Thoughts - The Party Week

Townhallsavoy · « **on:** October 05, 2014, 10:05:15 AM »

Chaos? That's how they're describing this weekend? I'd say party time.

Auburn

- I was never in doubt. I got to attend the game (first of the year for me), and just judging the two teams based on pregame warm ups, I felt like Auburn was going to come out swinging. LSU looked confused. They ran out onto the field WAY too early, and at first, I thought they were being assholes. Then I realized that their team was trickling out of the tunnel. Like they didn't realize they were supposed to run out. There also was a lot of confusion before when they were running warm up drills. Guys were being redirected about where they were supposed to be. There were a lot of dropped balls. Just a bad showing from their team.

- But more about Auburn, we finally turned on the jets. Marshall took advantage of our much more talented receivers. Our offensive line did a good job opening up running lanes. Our defense stood tall. But I still didn't feel like we played a complete game. Marshall threw into double coverage and relied on the receivers making big plays. CAP had some good runs late, but when the game was still winnable for LSU, he was struggling to get more than 3 yards. The defense gave up huge chunks of yards on 1st down and was lucky to have LSU commit boneheaded mistakes on 2nd down. Also, the defense was very lucky to go against some of the worst quarterback play I've seen since Kiehl Frazier.

- As much as I would like to argue that Ruffin didn't deserve to be thrown out, I have to admit that he did target the LSU player's head. I think that's part of the rule. You can't lead with your head and you can't target the head of another player.

- Therezie seems to be back in his groove. The guy was around the ball almost every play. I think he led our team in tackles.

- We need Lawson back and soon. We did well putting pressure on their quarterback after the coverage was successful. I never really saw a guy outright rush the passer.

- All in all, great win. Great party. Holy shit. When's the last time we blew out LSU like that? 2002?

Alabama

- Didn't get to watch the game, but I think it confirmed what many people suspected to be the case. Alabama is not a team that is built on offensive skill. That's not how Nick Saban works. Just because Lane Kiffin was there and just because they threw the ball down field against arguably one of the worst Florida teams of the past decade doesn't mean they were going to suddenly become Oregon or Auburn. With the amount of players they had to replace on defense, I'm not surprised they lost to Ole Miss.

Ole Miss

- Thanks for adding to our party last night, but now you can go on back to hell.

Miss State

- Miss State is VASTLY improved, but I still don't see them in the same vein as us. They good at not making mistakes, and they have a good quarterback. But Texas A&M made a ton of mistakes yesterday. Their quarterback was way off target for most of the game, and lord knows the Aggie defense hasn't been worth a shit since Sumlin got there.

- I think it will be a tough game this weekend, but I have no reason to believe we'll lose. If we come out clicking, I think we can win by two touchdowns. Maybe more. Just contain Dak and let our offense do its thing.

Oregon, Alabama, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, UCLA

- Thanks for making the first year for the college football playoff as chaotic as possible. Unfortunately, I have no reason to think Alabama will drop past #8. That's just how it works with Saban as the coach. Oregon will probably still be up there as well. Got to have a Pac 12 representative. So I guess what I'm saying is, this week of chaos won't matter that much. The voters won't shift the landscape as much as they should. The only teams that will be moving up will be Mississippi schools and Notre Dame.

djsimp · « **Reply #1 on:** October 05, 2014, 11:23:45 AM »

Good write up as usual THS. I would like to know what a bunny was doing on the Auburn sideline. Also, I thoroughly enjoyed Uzomahs TD dance tribute to Lutzie.

Townhallsavoy · « **Reply #2 on:** October 05, 2014, 11:33:05 AM »

Quote from: djsimp on October 05, 2014, 11:23:45 AM

Good write up as usual THS. I would like to know what a bunny was doing on the Auburn sideline. Also, I thoroughly enjoyed Uzomahs TD dance tribute to Lutzie.

yeah I saw that too. I also saw that one game had a
Little Caesars mascot on the sideline. Maybe some form of advertising?

jmar · « **Reply #3 on:** October 05, 2014, 11:40:57 AM »

What I liked most about last night in our game was the constant intensity on defense for four quarters. We really have good quality depth up front and I don't see us getting pushed around.
I hope for an early return for Lawson as our outside rusher on obvious passing downs only I have my doubts as to how effective he could be not being in game shape.

