LSU Tigers (official thread)

[Merih]

Can’t find a game thread but my thoughts from the game:

- Player of the game (after Joe) is DB#1 for both teams. completely disrespected
- Joe is the real deal. Hopefully AJ stays in Cincy, or else he may be playing with worse receivers next year
- Trevor is not a great passer of the ball. He feasts when his NFL WRs play lesser talent (including bama DBs from last year). When playing equal playmakers, you just have to stop his run. He has no feel, rhythm, or touch to his game. Too bad we didn’t figure that out.

 

[Nutriaitch]

Can’t find a game thread but my thoughts from the game:

- Player of the game (after Joe) is DB#1 for both teams. completely disrespected
- Joe is the real deal. Hopefully AJ stays in Cincy, or else he may be playing with worse receivers next year
- Trevor is not a great passer of the ball. He feasts when his NFL WRs play lesser talent (including bama DBs from last year). When playing equal playmakers, you just have to stop his run. He has no feel, rhythm, or touch to his game. Too bad we didn’t figure that out.

took Aranda a while, but me and @Fishhh were talking during game that Sunshine was pedestrian as hell when pressured.
we started pressing more and his numbers went to shit.

 

[Merih]

took Aranda a while, but me and @Fishhh were talking during game that Sunshine was pedestrian as hell when pressured.
we started pressing more and his numbers went to shit.

it’s obvious in hindsight, but was surprising during the game. he is a tough kid, but I don’t think he’s had to figure out the mental part of the game yet as an elite QB. Jumpball to Higgins/Ross, or give to Etienne, or run... everything looks easy.

it’s a bit like USC heyday QBs when they got found out NFL (apart from Palmer)

 

[BB73]

Can’t find a game thread but my thoughts from the game:

- Player of the game (after Joe) is DB#1 for both teams. completely disrespected
- Joe is the real deal. Hopefully AJ stays in Cincy, or else he may be playing with worse receivers next year
- Trevor is not a great passer of the ball. He feasts when his NFL WRs play lesser talent (including bama DBs from last year). When playing equal playmakers, you just have to stop his run. He has no feel, rhythm, or touch to his game. Too bad we didn’t figure that out.

Burrow and Brady may be gone, but LSU will have two more years of Stingley basically shutting down one of the opponent's top two WRs. I can't remember any frosh CB that has ever been that effective.

The stats before the game showed a huge difference in how Burrow and Lawrence performed under pressure, that played out.

 

[OHSportsFan]

I’m already on record saying I don’t think Coach O is a good coach, as far as game management. But he has kids ready to run through walls for him. Maybe it was just this group bought in and others won’t but the man is an animal. He loves football and if he keeps finding kids that buy in- and winning an NC will keep those kids coming for the next few years at least- he’ll be in fine shape, X’s and O’s be damned. Plus, hiring good assistants can cover that.

Saw the pregame clips of him on the walk to stadium. It was over before the game started.

If you have the ability to recruit and motivate a group of 18-22 years to play as if their lives depend on each and every game, every play, you can win a lot of games.

They are absolutely taking a step back next year though.

 

[sparcboxbuck]

Either way you got a title out of it. I'm jealous

Are you? Titles are nice, really nice... but as Nut suggested, this may have been the perfect storm for them... and the sky just parted.

I’ll take being in the mix every year over 3-4 losses regularly and perfect storms every 20 years. I like our odds with consistency.

 

[Jagdaddy]

Are you? Titles are nice, really nice... but as Nut suggested, this may have been the perfect storm for them... and the sky just parted.

I’ll take being in the mix every year over 3-4 losses regularly and perfect storms every 20 years. I like our odds with consistency.

Well, our consistency has been so impressive that IMO we're overdue for that three to five NCs in five to twelve years run that programs like Nebraska, Da U, and Bama have had. I'm dying for OSU to take the next step and play up to their potential in the very biggest games. Put another way, I like our odds too, but it feels like we've underachieved a bit in terms of NCs based on what the odds have been.

 

[jwinslow]

Well, our consistency has been so impressive that IMO we're overdue for that three to five NCs in five to twelve years run that programs like Nebraska, Da U, and Bama have had. I'm dying for OSU to take the next step and play up to their potential in the very biggest games. Put another way, I like our odds too, but it feels like we've underachieved a bit in terms of NCs based on what the odds have been.

The last decade has broken CFB. Tua/Trevor/Justin/[OUheismanFinalistTBD] should not be the norm, but they're the bar now.
Dabo/Saban should not be the bar, but they are.

You have to be really lucky and great to win titles. It helps a lot when you get all of the mulligans like Alabama and Clemson get.

 

[sparcboxbuck]

Well, our consistency has been so impressive that IMO we're overdue for that three to five NCs in five to twelve years run that programs like Nebraska, Da U, and Bama have had. I'm dying for OSU to take the next step and play up to their potential in the very biggest games. Put another way, I like our odds too, but it feels like we've underachieved a bit in terms of NCs based on what the odds have been.

Totally agree on the 'next step' statement. Agree in spades, also dying for that to happen. I'm confident it will.

 

[Jagdaddy]

The last decade has broken CFB. Tua/Trevor/Justin/[OUheismanFinalistTBD] should not be the norm, but they're the bar now.
Dabo/Saban should not be the bar, but they are.

