College Football Analysis After Week 11

With the season coming to a close the season is really taking shape as to who is really legit and who was nothing more than overhype.

24 LSU 16 Louisiana Tech

I have seen a lot of games at Tiger Stadium, but this one takes the cake as the worst game I have ever seen in person. One week after a devastating loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide, LSU came out of the gates flat. The team overlooked a pumped up Louisiana Tech team and in turn LSU was fighting for four quarters to win. Two main things stuck out about this game - Jarrett Lee and LSU's game plan.

Jarrett Lee: Last year Lee threw 16 interceptions as a freshman at quarterback. Of those 16 interceptions, 7 were returned for touchdowns. It was a horrific experience for Lee, the team, and the LSU fan base. But we were told that was water under the bridge. We were told that Lee had matured and that last year was no reason to cast him in the fire. He was a 19 year old freshman for crying out loud. If anything this Louisiana Tech game was the biggest game of his career. When the clock struck zero Lee's stats was appalling. He finished 7 of 22 for 105 yards against a 3-7 Louisiana Tech team! I never expected Lee to play lights out (he is the backup after all), but I did expect to see improvement from last year and I did expect him to show LSU that he indeed does have lots of potential for the future.

I saw neither. I saw a deer in the headlights quarterback who, outside the first couple of drives, really struggled. I really must say I was blown away on the lack of progress Lee showed on the field Saturday. He has no confidence in himself and when a play breaks down he panics. Before you know it the ball is sailing out of bounds again. Sure that's better than a pick six but there comes a certain point when you have to say, 'What are you doing?' And worse his teammates do not have confidence in him. After what seemed like the 100th overthrown ball to Brandon Lafell, Lafell ripped off his chin strap in frustration. When he does get a throw off Lee's pass seems to hang in the air for an unbelievable amount of time.

I hope Jarrett Lee has a great life and turns out to be a great father with a successful career, but I do not think (or want) him to be LSU's quarterback. He does not have it. If he truly wants to continue pursuing a career as a quarterback he needs to transfer because I honestly do not see any reason to think things will change for the better.

The second thing I wanted to talk about deals LSU's offensive game plan. In short the game plan sucked. Period. I am still baffled as to why offensive coordinator Gary Crowton called some of the plays he called. At quarterback is Jarrett Lee, a man who has no confidence in himself. After a nightmarish freshman year Lee is now terrified to throw the ball. With all that taken into account why would Crowton think the best way to beat Louisiana Tech was to throw the ball? LSU was running the ball on Tech. Senior running back Keiland Williams was having his way with the Tech defense, yet for some reason Crowton would always resort back to throwing the ball. Why? Why? Why? At the end of the day what helped LSU avoid an upset? RUNNING THE BALL. I can only hope Crowton gets things together for Ole Miss, otherwise confidence will be lost in him as well.

With all that considered I do have to give credit to the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. Head coach Derek Dooley (former LSU special teams coach) made his players believe they could beat LSU in Tiger Stadium on Saturday night. For much of the game that dream seemed like it could really become a reality. Using a wildcat offense and a series of trick plays, Tech was able to keep the game close. I know this has been a difficult year for the Bulldogs as they are now 3-7, but rest assured Dooley is a special coach who continue to improve Tech each and every year.


55 Stanford 21 USC

Two weeks ago the USC Trojans got destroyed in Autzen Stadium to the Oregon Ducks 47-20. The game was the biggest blowout in Pete Carroll's career at USC. No way a loss could get any worse than what USC experienced that Saturday, right? Wrong. Someone forgot to tell the Stanford Cardinals they are not supposed to be fighting for the Pac-10 title. Someone forgot to tell Jim Harbaugh's crew this is a game they are supposed to lose.

Two years Stanford beat USC 24-23 in the Coliseum in arguably the biggest upset in college football history. (Stanford was a 41 point underdog.) For their homecoming game and only two weeks removed from the Oregon embarrassment it was expected that USC would rebound in a big way. Going into the fourth quarter Stanford held a narrow 28-21 lead.

