October 23, 2008

LSU vs. Georgia: Will the Real Contender Please Stand Up?

At the end of the 2007 season, LSU & Georgia found themselves 1st & 2nd in the rankings. LSU ended a 12-2 season with a conference title, and-ultimately- embracing Waterford Crystal. Georgia, well, Georgia was left to First Loser status.

After finishing the season with 7 straight victories, including a win over Florida in the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, UGA went into the final weekend of the season ranked 4th. Watching everyone lose in front of them, only to watch LSU subsequently vault in front of them after gutting out a 21-14 victory over Tennessee in the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta, the Dawgs were left drooling the Drool of Regret into the Pillow of Sorrow (That was for you, WEA).

Their consolation prize was a date with the mighty Rainbow Warriors of Hawaii, whom they summarily dismantled in "The Other BCS Bowl Game in New Orleans". Unfortunately, the taste left in their mouth after the Sugar Bowl victory was decidedly bittersweet..

Heading into the 2008 season, most considered Georgia to be the consensus #1 team, preseason. LSU-prior to dismissing Ryan Perrilloux for trying his best to ensure LSU head coach Les Miles lost what little hair he had left on his "Hatrack"-was a shoe-in for Top 5 status, themselves.

One team on a Vision Quest for respectability. The other, trying to stay King of the Hill, for as long as they could...

It seems things have changed a tad bit.

Georgia was busy juggernauting along until they faced Alabama between the hedges. After the Crimson Tide chewed through the Dawgs like Georgia was a hot dog and Alabama was Kobayashi at an eating contest in sprinting out to a 31-0 1st half lead, on their way to a not-as-close-as-the-final-score 41-30 final, Georgia came back to terra firma with a resounding thud.

LSU gutted out an early season win over a Top 10 Auburn team that's lost a tad bit of luster thanks to a midseason swoon on the Plains, complete with palace coup to depose its new offensive coordinator. After yet another 4th quarter comeback, LSU seemed poised to be the 400 pound gorilla in 2008, yet again. Just over three weeks ago, the LSU Tigers traveled to Gainesville to take on a Florida team that had already lost once to an inferior Ole Miss program. The Tigers were ready to make another statement, and a case for the #1 ranking, at the same time.

A funny thing happened do the way to the office...

Overconfident, trash-talking, and arrogant, LSU got fed the juicy end of a sh!t sandwich while becoming Gatorbait. On national television, the Tigers suffered their worst beating in the Les Miles Era, getting blistered by a 51-21 final score.

Georgia, like LSU, has since rebounded, and both head into Saturday's clash with a chip on their shoulder, and something to prove. For all intents and purposes, Saturday's matchup in Tiger Stadium is a National Championship Elimination Game. The stakes are equally high for both programs. Win, and you stay in the race to win your Division, and start getting talked about as one of the 1-loss teams that might have a case to make it to the National Title Game. Lose, and the grumbles from the fanbase will become a tad bit louder, as more and more begin to loiter around the palace gate.

Both Georgia Head Coach Mark Richt & LSU's Les Miles have a myriad of excuses they could throw out. From losing two starting left tackles and a slew of injuries on both sides of the ball in Athens, to LSU forcing a RS Freshman into a position he wasn't being counted on at in quarterback Jarret Lee. The time for excuses, however, is at an end. It's put up or shut up. Last year is ancient history for these two teams. A loss by either of these two programs on Saturday takes a bit of luster off the season, no matter which team suffers the L.

Heading into the game, there are a few matchups I think bear watching. The outcome of the game will be decided along these lines...

The Matchups

The most important battles will be to provide Georgia's talented backfield tandem of quarterback Matthew Stafford & sensational tailback Knowshon Moreno time to work their magic. It'll also be interesting to see how LSU's corners factor into stopping the Georgia offensive attack. Finally, while Georgia is tough against the run, many folks in Baton Rouge are wondering if offensive coordinator Gary Crowton & The Hat will finally take the training wheels off of the greenhorn signal caller in Lee, and let him throw down the field vertically.