We gave up too many 10 yard runs on 1st down, especially in the first half but improved as the game wore on. I was particularly pleased that we handled their team speed on outside containment and tackled pretty well in the open field.
Our 'backers work well together along with Therezie and the young kids Ruffin and Roberts look like they (albeit small) are going to be solid back there.

Yeah we still get beat deep but it isn't quite like the busted coverage variety where we aren't even in the same zip code as the receiver.

I have to agree with the targeting even though it was a bang-bang play where one can't turn it off in a split second. It appeared that he turned slightly to decrease the severity of the blow but that's debatable. In the past that would just be a damn good wake up call, same for anyone wandering or loafing around on the field.

I'm going to take a pass criticizing Reed except to say anything thrown his way is sort of like a coin flip.
He does however have sense enough to pull a guy down when he's losing a battle which gives us a fighters chance to prevent a TD or at least hold an opponent to a FG attempt.

Was hoping we got to see JJ and Barber moreso mid-third quarter instead of late fourth but we muddled around too much (probably repeating 1st qtr. script) for that to happen.
Happy to see Roc do well and want to see more of Marcus Davis , Stanton Truitt and the lanky elusive kid Tony Stevens.
Davis is a good possession guy and busts his tail on special teams too.

I like that we refrained from the ever failing (-5 yard deep) wide runs with horrible seal blocks for CAP swinging out of the backfield as a receiver...finally! And I look for more of it and Grant popping quickly off- tackle for positive yards.

The offensive line is sort of a patchwork plug and play and this might be as good as it gets as far as gelling as a unit but as an offense we really need to execute as a whole on first down where we look our most predictable.
If we have better success on 1st down I think many of the high throws and those forced into coverage by Nick will be minimized. It's just in him to continue doing it.

*And after watching the replay, JJ should have been brought in at 12:39 of the fourth rather than lingering on the sidelines just to go in and run out the clock with under 5 minutes remaining.

The Six · « **Reply #4 on:** October 05, 2014, 11:41:57 AM »

The "Fear Factor" teams are supposed to have for opponents is clearly ALL media hype.
- Arizona didn't play scared of Oregon. TCU told Oklahoma to go eff themselves. Same goes for Utah beating UCLA. Kentucky beat South Carolina basically running a wildcat dive. Ole Miss didn't play scared of Alabama. Miss. St. wasn't afraid of the "unstoppable" aTm offense. And Auburn's wasn't afraid to punch LSU right in the nutsack and then step on the throat. So all the shit you read and hear about teams afraid to step up to the plate is largely bullshit meant to move a needle or get page hits.

Defensive geniuses? I think not.
- All this Saban/Smart defensive genius shit is pretty much over now, right? 4-3 in the last seven games and falling way short against ranked opponents should end that talk. It won't, but it should.
- They get no pass rush from the front, the LB play is spotty at best, and the secondary plays as out of position as Marko Ramius running Red Route One.

Lane Train?
- The only train I saw was Hugh Freeze's DC running one on "the greatest offense of all time" yesterday. Alabama looked like shit all day. And don't blame that on a couple injuries. Yes, that matters, but teams have to rise above that especially multiple national recruiting championship teams.

The State of Mississippi
- Miss. State's offense is legit. Their defense lives for you to screw up and then they take advantage. (Auburn does this too but is legitimately better at breaking on the ball carrier and passing lanes.) That's the key to beating Miss. State. Nick Marshall is gonna have to have one of those Texas A&M 2013 games. He seems up for a blazing performance.
- Ole Miss may be better on defense than the Starkvegas Dogs. Bo Wallace will be interested to watch and see if he's really got it or if that was a one hit performance. Hats off for being 5-0 at this point. October is gonna be a fun month.