But then it all collapsed. By the time the clocked ticked zero Stanford had cruised to an unheard of 55-21 victory over USC. There are several things that stick out about this game. First, where is USC's defense? Consistently, year in and year out Carroll has a team with defense, but this year the unit has looked atrocious at times. The second thing that stuck out ties in with the first. I was blown away by the success Toby Gerhart. All season Gerhart has been torturing opponents, yet in the back of my mind I felt USC would still neutralize him come Saturday.

At day's end Gerhart had 29 carries for 178 yards and 3 touchdowns. I think it's fair to say that Gerhart did whatever, whenever, against the Trojans.

Now the big question is, is this a sign for things to come for a Harbaugh-led Stanford squad or are they just this year's Ole Miss? It will be interesting to see.


45 Wisconsin 24 Michigan

Four weeks into the season and the Wolverines were 4-0. Now Rich Rod's crew stands at 5-6 with the final game in the Big House against Ohio State. So yes you read that right, in order to avoid a second consecutive losing season UM has to beat the 10th ranked team in the country. The minor defensive holes for the Wolverines have blown up as the season has progressed and in turn the Wolverine fan base has begun to show frustration with Rich Rod's job so far. Keep in mind this is only his second year, he is installing a completely new system, the defense is weak, and lastly, but most importantly there's a true freshman playing quarterback. Also keep in mind that three of the Wolverines' losses have been by an average of 3 points. This is a team that will improve in the future. Give it time.

On the other side the Wisconsin Badgers have slowly gone through this season under the radar with an impressive 8-2 record. Coming into the season Coach Bret Bielema was definitely starting to get on the hot seat, but I doubt that's the case anymore. The Badgers only two losses have been to Ohio State and Iowa. The best news they have is their top quarterback (Scott Tolzien), running back (John Clay), and wide receiver (Nick Toon) will all be back next year. Look for Wisconsin to be a dark horse sleeper for next year's Big 10 title.


24 Cincinnati 21 West Virginia

Cincy has had a pretty easy time with it's opponents this year, but things this week things changed. With 2 minutes left Cincy kicked a field goal to go up 24-14 so the final was closer than the actual outcome, but rest assured WV put up a fight. With all that said, unless Cincinnati falls flat on it's face against Illinois on November 27th, you can assume that Cincinnati will be playing at Pittsburgh December 5th in easily one of the biggest games of the year. Winner of that game will get a BCS bowl.

Currently West Virginia is 7-3, but the team still has a home match up with Pittsburgh (a team who's season they would love to ruin after what happened in 2007)and a road game against Rutgers. If the Mountaineers dropped those final two the team will finish 7-5 and things will start to get a little uneasy in Morgantown with how Bill Stewart's tenure has gone. Yes, going 9-4 last year and 7-5 this year is not bad, but keep in mind this program was flying high when Rich Rod was in town. Fans expect more.


27 Pittsburgh 22 Notre Dame

Charlie Weis you are going to be fired. With 12:44 left in the game ND was down 27-9. The team was able to rally, but again Weis's team fell to a ranked squad. And to top it off ND (already with 4 losses) still has to play Connecticut and Stanford. On paper and from what we have seen I can not see Notre Dame beating Stanford so you are looking at another 7-5 season. That's not Notre Dame. Maybe at Temple or Baylor, but not Notre Dame. Weis has been given enough time and still his teams are, well, average.

Also, I have to say I'm awfully impressed with how well Pittsburgh is doing. In particular Coach Dave Wannstedt who has this Panther team two wins away from a BCS bowl. During his first season Wannstedt went 5-6, the following year he went 6-6, and then the next year in 2007 his team went 5-7. Looking at his first 3 years at Pitt (16-19) it makes you think why Wannstedt was not let go. I honestly think the thing that really factored into him coming back last year was the monumental upset Pittsburgh pulled over West Virginia in 2007. The Mountaineers were one win away from going to the BCS National Championship. All they had to do was beat a 4-7 Pitt team that was a 24 point underdog. Pitt won 13-9 and since that game both programs have been going in opposite directions. That win has catapulted Pitt into believing that they can compete with the nation's best.


