With the New Orleans Saints hosting a nationally televised Monday night affair against the Tennessee Titans this week, it was the LSU Tigers that had football’s center stage this past weekend.
For the second time this year the Tigers beat a top-12 ranked club when LSU defeated the South Carolina Gamecocks 28-16.
To be honest, the score was no indication of just how dominant the Tigers were because they gave up 9 late game points when the game was all but settled.
The Tigers got this victory over the Steve Spurrier-led Gamecocks without the services of All-SEC wide receiver Early Doucet and offensive guard Will Arnold, and starting quarterback Matt Flynn is still nursing an ankle sprain.
Plain and simple, in the opening four games of the 2007 season the Tigers have been absolutely dominant and statistics don’t even come close to telling the complete story.
But stats do paint quite an intriguing picture.
In four games the Tigers have outscored their opponents 165 to 23. LSU’s stout defense has given up 107 yards rushing on 118 attempts, which equals to 0.9 yards per carry. The Tigers awesome defense has intercepted 9 passes, forced 3 fumbles, accounted for 16 quarterback sacks and opposing quarterbacks have only completed 42% of their passes.
In one word, the Tigers defense has been “awesome.”
Offensively the Tigers have been very good also.
The quarterback combo of Matt Flynn and Ryan Perrilloux have been very efficient running the Tigers’ offense and the Tiger twosome have completed 63.7% of their throws.
Even without star wide receiver Early Doucet for a couple of weeks the Tigers young receiving core has come through big and you can clearly see the development of Brandon LaFell, Jared Mitchell, Chris Mitchell, Demetrius Byrd and tight end Richard Dickson.
The Tigers have set the pace with their running back by committee group led by senior Jacob Hester and the running talents of Keiland Williams, Charles Scott, Richard Murphy and Trindon Holliday. As a group the Tigers have averaged 5.4 yards per carry and they have been the high-octane gas treatment to the Tigers offensive scheme.
Last but not least has been the play of the Tigers special teams units. The coverage and return units have been solid and the punting of Patrick Fisher and the placekicking of Colt David, who was involved in one of the most memorable plays in Tiger history when he took a no-look flip from Matt Flynn and rumbled 15 yards for a touchdown, have been excellent.
Tulane is next on the schedule and this game may turn ugly for the Green Wave.
Despite posting the first win of the Bob Toledo-era at Tulane against Southeastern Louisiana this past Saturday 35-27 and halfback Matt Forte rushing for a Conference USA and Tulane record with 303 rushing yards and five touchdowns, the Green Wave are totally outmatched.
I know you have to take games one at a time, but the Tulane game is a tune-up for what October brings the 2007 version of the Tigers.
Just remember the names of Glenn Dorsey, Ali Highsmith, Tyson Jackson, Curtis Taylor, Luke Sanders, Darry Beckwith, Chevis Jackson, Jonathan Zenon, Craig Steltz, Al Woods, Marlon Favorite, Kirston Pittman, and Danny McCray. All future NFL players and all are playing for the best defense in college football, the LSU Tigers.
They have been indeed awesome and it looks like a modern version of the new “Chinese Bandits.”
Be the first to comment