Failure to stop opponent's winning drives - heartbreak losses cost championships

I'm not offering a solution, just observations.

Bama at LSU, 2012
Clemson, Chic Fil A Bowl 2012
At Georgia, 2013
At Ole Miss, 2013

If we had stopped Bama at the end last year, we would have played in the SEC Champ and maybe even won another BCS title.

If we had stopped UGA and Ole Miss at the end this year, we would now be undefeated and probably #3 in BCS.

We have been SO close to championship seasons both years.

But our defense has not gotten the job done at those critical moments in our last 4 sickening losses.

And we can't say "if only we had last year's defense at Georgia or at Ole Miss." We DID have those guys when we lost the same way to Bama and Clemson last year.

Last night we ran into a GREAT Ole Miss team. They played us as tough as anybody will this season. And we played poorly for almost 3 quarters, to make things that much worse.

But we still found a way to stage a strong comeback and have a chance to win at the end.

But then we failed once more to stop their last-minute drive for the winning score.

For the past 2 years, our defensive failures on opponent's final drives have singlehandedly kept us from playing for SEC and national championships. We have been right there in contention in both years.

So close to the promised land, if only our defense could have just come through at the very end.

I for one, do not discount how close these two Tiger teams have been, to acheiving their ultimate goals, in both 2012 and 2013. They are to be congratulated for acheiving that lofty status for us fans to enjoy.

But great defensive stands to secure wins at the end must return to LSU, for us to reach the highest goals of both the team and our spoiled fanbase.

For some reason, even with last year's stellar players, our defense did not secure the critical wins that could have delivered LSU its championship opportunities.

We have a great defensive coordinator. Surely, this single issue can be resolved.


What say you?