One of our Hawkeye posters wrote "A Tale Of Two Plays" to demonstrate the difference between our BCS Bowl season of 2002 compared to "what mighta been" in 2005. I thought I'd do an LSU version... hope I got my facts straight!!! Moving the clock back… (November 22, 2003) #4 LSU rolls into Oxford to play #15 Ole Miss. A win by the Tigers would keep their hopes alive for an SEC West title, a conference championship, and a possible a berth in the BCS Championship game. Ole Miss can clinch their first ever SEC West title with a win. Three LSU turnovers have kept the game close and the Tigers lead 17-14 with less than five minutes to play. Ole Miss has gained momentum with quarterback Eli Manning seemingly having found his stride in the fourth quarter. The Rebels move the ball to the LSU 36 yard line. Jonathan Nichols comes on to attempt the game-tying field goal. Nichols had missed an earlier field goal attempt, his first of the season. The kick is perfect. Ole Miss goes on to win the game in overtime to secure a berth in the SEC Championship game. LSU ends its season with a win over Wisconsin in the Capital One Bowl. Moving the clock forward… (September 16, 2006) # 6 LSU travels to Jordan-Hare to meet # 3 Auburn. It is LSU’s first conference game of the year. Hopes are high, as second year coach, Les Miles, has just completed the “Katrina Season” guiding the Tigers to an 11-2 record, their first SEC West title since 2001, and a 40-3 thrashing of Miami in the Peach Bowl. Miles had replaced Nick Saban, who had moved on to the Miami Dolphins, having guided LSU to one SEC title and one BCS appearance (2001) in his tenure as head coach. The Auburn game would be a typical SEC slugfest, with turnovers and field position probably determining the outcome of the game. Having failed to convert early from the Auburn 32, LSU got the break they needed on the following series. Craig Steltz picks off Brandon Cox’s pass at the Auburn 45 and returns it to the Auburn 29. Two plays later, Russell hits Dwayne Bowe with a 22 yard pass for a TD. The Tigers withstand a late Auburn rally and return home with a 10-7 victory. LSU would go on to suffer a mid-season loss at Florida, but would redeem themselves with a 31-21 victory over the Gators in the SEC Championship game and a berth in the BCS title game, where they easily handle # 1 Ohio State, 42-14. Two seasons, two plays, two histories written… and little outside the realm of possibility.
2001 - The Ole Piss loss sucked, but I really loved this season... With Rohan and company, this was actually a fun season to watch. Great stories. The early loss to Tennesee. The revenge victory in the SECCG under the leadership of a new face that would lead LSU to a great victory in a couple years. Entertaining year. 2002 - Bluegrass Miracle saved this season. I believe that if Mauck had not gotten hurt late vs. Florida (when he should have been pulled out the game already), LSU would have won the SEC this year. 2003 - Wouldn't change a thing... Though had LSU really discovered who their best runningbacks were before the UF game they may have won... I blame injuries. Geaux Tigers... 2004 - LSU screwed by the "one season rule" on the xtra point vs. Auburn, keeps them out of the championship game. End of Saban era. Lost the bowl game on a blown coverage hail mary... and Saban is the best DB coach in the nation eh? 2005 - Katrina. Team was exhausted vs. Tenn. Was dead vs. Georgia. Should have been a national championship year. All things considered, great season. 2006 - LSU's national title hopes once again screwed by officials at Auburn... many blatantly bad calls. Great season though.
It really is kind of amazing how overall perceptions can be fundamentally changed towards a coach or an entire team based on one play. Along the same lines, how about Syracuse upsetting Notre Dame in the final week of play in 2003 or UCLA upsetting USC this year. If the upsets don’t happen, then both LSU and Florida are left out of a chance to compete in the title game. You have to have luck go your way to get to the title game, no way around it.
This one should hit home Hawker. How about a tale of one play? LSU clearly should have beaten Iowa in the bowl game in the 04 season. Given that, here is what LSU's final rankings would have been the last 4 years: 2003 - 1 2004 - 6 2005 - 5 2006 - 3 Given that, we are officially a top tier elite program
LOL.. of course, in the Hawkeye version of things, our defensive breakdown allowing Broussard's scamper to end the first half was just as much a fluke as the LSU defensive breakdown at the finish... the latter being a tad more memorable. I think the point is... during that season there was a single play in one of our regular season games that could have caused either of us to be in a bigger bowl... or a smaller bowl.:wink:
I would argue that if you change 2004 to the real rating of 16, we are still an offical top tier elite program. Since 2000, we have the recruiting classes, 2 SECC's, 1 :crystal: , and 3 Sugarbowl wins to prove it!
Hawker, I'm not completly doubting what you say about the broussard play ending the half being just as bad a breakdown but please refresh me, I was at that game and was still a bit groggy from the early start/late night before. I find it hard to believe it was as rediculously botched coverage as our db prude being in another zip code as ya'lls receiver he was supposed to guard, whose winning td catch was the first (and only if I member correctly him being a senior?) of his career, I'm sorry that just screams about as rediculously fluky as you can get haha.:lsup: LSU! for instance you could argue that our Bluegrass Miracle play was as big a fluke as you could get, but without question this play was not without kentucky db's/safety's/hell linebackers guarding henderson with 3 or 4 or 5 people and the ball just bouncing his way. To me that's incredibly different then someone just playing pitch and catch to a receiver whose wide open by at least 20 yards.
Hawker, I'm not completly doubting what you say about the broussard play ending the half being just as bad a breakdown but please refresh me, I was at that game and was still a bit groggy from the early start/late night before. I find it hard to believe it was as rediculously botched coverage as our db prude being in another zip code as ya'lls receiver he was supposed to guard, whose winning td catch was the first (and only if I member correctly him being a senior?) of his career, I'm sorry that just screams about as rediculously fluky as you can get haha.:lsup: LSU! for instance you could argue that our Bluegrass Miracle play was as big a fluke as you could get, but without question this play was not without kentucky db's/safety's/hell linebackers guarding henderson with 3 or 4 or 5 people and the ball just bouncing his way. To me that's incredibly different then someone just playing pitch and catch to a receiver whose wide open by at least 20 yards. vbrep_register("545024")