24 Florida 14 South Carolina

Florida continued its winning streak to 20 games, but at the same time the team was not over the top impressive. A lot of that has to do with great South Carolina defense. A couple things stood out to me. First, with this loss Spurrier is 34-27 at South Carolina. The Ole Ball Coach really is not much of a coach anymore as his teams rarely finish the season strong. The Gamecocks do consistently play tough, but in the end they lose. Their biggest win in Spurrier's tenure was a six point win over a then top 5 ranked Ole Miss team. Would South Carolina ever think about firing Spurrier? Each year it's the same story. Start strong, finish awful.

Florida has the regular season wrapped up. They play Florida International followed by Florida State, so you can pretty much start talking about the SEC Championship Game. That is a tough game to say the least on who I think will prevail. On one hand I say, 'This is Florida and Tim Tebow. The quarterback advantage for Florida is the clear reason the Gators will win again.' But on the other side I have to think, 'Alabama lost last year and has spent an entire year anxiously awaiting a rematch. Rarely do teams beat Nick Saban twice with the same game plan. If Florida wants any shot of beating Alabama they have to change their game plan.' Because of the events that happened late in the fourth quarter in the LSU/Alabama game I will not be watching the SEC Championship Game, but I can pretty much guarantee it will be a defensive struggle. I will take Florida 24-16.


42 Ole Miss 17 Tennessee

Just when you thought Ole Miss's season was going to completely unravel the team came out and beat up a good Tennessee defense. Dexter McCluster ran for 282 yards and 4 touchdowns! REREAD THAT THREE MORE TIMES! This is not Madden, this is real life! Wow! Despite a season that has had some major disappointments, the Rebels still have a very good chance of finishing the season strong. Their ability to score points against a good defense shows that this team can take down LSU this Saturday. Put it this way - if Ole Miss beats LSU and Mississippi State, and wins their bowl game then you have yourself a 10-3 season. Not bad at all.

With that loss the Vols slip to 5-5. Their two remaining games are against Vandy and Kentucky. If Kiffin's crew finishes strong they will get a bowl. Kiffin has this program going in the right direction. Think of it like this - the Vols do not have the top notch athletes they use too, yet they hung with Florida and almost beat Alabama. Once they get the athletes things will really change. The future is bright.

College Football: Concerns, Issues After Week 2

Two weeks into the season and we already have back to back weeks were a top 5 team have fallen. I can only imagine what the rest of the season holds. Here's what I learned from week 2.

Florida 56 Troy 6: The Gators' D has given up a total of 9 points in two games, but we have yet to see them go against a quality opponent. Florida's second warm up game gave us nothing new about the Gators. UF will take on Tennessee who is not what I would call "a quality opponent" yet.

Houston 45 Oklahoma State 35: One week after defeating the Georgia Bulldogs, Oklahoma State gets beaten at home by the Houston Cougars. This upset is not all that incredible. Houston likes to throw the ball a lot with quarterback Casey Keenum, the 2008 Conference USA offensive player of the year. I am sure Oklahoma State has a better defense than last year, but at the end of the day this game shows us that their pass defense is still lacking. What happens when Oklahoma State goes up against other Big 12 gunslingers like Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy, and Taylor Potts? The remarkable thing is Oklahoma State went down 24-7 rallied to take the lead 28-24 then again at 35-31.

Michigan 38 Notre Dame 34: This was a game that has been marked for months. The losing team was sure to have a head coach who's job security would be damaged. Coming into this game I did not look at Michigan with the same underdog status as most of the country labeled them as. (Mainly because RichRod's offense came into being against Western Michigan in week 1.) Did I honestly think UM would win? No. Overall, very good game and even though ND lost they still have no reason to think this season is over. In the fourth quarter UM held a 31-20 lead that was quickly turned into a 34-31 ND lead with 5:13 left. NOW HERE IS WHERE THINGS GOT INTERESTING. Michigan can not get the ball moving and punts the ball to Notre Dame. The ball is downed with 3:25 left in the game. On first down ND runs for 13 yards for a first down. Now it's first down and ND runs a another play up the middle and is stopped for one yard. UM then uses it's first time out. There are 2:29 left in the game and it is 2nd and 9. On the next two plays ND throws the ball and both are incomplete. UM gets the ball back on a punt on there 43 yard line with 2:19 left and 2 timeouts. And it is right here where you have to ask Coach Weis what was he thinking. If you are going to make that gamble where you throw it instead of opting to run the ball and burn there timeouts you better execute the play otherwise you are going to get ripped apart. Here's the thing, let's say Weis runs the ball on 2nd and 3rd down and both times UM calls a timeout. Well at least when they would get the ball back Michigan would have no timeouts. Weis gambled and lost and now he must pay.

