Hello Tiger fans! That was a tough fought win. LSU knew that with all that wild weather they would have to play old school backyard football. It may not have been the cleanest game, but LSU’s sheer power definitely impressed me.
We had an unimpressive first half that wasn’t the wind’s fault. We couldn’t get first downs. If we hadn’t had fast punt coverage to jump on two muffed punts we would’ve had a goose egg for points. I hope we can get some points on the board faster when we play Texas A&M or an elite bowl team.
With 25 m.p.h. winds in the second half, it was understandable to see only 81 yards passing, knowing that if we threw a ball over 15 yards it would get blown all the way to Nashville. Even still, we should have passed a bit more in the first half. Danny Etling didn’t have a signature game but he protected the ball and avoided mistakes.
Our rush game on the other hand was as good as ever. Even Danny Etling added a dimension to the rush game. On one of our touchdowns, the whole defense followed the sweep to Williams that scored twice that night, but this time Etling kept it and ran up an empty middle. Our offensive line proved its brute strength to help out our running backs. Derrius Guice was running with juice and repeatedly got 10 yards.
We had a great day on defense, especially in the second half when we completely shut them down. We saw that the Vols had a few playmakers but LSU didn’t let them get their way. Our defensive line got penetration and our corners played lock down coverage. LSU’s defense does not give up more than a touchdown on a good day. They are an impressive crew and a real testament to the great fortune we have in Dave Aranda running our defense.
I was impressed with the ball protection, which considering the wet and windy conditions was all the more incredible. Our special teams were good besides a few missed kicks, which has cost Connor Culp his kicking job (once again) and has Coach Orgeron scouring the country for a great kicker.
Tennessee could have been a trap game for us, but we kept our focus and discipline and played hard for 60 minutes. As Coach O said in his amazing halftime interview, “You gotta love football!” He certainly has these Tigers, and their fans, loving football again.
Go to my blog to see Coach O’s recap
GEAUX TIGERS!
