LSU, the team you want your team to be
By Ken Burger
Every now and then you get a glimpse of how this game of college football is supposed to be played. If you watched the Florida-LSU game late Saturday night, you saw the team you want your team to be.
LSU, now the undisputed top team in the land after Southern Cal fell to Stanford, showed a stadium stuffed with more than 90,000 rabid Bayou Bengals fans and a national television audience why the Tigers are so good.
Yes, they have excellent players. And, yes, they have tradition and fan support and all the amenities needed to rise above the crowded field of contenders whose fans like to run around thrusting their index finger in the air and claiming to be Number One.
But they also have Les Miles, perhaps the best football coach in the country. At least he was Saturday night.
All you had to see was the fourth quarter of this Southeastern Conference showdown against the former national champion Gators to see what good, tough, confident coaching means to a football program.
It was, in a compound sentence, one of the best performances you could hope for in one of the biggest games of the year under the most intense pressure you can imagine.
And the Tigers made it look easy.
Beauty and bravery
While LSU fans were stunned when Florida jumped out to an early 10-0 lead, Miles just clinched that strong jaw of his on the sideline, pulled his hat down tighter on his head and watched with an understanding determination.
When interviewed coming off the field at halftime, he hardly seemed frightened by the prospects of losing. Instead, he stated exactly what his team needed to do and would do in the second half. Make more tackles and score more points.
He didn't mention take more chances, but that apparently comes with the territory if you want to be Number One.
Down 10 points with the clock running against them, the Tigers pulled out all the stops. They faked a field goal that set up a touchdown. Then, needing only a field goal to tie and extend the game to overtime, Miles wanted no part of it. He went for the victory, going for it on two critical, fourth-quarter, fourth-down situations, making it every time, barely.
The final drive, behind the gutsy running of Jacob Hester, that gave LSU its 28-24 victory with just over a minute remaining in the game was a thing of absolutely beauty and bravery.
Not only did starting quarterback Matt Flynn move his team with confidence, but also Miles was bold enough to bring in his back-up quarterback, sophomore Ryan Perilloux, in critical situations to give him the kind of steely experience you can only receive in the heat of battle.
Guts and glory
To watch LSU pull off that final, 15-play, 60-yard, 8-minute, game-winning, risk-taking drive brought college football fans to the edge of their seats all across the nation.
To witness this excellent example of guts and glory after most fans had spent the day watching their favorite teams flounder in the face of adversity was a teaching moment.
If you weren't an LSU fan or a Les Miles fan before Saturday night's phenomenal finish you probably are now.
With all due respect to the Florida Gators, who played a heck of a football game, this LSU victory gave us all a glimpse of what it means to have a great team and a great coach and how the two combine to win championships.
There was no second-guessing, no what-ifs, no question, no doubt. That final drive should be mandatory in film rooms across the nation.
Every head coach should watch it over and over again just to see how the game is supposed to be played, with confidence and passion instead of caution and fear of losing.
Reach Ken Burger at 937-5598 kburger@postandcourier.com.
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Pols101 (anonymous) says...
You are the most confused man that I know. Did you see the 2 face masks and the spear on Captain in the SC game? Did you see the 4 block in the backs on one play. They had to use a fake to beat SC and struggled to only a 10-9 lead against Tulane at the end of the 1st half. These guys got lucky against Fla. and they will lose to Auburn and maybe even to Ky. Why do you think they are so great? Dumb.
October 8, 2007 at 7:31 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Pols101 (anonymous) says...
By the way. They only beat Fla. by the 6 inches that they made the 1st down on when it was 4th down on their final drive. Oh my, what a great team they are 6 inches better that Fla. in their home stadium.
October 8, 2007 at 7:35 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
decoteau1 (anonymous) says...