And by the way I was very impressed with Tate Forcier. In his first start he threw for 240 and ran for 70. 310 total yards in one start? Not bad at all.

USC 18 Ohio State 15: This was the game of the week. USC was supposed to run over OSU, but for much of the game OSU was in control. Even after Terrelle Pryor's first play interception, OSU was still able to take control of the game. OSU had the largest crowd in The Shoe's history, they neutralized Joe McKnight, they made Matt Barkley look average, and they had a 5 point lead, 15-10, with 7 minutes to go in the fourth. Yet in the end Ohio State lost a heartbreaker. Behind Matt Barkley, USC had a 6:10 minute drive that was oh so similar to Juice Williams of Illinois's 8 minute drive back in 2007. Even though USC broke OSU's back with that 6:10 drive, the Bucks still had a shot with 1:05 left. After a return to the OSU 36 yard line the offense sputtered and OSU fell again. I can only help but think when is Pryor going to have his moment? Sure it was a difficult situation, down by 3 with 1 minute left, but these are things Pryor is supposed to do. He was brought in as the next Vince Young. This was a situation in which he was supposed to excel. A guy like Pryor is supposed to fall in this sort of sentence. "The game was lost and any normal quarterback would of lost, but we had Pryor so we won." Bottom line when is Pryor going to have his moment?

LSU 23 Vanderbilt 9: There's a lot to be said about the LSU game. There's good and bad news. First the bad, or I should say UNSATISFYING news. LSU's offense is not at the place we all thought they would be. Many times on Saturday LSU went three and out. This was frustrating by all means because our playcalling seemed to be so bland. All summer there was talk about how Gary Crowton was going to really pump up the LSU offense. I, as well as all LSU fans, was excited to see The Wizard (Crowton) do his magic, but we have not seen that yet. I understand QB Jordan Jefferson is young, what I do not understand is why we ran the same old running back dive up the middle on three or four consecutive possessions. Each time LSU was getting no yardage whatsoever. What needed to take place for it to be realized that a running back dive on first down was not working? Also, LSU had 5 wide receivers many times, but very rarely threw the ball deep.

Here are some things to keep in mind if you are one of the people upset by LSU leading Vandy by the mere score of 16-9 in the fourth quarter. Imagine if one of LSU's three field goals resulted in a touchdown. Instead of 16-9, we are looking at 20-9 and a final score of 27-9. The main thing is the offense is still a work in progress but at the same time if they could just punch it in the endzone a little more than LSU would not be in the situation they were Saturday - up by only 7 in the fourth.

Now for the good news. In week 1 LSU's defense gave up an appalling 471 yards of offense to the Washington Huskies. A lot of skepticism came out as to whether or not new defensive coordinator John Chavis was the man for the job. The performance against UW was nothing to be proud of, but I was convinced Chavis would get it under control. After all he is not a first year coach, he has been doing this for years, and he's been good at it.

That all changed this past Saturday against Vanderbilt. The LSU defense gave up a mere 210 yards. Period. Vandy had one scoring drive that would of ended had LB Kelvin Sheppard not dropped an interception that would of surely been six points. Chad Jones, as well as the rest of the team, was tackling a lot better. Also, the defensive line started to really get into it. How about the play by Drake Nevis and Al Woods? And what about cornerback Patrick Peterson? He literally shuts down his side of the field. I am excited to see this unit continue to grow throughout the season.

As of now LSU can compete with Alabama, Ole Miss, and Georgia mainly because of our defense's play Saturday. Again I might be jumping the gun on that at this moment.

Florida? Lots of improvement needs to be shown on offense if we want the sky to fall October 10th, but never say never.

Things I was WRONG about...

