Well fellow Tiger fans, I know it's not quite midseason yet, but I wanted to share with you my feelings thus far. Many of us, including myself, had some pretty lofty expectations coming into this season--with the reason for that simply being our National title season last year. While even though I've always hoped for an SEC championship every year since I started watching Tiger football--even during the dreaded Hallman years when my love and passion for LSU football surpassed rational thinking, heading into this season, rational thought revisited me. Sort of. I didn't expect a repeat title--recent past has indicated that in today's world of college football, you RARELY experience the "back-to-back" title seasons that might have been common 20-50 years ago. So even though I didn't expect another National title game for our team this year, given the fact that we entered the season with question marks--namely at the QB positon, which, as we all know hasn't been solved as of yet. We also had question marks at WR. Not doubting the talent that we had returning, but the poise and experience is what made some of us, again, myself included, a bit concerned. Another thing that concerned me was losing a lot of players from last year that were so important in helping us win the National title. Replacing players like Clayton, Henderson, Mauck, Lavalias and Hunt, and having to go with players that had either not played in a Tiger uniform, or didn't look particularly comfortable in prior games and having to compete with a "bullseye" on your back. Going into Jordan-Hare, Samford Stadium and The Swamp with young, inexperienced players is not easy. Having said that, yes, after the diehard fan in me hoped for a BCS game, I was willing to accept 2nd-tier bowl games such as the Capital One bowl, and even the Cotton Bowl would be more than acceptible. Capital One, seemingly is out of our reach. The Cotton Bowl might slip through our fingers depending on if we fall to the Gators this weekend, but there's one thing that I'm looking for in this weeks game--hustle. If our Tigers can show hustle, execution on both sides of the ball, and play a clean, solid, game, then win or lose, my confidence level will take a step up where it otherwise fell pretty hard after the UGA loss. A big positive that I can take into this weeks game is that after five weeks, and a 3-2 record, I'm looking at it as this: Our 2 losses, though UGLY, have come one the road. Against the current ranked 3rd and 6th teams in the country. And with an offense that will return intact next season minus the loss of All-American Ben Wilkerson (and all of our "skilled position players" return--the majority for 2 more years), the current lull that we're going through ends soon (not to mention that this schedule from hell softens after this week. Offensively, after feeling disgust and anger, I'm beginning to since a little bit of pride. I'm proud knowing that even though our boys are taking some serious lumps and steep learning curves now, we're going to have them for a long time. Defensively, I'm still perplexed at how we're seemingly getting burned deep in the passing game. I'm not saying that this is the sole reason for our defensive struggles, but until our offense manages to find a rhythm, and avoid turnovers, and sustain drives, then our defense won't get the rest that they despirately need.
You know, I'm disappointed that the Tigers got spanked in Georgia. but I'm not all that tore up about this team. We lost about 25 upperclassmen from last year, many of whom were drafted. Everybody expected LSU to go 9-2 with a tough road schedule and that is where we are at. Early losses are tough, but this team will finish 9-2 or 8-3 with losses only to top-10 teams and go to a major bowl. Curley Hallman would have killed for such a season. Consistent 8-to-10 win seasons in a tough league like the SEC, with an occasional shot at a national championship is all I expect out of the Tigers. Not perfection. I won't have any trouble living with an 8-3 season this year. The 2004 team is young and loses only 9 seniors. Prospects are very good for 2005 and we get our toughest opponents at home.
I agree w/ this assessment 100%, Red. Rep points coming your way. Look at Tennessee. They won the NC back in 1998, and virtually nothing since...yet, they remain in contention, and expectations are high for them every year. I think Nick is building us to that level, and I believe we have the potential to surpass it...not too shabby. And I believe that more SEC and national championships are on the way as our program builds to that level. But we live in an "instant gratification" society...everybody wants things yesterday. The key to building a championship caliber football program is patience. I'm learning this just as everyone else here is. Put simply...I seriously doubt that we will ever see another 45-16 a$$-whipping put on a Nick Saban team...at least not in the foreseeable future.
Hear are some mid-season thoughts about the game overall - Miami really needs a QB. The fact they still are so good with such an over-rated QB shows how much talent that team really has....Berlin is so bad its scary - My National Title team was Iowa. Ha! - Georgia looks to have the best defense in the SEC this year....wow they are physical. - Is it just me or is anyone else not fully sold on JC at Auburn? Played very well against Tenn but their secondary is average to say the least. He did not tear us up by any means. Great 4th quarter drive but I still see them losing 1-2 games this year.; - This may turn out to be a solid year for South Carolina. Shocking for me to say but I wouldn't doubt that they will FINALLY beat either UF or UT for the first time since '92 - Utah will go undefeated. Then proceed to lose against a BCS defense.
My mid-season thoughts... I am actually buying into the commercial about Ball Park franks. The guy "Frank", has gotten me so pumped up every Saturday that I am eating hot dogs all night Saturday and watching the Tigers. Also, besides the huge spread of the defeat to GA I figured on this type of season. The only thing I am disappointed in is that we don't have a true starting QB and JV isn't running as I expected.
Hey Marine Tiger, How about those Navy Middies? Didn't see that one coming, I'll bet. :hihi: :hihi: :hihi: As far as Utah is concerned, I agree w/ you...they have, in Urban Meyer, maybe the best coach in College Football not named Saban, Stoops, Richt or Carroll.
GMan, I am damn proud of them to be undefeated. :thumb: :thumb: Ranked 31st in the AP voting! :rofl: I wish them the best.
Yes, but they will not be able to play at the level they showed last Saturday again. But they may not need to. Campbell is an average SEC quarterback. Not a bad one, not a good one, certainly not a great one. He has his games, but he blows big ones a lot too. And it's not from lack of experience. The guy was a Parade All-American, too, just in case some of us think that honor automatically anoints a QB to greatness -- it doesn't.
