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Story Archives: Vanilla won't cut it with UF


Vanilla won't cut it with UF
by Joey Martin - posted Thursday, October 8th, 2009 @ 11:40 pmE-mail Story E-mail Story | Print Story Print Story 
So the fact LSU lost to Georgia 52-28 last year when LSU was ranked No. 11 and Georgia at No. 9 and the fact I actually picked Georgia to beat LSU means I should be thrilled about LSU's 20-13 win over Georgia Saturday.

Not so fast my sure-to-be-wearing-the-Gator-head-at Gameday-Saturday-in-Baton-Rouge friend.

Obviously any time you win between the hedges is quite a feat.

But there was just so much wrong with that win that I am still shaking my head in wonder.
That was a game LSU could have won 52-8 with the proper play-calling and execution. I'll give all-everything A.J. Green one touchdown, but it would have had to have been against Patrick Peterson and nobody else.

And Green is going to get away with a couple of push-offs during the contest.

That was the last of several mistakes, not having Peterson on Green late in the game.

The play-calling once again was so vanilla. And I am so tired of hearing, "Well, LSU is just setting up things for later."

Duh?

Do you really think Florida is not going to be ready for Russell Sheppard to throw the football. And do you really want Sheppard's first pass to be against Florida.

Heck, if Sheppard throws the football against Georgia then they don't have eight men on the line when he runs the ball and it gives other defense something to think about so he may have a little more success running the ball.

And what's with Jordan Jefferson running the option? Jefferson is not an option quarterback. Run the Wildcat with Sheppard or Trindon Holiday, but don't have Jefferson in a situation where he pitches the ball to Charles Scott or Keiland Williams too early or too late.

Jefferson has done a good job at quarterback and is getting better each week. He will continue to improve on his reads, he just needs to get rid of the football a little quicker at times because his offensive line is not performing up to their preseason hype.

Ciron Black, considered a top draft pick next year, had Georgia defensive players run around him several times and the line has not been able to get a push on runs by Scott up the middle, although they certainly are getting enough practice with the play calling.
And what was that before the half?

LSU gets the ball at their 40-yard line with three minutes remaining.

Jefferson is sacked for a loss of six yards, then rushes for three yards to the 37, going out of bounds.

On third-and-13, Jefferson completes a pass to Terrance Tolliver for 13 yards to midfield for a first down.

Earlier in the quarter, LSU had a fourth-and-one at the Georgia 9-yard line and line up in a tight formation where Jefferson was stopped for no gain.

I don't know if that gave Miles the cold feet or what, but better execution and play-calling in both instances would possibly have given LSU a 16-0 lead going into halftime.

Believe me, the rest of the season those points are going to be at a premium.

And considering how much time they gave Joe Cox to throw the football in the second half, they sure could have used it. Where is the pass rush? Where is the blitzing? You cannot rely on Rahim Alem putting pressure because he takes such a wide angle on his pass rush they he usually is out of the play by the time the quarterback throws the football.

Hopefully, the Tiger coaching staff will open things up in the future and not play so close to the vest. Miles certainly had no trouble trying some crazy things in the past. Even if they didn't work, it gave the other team something to think about and let his team know he's got a lot of confidence in them.

LSU won by talent Saturday between the hedges. I can't credit the coaching or the officials.
The celebration penalties are bogus. If a player is not taunting the other team or fans, then let them celebrate.

But credit LSU for taking advantage of the calls, where Georgia did not.

Holliday had a 40-yard return which would have put LSU near midfield on a regular kick. Scott had a 33-yard run that would have gone farther.

LSU did what it had to do at the end. It's the beginning and middle that really had me concerned. And still does.

Joey Martin is sports editor of the Concordia Sentinel in Ferriday/Vidalia. The Concordia Sentinel is a sister publication of The Franklin Sun in Winnsboro and The Ouachita Citizen in Monroe/West Monroe. Martin can be reached by e-mailing joey@concordiasentinel.com.
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