re: Coaches "Blown Out" in National Championship

Reasonable point, with the exception that none of those others were shut out.

As much as 1/9/12 galls the shite out of me, it was a confluence of events that did not bode well for the Tigers.

1) Arguably Alabama's best team ever
2) That Alabama team was completely fired up for the rematch after the heartbreaker
3) That Alabama team had not had to play in the SECCG, getting extra time to heal/gameplan
4) LSU's intensity was not equal to Alabama's
5) LSU had a retarded gameplan (the same one Alabama had almost beaten in November)
6) LSU had the worst QB to take a snap in a January bowl game in 2012.

Despite all that...

LSU's defense kept that game close until they ran out of gas in the last quarter. Had LSU been able to pull some sort of offense out of its arse, they would have at least made it interesting.

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The problem wasn't Jefferson. The problem was the offensive line. They couldn’t move the Bama D-line and they couldn’t hold them back either. There was no run game, and there was no time to pass.

If anything, Jefferson in the pocket slowed down the Bama rush because Bama used a mush rush to contain Jefferson and prevent him from running. It’s the same idea LSU used against Manziel to keep him from breaking off long runs. Slow the rush and contain the QB. Bama would not have used a mush rush against Lee because Lee is no threat to run.

So if Miles put in Lee, there’s still no run game, and now there is even less time to pass. If there is one thing Bama feasts on, it’s immobile pocket passers. Lee’s numbers against Bama confirm this fact. His QB Rating against Bama could fit in a shoe box. And people talk about the tragedy of throwing Lee into the fire during his redshirt freshman year.

During 2011, "efficient" is the single word that defined Lee. You'll be hard pressed to find a post about Lee without the word "efficient" just a few words away. The thing about being defined as “efficient” is that it means that you aren’t a prolific passer; you don’t throw it a lot. In fact, it typically means that the offense is run-oriented and passes infrequently. Prior to the Bama game, Lee averaged less than 20 passes per game. Lee had only one game in 2011 in which he threw for more than 200 yards: 213 yards against Mississippi State. Lee wasn’t a prolific passer. He was efficient.

Efficient works when your team can run the ball effectively. Efficient means that the defense is focused on stopping the run. Efficient means that the defense is not expecting a pass. Efficient means that you have time to throw because the defense is not focuses on stopping the pass. Efficient does not work when you aren’t running well. Efficient does not work when your line can’t block. Bama’s D was suffocating that night. Bama would have killed Lee.

LSU should not have been playing Bama. LSU beat Bama at their house in the Game of the Century. You play the hand you’re dealt, but it was a raw deal.

Bama was playing for redemption. Bama had lost with their prior offensive strategy, so they were forced to abandon it. Saban took the ball out of Richardson’s hands and made McCarron win the game. Bama threw on nearly every first down. It was a risky strategy, but what did Bama have to lose. They had already lost to LSU trying to run the ball. McCarron had a terrific night; thus, the strategy worked.

Even though Bama had flipped its offensive strategy, it does not necessarily mean that LSU should have. Hindsight is always 20/20, and we know now that LSU’s plan did not work. However, LSU trailed Georgia 10-0 and at the half in the SECCG. The offense was atrocious the first half but came around in the second half, and LSU blew out Georgia. With a few dozen plays left, it was not unreasonable for Miles to go with the strategy that worked so well in the SECCG. It was at least as reasonable as trying a QB that was the antithesis of the ideal QB to use against Bama.

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:upvote:

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Not true. Pretty much every analyst said that if LSU lost to UGA, they would still be in the BCS championship. They had gained that much clout.

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So that segment didn't happen?

I even remember who started the thread: Rex.

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PurpleandGoldmember
Coaches "Blown Out" in National Championship


In a recent thread, a lot of peeps on here said they were not the same fans that they were before LSU lost to Bama in the National Championship. I just don't see how that is possible.

Did Miles have a poor gameplan and get blown out in the championship? Yes, but so has:
Brian Kelly (regarded as a top 5-10 cfb coach)
Jim Tressel (1 BCS Championship in 3 appearances)
Bob Stoops (1 BCS Championship in 4 appearances)
Frank Beamer (Highly regarded coach)
Bobby Bowden (2 National Championships, 16 top 10 finishes)
Steve Spurrier (1 National Championship, 6 SEC Championships)

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Aaaaaand, Miles defeated all FOUR of the above coaches that he faced also!!....

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LSU had the worst QB to take a snap in a January bowl game in 2012.

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I've argued before that, considering he was a 4-year starter, 9 was actually the worst college quarterback of all time. its between him and Reggie Ball, and their numbers in key areas are appallingly close.

which is devastating because all we needed that year was for him to be mildly competent. otherwise that team was fricking amazing.

- drilled #2 Oregon with Lee, a backup who had to spend the previous month being reminded of every pick 6 he ever threw.
- Honey Badger



- Crocodile Puntee
- beat West Virginia, meaning LSU not only beat 3 of that seasons BCS teams, but they beat all 3 on the road.
- beat "unbeatable" bama. at bama.
- thumped Arc Kansas so bad all Petrino could do was throw a hissy fit at Miles from across the field like a little girl.
- became the first and only team to ever beat 3 top 3 teams in one season.
- won the SEC thanks in part to Badger and the most jaw-dropping punt return I've ever seen ( gfycat angle 1 - gfycat angle 2), and it's not even the one he scored on. Though technically he didn't score on either.



this was arguably one of the greatest teams of all time, yet all some remember is the bowl game. and that sucked, believe me, I know and I have the smashed up dining room chair to prove it, but whatever. its just football, it's not your life, we're fans because it's fun, and that season was awesome.

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I've argued before that, considering he was a 4-year starter, 9 was actually the worst college quarterback of all time.

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Jefferson wasn't even the worst QB on his team. For Jefferson's and Lee's careers, Jefferson had a higher QB Rating, higher completion percentage, threw more TD passes while throwing fewer interceptions. He is also the #1 LSU QB in rushing yards.

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which is devastating because all we needed that year was for him to be mildly competent

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Jefferson was more than competent before the championship games:

QB rating: 163.48
Comp%: 64.29%
YPA: 9.34
TDs: 5
Int: 1
Rushing TDs: 3
Rushing YPC: 4.6

Even during the BCSCG, he completed 65% of his passes. He just didn't have time to complete long passes.

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we are still elite.

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We've only been ranked in the top 10 final polls twice since 2007- almost 7 fricking years. We aren't 'elite'.

I think the former saints DC tipped off saban/smart to LSU's gameplan from LSU doing walkthru's in the dome.

I honestly believe bama knew exactly what LSU was going to run. and it showed.

purple member , if a desired recruit with half a mind to come to LSU, would read your post and the resultant replies, his half a mind would go see what the other half of a mind was doing!