Protection...It's not just a Massive Attack song, anymore.

Many followers of LSU's defense-including your humble author-have bemoaned LSU's production out of its defensive line and pressure packages. What was heralded as quite possibly America's most talented and deepest Defensive Line has simply not produced up to this point in the season. Quiet whispers amongst those "in the know" indicated that there was too much confusion in the system Co Defensive Coordinators Bradley Dale Peveto & Doug Mallory were putting on the field. Too much reading, and not enough reacting.

The Florida gamed turned those whispers into a cacophony of madness, albeit madness with a kernel of truth accompanying it. LSU's staff heard it loud and clear, and last Saturday against South Carolina, LSU's defense produced two turnovers, big hits galore, and 6 sacks. The last stat quite possibly the most important.

If the Tigers wish to continue with their winning ways, they will try to take advantage of a serious protection issue for the Dawgs heading into Saturday. Heading into the preseason, Georgia returned the 3rd lowest amount of total starts amongst its returning offensive lineman in the SEC. Which was before losing starters Trindon Sturdivant & Vince Vance at left tackle and...left tackle (Vance having slid over after Sturdivant went down). Quite simply put, they're putting a M.A.S.H unit out there to protect for Stafford & blocking for Moreno.

If LSU can generate pressure against Georgia's depleted front wall, they can wreak havoc for the Georgia offense. Likewise if the Tigers can keep Moreno from getting untracked. If they can do both...Well, they might have Mark Richt looking skyward, and thinking of Carrie Underwood...

If Georgia's patchwork quilt of an offensive line can give Stafford time or open a few holes for Moreno, the natives might not get restless, but we may start twitching in our seats a bit...

UGA's Offensive Scheme & LSU's Cornerbacks: Damned If They Do...Damned If They Don't?

This is one a few folks on my home site have been discussing, and I think its the most important "game within the game" that you'll see on Saturday. Quite simply put, LSU's cornerbacks could very well be the most important men on the field for either team.

Mark Richt polished his chops as FSU's offensive coordinator, and with good reason. During his time in Tallahassee, FSU put up some great stats and churned out NFL talent at the skill positions, seemingly every year. At Georgia's, he's proven just as adept at putting good offensive schemes and teams on the field. 2008 is no different.

Working with the aforementioned weak offensive line, Georgia's given opposing defensive coordinators a pick-your-poison choice in order to try and hunker down and stop the Hairy Dawgs when they have the ball. To whit:

Georgia loves to run the toss-sweep on offense. It's their staple running play, and they run it well, with great success. This requires not only athleticism from the Georgia offensive lineman to get up and get to edge in a hurry so as to create rush lanes for Knowshon Moreno, but it also takes advantage of their big, physical wide receivers. Both Massoquai & freshman AJ Green have proven committed to blocking corners downfield & helping Moreno get to the 2nd level, where he can be simply breathtaking.

On the other side of the coin, while the book on defending Georgia through the air might start with generating a pass rush for LSU, it also includes bumping both Green & Massoquai off the line, and getting them off their route using press man coverage inside the 5 yard zone. If either UGA wideout is given the time to get downfield and into their route, their physicality in terms of going to get the ball is simply going to kill LSU's pass defense.

Herein lies the beauty of Richt's system. If Georgia gets something going through the air, then LSU is going to be tempted to bump them off the line. But, in doing so, LSU will be setting its corners up to essentially invite Georgia's wideouts to block on a patented Dawg toss-sweep.

What to do? What to do...It's quite the conundrum. If LSU's corners can't shed blocks and make the play when Moreno comes their way, as well as be able to effectively neutralize their wideout responsibility in the pass game, Georgia might be able to turn up the heat on LSU's young Defensive Co-Coordinators.

It's the kind of well designed offensive scheme I really love to watch. It's just too bad I don't have the same faith in the coaches at LSU to be able to properly adjust and scheme for what Georgia brings to the table. Regardless, this is a chess match that will likely determine the outcome of things as the game wears on into the 2nd half.

