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This Time of Year
Posted on 10/16/13 at 9:03 am
Posted on 10/16/13 at 9:03 am
The SEC Riviera Roundup
This Time of Year: LSU at Ole Miss
By Chris Warner
October 16, 2013
In the Deep South, there are many who can claim they “Live for college football Saturdays in the fall.” These individuals plan their business and personal engagements around their favorite team’s football schedule; they experience a rise in their body temperature when they enter the stadium; they shed a tear during the singing of their alma mater; and they know all the words to their school’s fight song. These good folks wake up early on Sunday after a win so they can read each and every one of the sports columns about the game they witnessed the day before. They enjoy good company and good food in the parking lot before the game, as much, and if not more, than the food and company at a fancy restaurant. These things that we hold dear—all true SEC fans know and love, and look forward to each autumn. It’s that time of year when the heated summer temperatures begin to fade and yield to colder days, when the leaves begin to change color, and when the youthful partisan spirit within us all crackles like the kindling of a well-planned winter fire.
In this exclusive, everything-SEC Football column for week Eight, we’ll break down LSU’s date with Ole Miss on Saturday night, reconsider league Power Rankings and take our regular, armchair quarterback tour across the nation’s toughest football conference, in what is undeniably the best time of the year.
Better Than Ezra “Nailed It” With a Great Song
Those familiar with the popular Baton Rouge rock group know by heart the lyrics:
“Well there’s a feeling in the air
Just like a Friday afternoon,
You can get there if you want
Though it fades too soon
…
Well there’s a football in the air
Across a leaf-blown field
Yeah and there’s your first car on the road
And the girl you’d steal”
-Better Than Ezra, from “This Time of Year”
If you attended LSU in the 1990’s this song is a familiar one. It was during that time that BTE cut their teeth playing crowded frat houses in sleepy Oxford and of course at home on Dalrymple Drive in Baton Rouge. For the lucky few who passed through the purple and gold coil during this notable epoch, the song evokes fond memories…of blurry, leaf-blown images of fall football, the budding excitement of an inaugural road trip, and of course, the honored, and still-practiced LSU tradition of date-stealing.
The images are self-explanatory, but to have your date stolen is an experience; and they, as such in life, are as difficult to describe as they are to navigate. When I pledged an LSU fraternity in the fall of 1988, 18-year-old pledges still dressed in coat and tie and the sorority girls in dresses. Many of the guys even bought a delicate boutonniere, to sweeten the pitch. In a word--things were different.
Whenever I think of the classic SEC road game, I think of LSU and Mississippi in Oxford. A confluence of cooking Cajuns and Johnny Rebels against the inviting backdrop of the Grove is always a winner in the tailgating-happy, football-crazed Southeastern Conference. Opposites always attract.
Coquettish, heeled coeds in their snappy game day garb, khakis and bow tie-wearing fratsters, chilled French champagne, silver candelabra and tuxedoed bartenders under lantern-lit canopy tents are just some of the regular Oxford sights. Insert a boisterous smattering of Duck Dynasty, a dash of the Swamp People and a load of WhoDat, and you get a Southern cultural clash made for well, reality television. Go see for yourself if you don’t believe me. It’s always a show.
Tiger Defense on the Up-Swing
Hashtag “Team Defense” is the LSU trend. Unit leaders in the wake of the Florida win divulged that the group had finally embraced the assignment mentality Coach Chavis preaches. Individuals have quit trying to make plays for their teammates. Instead, they focus on doing their jobs knowing that the plays will eventually come to them. Look for this unit to be challenged this weekend. Junior Bo Wallace is a decent athlete with two talented receivers. His drawbacks are his perpetual release and questionable decision-making. Further, there are indications that the relationship between him and Coach Freeze, has well, cooled. If Brunetti is able to go on Saturday, look for the platoon.
A Balanced, Championship Offense
Zach Mettenberger and the NFL receiving tandem of OBJ and Juice are the hot knife to Rebel butter. And Jeremy Hill is on a roll. If the Tiger offensive line does its job, LSU’s spectacular skills will take over, proving why they are the biggest threat to the Crimson Dynasty. The Tide nation now no longer only fears the Hat. They also fear Cam Cameron, the Tigers’ professional play caller and offensive coordinator directing the play of four or five sure-fire first-round NFL talents.