LSU vs. Arkansas for the 7th
- I'll take the Hogs based on the impotent offense LSU is rolling these days.

The SEC East all are mediocre
- Yeah even UGA and Gurley. Stop him (and it can be done) and they are toasted marshmallows.

Will Muschamp is an asshole.
Click for evidence--->https://vine.co/v/OKWr9HUvhaa
- What's funny is they might beat LSU and sneak up on Mizzou or Georgia and then Florida won't be able to can him. So they'll be stuck with the less talented, less successful, twice as jerky version of Saban. Or what Nebraska is stuck with in Bo Pelini.

The worst football team in the state is in Troy.
- I only mention this because Larry Blakeney is probably gone at the end of the year and that will be a good stepping stone for a young coach on the rise. Maybe one of the offensive assistants closest to CGM - Lashlee or Craig maybe.

jmar · « **Reply #5 on:** October 05, 2014, 12:39:20 PM »

Quote from: TheSix on October 05, 2014, 11:41:57 AM

The "Fear Factor" teams are supposed to have for opponents is clearly ALL media hype.
- Arizona didn't play scared of Oregon. TCU told Oklahoma to go eff themselves. Same goes for Utah beating UCLA. Kentucky beat South Carolina basically running a wildcat dive. Ole Miss didn't play scared of Alabama. Miss. St. wasn't afraid of the "unstoppable" aTm offense. And Auburn's wasn't afraid to punch LSU right in the nutsack and then step on the throat. So all the shit you read and hear about teams afraid to step up to the plate is largely bullshit meant to move a needle or get page hits.

Defensive geniuses? I think not.
- All this Saban/Smart defensive genius shit is pretty much over now, right? 4-3 in the last seven games and falling way short against ranked opponents should end that talk. It won't, but it should.
- They get no pass rush from the front, the LB play is spotty at best, and the secondary plays as out of position as Marko Ramius running Red Route One.

Lane Train?
- The only train I saw was Hugh Freeze's DC running one on "the greatest offense of all time" yesterday. Alabama looked like shit all day. And don't blame that on a couple injuries. Yes, that matters, but teams have to rise above that especially multiple national recruiting championship teams.

The State of Mississippi
- Miss. State's offense is legit. Their defense lives for you to screw up and then they take advantage. (Auburn does this too but is legitimately better at breaking on the ball carrier and passing lanes.) That's the key to beating Miss. State. Nick Marshall is gonna have to have one of those Texas A&M 2013 games. He seems up for a blazing performance.
- Ole Miss may be better on defense than the Starkvegas Dogs. Bo Wallace will be interested to watch and see if he's really got it or if that was a one hit performance. Hats off for being 5-0 at this point. October is gonna be a fun month.

LSU vs. Arkansas for the 7th
- I'll take the Hogs based on the impotent offense LSU is rolling these days.

The SEC East all are mediocre
- Yeah even UGA and Gurley. Stop him (and it can be done) and they are toasted marshmallows.

Will Muschamp is an asshole.
Click for evidence--->https://vine.co/v/OKWr9HUvhaa
- What's funny is they might beat LSU and sneak up on Mizzou or Georgia and then Florida won't be able to can him. So they'll be stuck with the less talented, less successful, twice as jerky version of Saban. Or what Nebraska is stuck with in Bo Pelini.

The worst football team in the state is in Troy.
- I only mention this because Larry Blakeney is probably gone at the end of the year and that will be a good stepping stone for a young coach on the rise. Maybe one of the offensive assistants closest to CGM - Lashlee or Craig maybe.

Nice touch pal. I see TH and you arose this morning with fairly clearer noggins than most of us.

I think Muschamp returns and Michigan makes a hard push for Mullen, especially if he can knock us off our perch. No easy task if Nick is on and Johnson has the boys swarming the Dakster. But if MSU competes for the SEC West till the end his stock soars and other programs might push the ante. Dan Mullen...who knew? It's sort of like a Chizik with a visor and no windbreaker.

Kaos · « **Reply #6 on:** October 05, 2014, 02:22:17 PM »

Transitive never works, unless it does.