Unless UCLA has one heck of a defense, UT's offense is not that good. I guess in the end it was just the fact they were playing Western Kentucky. In there home stadium the Vols lost 19-15 to a young, inexperienced UCLA team. Vol QB Jonathon Crompton's performance was dreadful to say the least. He was 13 of 26 for 93 yards and 3 interceptions. Touchdowns? Zero. And oh yeah he lost a fumble as well.

Auburn. I was kept thinking dark times where upon the War Eagles. They did a lousy job of hiring a coach and the SEC West was far too loaded for them to make any noise. I know it's only been 2 games, but rest assured a 49-24 over Mississippi State is something to raise your eyebrow on. Look I know it's early on, but I am ust saying do not be surprised if Auburn starts making some noise.

The Chaos Continue for College Football...

Lots of big games went down this past weekend. I do not want to dance around the subject, so here are my thoughts on Saturday's games.

No. 1 Ohio State rolls over Wisconsin in 4th Quarter...

Buckeyes were in trouble on Saturday against the Wisconsin Badgers. Badgers had the lead for the majority of 3 quarters, until OSU tied it up with a late score in the third quarter. In the 4th, Ohio State showed why they are the No. 1 team in the nation. Behind 3 rushing TDs, the Bucks rolled to a 38-17 victory. Despite the criticism the Big 10 is soft, which it is, OSU is definitely worthy of their No. 1 ranking. Tressel's crew is the team to beat. To make matters worse for opponents, the offense of OSU which was formerly known as the weak spot is only getting better.

No. 2 Boston College Falls Flat Against Florida State

Over one week after BC's sensational Thursday night win against VTech, Boston College falls flat against a disappointing Florida State team. Matt Ryan finished with 3 INTs including one returned for a TD when BC at the time was only down 20-17. The 27-17 loss stings for the Eagles, but winning the ACC is still very much in grasp. With that said, I don't think Boston College will win the ACC either.

No. 3 LSU Wins Despite Sloppy Play

I went to Tuscaloosa for the game. Didn't have tickets, just wanted to be apart of the atmosphere. LSU did everything it could to give Alabama that game. Silly turnovers, stupid penalties, and a defense and special teams that had big mental lapses at times. But, as we know LSU didn't lose. The Bayou Bengals won 41-34. The Tigers again pulled things together to win yet another dramatic football game. After 3 INTs in the second quarter, Matt Flynn was able to compose himself and lead the Tigers to victory. In response to so many complaints for calls being overturned in LSU's favor let me just say it was the right decision. The refs in the SEC are not too efficient from what I have seen. Without instant replay some bad calls would of stuck in the game. Granted, I will admit one replay that was overturned in LSU's favor was a tad surprising. I clearly thought the Bama WR made the catch.

No. 4 Arizona State's Undefeated Season Halted by the Quack Attack

Arizona State only lost the game at Autzen Stadium by the score of 35-23, but anyone who watched the game or read the stats can see it was not even that close. Oregon had jumped out to a 21-3 lead. ASU did cut it to 21-16, but Oregon and Dennis Dixon would pull ahead to a 35-16 lead that was lessened when Arizona State put up a late score. I think this Oregon team is definitely a legit contender for the National Championship. But, before you claim someone is going to get screwed in being selected for the BCS National Championship Game understand a lot of football is still left.

No. 14 Texas Needs Another Dramatic Final Quarter to Overcome Defeat

Was not too long ago when Texas was playing Oklahoma State in a game the Longhorns trailed 35-7. Longhorns would come back to win that game big. Some guy named Vince Young lead the charge. Anyway, that same thing could not happen against for Oklahoma State, right? Well, going into the 4th it was 35-14 Cowboys. Behind the stellar play of Jamaal Charles, Longhorns scored 24 points in the 4th quarter to win 38-35. Just like that UT is back in the BCS mix. After some disappointing losses, UT can find themselves in something like the Orange Bowl if the team can win out. I am saying it: University of Texas at Austin will lose another game this season. Too many close calls to mediocre teams. Sooner or later that will catch up.

