LSU 2-0

The title is really all I can definitively say about LSU right now. The team is 2-0. I haven't written anything since the Washington game because I don't have that much to say, and I don't write something just to write something. Having said that, there are a few issues I've been thinking about:

Offensive Line

The topic of a lot of discussion the last two weeks, people want to see improvement here. It doesn't just need improvement, though. It needs drastic improvement if LSU is going to avoid going 3-5 in the SEC again. I was thinking that it might just be an issue of gelling and teamwork, but I rewatched the Vandy game and think it goes beyond that. On one play Lyle Hitt gets shoved two yards into the backfield on a running play. It was a play where he's supposed to be the aggressor, not the passive interceptor. Instead, he got embarrassed by the left DT, who came dang close to tackling Keiland Williams for a loss. Ciron Black was getting beat straight up by someone named--hold on while I check the game thread--Broderick Stewart. On another play Stewart came inside and the tackle looped outside him. Black tried to pass Stewart on to Dworaczyk, who was still in the middle of engaging the moving tackle. Stewart slipped in between them to pressure Jefferson.

It seems like there's both individual and unit performance issues that need to be addressed. I think Vanderbilt has some legitimate SEC talent up front, but if LSU is having trouble moving Vanderbilt out of the way, I don't want to think about what's going to happen with the big boys they have to face.

Offensive Rhythm

The offense looks sloppy, like it's relying more on athleticism and getting guys into space than on execution and fundamentals. I don't want it to be a "grab bag" of plays that seems mish-mash just to keep the defense off balance. I want to see a play run because the players are good at running the play, and because it's part of a cohesive game plan to attack the defense. Is Miles holding Crowton back? I don't think so. I think Jordan Jefferson is holding him back. Jefferson has not impressed me as a passer, and I think that has affected Crowton's playcalling. The griping about throwing the ball downfield is partly a function of the line not being able to protect, and partly Jefferson just not being all that good at it. He overthrew two receivers a long passes against Vanderbilt. One was an easy touchdown, the other an easy interception that was called back.

I'm not sure what to think about Terrance Toliver, other than that he could be really, really good. I think he dropped about three balls against Vanderbilt, though. It's way too early to say that he's reached 2007 Lafell levels of dropsiness, so I'll hold off until another couple of games have gone by.

LSU/UW Thoughts

I've already given most of my thoughts on the game in the LSU/UW thread and the Replay thread, so I'm not going to rehash it all again. I will say that I didn't see a lot of breakdowns in the secondary that led to huge plays, at least in the area of blown assignments. If Jai Eugene gets beat 1 on 1 downfield, that's not Chavis's fault, and if Chad Jones gets two hands on a guy and can't make the tackle, that's not bad coaching, either. Like pretty much every game, the outcome would have been different if the players had just played better.

Let's go over what I was looking forward to and see how it played out:

1) Russell Shepard. I saw him standing around the huddle during timeouts with his head down, but he never set foot on the field. My #1 thing to look for against Vanderbilt will be...Russell Shepard.

2) A fast defense that can handle a mobile quarterback. Didn't happen. Little pressure from the front four, and Locker threw for a bunch of yards even before the meaningless last drive. The ends pinched down hard on a lot of play action, giving Locker a chance to make plays with his legs on the outside.

3) Execution. Meh. Tackling stunk, and the offensive line was really unimpressive. However, I absolutely loved LSU's last drive of the game. Jefferson was 3 for 3 passing, and the option plays were run very well, with Jefferson making good decisions each time. I think the defense looked like they knew what they were doing, even if they missed too many tackles.

4) Something not referred to as the "Wild Tiger." Wish granted. We didn't even see a package close to it.

5) Pressure from the front four. Nope. Alem was credited with a sack when Locker's knee hit the ground as he was diving forward, and Nevis blew through with a sack when Washington was playing catchup. Other than that, LSU had to blitz to get pressure, which exposed some open spaces the blitz created.