The Tigers Have a Date with Destiny later this season; and her surname isn’t Boudreaux. They also have a hot date with Ole Miss this Saturday, and if they want to reach their beloved destiny, the final BCS Championship game—then they’ll have to take care of business with her Bear majesty, this weekend.
Around the League…(In order of power ranking)…
1. BAMA – (6-0, 3-0) - The Tide hosts the piglets this weekend. They will again be without their best defensive back, Clinton “Ha-Ha” Dix, who is supposedly the subject of an NCAA eligibility inquiry. Tide fans in the know continue to assure everyone that Ha-Ha will be back for the LSU game. An Arkansas upset is certainly less likely.
2. LSU – (6-1, 3-1) – The Tigers are the country’s hottest one-loss team. They are on a collision course with Alabama on November 9, 2013. The winner will emerge the favorite to win the last BCS title.
3. Mizzou – (6-0, 2-0) – The Tigers host the wounded Florida Gators this weekend without their quarterback, James Franklin, revealing their upstart unit and their coach, Gary Pinkel’s, true strength.
4. South Carolina – (5-1, 3-1) – Buoyed by a Georgia loss and an absolute thumping of the razorbacks in Fayetteville, Steve Spurrier can see the light at the end of the tunnel. They are real league contenders, and they face Tennessee in Knoxville Saturday.
5. Texas A&M – (5-1, 2-1) – Johnny Football beat Ole Miss with his arm and legs last Saturday night in Oxford. Lucky for him he brought a spare ACL with him on the trip. Manziel looked like Clark Kent heading into the locker room after the knee tweak. He emerged with the regular cape. A&M hosts AU this weekend. The 12th Man is on full upset alert.
6. Florida – (4-2, 3-1) – Muschamp mistakenly brought a knife to a gunfight last weekend in Baton Rouge. If he chooses to forego Texas, Champ will need a new offensive coordinator. The Gators will try and find some offensive potency this weekend in Columbia.
7. Georgia – (4-2, 3-1) – The Bulldogs’ national championship hopes disappeared faster than an Uga biscuit. Nevertheless, there is still hope for an SEC Championship. They travel to Nashville Saturday.
8. Auburn – (5-1, 2-1) – Alabama fans are already disappointed Auburn turned things around so quickly. They were hoping for a dumpster fire and instead got a high-rise inferno. The flames could get even higher when the Tigers upset the Aggies in College Station. Malzahn is a consummate teacher.
9. Ole Miss – (3-3, 1-3) - The Rebels are the best of four 3-3 SEC teams. Injuries, bad decisions and increased competition from a brutal schedule have fueled the plight known as the 2013 Rebel football season. Beating LSU before a raucous, Vaught-Hemingway Stadium would be sweet redemption. The Rebels hung with the Aggies for four quarters. Can they muster the strength to tame the Tigers?
10. Tennessee – (3-3, 0-2) – The Vols will be hard-pressed to show it with a win this weekend against the Cocks, but they are making progress. Sooner or later this improving squad is going to upset someone.
11. Mississippi State – (3-3, 0-2) – State is idle this week.
12. Vanderbilt – (3-3, 0-3) – James Franklin’s squad is still trying to right the Commodores’ listing ship. That may not happen this weekend. A bruised and battered Georgia squad hobbles into town this Saturday.
13. Kentucky – (1-5, 0-3) – Mark Stoops is grinding with a smile…hoops is almost here.
14. Arkansas – (3-4, 0-3) – Hog fans thought John L. Smith’s exit was the end of painful strings of consecutive losses. Coach B may want to break out marshmallows for the dumpster fire this weekend, as Alabama is coming to town. Bacon: It’s what for Saturday dinner.
Until next time…
*Chris Warner is a noted speaker and the author of several titles, including the new release, “A Tailgater’s Guide to SEC Football, Volume IV.” He is an LSU graduate and lives in Fairhope, Alabama.