How would have Florida played without Tebow? How would have USC played without Boyd? Well LSU has been without its best player going on 4 weeks now & that is Early Doucet. How many ranked teams have Florida beat? What about SOuth Carolina? Thats right not as many as LSU combined. We beat Va Tech who was #9, USC who was # 12 & Florida who was # 7. There isn't a team in the country who have beat the quality of opponents that we have. Also for the USC guys after we did the trick field goal we shut down our play book and basically run 4 plays the rest of the game. Did I mention the priceless look on SPurrier's face when he got a dose of his own medicine. Did you also see in the game Florida's last scoring drive where they penalized LSU for hitting Tebow before he went out of bounds or the pass interference call that was completely bogus. Did I also mention those penalties kept FLorida's drive alive. We still have a long season to play and a lot of quality opponents left but for you to knock LSU is retarded and that you need to lay off the hatorade. Florida is better than USC and so is Va Tech. Cock fans need to worry about Clemson the biggest rivalry that no one knows anything about outside of the state of South Carolina!
October 8, 2007 at 8:15 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Augustus_Gloop (anonymous) says...
Mr. Burger, didn't you get the media memo about Miles? Florida played inspired football, and I have a lot of respect for Tebow and Florida's team after that game. I didn't think anybody could shred LSU's defense like that. If LSU plays Florida again, I fully expect it to be another great game. Great game, gators. As for South Carolina, there isn't enough cheese in the world to accompany all the whine coming out of Columbia. I have never heard a fanbase whine so much. You guys have been whining to deaf ears for weeks. Take your beatings like men and get over it. If by some miracle you make it to Atlanta, learn the phrase, "Please, sir, I want some more."
October 8, 2007 at 8:38 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
GoTigers80 (anonymous) says...
Pols101, you seem to be the one confused. Yes, we saw the 4 blocks in the back ON A PUNT RETURN FOR A TOUCHDOWN. So did the refs, who threw 5 flags on the field. Who did that hurt? SC?? No, it hurt LSU, who had a touchdown taken off the board and was penalized for it. I guess SC has NEVER blocked in the back on a punt return. Confusion sets in. All the SC wah wahhh-ers are talking about the blocks in the back and the "late hits", but you seem to forget LSU was penalized for those, and hit hurt LSU, not SC. I will give you the spear though, THAT definitely needed to be called, and it wasn't. Look at the final score of the SC game, you think a fake field goal was the determinig factor? Once again, confusion sets in. Get over it, you lost, LSU won, even with all the penalties.
October 8, 2007 at 8:46 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
DCartisan (anonymous) says...
Correction. MOST USC fans know that they lost to a better team when we lost to LSU. Like Spurrier said, sometimes the ball bounces your way, and sometimes it doesn't. The late hits, spears, etc is all a part of football. EVERY team gets away with a few calls during games and that game was no exception.
LSU is a darn good football team and we hope to meet you guys in Atlanta!
GO COCKS!
October 8, 2007 at 9:05 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Pols101 (anonymous) says...
I am just saying that a team that commits 4 major fouls on one play is either very poorly coached or poorly disciplined. I have never seen so many on one play. Do you think they decided to do it before the play? Come on, 4 on one play. They played a fairly clean game against Fla. I was shocked. The only thing I saw was a lineman from LSU punch a Fla. lineman in the face. Which is a rare unless you are in La.
October 8, 2007 at 9:07 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
romeron (anonymous) says...
Great article! LSU is clearly the best team in the country. I feel sorry for the team that gets to play them in New Orleans for the BCS championship.
October 8, 2007 at 9:35 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Pols101 (anonymous) says...
What were the Florida coaches thinking? They had every opportunity to stop them.
We had a house full of people and all of them were yelling fake,fake,fake on the field goal on the last series. Did you guys see it coming too? By the way, I have a iptay sticker on my truck. I have season tickets in section UG. I am going to lose them next year because of the "seat equality plan" and I am not in Columbia, I am in the upstate. I love the tigers but I think that LSU played dirty against the Gamecocks.
October 8, 2007 at 9:38 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jimmyc1216 (anonymous) says...
