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| Good football teams run good fake field goals Photo via Miami Herald |
But the national media aren't sold on the Tigers as a real national title contender because of how they have been winning. Yet if LSU remain unblemished, they will remain in the Top 10 of all polls.
LSU welcomes in the 2-3 McNeese State Cowboys to Tiger Stadium. Here are three things to look for...
1. How will LSU run the two quarterback system?
The blueprint worked out beautifully versus Florida. LSU had both Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee play the best game of the season versus Florida. The result was LSU's best offensive performance of the season.
Now the question will be where do the Tigers go from here.
Lee has been the spark plug LSU needed at quarterback. According to PreSnapRead.com, the Tigers have managed at least 385 yards of total offense in the last two games. This has been the first time they have accomplished that since 2007.
Oh yeah, Lee has two 4th quarter comeback victories against SEC opponents.
Jefferson has contributed to those wins as well. He has three rushing touchdowns in the last two weeks and finally reached the century mark again in passing vs Florida.
Against the 2-3 Cowboys, how will offensive coordinator Gary Crowton split the snaps? Will he have Jefferson start, Lee come in on the third series? And then have Jefferson play deep in the red zone and Lee in on every other play?
Or will Crowton try to throw the football with Jefferson? No. 9 told me earlier this week his completion to DeAngelo Peterson on the first drive "put his confidence through the roof."
My two cents on the quarterback situation... Lee needs to be the full time starter.
2. Can the special teams rebound after a rough week in The Swamp?
LSU made the biggest special teams play of the game on the fake field goal. But outside of whatever you want to call that, the Tigers had their first poor performance on special teams.
Patrick Peterson's Heisman campaign took a "Christine O'Donnell" versus Florida.
He fumbled a punt return which resulted in points for the Gators and was not on the field during the crunch time snaps because of cramps.
From getting to know Peterson, I would expect him this weekend to want to make some kind of big play to make up for lost time.
The kickoff unit also allowed an uncharacteristic touchdown return last week. Kicker Josh Jasper said their was a miscommunication on the play which allowed Florida's Andre Dubose to find a gaping hole on the play.
I would expect to see LSU have a strong day in special teams versus the Cowboys.
3. Who wins between Arkansas and Auburn?
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| Many voters have Newton as Heisman frontrunner. Photo via aubtigers.blogspot.com |
The Auburn Tigers will welcome in the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday in the must-see game of the weekend in college football. The Hogs only lost on the season came at the hands of Alabama Crimson Tide earlier this year.
Because of the Crimson Tide's loss last weekend versus South Carolina, the SEC West is now wide open. The four teams who everyone thought would be great football teams in the West are still in the hunt for the SEC Championship.
The story lines run deep between the Tigers and Hogs. The quarterback match up between Heisman hopefuls Cam Newton and Ryan Mallet features the two best signal callers in the SEC. Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn used to be in the same position at Arkansas. Auburn true freshman running back Michael Dyer played his high school ball in Little Rock, Ark.
On defense, Auburn defensive tackle Nick Fairley is a three way battle with Marcell Dareus of Alabama and Drake Nevis for the best interior lineman in the conference. On the other side of the football, Arkansas defensive end Jake Bequette has been the Hogs most potent defender.
Even though the Tigers are at home, I like Arkansas to win this game. The chess match between Bobby Petrino and Malzahn will be fun to watch, but Auburn's defense is not playing as well as Arkansas'.
Prediction
Not much to say about this one. LSU wins big.
LSU 38 - McNeese St. 10
3 comments:
Dang I was close on this one.
LSU vs Auburn should be SEC game of the year next week.
Power:
You are a brilliant prognosticator when talking about the HardKnockTigers, because your astute pregame prediction of 38-10 almost matched the final outcome of 32-10. Amazing !!!! Do you play the stock market too ???
The McNeese game makes your first point even more imperative -- Lee needs to be the full-time starter. You called your Lee starter suggestion "two cents" when your opinion is actually worth a MILLION DOLLARS.
JJ's fumble at the goal line hurt us, and his game stats of 4 carries for -24 yards won't cut it vs. Auburn. Will Miles listen to "Power" and pull the trigger and let Lee start vs. Cam Newton? If he doesn't, then "those" Tigers will beat "us" Tigers big-time.
About your 2nd point, the special teams were great today, with the exception of the Jasper missed gimmes. Peterson was a game changer on returns, repeatedly putting us in good field position. Again, Power, you called it when you wrote in your column above, "FROM GETTING TO KNOW PETERSON, I WOULD EXPECT HIM TO MAKE SOME KIND OF BIG PLAY." His 45 yard kickoff return was key in the first quarter and the 34 yard punt return was spectacular. But even when they didn't kick it to him, we got great field position when they kicked it short to avoid him.
Your pick on the Arkansas/Auburn game did not match your brilliant preview of LSU/McNeese. But then again, no one in the USA knew that Auburn's Cam Newton would be the second coming of Bo Jackson, only this time at the quarterback position. Like Auburn's Jackson, Newton has moved into the top 3 in the Heisman tally. Like Bo Jackson's destruction of Brian Bosworth at the goal line on Nov. 30, 1987 on MNF, Cam Newton put a pancake truck-stick on Arkansas no. 31 Jerico Nelson and ran over him at the goal line in the first quarter.
LSU's defense again led the way over McNeese, but the Chief must install a system to stop 6-foot-6 250 lb. Newton, who today ran for 188 yards and passed for 140 in route to ringing up 65 points. But even more importantly, LSU must have an offense to score points against a porous Auburn defense that allowed 43 points and 4 touchdown passes from the reserve arkansas QB Wilson. A full-time starter Lee is the man that gives LSU the best chance to win and to deliver the pigskin to our playmakers Toliver, Shepherd and Randle. Ridley will run hard, and Michael Ford's 86 yards and 2 touchdowns tonight gives LSU great depth in the running attack.
We Tiger fans eagerly anticipate your predictions next week for LSU/Auburn. You called it right on LSU/McNeese all the way. MJ
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