I'm as disappointed as anyone in this loss today. I was hoping for another LSU NC. We need to look at the reality of College Football today. There is a reason why no college football team has won two BCS National Championship trophies. This college football season is a perfect example. At this point NO ONE KNOWS who will be in the National Championship game with one week to go in the season. And guess what? We want even know until after next weeks games are played. Do you hear me??? Ohio State finished its season last week and they have just as good an opportunity to sneak in from #5 as does Georgia from #7. I peeked at the Geogia board today and they are all excited about Georgia sneaking into the NC game. And yes, it's very possible we could sneak in as well. Anyone who trashes this team or coaches needs to look in the mirror and ask themselves how committed an LSU fan they are. It's obvious these players were not at the top of their game. Arkansas wanted it more and got the game. This is the story of college football today. And life in the SEC makes it even harder to go undefeated or even finish the year with 1 loss. The players played against a week of distractions, a meaningless Arkansas game having already clinched the division with injuries galore. They kept fighting back just like against Kentucky but came up short in OT. I'm very proud of this team. I hope and pray they can now get past this and be ready for the SEC Championship Game next week. :geauxtige:crystal::helmet:
Tulane, Florida, Kentucky, Auburn, Alabama....... when you end up in a position of "Having to keep fighting back" once or twice, that could be a fair statement but when it's a pattern, and even against teams that shouldn't be able to sniff us, it makes you wonder.
I'd hardly call this game meaningless. I would hope no one on the team approached the game this way. Maybe it was the "cold" weather.
meaningless game? ...... somehow I'm guessing the team felt different, judging by the pain on their faces following the game. LSU was in the driver's seat for the crystal ..... you had the media support behind you , the heavy lifting was done. But, I'm also guessing that this loss wasn't a huge surprise to a significant number of LSU fans. Doesn't make you any less of a fan ..... it just means that you're likely a realist. This LSU team, particularly the defense, has been living on the edge the entire season. The LSU Defense surrendered 503 total yards ...... at home .... at night. They're making a myth out of death Valley ....... Every Arkansas RB averaged > 5.0 yards per carry - all of them. Rushing Name ATT YDS AVG TD D McFadden 32 206 6.4 3 P Hillis 11 89 8.1 2 F Jones 9 85 9.4 0 L Crawford 1 5 5.0 0 I'm actually staggering in disbelief that there was a recent thread on this board that invited comparison between the '03 and '07 squads ........ There is one correction I'd like to make. Ali Highsmith. I've never been a big fan of his style of play, but Peveto has done a good job at getting Highsmith to play disciplined, technique-laden defense. Game ball for Highsmith .... he saved a lot of points last night. Good luck in the SECC ..... represent the West well and hammer the Dawgs .....
My meaningless game comment referring to this Arkansas game is this: Obviously no game is meaningless when you are playing for right to play in the NC game. I think from the coaches and players perspective the question is "How many of these games can you get up for in one season?". We had already clinched our division so this game was not as important as if the winner would win the West. I'm proud of this team. With so many talented teams we have to play how do you get a team up for this Arkansas game? Yes it should be enough with what is on the line. But will all the other coaching distractions going on I'm pretty amazed we almost pulled the game out. Our guys looked exhausted, beat up with with nothing left in the tank. Arkansas wanted it more in the end. I think it's probably harder to play as #1 these days and easier to play from the underdog role. Just look where Florida came from last year. No one gave them any respect. We had all the respect this year and were constantly being criticized for not dominating all of our opponents because of our talent. I think all the media hype finally wore our entire team down enough for us to be venerable to Kentucky and Arkansas.
In reality, 3 for 25...but I digress. If there is one thing I have to give Nutt credit for is he can get his team up for a game, at times. Despite disappointing losses, this is a season I will remember for a long, long time. The way the season has gone so far, I'm looking forward to a very interesting bowl season. It is a bit ironic thinking back to pre-season that the long thread about whether one undefeated WVU team should be in the NC game. Add to that the threads about Kansas all over the NCAA. As fans of different teams we all have disappointments. As fans of college football I don't think I'm the only one who has truly enjoyed the football season this year. It's had more twists and turns than roads do through mountain terrains.
