Yahoo Sports- LSU re-establishes itself as an SEC bully

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Suddenly, with LSU’s next two games against No. 24 Mississippi State and on Nov. 3 against No. 1 Alabama here in Baton Rouge, the road to the SEC title, College Football Playoff and national title runs through college football’s most passionate den. LSU (6-1) has one loss – at Florida last week – but the ultimate home-field advantage for its most critical games.

Georgia’s lack of fundamentals – tackling, catching the ball, situational awareness – were alarming. But Smart admitted his biggest concern doubled as the day’s most prominent theme – LSU pushing Georgia all around the sandlot. “That’s the most concerning part,” Smart said, when asked about his team getting outworked physically.

But the defining snapshots of this game came from Devin White leading gang-tackles in the box, Greedy Williams talking smack loud enough to hear in the press box and Georgia getting methodically pounded into self-destruction. They shook a roster that’s the youngest in the SEC – 68.5 percent freshman and sophomores – and left them in the fetal position by the end of the game. (See Mecole Hardman‘s fumble on a kick return in the fourth quarter.)

But on Saturday, no one can argue that Smart, the precocious Nick Saban prodigy, left Tiger Stadium having gotten outcoached. A trail of questions about Georgia’s offensive game plan, toughness and a bone-headed fake field goal will hover in Athens.

Meanwhile, LSU’s national paradigm has been completely transformed. One season after losing to Troy, getting blown out by Mississippi State and getting knocked around by Alabama, LSU has shown enough fight to be considered a legitimate College Football Playoff contender. The Tigers pushed Georgia around like it was a directional Louisiana school.

And as the fans posed for their final on-field selfies, they disappeared into a celebration of something rare in these parts recently – high-stakes games late in the fall at Tiger Stadium. “Great crowd, great LSU football,” Orgeron said. “And that’s the way it’s supposed to be.”

Someone warn the East Baton Rouge Parish liquor distributors that they’ll be working overtime the next few weeks. The exorcism of mediocrity is complete, and the party appears to be just getting started.