Sunset Vette

I have my priorities right… I have cable internet, but don’t bother with cable TV. As a result the game I got to watch (Florida versus Tennessee) was boring, and the game I didn’t get to see (LSU versus Auburn) was apparently really exciting. I did get to see “look ins” from the Georgia / Arizona State game so I did get to see some of the better plays. The final score was 26-21 and the game featured five lead changes.

Bottom line: LSU accomplished several things. First, they defeated a top-10 opponent on the road. Championship teams have to be able to do that. Second, they won @ Auburn, which they haven’t done in eight years. Third, they had their first 100 yard rusher at Jordan-Hare stadium. Ever. Last, and possibly most important, they appear to have discovered a potential quarterback in Jarrett Lee.

LSU was supposed to enter this season with Ryan Perrilloux starting at QB. Ryan played frequently last year… even started and won a few games including the SEC title game. But Ryan had more than a few problems and rather than keep him around and potentially poison the program Les Miles opted to let Ryan go. (He’s now with Jackson State, and from what I can tell in reading the box scores hasn’t played much.) With Ryan gone, LSU didn’t have an obvious starter for QB so Les Miles used the early season “tune-up” games against Appalachian State and North Texas to rotate the two potential QBs in and out of the games. Neither was particularly outstanding in those two games as LSU relied mostly on a selection of running backs to dominate.

At Auburn Hatch went down with a neck stinger / concusion leaving the door open for Lee. Lee had a terrible first half during which he threw five passes. Four were incomplete and one was intercepted and returned for a touchdown. In the second half he came back with a terrific performance, including some clutch throws including the game-winning touchdown pass with just over a minute remaining. Hatch may be out for a few weeks, which will allow Jarrett to settle into the role. He will need to settle in and get comfortable quickly. Next week LSU faces Mississippi State in Baton Rouge. State played Auburn really tough in the rain (final score was 3-2) but hopefully will not be a major challenge to LSU in Tiger Stadium. After the Bulldogs come to visit LSU starts a really tough run with games at Florida (who is looking realy good, and is going to want to avenge their loss in Baton Rouge last year), at South Carolina (a tough place to play, just ask Georgia), and then they welcome Georgia into Baton Rouge. Florida is currently ranked 4 and Georgia 3 and LSU 6. I believe I read somewhere that this past week was the first week ever that one conference had half of the top-ten ranked teams… filling out the SEC teams in the top ten were Auburn and Alabama.

Alabama rolled over Arkansas and continues to look really good. Their stock should rise. Georgia travelled well outside of their normal comfort zone to play Arizona State and played really well. Their running back Moreno is impressive, and they also have an emerging threat at wide receiver. (By the way, if you didn’t watch the game Moreno’s line looks impressive: 149 yards wtih a 6.5 yard average. But until the last two carries of the game he had only 98 yards and a 2.something average. He ripped off two long runs at the end of the game and then was removed. He did, however, have an amazing highlight-reel touchdown where he contorted his body around the goalline pylon in midair in order for the ball to break the plane.) Georgia’s defense is also looking really tough. During the game the commentators mentioned that only three teams have opened the season at #1 and dropped to #3 without a loss, and all three of those teams went on to eventually win the national championship. I don’t think Georgia will escape their schedule without a loss; the SEC is just too tough. But if they get through with a single loss (I can hope that it’s to LSU ) then the polls should reward them for playing one of the toughest schedules in the country.

I think Alabama could jump a spot in the polls. Georgia and Florida won’t drop, but there’s nowhere for them to go since USC and Oklahoma were both idle last week and have been winning impressively. Missouri isn’t going to drop as they creamed their latest opponent Buffalo 42-21. Texas won, but against a weak Rice team. Wisconson was idle, but hasn’t looked as impressive as Alabama, so they might swap spots. Auburn will likely drop out of the top ten, but not much further than the top fifteen.

But back to LSU… if they can run the gauntlet of Florida, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama they get to finish out the season with Troy (postponed originally because of hurricane Gustav), Mississippi, and Arkansas. In order to win the SEC West, they are going to have to win at least 3 of those four high-profile games. Fortunately three of the four are at home for the Tigers which hopefully will help.

This is shaping up as a typical topsy-turvey SEC football season. Gotta love it.