It's not a perfect analogy (and, really, is there such a thing?), but lately I've been thinking LSU Fan is George Costanza.
When we worked together on the LSU beat, I often told Scott Rabalais there isn't a life situation an episode of "Seinfeld" can't address. Give me a situation, I'd say, and I'll tell you the "Seinfeld" scene that gets to the heart of the matter.
He once mentioned golf, one of his passions, and as many of you know, I had several episodes from which to choose.
With LSU (3-0, 1-0) preparing to play Mississippi State (2-1, 1-1) at 11:21 a.m. CDT Saturday in Starkville, Miss., and with LSU Fan still trying to figure out what to think about these Tigers, I thought about George.
Early in "The Engagement," in Season 7, we learn Jerry had just broken up with a woman because she shushed him while they watched TV. This is after we see George end it with someone after she beats him at chess. George and Jerry later talk about George's former girlfriend, Susan.
"Did I tell you I ran into her last week?" George says. "Ho-ho, she looked great."
Jerry emits a benign "Hmm," which perhaps triggers something in George.
"You thought she was good looking, right?" he asks Jerry.
"See, there you go again," Jerry says. "What is the difference what I think?"
George and Jerry, coming to the realization they are too picky, agree to make some changes.
Something in the sequence reminds me of LSU Fan, always curious to know what others are saying about his one true love, his Tigers.
Where does AP rank us? What did ESPN say about us? Are we getting any respect from the other schools? What is (so-and-so) saying about us?
I thought about this because of the seemingly tenuous relationship between LSU Fan and his Tigers three games and three victories into the 2009 season. A 31-23 victory at Washington looked a lot better after the Huskies stunned USC. LSU's national standing got another boost Thursday night when Ole Miss suffered a 16-10 loss at South Carolina that will cost the Rebels their No. 4 ranking.
LSU, preseason No. 11, is No. 7 with a chance to climb with a good showing Saturday at Mississippi State.
LSU Fan, after having a look around, has to admit the Tigers don't look so bad after all. George, after seeing other women and still feeling unfulfilled, finds Susan looking better in his eyes. They get engaged.
"It took a couple of hours of convincing," George tells Jerry. "I was just like those guys in the movies, and it worked! She said 'Yes!' I can't believe my luck that she was still available, a beautiful woman like that. You think she's good looking, right?"
Oy.
(We also learn that Jerry got back together with Melanie but couldn't get past the oddity of her eating her peas one at a time, stabbed with the tines of the fork instead of scooped in a bunch.)
Of course, the Costanza thing might be genetic:
Suddenly, when his mother wants to know if Susan is pretty, George questions the relevance. Love, or something damn near like like it, has a hold on him.
Michael Oher isn't the Ole Miss left tackle anymore. He's an NFL rookie. The Rebels showed other shortcomings Thursday night, but a big challenge for any team is trying to replace someone of his stature on the blind side.
Ciron Black is LSU's senior left tackle, the starter for the past 43 games. When he starts playing more like the model of consistency that streak suggests, the Tigers will look more attractive.
There are other areas that need improving. Sophomore quarterback Jordan Jefferson and his receivers have timing issues, which is nothing unprecedented for a passer in his first full season as the starter.
Black and his offensive line mates need to do a better job in the running game, and yet LSU's numbers aren't bad. It's just, well, what do you think, George?
The LSU defensive line has made strides since the season opener. That needs to continue. The return game needs a jumpstart.
The matchup
Dan Mullen, the new Mississippi State coach, was Urban Meyer's offensive coordinator at Florida and helped Meyer develop quarterbacks at Bowling Green, Utah and Florida. Now the Bulldogs are his project.
Before two-a-days Mullen said Mississippi State would be a multiple spread team, one that uses a variety of spread offenses.
"I want to make sure the defense has to defend the entire field sideline to sideline," Mullen said. "Through personnel and through formations, we want to create advantageous one-on-one matchups, where I get a player in the open field matched up against someone that he's better than."
You can bet he probably doesn't think he can get that matchup against LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson. I suspect you can name a few places he'll look for a mismatch.
More insight into Mullen's approach comes from a preseason comment about it being unnecessary to have four or five receivers to run a spread offense.
"You can run it with, we could run it with three backs, two tight ends, get in the wishbone formation one time and spread the field to create the matchups the next time," he said.
Mullen stressed he would tailor his offense to his personnel, and without the benefit of several years of recruiting his kind of players to Mississippi State, he's relying more upon a power running game than he did at his other stops. That's largely what Sylvester Croom and his West Coast Offense left Mullen.