This Time of Year: LSU at Ole Miss
By Chris Warner
October 16, 2013
In the Deep South, there are many who can claim they “Live for college football Saturdays in the fall.” These individuals plan their business and personal engagements around their favorite team’s football schedule; they experience a rise in their body temperature when they enter the stadium; they shed a tear during the singing of their alma mater; and they know all the words to their school’s fight song. These good folks wake up early on Sunday after a win so they can read each and every one of the sports columns about the game they witnessed the day before. They enjoy good company and good food in the parking lot before the game, as much, and if not more, than the food and company at a fancy restaurant. These things that we hold dear—all true SEC fans know and love, and look forward to each autumn. It’s that time of year when the heated summer temperatures begin to fade and yield to colder days, when the leaves begin to change color, and when the youthful partisan spirit within us all crackles like the kindling of a well-planned winter fire.
In this exclusive, everything-SEC Football column for week Eight, we’ll break down LSU’s date with Ole Miss on Saturday night, reconsider league Power Rankings and take our regular, armchair quarterback tour across the nation’s toughest football conference, in what is undeniably the best time of the year.
Better Than Ezra “Nailed It” With a Great Song
Those familiar with the popular Baton Rouge rock group know by heart the lyrics:
“Well there’s a feeling in the air
Just like a Friday afternoon,
You can get there if you want
Though it fades too soon
…
Well there’s a football in the air
Across a leaf-blown field
Yeah and there’s your first car on the road
And the girl you’d steal”
-Better Than Ezra, from “This Time of Year”
If you attended LSU in the 1990’s this song is a familiar one. It was during that time that BTE cut their teeth playing crowded frat houses in sleepy Oxford and of course at home on Dalrymple Drive in Baton Rouge. For the lucky few who passed through the purple and gold coil during this notable epoch, the song evokes fond memories…of blurry, leaf-blown images of fall football, the budding excitement of an inaugural road trip, and of course, the honored, and still-practiced LSU tradition of date-stealing.
The images are self-explanatory, but to have your date stolen is an experience; and they, as such in life, are as difficult to describe as they are to navigate. When I pledged an LSU fraternity in the fall of 1988, 18-year-old pledges still dressed in coat and tie and the sorority girls in dresses. Many of the guys even bought a delicate boutonniere, to sweeten the pitch. In a word--things were different.
Whenever I think of the classic SEC road game, I think of LSU and Mississippi in Oxford. A confluence of cooking Cajuns and Johnny Rebels against the inviting backdrop of the Grove is always a winner in the tailgating-happy, football-crazed Southeastern Conference. Opposites always attract.
Coquettish, heeled coeds in their snappy game day garb, khakis and bow tie-wearing fratsters, chilled French champagne, silver candelabra and tuxedoed bartenders under lantern-lit canopy tents are just some of the regular Oxford sights. Insert a boisterous smattering of Duck Dynasty, a dash of the Swamp People and a load of WhoDat, and you get a Southern cultural clash made for well, reality television. Go see for yourself if you don’t believe me. It’s always a show.
Tiger Defense on the Up-Swing
Hashtag “Team Defense” is the LSU trend. Unit leaders in the wake of the Florida win divulged that the group had finally embraced the assignment mentality Coach Chavis preaches. Individuals have quit trying to make plays for their teammates. Instead, they focus on doing their jobs knowing that the plays will eventually come to them. Look for this unit to be challenged this weekend. Junior Bo Wallace is a decent athlete with two talented receivers. His drawbacks are his perpetual release and questionable decision-making. Further, there are indications that the relationship between him and Coach Freeze, has well, cooled. If Brunetti is able to go on Saturday, look for the platoon.
A Balanced, Championship Offense
Zach Mettenberger and the NFL receiving tandem of OBJ and Juice are the hot knife to Rebel butter. And Jeremy Hill is on a roll. If the Tiger offensive line does its job, LSU’s spectacular skills will take over, proving why they are the biggest threat to the Crimson Dynasty. The Tide nation now no longer only fears the Hat. They also fear Cam Cameron, the Tigers’ professional play caller and offensive coordinator directing the play of four or five sure-fire first-round NFL talents.
The Tigers Have a Date with Destiny later this season; and her surname isn’t Boudreaux. They also have a hot date with Ole Miss this Saturday, and if they want to reach their beloved destiny, the final BCS Championship game—then they’ll have to take care of business with her Bear majesty, this weekend.
