Been sniffing around this site a bit and it seems you all are overlooking Arizona a bit. Yes, the 16-13 win in the opener against BYU was not impressive on all fronts. The offense was anemic at times and the penalties costly. Not to mention WR playmaker Mike Thomas was out with a dinged-up ankle (back this weekend). They really could have used a Stephen F Austin or Louisiana-Lafayette to work out the first-game kinks and get to work in the second half. However like you all, we were playing some young guys on the O-line and they need some time to get their pants dirty. Tuitama is legit at QB and is bound to break out IF the Cats can get some production going on the ground. Arizona's defense is very good. Stoops has now had several years to bring in his type of guys - fast, strong and with a nose for the ball. The secondary is thought by many to be the best in the Pac-Ten. To note, BYU's senior QB John Beck will be the #2 passer in school history when he's done (some pretty good company if you think about it). Arizona's secondary and LB's held him to 289 yards - most of them screen to 10-yard variety. He did not complete a pass play over 25 yards. BYU netted 24 yards on the ground. DE Louie Holmes is a beast and will put his hands on every quarterback he faces this year. Arizona's special teams are also very good. Kicker/punter Nick Folk will be considered one of the best in the country by season's end. He hit the winning FG from 48-out in a swirling wind as time expired. IF the game on Saturday is close, Folk gives the Cats an edge. Final word on Arizona: playing BYU the first game was dangerous. They had to work out the kinks against a good (not great) D-1 opponent and find a way to win despite offensive troubles and a down-day for Tuitama. Just like Notre Dame pulling out a tight one at GTech, the Cats are better for it. They did not cruise. I'm hoping you all can give me your thoughts on LSU. As I could only read about the game versus ULL, it seems they scuffled along a bit in the first half and broke out in the second - a typical first game for a power program playing a cupcake (ie. Texas vs North Texas, Florida vs Southern Miss, Southern Cal vs Arkansas). The sixty-million dollar question: Could your squad be looking past Arizona at the big matchup with Auburn the following week? Many months ago, you all circled Auburn on the schedule -- our guys circled LSU. Not saying the Cats will pull the upset here. Just that if Arizona's D plays as its capable and Tui and the offense click, it could be very close and put a scare into the Tiger Stadium crowd not seen since Oregon State. I really wish I could be there on Saturday. From all accounts, you all throw a helluva tailgate and the stadium environment is just awesome. Thanks for letting me throw my 2 cents in. [FONT="] [/FONT]
It's possible, but not likely. This team stayed focused last season despite having two games moved and the city/campus turned upside down for a month following two major hurricanes. Arizona is not our usual cupcake non-conference opponent and LSU wants to do well with this opportunity. LSU is 3-0 versus PAC-10 teams recently and intends to extend it. And LSU is playing a lot of new guys who are fighting hard for playing time. They need to excel versus Arizona and they know it.
Good post. Most people arent overlooking the game. You are not gonna read many posts that blountly state we arent overlooking the game. It just isnt as fun. :wink: If you read all of the posts from the offseason most people talk about the Zona game as being a very difficult game.
VERY true indeed. A buddy of mine is convinced this is the toughest game on the schedule. Sure, he's kind of a waterhead, but the point is valid. Beware Stoops.
this was one ugly game. maybe less offensive fireworks than even that game last night. i agree with first game jitters and place a lot of the blame on that but both of these teams looked bad. i didnt see any great defensive play as you mention either. offenses looked inept on both sides. however, i dont think LSU will show improvement this game offensively because of USL's bad defensive plan and stoops has a bit more talent to work with. although I do hope we rush with more consistency. tuitama is going to be good but he did nothing special against a much slower defense than he's going to face this saturday. being a true sophomore on the road in front of 92k+ with the lights on is going to be a bit different for him than facing the mormons at home. I do think he will make a few plays and the offense almost has to look more fluid than it did this past weekend but i dont expect many points. key matchup will be your hyped db's against our hyped wr's and whether jamarcus continues to play with consistency. normally I would worry about a sandwich game here but the fact that Arizona is a nice step up from last week plus being only the 2nd game of the season for us lessens that effect. although I do think we will struggle at times I think we pull away eventually. if this game was later in the season where fresno is scheduled, Id be much more concerned. I expect LSU to win a rather close game, 30-17 or so without many big plays on either side. you mentioned wr thomas was out due to injury but i thought i saw him in the game early on and maybe even make a catch or two. i fastforwarded quite a bit due to the excitement so maybe im mistaken.
I'm not overlooking this game. We will kill you. That's what I'm looking at. Then we play Auburn. Simple as that.