For all of you USC fans who are crying, it's time to stop. Calls are made in every game that are questionable. Obviously there are some that aren't made that should have been. Every team deals with the same issues. We know, just look at the LSU-UF and Auburn games from last year. It's part of the game and you have to overcome them. As for the Tulane game, sure, we may have struggled in the first half, that's why you play 2 halves and not one. We totally dominated them in the second. By the way, what was the score in the USC-UL Lafayette and the MSU games. Impressive! As far as UF shredding our defense, I wouldn't call 314 total yards a shredding. I guess because your used to seeing us hold opponents to around the 100 yard mark it's considered a shredding. Based on that, I guess you're right. By the way, check the stats. Tebow was held to 225 total yards. That's 51 less than what Auburn gave up, yet Auburn was credited with shutting him down. LSU held him to a 46.2 completion %, the lowest of the season and we were shredded. Give credit where credit is do. You're telling me UF played inspired ball, but LSU didn't. Give me a break. That's one of the reasons LSU won. I'm not knocking UF, even though I'm a Gator hater. They played a great game and had a great game plan we just played better and had a better game plan. We totally controlled the clock in the second half, especially the fourth quarter and we got the job done. Les Miles and our coaching staff out coached Meyer and his staff. We played smash mouth football and rammed it down their throats. In the process we kept Tebow from being a threat by keeping him off of the field. That' s brilliant coaching. Meyer should have taken a timeout when we had the ball first and goal but he didn't and it cost them valuable seconds. He was outcoached! As far as the six inches go Pols101, look at the stats, then tell me were only six inches better. Oh, I forgot, what is UF's record again? I think that makes us 2 games better at this point in the season. I wouldn't call that luck!
October 8, 2007 at 10:09 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Rooster07 (anonymous) says...
I agree that LSU is #1, but its unfortunate that just b/c Florida lost they automatically drop to 13 in the polls. It is obvious that they are better than 13th in the country. They are a top 5 team in my mind. They pretty much dominated the whole game in the most hostile environment in college football. But, like they say, great teams find a way to win.
October 8, 2007 at 10:12 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
B_Durham (anonymous) says...
Great article. One of the greatest games I have ever seen. Great play and coaching on both sides of the ball. In response to Pols 101, most of the penalties in the USC game were called. The ones that were not called maybe should have been, but that can be said in any game. Needed a fake FG to win the game. . .HA. . .far from it. We put cruise control on after that. It was getting scary at the end, but I was more worried about stats and not the L.
October 8, 2007 at 10:48 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jimmyc1216 (anonymous) says...
I agree UF is better than what their record shows and that they could and probably should be ranked higher. I would however disagree that they pretty much dominated the whole game. The first half, iffy. Time of possesion UF has us by about 4 minutes. Total yards they have us 193 to 162. Score 17-7. We don't miss a field goal it's 17-10. The second half, we outscored them 21-7 and held the ball for over 21 minutes. That's what I call domination. That's not being biased either. Their lone TD came on a busted coverage that left Irvin wide open. I mean it looked like he was the only one on the field. Credit to UF, great play call. We also had a missed field goal in the second half. David was hitting 80% going into the game and those were pretty easy kicks to make. Point is, he missed and we can't say what could've or should've been and that we should have won by 10. Look at the stats and and come back and tell me if you still think UF dominated pretty much the whole game. I'm not saying that with arrogance. It's kind of like the running back who systematically & methodically rushes quietly for 200 yds. but you don't realize it until you see his stats. That's really how LSU played the game. You don't realize how dominant they were until you look at the stats. Overall, we ran 80 plays to their 58 and held the ball 35:52 to 24:08. Total yards LSU 391, UF 314. Most important, and the only thing that really matters, the score 28-24.
October 8, 2007 at 10:55 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
tigerdro (anonymous) says...
Rooster07 said (about Florida): "They pretty much dominated the whole game in the most hostile environment in college football."
ok...you know what? i completely agree that Florida should not have dropped out of the top 10. i would even go as far as to say they should have gone up in the polls after the loss to LSU. They are a good football team. Tim Tebow is an amazing athlete who totally lives up to the hype. But to say that they "pretty much dominated the whole game" is simply not accurate. Here are some stats for the LSU/Florida game from the Box Score. Look at these and decide who dominated.