6) LSU fans putting up a good showing at Husky Stadium. Wish granted, and then some. LSU may have had as many as 20,000 people in the stadium. We saw them all over town before and after the game. The Washington crowd seemed a lot louder when I watched the replay on TV than they did in the stadium. Keep in mind that they don't even start school until the 30th. When LSU scored, the crowd got quiet. If the other team had scored in Tiger Stadium, the crowd would come roaring back to pump up the team. The people up there are really nice, but their crowd wasn't much of a challenge.

Game Day vs. Washington

Looking out the hotel window, it looks like half of Seattle is covered in sunshine, and half is covered in clouds. Weather.com says it'll be around sixty degrees and cloudy/rainy all day long and through the game. I expected nothing less. We'll hit a few spots and hopefully find a good place to watch UGA/OSU and some of VT/ALA. The Seattle chapter of LSU Alumni has apparently set up something big, so we may stop in on that as well.

There's all sorts of stories about the mass of LSU fans here, and I can attest that there were many of them on the flight here and at the airport. I've seen a few in the hotel. I don't know what the exact numbers will end up being, but I think LSU is putting up a good showing that's surprising--maybe even shocking--the local folks. I think the players and coaches will be pleased with what the LSU crowd brings to the stadium tonight.

Lee Corso picked Washington to upset LSU, which is fine. UW is a Pac-10 team with a good quarterback, and LSU is traveling across two time zones to play a night game. Stranger things have happened. One of the great lessons fans should learn is not to get ticked off at predictions, and it doesn't matter if it comes from Corso, Holtz, Herbstreit, Cowherd, Mandel, Maisel, or anybody else. Predictions do not matter. Besides, do you really want to beat up on and hate a guy who loves college football and is recovering from a stroke? In lots of areas of TV coverage there are people on camera who aren't there because they're the absolute expert on the subject, but because they're good on TV. The ability to provoke a response from the viewing audience without sounding like a complete crackpot is a valuable commodity.

I don't think I'll be able to write anything until we get back from the game, so take care till then.

What I'm Looking Foward to at Washington

I have reasonably low expectations for the teams I root for, probably as a result of being a lifelong fan of both the Cubs and the Saints. I really know how to pick a winner, don't I? I don't demand championships, though winning the SEC West now and then doesn't seem like an unreasonable request. I don't think that not dominating every possession of every game means the head coach should be fired. So instead of a list of expectations and demands, here's what I'm looking forward to seeing Saturday night in Seattle (in person, no less):

1) Russell Shepard. The season's success on offense this season rests on the shoulders of Jordan Jefferson, but the true joy (I hope) on that side of the ball is going to come from watching Shepard run the ball. Or catch the ball. Or take a handoff, or throw the ball, or hand it off, or stand on his head and gargle peanut butter. Ciron Black has been raving about him in practice, pretty much saying everybody needs to watch out and say their prayers. I hope to high heaven he's right.

2) A fast defense that can handle a mobile quarterback. Jake Locker is a legit dual threat, and if the linemen and linebackers aren't disciplined, he can do some serious damage with his legs. I think this will be a good test to see how far the front seven has come in terms of recognition and consistent tackling.

3) Execution. It's the first game of the season, so this part may be a little iffy, but the one thing I always, always, always want to see out of my team is that they look like they know what the heck they're doing. Sloppy play drives me up the wall, and can easily inject bad sentiment into your gut even if you win.

4) Something not referred to as the "Wild Tiger." Come on, people. Arkansas called it the Wildcat, then changed it to the Wild Hog, now Nutt runs the Wild Rebel, and tons of other schools are running the Wild [INSERT TEAM MASCOT HERE]. Can't LSU come up with something a little more original that's LSU-related but doesn't follow the exact same format as everybody else? If the collegefanatics rallying cry for the offense is "Unleash the Wantango!", could we call it the "Wild Wantango"?

5) Pressure from the front four. Fans love blitzing, and I'm sure players do too, but if you have to blitz to get pressure on the quarterback, a good team will find a way to exploit open spaces in coverage. I prefer to see my team blitz out of convenience, not out of desperation. Dropping seven into coverage does not hurt my feelings at all.

6) LSU fans putting up a good showing at Husky Stadium. A friend of mine was in Tucson in 2003 when LSU played Arizona, and she said she'd never seen so much purple in all her life. I'm hoping that Tiger fans will leave a similarly impressive mark on Seattle.