It's Jarret Lee's Party...He can make us cry if he wants to!

The Continuing Education of Jarret Lee this year has had me comparing his current stats to another former RS Freshman starter in the SEC: Matthew Stafford. Georgia's starting quarterback finished his first campaign with 10 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, and while everyone saw the upside, his at times inconsistent play was chalked up to growing pains.

I see the same thing in the Tiger's starter for Saturday. Lee shows a live arm that can make every throw in the book. His deep balls-when he's been allowed to chuck them (not to mention, when Brandon LaFell & Demetrius Byrd decide to catch them when hit in the hands with them)-have been as pretty as a picture. He keeps his eyes downfield, isn't afraid to step into a throw with an oncoming rush, and has gotten progressively better in his pre-snap reads and progressions.

It's his Care-Bear Stare/lock in on the receivers that drives some of us mad. Or, the 2-hoppers that look more like infield grounders off a fungoe bat on the wide receiver screen calls. Especially when the crowd knows he could put it halfway to the upper deck from the same spot. Yes, it's the little things that drive you crazy with the 19 year old from Texas with the spread offense pedigree. Little things tend to work themselves out with time, but LSU finds itself and its season pressed for time at the present. For Jarret Lee & the LSU offense, there's no time like the present...

With a Georgia defense that's super against the run, and LSU's offensive line and running attack a tad sluggish the past few weeks, it may be the time to take the training wheels off and let Lee sink or swim. LSU's receivers-playing at home for the first time in three weeks-will need to be more consistent than the past two games on the road against Florida & South Carolina, but LSU Offensive Coordinator Gary Crowton & Les Miles might be at the point in the season where its do-or-die with the newbie. As Jarret Lee goes, so goes LSU's offense.

If Lee can effectively attack the Georgia stop troops vertically, then LSU could perhaps open up some holes in the UGA rush defense, and be able to effectively move the ball on one of the more talented defensive units in the conference this year.

The Pick (No, I did NOT consult with Bama_Babe)

LSU 29
UGA 22

Comments:

LSU vs. Georgia: Will the Real Contender Please Stand Up?
At the end of the 2007 season, LSU & Georgia found themselves 1st & 2nd in the rankings. LSU ended a 12-2 season with a conference title, and-ultimately- embracing Waterford Crystal. Georgia, well, Georgia was left to First Loser status. After finishing the season with 7 straight victories, including a win over Florida in the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, UGA went into the final weekend of the season ranked 4th. Watching everyone lose in front of them, only to watch LSU subsequently vault in front of them after gutting out a 21-14 victory over Tennessee in the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta, the Dawgs were left drooling the Drool of Regret into the Pillow of Sorrow (That was for you, WEA). Their consolation prize was a date with the mighty Rainbow Warriors of Hawaii, whom they summarily dismantled in "The Other BCS Bowl Game in New Orleans". Unfortunately, the taste left in their mouth after the Sugar Bowl victory was decidedly bittersweet.. Heading into the 2008 season, most considered Georgia to be the consensus #1 team, preseason. LSU-prior to dismissing Ryan Perrilloux for trying his best to ensure LSU head coach Les Miles lost what little hair he had left on his "Hatrack"-was a shoe-in for Top 5 status, themselves. One team on a Vision Quest for respectability. The other, trying to stay King of the Hill, for as long as they could... It seems things have changed a tad bit. Georgia was busy juggernauting along until they faced Alabama between the hedges. After the Crimson Tide chewed through the Dawgs like Georgia was a hot dog and Alabama was Kobayashi at an eating contest in sprinting out to a 31-0 1st half lead, on their way to a not-as-close-as-the-final-score 41-30 final, Georgia came back to terra firma with a resounding thud. LSU gutted out an early season win over a Top 10 Auburn team that's lost a tad bit of luster thanks to a midseason swoon on the Plains, complete with palace coup to depose its new offensive coordinator. After yet another 4th quarter comeback, LSU seemed poised to be the 400 pound gorilla in 2008, yet again. Just over three weeks ago, the LSU Tigers traveled to Gainesville to take on a Florida team that had already lost once to an inferior Ole Miss program. The Tigers were ready to make another statement, and a case for the #1 ranking, at the same time. A funny thing happened do the way to the office... Overconfident, trash-talking, and arrogant, LSU got fed the juicy end of a sh!t sandwich while becoming Gatorbait. On national television, the Tigers suffered their worst beating in the Les Miles Era, getting blistered by a 51-21 final score. Georgia, like LSU, has since rebounded, and both head into Saturday's clash with a chip on their shoulder, and something to prove. For all intents and purposes, Saturday's matchup in Tiger Stadium is a National Championship Elimination Game. The stakes are equally high for both programs. Win, and you stay in the race to win your Division, and start getting talked about as one of the 1-loss teams that might have a case to make it to the National Title Game. Lose, and the grumbles from the fanbase will become a tad bit louder, as more and more begin to loiter around the palace gate. Both Georgia Head Coach Mark Richt & LSU's Les Miles have a myriad of excuses they could throw out. From losing two starting left tackles and a slew of injuries on both sides of the ball in Athens, to LSU forcing a RS Freshman into a position he wasn't being counted on at in quarterback Jarret Lee. The time for excuses, however, is at an end. It's put up or shut up. Last year is ancient history for these two teams. A loss by either of these two programs on Saturday takes a bit of luster off the season, no matter which team suffers the L. Heading into the game, there are a few matchups I think bear watching. The outcome of the game will be decided along these lines... The Matchups The most important battles will be to provide Georgia's talented backfield tandem of quarterback Matthew Stafford & sensational tailback Knowshon Moreno time to work their magic. It'll also be interesting to see how LSU's corners factor into stopping the Georgia offensive attack. Finally, while Georgia is tough against the run, many folks in Baton Rouge are wondering if offensive coordinator Gary Crowton & The Hat will finally take the training wheels off of the greenhorn signal caller in Lee, and let him throw down the field vertically. Protection...It's not just a Massive Attack song, anymore. Many followers of LSU's defense-including your humble author-have bemoaned LSU's production out of its defensive line and pressure packages. What was heralded as quite possibly America's most talented and deepest Defensive Line has simply not produced up to this point in the season. Quiet whispers amongst those "in the know" indicated that there was too much confusion in the system Co Defensive Coordinators Bradley Dale Peveto & Doug Mallory were putting on the field. Too much reading, and not enough reacting. The Florida gamed turned those whispers into a cacophony of madness, albeit madness with a kernel of truth accompanying it. LSU's staff heard it loud and clear, and last Saturday against South Carolina, LSU's defense produced two turnovers, big hits galore, and 6 sacks. The last stat quite possibly the most important. If the Tigers wish to continue with their winning ways, they will try to take advantage of a serious protection issue for the Dawgs heading into Saturday. Heading into the preseason, Georgia returned the 3rd lowest amount of total starts amongst its returning offensive lineman in the SEC. Which was before losing starters Trindon Sturdivant & Vince Vance at left