First Downs UF 19 LSU 25 Game Ball to LSU
Net Rush Yds UF 156 LSU 247 Game Ball to LSU
Net Pass Yds UF 158 LSU 144 Game Ball to UF
Total Offense UF 314 LSU 391 Game Ball to LSU
Fumbles UF 2 LSU 0 Game Ball to LSU
Penalty Yards UF 8 LSU 61 Game Ball to UF
Punt Yards UF 74 LSU 98 Game Ball to LSU
Kickoff Yards UF 306 LSU 269 Game Ball to UF
Kick Ret Yds UF 29 LSU 84 Game Ball to LSU
Possession UF 24:08 LSU 35:52 Game Ball to LSU
October 8, 2007 at 12:28 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bigriver1 (anonymous) says...
Yes I hear they are plenty of tickets left for all you Sc fans to watch Lsu and Florida play again in Atlanta. I really think all you Sc fans should follow your lamecocks to the weedeater bowl though. LOL
October 8, 2007 at 12:47 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
luquette68 (anonymous) says...
tigerdro, you forgot to mention one last stat:
Score UF 24 LSU 28 GAME ball to LSU
Geaux Tigers!!!
October 8, 2007 at 1:31 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
porwoll (anonymous) says...
What an exceptional piece of writing! You are right on the mark. The hacks who've posted comments to your article can't see but an inch in front of their face. Their loss.
October 8, 2007 at 2:09 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
secwatch (anonymous) says...
The Florida-LSU game was a great game played by two outstanding football teams. Great win for the tigers and great coaching!! The SEC has a lot of talented players and excellent coaches and this game exemplified this fact. Hopefully South Carolina and LSU will face each other in the SEC championship game but there is still much SEC football to be played before then. Any SEC team on any given night can beat the other...well almost any.
October 8, 2007 at 2:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Texas_Tiger (anonymous) says...
At least USC has subscribed to Spurrier's whining ways. He was a crybaby at Fla. And he is even a bigger baby at USC!
October 8, 2007 at 3:05 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
LSUAlum (anonymous) says...
blah blah blah....GEAUX TIGERS!!!!!
October 8, 2007 at 3:39 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
HuckleBarry (anonymous) says...
You guys are all missing the point. It doesn't matter who your favorite team was, what the stats showed, or even who won or lost, because it was simply football at its finest.
This was truly a ONCE-IN-A-GENERATION game where real champions competed--putting it all on the line when it counted and showing their athleticism, their mettle, their spirit and their greatness.
We were all blessed just to have been a witness to it all.
October 8, 2007 at 4:38 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
dilligaf1 (anonymous) says...
Well as someone being raised in Baton Rouge.I know there is always room for 1 more Tiger Fan,however I also am a fan of the SEC and I am proud of both teams for the way they made the nation stand up and take even more notice than before.Stop putting these games under the microscope and maybe since ya'll haven't been in the SEC for very long we will excuse yall's contempt for teams who play the same game the same way as everybody else except for 60 minutes instead of 30.
October 8, 2007 at 5:19 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
tigerdro (anonymous) says...
very true HuckleBarry! it was an EPIC game. it was fantastic coaching. Sometimes LES truly is MOR!
i just couldn't let Rooster get away with that Fla domination tripe. ;)
October 8, 2007 at 6:21 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
knicole (anonymous) says...
First off, I'd like to thank Ken Burger for writing this.
Secondly, to all of you who don't believe that LSU should be ranked number one:
LSU has worked hard for this, and they appreciate the fact that they've been blessed to win games. They are NOT one of the teams like USC who get ranked number one simply because of who they are. They are supporting their community with every game they win, and in turn their community is supporting them.
Number one teams aren't made by dominating their opponents through the entire game. They're made when you're down in the fourth quarter and get into the endzone by sheer will.
This game was not about who your favorite team is, it is not about the fact that you'll hold a grudge because LSU beat your team, it is about the fact that Saturday's game is what college football is PLAYED for. It's played for games like this, where it leaves you hanging on till the last 2 minutes. It's made for watching a rivalry play and watching two teams BOTH struggle to prove themselves. It's made for risky calls and plays that leave you speechless. It's made for combacks. Right now, it's made for LSU.
October 8, 2007 at 8:01 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
dilligaf1 (anonymous) says...
I second that,thanks Ken Burger for a great article.
October 8, 2007 at 9:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Gumbeaux (anonymous) says...