No. 15 Michigan Halts the Spoilers Upset with a Late Score

The Michigan State Spoilers were predicted by a lot of analysts to upset the Wolverines. That was happening as the Spartans lead by 10 midway through the 4th quarter. Much like LSU has done countless times this year, UM stayed composed and scored twice to win 28-24. The last of scores came with 2:28 left in the game. Slowly, but surely, Michigan is creeping up the rankings and in time they will be ready to pull off the upset I have predicted all year long. Let me just repeat myself: Michigan will beat Ohio State this year. Period.

No. 23 South Carolina Gets Piggg Sooooied!

So all that talk about the Gamecocks winning the SEC has been completely deflated. After watching Darren McFadden eat South Carolina's D alive, Spurrier's crew lost 48-36. This victory also shows that despite Arkansas's 3 losses, the team is still very capable of making some noise in the SEC. Remember the SEC is a gunfight each and every week. Could Arkansas be the team that knocks out the LSU Tigers in the race for the National Championship?

The 10 Best College Football Uniforms Minus LSU's

(Click here to check out my thoughts on Week 15 of the 2009 NFL season.)

One of the best features of college football are the uniforms. They add a certain flare to those Saturday games. As a fan I have many jerseys I adore, but since I am an LSU Tiger I will not include them in my Top 10 because let's be honest nothing can top that purple and gold, white uniform the Bayou Bengals wear nearly every Saturday.



So....here are my Top 10 College Football Uniforms Minus LSU's

10. Baylor Bears

When the Baylor Bears wear their green uniforms it looks classical, yet stylish. Now, I understand ND has a green jersey, but keep in mind Notre Dame wears their green jerseys about as often as Haley's comet comes around. The mild-colored green jerseys seem to go hand-in-hand with the solid gold helmets for this Waco, Texas university. Now if only the school could get a decent football coach.

9. UCLA Bruins

Light blue is a hard color to make look both respectable and intimidating, while staying away from that "baby" image. The Bruins due just that as the uniforms seem to say to opponents, "I'm going to score, and I'm going to look damn good doing it." Also, it helps that the school's letters are written in Greek-esque cursive. Love it.

8. Michigan Wolverines



There is something about that Michigan uniform that is so intimidating and fearing. I really can not put my finger on why the maize and blue suits strike fear in all who look at them. For me personally when I think of those uniforms I think of a wide receiver who runs like the wind and is built like a linebacker. And I imagine that wide receiver on the line of scrimmage glaring at the cornerback, watching the ball, and waiting for the snap...



7. Hawaii Warriors



Back when they were the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors the jerseys the school wore looked like something Barney the Dinosaur wore to bed. Not even joking. After dropping "Rainbow" from the name things have only gotten better. In the past couple years the black jersey Hawaii unis have been stunning. Believe or not, you actually fear the Warriors when they are all dressed in black, while showing a little green on the helmet...the lovely "H."



6. Fresno State Bulldogs



All red. It's so vivid. It's so there. I'm sorry not sure what the heck those two sentences I just wrote mean. Anyway, FSU's red uniforms make bright red look dangerous because danger seems to always be associated with the color red. Not sure why. More importantly, the red unis are a trademark of Fresno. You see red uni it is Fresno State...or maybe Rutgers. Anyway, you get the point.



5. Colorado Buffaloes



The helmet art is one the biggest reasons the Colorado uniform is so awesome. That "C" and "U" going through that crazy Buffalo. Love it all. But then there's the black jerseys. All black, no color. I can still remember when Coach Gary Barnett was there and the school actually had a team. Or how about when Rick Neuhesel was coaching? Those were the days the unis were at there best. They were the purest definition of pain on the football field.



4. North Carolina Tar Heels



The Smurfs is what they the call baby blue uniforms the Tar Heels wear. Not going to lie, they have grown on me. When the defense was looking good (back when Mack Brown was there) it looked like a tidal wave was hitting the QB during a sack. But as we all know, it was not a wave, but rather a group of Tar Heels wearing some breath taking uniforms.

3. Oregon Ducks

Whoa, calm down! Before you badger me for liking one of Oregon's 324 uniforms let me state there is actually 325 if you saw the Washington game last week. Oregon wore some white unis I fell in love with. They seem to fit Dennis Dixon and Jonathon Stewart perfectly because white seems to be a mystery color, and let's be honest Oregon is a mystery team.

