An early breakdown of LSU-AU

I agree for the most aprt, CA.
Yall win RB.

How about coordinators:

Pelini vs. Muschamp. Id give a slight edge to Pelini b/c its his second year.

Borges vs. Fisher. Borges may be best in country. Slight edge.

 

it's anybody's guess at this point. The rumor going 'round the Atlanta schollie dinner was that Blackmon would be able to "earn his way" back sooner, and that Sears was seriously in the doghouse. I dunno really.
We really need Sears for his run-stopping ability and his experience. Blackmon, aka "Little Ball of Hate," is inexperienced but talented enough to anchor down the position.

I would agree with you, TB3. I'd give Pelini a slight edge, but I think you'll find I'm in the minority among AU fans that have taken to Muschamp's style. Pelini is not to be messed with and his credentials are to be respected.

JMO, but the noticable thing that Muschamp has brought in already is an immediate impact on the defensive attitude. Our defensive players are developing a swagger that I hardly recognize on the Plains .... something I haven't seen since the Pat Dye/Wayne Hall era, and very reminecent of the
'03 LSU squad. Of course, that might only last 'til the first smack in the mouth, but we'll see soon enough.

I dunno, mnttiger. The biggest improvements always come between the first and second games.... and that's especially true for the freshmen like Holliday. He's not to be overlooked, and I suspect that he'll win a few LSU fans back with a solid performance this weekend. Admit it, you've been spoiled with Skyler all these years ...... and I thought that cat would never leave! :grin:

 

True dat. Skyler was one of a kind.

I'll kindly ask, by the way, if you would refrain from using that vidpic of X-man taking the knee at the 1-yard line from the 2004 UGA debacle. :cuss:

Other than that, you're alright. :wink:

 

Good overall analysis. And now for my commentary...

I don't think there will be anything slight about it. JaMarcus is the Man this year. Even if Cox has improved 2 fold, it wouldn't be enough to be as good as JaMarcus will be this year.

I was very impressed with Irons of Wizzou. You better hope he stays healthy - he'll be tough for us to contain, but no way he goes for 200 yards on us again. As for our running game, well that remains to be seen right now.

I think I would call this one even for now. I think our starting line-ups are pretty evenly split. Ours may be a bit younger, but I think the talent & ability is there.

Somebody else mentioned Zinger just needing the touches... No, the guy can't catch & won't make a meaningful catching difference in this game. Definite advantage Auburn as far as catching ability. Blocking ability - probably even.

Right now, and established running game gives the advantage to Auburn.

No way. LSU's punting & punt coverage is excellent.

Hopefully it will be by game time, but big advantage Auburn right now.

Let's break this down a little further. Muschamp faced Fisher's offense in practice for a few years. Fisher faced Saban's defense in practice for a few years (even though Muschamp called the plays in games). Advantage to Muschamp for familiarity between those 2. Borges - maybe the best OC in the country, but Fisher isn't far behind. Pellini is a better DC than Muschamp IMO. Tuberville/Miles... Maybe too early to tell. Tuberville earned himself a lot of respect with a 14-0 season, but don't forget he was a mediocre coach before that. Which is the true him? This season will go a long way in determining that, but I'm willing to bet it's somewhere in the middle. Even though Miles has yet to accomplish what Tuberville has, I think he's a better coach.

Advantage: Auburn, slightly - for now, only because Miles hasn't completely proven himself. After we beat Auburn it will be official.

For a long time, I agreed. But now, I'm less certain. It could really go either way depending on some big plays. Auburn has the home crowd to help with that, but we have JaMarcus who is known to make them on his own.

 

I think Bo's got more than a 'slight' edge over Will. Will may have learned a lot from Saban, but everyone knows that a DC for Saban is so in name only. He may turn out to be great, but for now, he's well behind in experience. Bo has crafted his own defenses and units in two major football conferences, each with remarkable results. Considering how far along he said the D was in practice, I think this years unit will be just as lights-out, if not moreso, than last years. We've got so much freakishly talented depth at DL that Bo will run a pretty regular rotation, keeping the guys fresh. And I don't think I need to mention the secondary. I see Cox getting shut down and the game falling square on the shoulders of Irons.

 

My compliments to all posters, great points and analysis. This is maybe the best thread in 2 years?

 

Don't forget, Pelini was only the co-defensive coordinator at Oklahoma behind a man that really crafted the defense (Bob Stoops).

 

Nebraska, LSU. Two major football schools in major football conferences.