Thank you, Mr. Burger. Like we say in Louisiana, it takes time, patience and skill to make a really good gumbo. We are very proud of LSU and Coach Miles...they have both worked very hard to accomplish a #1 ranking. Your "kudos" to LSU is appreciated. In time, without a doubt, SC will rise to a higher level as well. Good luck the rest of the season! Geaux Tigers!
October 9, 2007 at 11:40 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
swamptiger07 (anonymous) says...
Mr.Burger .... Great Article ! I completely agree, this was the best college football game I've ever seen. Sure I'm a Tiger fan, but my hats off to the Gators. So much heart and soul by both clubs was displayed in the game. What a shame that someone had to lose. Best Conference in the nation .... SECond to none. GEAUX TIGERS !
October 9, 2007 at 12:55 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
angola76 (anonymous) says...
For 20 years I have sat on the 35 yard line behind the LSU bench in Tiger Stadium. Even though I bleed purple and gold, I can say that, without a doubt, even if the teams had been reversed and Florida had made the comeback to win with one minute left in the game, that was the single best Football Game that I have ever witnessed. That includes the Earthquake Game against Auburn and the So.Cal. game. This game was THE primer on how a football game should be played. Both teams gave it their all. Both teams refused to play it safe or to be cautious. Both teams exhibited incredible strength, will, and character throughout the entire game. It was a shame that either team had to lose. Florida should be ranked #2, not #13. Mr. Burger, you are right - but I would amend your analysis to say that LSU AND Florida are what you want in a Football Team. Great article.
October 9, 2007 at 1:34 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
tigermania (anonymous) says...
A truly great game indeed and thanks for a superb article. But at my age I dont think I could take many more games like that. Kudos to the Tigers and Coach Miles, who will surely be known as a riverboat gambler from now on. I hope he stays for many years at the Tigers' helm, but coaching is a fickle business to say the least. If those gambles had backfired the messages here would have been much different. However I do agree with all five of the fourth down calls. Incidently my top five for this week: No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Tim Tebow, No. 3 Oklahoma, No. 4 California, No. 5 Florida.
October 9, 2007 at 4:09 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mikethetiger (anonymous) says...
Great article. It's good to see Les Miles get some credit for being the good coach that he is proving to be.
Also a lot of good comments from readers. BUT - decoteau1 - Pleeeese hav sombody prooof reed yo submisons in the fewtur. Yore gramar is aatrocious. GO TIGERS.
October 9, 2007 at 4:19 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Renegade (anonymous) says...
Excellent article! Geaux Tigers!
Check out Renegade's BS
October 9, 2007 at 4:51 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
tellitlikeitis (anonymous) says...
Any team with a 4th quarter 10-point lead who cannot control the ball enough to finish the game should not be ranked in the top 10.
October 9, 2007 at 11:54 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
im4lsu (anonymous) says...
Just truly a wonderful "unbiased" article. Brings the picture to light of the way it can best be conveyed. Although it is clearly biased on my part, born in Baton Rouge, living in Maryland, I have heard rumors that there were another 50,000 rabid fans outside of Tiger Stadium DURING THE GAME who could not get tickets.....there supporting OUR TIGERS. What does this say?
Florida played VERY galliantly; they should keep their heads up. Coach Miles used "unconventional", "gutsy" "risky" techniques supported on a foundation of "TEAM CONFIDENCE" to accomplish the WIN. Coach Miles gets "Coach of the Year" in my book. The odds were against he and the Tigers, however, THEY pulled it off.
Geaux Tigers. I am VERY proud for and of the LSU Football Program.
October 10, 2007 at 7:30 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Ossie (anonymous) says...
Pols101 wrote "What were the Florida coaches thinking? They had every opportunity to stop them.
We had a house full of people and all of them were yelling fake,fake,fake on the field goal on the last series. Did you guys see it coming too?"
Sure they saw it coming but Spurrier told them to cover the kicker around the end!
October 11, 2007 at 12:16 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
coastalcajun (anonymous) says...
Aww.. Mr. Burger you make me blush purple and gold!
Thank you!
October 11, 2007 at 1:19 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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