Around the League…(In order of power ranking)…
1. BAMA – (6-0, 3-0) - The Tide hosts the piglets this weekend. They will again be without their best defensive back, Clinton “Ha-Ha” Dix, who is supposedly the subject of an NCAA eligibility inquiry. Tide fans in the know continue to assure everyone that Ha-Ha will be back for the LSU game. An Arkansas upset is certainly less likely.
2. LSU – (6-1, 3-1) – The Tigers are the country’s hottest one-loss team. They are on a collision course with Alabama on November 9, 2013. The winner will emerge the favorite to win the last BCS title.
3. Mizzou – (6-0, 2-0) – The Tigers host the wounded Florida Gators this weekend without their quarterback, James Franklin, revealing their upstart unit and their coach, Gary Pinkel’s, true strength.
4. South Carolina – (5-1, 3-1) – Buoyed by a Georgia loss and an absolute thumping of the razorbacks in Fayetteville, Steve Spurrier can see the light at the end of the tunnel. They are real league contenders, and they face Tennessee in Knoxville Saturday.
5. Texas A&M – (5-1, 2-1) – Johnny Football beat Ole Miss with his arm and legs last Saturday night in Oxford. Lucky for him he brought a spare ACL with him on the trip. Manziel looked like Clark Kent heading into the locker room after the knee tweak. He emerged with the regular cape. A&M hosts AU this weekend. The 12th Man is on full upset alert.
6. Florida – (4-2, 3-1) – Muschamp mistakenly brought a knife to a gunfight last weekend in Baton Rouge. If he chooses to forego Texas, Champ will need a new offensive coordinator. The Gators will try and find some offensive potency this weekend in Columbia.
7. Georgia – (4-2, 3-1) – The Bulldogs’ national championship hopes disappeared faster than an Uga biscuit. Nevertheless, there is still hope for an SEC Championship. They travel to Nashville Saturday.
8. Auburn – (5-1, 2-1) – Alabama fans are already disappointed Auburn turned things around so quickly. They were hoping for a dumpster fire and instead got a high-rise inferno. The flames could get even higher when the Tigers upset the Aggies in College Station. Malzahn is a consummate teacher.
9. Ole Miss – (3-3, 1-3) - The Rebels are the best of four 3-3 SEC teams. Injuries, bad decisions and increased competition from a brutal schedule have fueled the plight known as the 2013 Rebel football season. Beating LSU before a raucous, Vaught-Hemingway Stadium would be sweet redemption. The Rebels hung with the Aggies for four quarters. Can they muster the strength to tame the Tigers?
10. Tennessee – (3-3, 0-2) – The Vols will be hard-pressed to show it with a win this weekend against the Cocks, but they are making progress. Sooner or later this improving squad is going to upset someone.
11. Mississippi State – (3-3, 0-2) – State is idle this week.
12. Vanderbilt – (3-3, 0-3) – James Franklin’s squad is still trying to right the Commodores’ listing ship. That may not happen this weekend. A bruised and battered Georgia squad hobbles into town this Saturday.
13. Kentucky – (1-5, 0-3) – Mark Stoops is grinding with a smile…hoops is almost here.
14. Arkansas – (3-4, 0-3) – Hog fans thought John L. Smith’s exit was the end of painful strings of consecutive losses. Coach B may want to break out marshmallows for the dumpster fire this weekend, as Alabama is coming to town. Bacon: It’s what for Saturday dinner.
Until next time…
*Chris Warner is a noted speaker and the author of several titles, including the new release, “A Tailgater’s Guide to SEC Football, Volume IV.” He is an LSU graduate and lives in Fairhope, Alabama.
6
Posted on 10/16/13 at 9:46 am to Chris Warner
Nice !
Posted on 10/16/13 at 9:47 am to Chris Warner
Posted on 10/16/13 at 10:26 am to Chris Warner
Sweet.
Posted on 10/16/13 at 10:26 am to Chris Warner
Go away
Posted on 10/16/13 at 11:14 am to Chris Warner
quote:
Yeah and there’s your first car on the road
Obviously about college, not high school...
Posted on 10/16/13 at 2:53 pm to Chris Warner
Always an enjoyable read.
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