tackle and...left tackle (Vance having slid over after Sturdivant went down). Quite simply put, they're putting a M.A.S.H unit out there to protect for Stafford & blocking for Moreno. If LSU can generate pressure against Georgia's depleted front wall, they can wreak havoc for the Georgia offense. Likewise if the Tigers can keep Moreno from getting untracked. If they can do both...Well, they might have Mark Richt looking skyward, and thinking of Carrie Underwood... If Georgia's patchwork quilt of an offensive line can give Stafford time or open a few holes for Moreno, the natives might not get restless, but we may start twitching in our seats a bit... UGA's Offensive Scheme & LSU's Cornerbacks: Damned If They Do...Damned If They Don't? This is one a few folks on my home site have been discussing, and I think its the most important "game within the game" that you'll see on Saturday. Quite simply put, LSU's cornerbacks could very well be the most important men on the field for either team. Mark Richt polished his chops as FSU's offensive coordinator, and with good reason. During his time in Tallahassee, FSU put up some great stats and churned out NFL talent at the skill positions, seemingly every year. At Georgia's, he's proven just as adept at putting good offensive schemes and teams on the field. 2008 is no different. Working with the aforementioned weak offensive line, Georgia's given opposing defensive coordinators a pick-your-poison choice in order to try and hunker down and stop the Hairy Dawgs when they have the ball. To whit: Georgia loves to run the toss-sweep on offense. It's their staple running play, and they run it well, with great success. This requires not only athleticism from the Georgia offensive lineman to get up and get to edge in a hurry so as to create rush lanes for Knowshon Moreno, but it also takes advantage of their big, physical wide receivers. Both Massoquai & freshman AJ Green have proven committed to blocking corners downfield & helping Moreno get to the 2nd level, where he can be simply breathtaking. On the other side of the coin, while the book on defending Georgia through the air might start with generating a pass rush for LSU, it also includes bumping both Green & Massoquai off the line, and getting them off their route using press man coverage inside the 5 yard zone. If either UGA wideout is given the time to get downfield and into their route, their physicality in terms of going to get the ball is simply going to kill LSU's pass defense. Herein lies the beauty of Richt's system. If Georgia gets something going through the air, then LSU is going to be tempted to bump them off the line. But, in doing so, LSU will be setting its corners up to essentially invite Georgia's wideouts to block on a patented Dawg toss-sweep. What to do? What to do...It's quite the conundrum. If LSU's corners can't shed blocks and make the play when Moreno comes their way, as well as be able to effectively neutralize their wideout responsibility in the pass game, Georgia might be able to turn up the heat on LSU's young Defensive Co-Coordinators. It's the kind of well designed offensive scheme I really love to watch. It's just too bad I don't have the same faith in the coaches at LSU to be able to properly adjust and scheme for what Georgia brings to the table. Regardless, this is a chess match that will likely determine the outcome of things as the game wears on into the 2nd half. It's Jarret Lee's Party...He can make us cry if he wants to! The Continuing Education of Jarret Lee this year has had me comparing his current stats to another former RS Freshman starter in the SEC: Matthew Stafford. Georgia's starting quarterback finished his first campaign with 10 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, and while everyone saw the upside, his at times inconsistent play was chalked up to growing pains. I see the same thing in the Tiger's starter for Saturday. Lee shows a live arm that can make every throw in the book. His deep balls-when he's been allowed to chuck them (not to mention, when Brandon LaFell & Demetrius Byrd decide to catch them when hit in the hands with them)-have been as pretty as a picture. He keeps his eyes downfield, isn't afraid to step into a throw with an oncoming rush, and has gotten progressively better in his pre-snap reads and progressions. It's his Care-Bear Stare/lock in on the receivers that drives some of us mad. Or, the 2-hoppers that look more like infield grounders off a fungoe bat on the wide receiver screen calls. Especially when the crowd knows he could put it halfway to the upper deck from the same spot. Yes, it's the little things that drive you crazy with the 19 year old from Texas with the spread offense pedigree. Little things tend to work themselves out with time, but LSU finds itself and its season pressed for time at the present. For Jarret Lee & the LSU offense, there's no time like the present... With a Georgia defense that's super against the run, and LSU's offensive line and running attack a tad sluggish the past few weeks, it may be the time to take the training wheels off and let Lee sink or swim. LSU's receivers-playing at home for the first time in three weeks-will need to be more consistent than the past two games on the road against Florida & South Carolina, but LSU Offensive Coordinator Gary Crowton & Les Miles might be at the point in the season where its do-or-die with the newbie. As Jarret Lee goes, so goes LSU's offense. If Lee can effectively attack the Georgia stop troops vertically, then LSU could perhaps open up some holes in the UGA rush defense, and be able to effectively move the ball on one of the more talented defensive units in the conference this year. The Pick (No, I did NOT consult with Bama_Babe) LSU 29 UGA 22