re: Some Perspective

quote:

---

The Ole Miss loss was bad, but not completely unexpected. Absent 2011, Les Miles' 9 year tenure has been riddled with countless games where LSU "underplayed" an "overmatched" opponent, or simply failed to put away they had dominated throughout the first part of the game. Just think back to how many times you have said in the 4th quarter of games "How in the hell is this game still so close?" The difference between Sat. night and those previous games is that LSU wasn't able to make that one final big play to secure the win. When you play on the razor's edge so many times, occasionally the breaks aren't going to go your way. Hopefully there is a lesson learned there, but alas (and pardon the pun) after 9 years a tiger isn't going to change its stripes.

Going foward, I would be shocked if the LSU/Bama game isn't a nailbiter in till the end. No this isn't unfounded optimism. I may be the most pessimistic LSU fan I know. In fact, most people don't like watching games with me because of it. However, 9 years of history has shown that Les Miles generally has a way of getting the game to the 4th quarter. This is true regardless if LSU is up 17 at half, or down 17 in 3rd (like Sat.). In some ways I see Les being much like us fans during the game, living and dying on each play as opposed to looking 3-4 plays down the line. IMO, this is the reason for the clock management blunders. While most coaches have already made clock decisions 2-3 plays before they have to, Les is reacting play to play, thus forcing him to make big decisions in a short amount of time. Nevertheless, he's got an uncanny ability of getting his guys to "fight like hell" until the end. That Saturday night against Bama will be no different, and the same guy who led OSU to 2 upset wins against OU will be the loose-cannon that gives a control freak like Saban pause for concern. Especially given the fact that Alabama knows that man for man, LSU is their equal.

---