the SEC Western Division championship will have to go through Oxford.

We are 11-0, about to be 12-0. They are 7-4. HUGE difference.

The SEC Western Division championship will have to go through Tuscaloosa. in 2009...

the clincher might very well be saban bowl III , but what we're saying is that out the three legitimate teams in the west ole miss has the easier schedule and they play both us and the corndogs in oxford. we play lsu at BDS while lsu has only aubie and arkanasas at home. so the two favorites are bama and ole miss. so the western champion needs a big win at oxford.

 

[NYBamaFan]

the clincher might very well be saban bowl III , but what we're saying is that out the three legitimate teams in the west ole miss has the easier schedule and they play both us and the corndogs in oxford. we play lsu at BDS while lsu has only aubie and arkanasas at home. so the two favorites are bama and ole miss. so the western champion needs a big win at oxford.

I think that the clincher is that Ole Miss loses 3 of their starting O linemen and 2 of their starting D linemen (assuming Hardy leaves early, as expected). 2 of those players (one from each side of the ball) are projected to go in the first round of the NFL draft. Yes, they keep their skill players - but this team has been competitive because of the performance of their big uglies. If they are only a 7-4 team now, how many games will they win next year?

JMHO...

 

[81usaf92]

I think that the clincher is that Ole Miss loses 3 of their starting O linemen and 2 of their starting D linemen (assuming Hardy leaves early, as expected). 2 of those players (one from each side of the ball) are projected to go in the first round of the NFL draft. Yes, they keep their skill players - but this team has been competitive because of the performance of their big uglies. If they are only a 7-4 team now, how many games will they win next year?

JMHO...

remember though... Ole miss could very easily be a one loss team ( cause I not going agianst my team:BigA at this point. their four losses were 2 at the begining of the year and two after the shocker in the swamp. when they lost to vandy they just fumbled it away. when they lost to wake it was off an improbable last drive. of course they gave us a scare and USC just lucked out agianst them. If I was to compare ole miss to anyone I would compare them to us last year always in the game but losing less than a TD. I think the only diffrence between us last year and them this year is that they don't let big losses get to them the way we did, but the past is the past. I suspect ole miss will be better on offense with snead next year and even w/o hardy will still have a formidable defense. ALA #1 UM#2 LSU#3 ARK #4 AUB#5 and MSU#6

 

[Cr1mson T1de]

Isn't recruiting part of college football? Had Perriloux been injured and not able to play then I would agree that LSU was put in a bad spot BUT Perriloux was recruited and let go by LSU (not saying he should have stayed but you make your bed and lay in it).

With all that being said, watching the Michigan game and the way the players got into it with the coaches opened my eyes to the way things might have been last year for our coaching staff, just not out in the open like that. A new staff not having all of the players' attention and respect leading to a disruptive locker room.

 

[4Q Basket Case]

This was posted earlier, but I'm surprised that it hasn't gotten more response...I think LSU's players coaches and fans laid it all out for Alabama. They played and coached by far their best game of the year, but still came up short. After that, I think two things happened: First, every component of the LSU nation was drained of emotion. Like an empty gas tank, there was simply no more to give.

Second, the Alabama players and fans know what the coaches already knew -- they will never, not ever again, face a more emotional team than they faced and defeated this year in Baton Rouge.

Years from now, I think we'll look back to that game as the turning point that truly brought Alabama back.

 

[LSU63]

Looks like a lot of piling on here, that's ok.

LSU's problems are at DC, and inexperience at the QB positon. Lack of player leadership is a big problem also.

QB play was the problem when we played Ga. (we had more total yards, more TOP and the loss was the result of 17 points off turnovers. The Bama game was close.

Not unfixable, this off season we'll see if Miles makes the hard changes that need to be made.

One of my 2 trips to a Bama game was in 2003, 27-3 LSU and it was pretty empty in the 4th. I was at the game yesterday, and fans stayed until about 4 minutes left in the 4th, not an unusual happening in most stadiums, including yours.

I saw on here that last year we were lucky (true) and a lot of media love. Y'all have got to be kidding me, the media has been slobbering over CNS all year! Not something that happened during his tenure in BR.

Enjoy LSU being down while you can, the difference between good and great is razor thin in the SEC, you may be surprised next season.

Good luck the rest of the way.

 

[TexasBammer]

Well let me continue to pile on ...

First, I think we should throw too many stones on the stadium side, but that being said, we haven't won 2 NC's in the last 5 years recently.
But we know well about boo birds. Either that, or people were yelling Dubose.. in the stands years ago.

Also, Ole Miss deserves credit.... they have gotten much better, and should kill MSU, then get smoked in a bowl game like Nutt always does.
However,

LSU's D has talent, but they are really inconsistent.
I am a huge fan of LSU's OC, but he has been calling some odd games recently. I scratched my head many times during that last game.
LSU's receivers drop passes at inopportune times.
The Jefferson Kid has some talent, and has a gun.
LSU's offensive line has been playing like a bunch of "girly-men" (Thanks SNL) recently. Ole Miss whipped them up front.
Of course, the Zebras didn't help on that punt return..

LSU has underachieved, and they are reeling. They'll get it back together, but the days of Auburn and LSU owning the West are over.

Nutt is going to be a tough out.
Bama is going to be better.
Arkansas looks scary good at times during their games, so they're coming.