2. Penn State Nittany Lions

White. The one color (it's a color don't give me that shade crap) that seems to have no feel. No emotion. It's nothing. It's white. Well, that use to be true until the all white Penn State uniform. That's a uniform. That is college football. It really is the something that makes college football, college football. Indescribe is the best word for the PSU uniform. Indescribe...like the color white.

1. Washington Huskies

And the No. 1 uniform (minus LSU's) is Washington University! Why? Got to be honest I love the purple and gold jerseys. Yes they are LSU colors, but so what the Huskies look superb when they are wearing the purple jerseys and solid gold helmets. It's a look that is the very definition of beauty in college football. Did I really just say that last sentence? Sorry, I get passionate about my college football uniforms.



Hey, I'm interested in hearing what you guys consider the Top 10 uniforms in college football! Just feel free to leave a comment!


CHECK OUT MY LATEST ARTICLE ON WEEK 15 OF THE 2009 NFL SEASON. ARTICLE

Rebuttal to Pete Fiutak's "Hail Miles"

As I was searching the web yesterday, I visited one of my favorite college football web sites (http://www.collegefootballnews.com/). I came across the weekly Cavalcade of Whimsy by Pete Fiutak (http://cfn.scout.com/2/693681.html).

For the most part I agreed with Fiutak's observations...for the most part.

After reading Fiutak's thoughts about LSU coach Les Miles's late game decision against Auburn, I could see that Fiutak, much like many other writers, is still confused on Miles's call.

Fiutak's entire claim is based around how "unnecessary" it was for Les Miles to take a shot at the end zone.

I have got two words for you Pete: Colt David. Those two words together are what makes Miles's call the right one. Why? On the season Colt David is 14 of 19, which is not that bad...until you look at the fact that during LSU's last home game against Florida he was 0 for 2, and on the season David has never made a field goal past the 40 yard line. Had LSU needed to kick a field goal it would of been from about 40 yards out. In the eyes of many, Colt David is seen as an inconsistent kicker.

I hope you realize these thoughts had to be in Miles's head in the closing moments of the game.


Furthermore you make the claim the call was downright "stupid." Referring to something as "stupid" is clearly a statement with no validity. When I think of "stupid" I think of two grade school kids arguing over whose favorite basketball player is the best. When one kid says his favorite player is better, the other kid simply states, "I don't like him. He's stupid." There's no substance to saying the call was just "stupid."

Now let me say, LSU should of managed the clock late in the game much better. As we all know that did not happen. Even so, Miles wanted to take two chances at scoring rather than one. He did not want to put all his chips on Colt David winning the game just right yet.


Miles basic thinking was, "There is time for one more play before the field goal. Let's take a shot at the end zone. If we don't get anything we'll go for the field goal. Let's just try it."


Well his attempt did work. Now I am sure it's been said countless times, but when Demetrius Byrd hit the ground after his TD catch at least 3 seconds were left on the clock. So what if the pass was tipped? There easily would of been time left in the game. How about an interception? In single coverage that is not nearly as likely. It was a small risk.

But if you are going to sit there and play the "What-If Game," how about this: what if there was a bad snap for the field goal attempt? What if Colt David shanked it?

And finally the reason I felt inclined to write my rebuttal to your "Hail Miles" paragraph Pete, is for the simple fact that you fall into the category of the many people who consider Les Miles to be stupid. Face it, Pete, you think the guy is not that great of a coach and is only winning off of pure luck, or as you would like to say it "stupid" calls. Now granted, I do not think Miles is a god, but I will give him his credit when it is due. (Cough! Auburn game.) I have heard all the excuses regarding how Les Miles's being a good coach is overrated. "Come on the coach has gotten so lucky this year. He coaches LSU! How can't you win there?"

Pete, I do not know why guys like you continue to shy away from giving Miles any credit. Is it because of the way he comes across during interviews; that long, slow speech of his? Or maybe it's the hat? One thing is for sure Les Miles is not an idiot (Degree in Economics from Michigan), and his call against Auburn was not "stupid."

It was gamble, that can separate the good coaches from the great ones.