You have to be really lucky and great to win titles. It helps a lot when you get all of the mulligans like Alabama and Clemson get.

I don't disagree with any of that. And it took a lot of bad luck for OSU to lose to Clemson this year. But it also took a lot of unforced errors and, frankly, I believe, a lack of mental swag when things started going South by both the coaches (I'm convinced that the ill-advised blocked punt attempt resulted from a lack of confidence in the offense) and at least some of the players. Fuller's comment about not being surprised when the fumble call was reversed because (paraphrasing) "it just seemed like nothing was going our way" was telling IMO and suggests that Day's emphasis on toughness hasn't entirely taken root yet or isn't sufficiently applied to the positive mentality zone of toughness.

I don't want to overstate any of these "issues" as they're definitely 1st world problems of the highest order, but they're a part of the margin between almost the best and the best.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

I’ll take being in the mix every year over 3-4 losses regularly and perfect storms every 20 years. I like our odds with consistency.

You do realize that LSU has more natties in the last 20 years than we do...their perfect storms always coincide with the title game being in Nawlins.

 

[buchtelgrad04]

I don't disagree with any of that. And it took a lot of bad luck for OSU to lose to Clemson this year. But it also took a lot of unforced errors and, frankly, I believe, a lack of mental swag when things started going South by both the coaches (I'm convinced that the ill-advised blocked punt attempt resulted from a lack of confidence in the offense) and at least some of the players. Fuller's comment about not being surprised when the fumble call was reversed because (paraphrasing) "it just seemed like nothing was going our way" was telling IMO and suggests that Day's emphasis on toughness hasn't entirely taken root yet or isn't sufficiently applied to the positive mentality zone of toughness.

I don't want to overstate any of these "issues" as they're definitely 1st world problems of the highest order, but they're a part of the margin between almost the best and the best.

I took that to mean they were aware of some rough calls and/or non-calls going the other way. Not a sign of mental weakness.

 

[jwinslow]

I don't disagree with any of that. And it took a lot of bad luck for OSU to lose to Clemson this year.

And had they advanced and not kept pace with Burrow's bombs, they would be looked upon as not getting the job done, which is not a fair classification of their year.

That should be the target, not the bar.

But it also took a lot of unforced errors and, frankly, I believe, a lack of mental swag when things started going South by both the coaches (I'm convinced that the ill-advised blocked punt attempt resulted from a lack of confidence in the offense) and at least some of the players.

I think there was a lot of evidence to support the lack of confidence.

I also think #2 being partially deleted from the game is a large factor. OSU was whipping them when he was healthy. Then the uncalled targeting and ankle twisting, and suddenly it's a whole different ballgame.

Fuller's comment about not being surprised when the fumble call was reversed because (paraphrasing) "it just seemed like nothing was going our way" was telling IMO and suggests that Day's emphasis on toughness hasn't entirely taken root yet or isn't sufficiently applied to the positive mentality zone of toughness.

I don't want to overstate any of these "issues" as they're definitely 1st world problems of the highest order, but they're a part of the margin between almost the best and the best.

I don't think much was going their way. A replay cancelled a possible TD. They kept stalling in the redzone. Clemson was given new life when possibly the most important defender was disqualified. Two debatable penalties led to opposing TDs. Then they finally turn things around after 2 quarters of retreating with a monster scoop and score only to have replay reject their assignment and reverse a call without concrete evidence.

It's also Fuller's second TD that was overturned for a bad call, so it's understandable that he's sensitive to it.

 

[Jagdaddy]

And had they advanced and not kept pace with Burrow's bombs, they would be looked upon as not getting the job done, which is not a fair classification of their year.

That should be the target, not the bar.

Probably by some, but not by me. LSU caught magic this season and might well have just been the better team. I think they were, mainly because Burrow this year was substantially more in command of LSU's offense than Fields was of ours (Day's primary job for 2020 IMO is to get Fields to something like that level of command) If, in that hypothetical game, Chase and Marshall et al had just made plays and the Buckeyes had played well (i.e., didn't drop screen passes, rough punters, etc.) so be it. But I have zero doubt that OSU underachieved with coaching anxiety and unforced player errors (and got unlucky and hosed) in the semifinal. I'm by no means calling this great season a failure (I'm not THAT spoiled although some of our fans probably are), but, I also have little doubt that OSU should have advanced to the final and would have, even with the lousy luck/officiating, had they made fewer unforced critical errors.

I don't expect perfection in play, but even in the games against talented teams that they've won (PSU this year, Alabama, and Oregon in 2014 being great examples with turnovers) there have been numerous bad errors. In the 2008 title game, for example don't rough a punter and don't drop a TD. In the 2007 title game, don't injure your best offensive weapon in a freaking TD celebration, etc ...

 

[sparcboxbuck]

You do realize that LSU has more natties in the last 20 years than we do...their perfect storms always coincide with the title game being in Nawlins.

Yeah, I recognize that... actually, both points.

That said, I’ll still take being in the mix every year and a NC here and there over anything that I see in the rest of the B1G. That not withstanding, I do think that Day has the team right there and just needs to get over the hump.