The new State coach says he uses about 60 percent of his playbook each year, and the trick is to use the right 60 percent for the personnel.
You'll again see running back Anthony Dixon, a strong runner with good moves. You'll see Tyson Lee and Chris Relf alternate at quarterback, with Relf able to give the Bulldogs the option of, well, the option.
It's probably too soon for Mullen to work enough magic with State for the Bulldogs to best an LSU program that has owned the series for the better part of two decades. And the defense of Carl Torbush should have its hands full with LSU's offense if the Tigers can get better at turning their decided talent advantage into currency.
Rain? We call it the great equalizer, and it could play a role Saturday. How big? I really think that's up to the Tigers.
Still, since early this month this game has looked to me like the biggest potential oops waiting to happen before the schedule turns brutal. Perhaps what people are describing as negativity, the unrest of fans and all the questioning of the Tigers, will be part of the fuel for a performance that shows a team closer to putting it all together.
Ole Miss choked. The West is more wide open than some imagined. The rest of the season is the new frontier, where love still has a chance to mean never having to say "You think she's good looking, right?"
By George, LSU Fan will dance again Saturday with the one who brung him here, though her beauty may seem more evident in the eyes of other beholders.
Love, or something damn strong like it, has a hold on him. For now.
.
Carl Dubois has written or blogged about LSU sports since 1999. He loves the "Are you blind?" scene from "Scent of a Woman" but decided it had no place in this piece. He's not yet ready to cut loose from the Costanza analogy. You can contact him at carl1061 'at' gmail.com.
quote: I thought about this because of the seemingly tenuous relationship between LSU Fan and his Tigers three games and three victories into the 2009 season. A 31-23 victory at Washington looked a lot better after the Huskies stunned USC. LSU's national standing got another boost Thursday night when Ole Miss suffered a 16-10 loss at South Carolina that will cost the Rebels their No. 4 ranking. LSU, preseason No. 11, is No. 7 with a chance to climb with a good showing Saturday at Mississippi State. LSU Fan, after having a look around, has to admit the Tigers don't look so bad after all.
so we look better cause other teams are winning/losing?
quote: so we look better cause other teams are winning/losing?
This is the first time you've heard this? In a world, college football, where rankings are relative, that's not insignificant. Nor is it a new concept.
I'm not saying LSU is automatically better because of what happens to other teams, but I don't think anyone can argue teams aren't measured against other teams, especially those ranked above them (and which lose). Therefore, LSU looks better in that sense than it did when the scoreboard went to 0:00 at the end of the Washington game.
LSU, of course, will always be measured also against its standard for itself and the expectations of its fans. That will never change.
Masterpiece column. To me, the episode of Seinfeld that captures George's nature the most is the one where he is trying to have sex, watch tv, and eat a pastrami sandwich at the same time for a "trifecta" of pleasure. That's the LSU fan, as well, myself included.
We want a quarterback who can throw the ball all over the place with no mistakes, an aggressive defense that never gets beat deep, and a coaching staff that signs every recruit and who's never insults the fans.
Using this anology, Ole Miss is haveing the Beer Goggles wear off this morning, and instead of hooking up with what they thought was a hot chick, they realized they landed a cow.......
At least for now (until she puts on some weight) our "team" is more attractive then their "team"....
It all relative, and not in the Mississippi kind of way.....
I agree. LSU and many Louisianians have an inferiority complex. Its always about what other people think. It seems like many of the posters on this board need it to make themselves feel better about the percieved inadequacies of the team or Louisiana. Many of our fans are like insecure teenagers. It is funny to watch grown men bitch about the most inane details. Many of our fans act like they know about the inner workings of the team. The truth is we have no idea what it takes to develope a team. The coaches do no want to fail. I am sure they are well aware of what needs to be done to win. Our fans constantly complaining and putting pressure on young athletes does not make it any easier to win. Many on the team are still teenagers. LSU is not in the NFL and we should act accordingly. We should be just as concerned with the character and develpement of the players as we are with their performance on the field. We should be happy that the state of Louisiana has a gem like LSU football.
That's what they looked like to me Saturday against ULL. I haven't seen them since then. I might see a different team Saturday when they play at State.
It's funny. Someone asked me if I didn't think LSU was better than it was last year. I asked why. "Well, you said they're an 8-4 team." I pointed out they were 7-5 in the regular season last year, so wouldn't that make 8-4 an improvement?
But as I said last weekend, they looked like an 8-4 team to me Saturday. That doesn't mean that's how they'll finish.
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