A&M got mad props for beating South Carolina. The Cocks are cockles. In retrospect, that win is pretty much worthless.

MState got crazy hype for beating LSU. The Bengals are toothless at QB and Miles has no idea how to fix it. In retrospect, that win wasn't the milestone it might have appeared. And beating an A&M team that bumbled around with Arky and beat a pretty shitty South Carolina team doesn't make you "legit." Better than usual, yeah, but who really knows? Two weeks ago I didn't think they were very good. I'm not yet convinced I was wrong.

Ole Miss is still Ole Miss. Alabama played the first somewhat decent team on their schedule and took a steaming dump in their own bed. GF has often repeated that the Turds will have at least three losses. That was reinforced. They won't lose to overhyped A&M but are in danger from Arkansas and MSU.

The whole "Mississippi is the epicenter of the college football world again" smack makes me laugh like hell. Would like nothing more for it to be a one-week rush and see them both tumble back where they belong next week. I don't think AU matches up well against the 'Dogs so that's a concern. The Rebel Black Bears play A&M Saturday. They were so, so stoked after that win I wonder if they can come back to earth in time to recover. After all 41,000 frat boys made out with Katy Perry in an Oxford bar.

The East is a trainwreck. Georgia will probably win it. They aren't good.

Brady Hoke is chubby toast. One of my customers is a Michigan donor and they've had enough. They don't really blame Hoke, they blame the AD for hiring RichRod and letting him completely retool the entire Wolverine culture. They want to go back to the stone age and pound on people. Don't know if it will work any longer, but according to this guy they will back the truck up to get Les, even as his brand of football falters in the new SEC. They haven't given up the idea of Saban chasing if this season wobbles on them and he gets disgruntled (as he's wont to do).

Oklahoma is who we thought they were.

Notre Dame is too, but they're going to ride to the top because their helmets are gold.

GH2001 · « **Reply #7 on:** October 05, 2014, 09:12:16 PM »

Fear no one.

Let MSU start the hype.

They had the same number of yards against LSU as we did (approx 570). Gus went vanilla almost entire 2nd half. Could have had 700 and 60 points if he wanted.

MSU also gave up 30 points and 430 yards to the little cocksuckers that we just beat the shit out of. Harris went apeshit on MSUs D in the 4th. Against us? They benched him.

Seriously, screw MSU and their hype. They beat us next week I'll give them some credit, but until then....f em in da mouf. They are still Miss State. They haven't done shit to a physical or complete/fundamental team. The Aggies and Bengal Tigers' Ds both suck ass.

Godfather · « **Reply #8 on:** October 06, 2014, 12:14:27 PM »

Quote from: Kaos on October 05, 2014, 02:22:17 PM

Transitive never works, unless it does.

A&M got mad props for beating South Carolina. The Cocks are cockles. In retrospect, that win is pretty much worthless.

MState got crazy hype for beating LSU. The Bengals are toothless at QB and Miles has no idea how to fix it. In retrospect, that win wasn't the milestone it might have appeared. And beating an A&M team that bumbled around with Arky and beat a pretty shitty South Carolina team doesn't make you "legit." Better than usual, yeah, but who really knows? Two weeks ago I didn't think they were very good. I'm not yet convinced I was wrong.

Ole Miss is still Ole Miss. Alabama played the first somewhat decent team on their schedule and took a steaming dump in their own bed. GF has often repeated that the Turds will have at least three losses. That was reinforced. They won't lose to overhyped A&M but are in danger from Arkansas and MSU.

The whole "Mississippi is the epicenter of the college football world again" smack makes me laugh like hell. Would like nothing more for it to be a one-week rush and see them both tumble back where they belong next week. I don't think AU matches up well against the 'Dogs so that's a concern. The Rebel Black Bears play A&M Saturday. They were so, so stoked after that win I wonder if they can come back to earth in time to recover. After all 41,000 frat boys made out with Katy Perry in an Oxford bar.

The East is a trainwreck. Georgia will probably win it. They aren't good.

Brady Hoke is chubby toast. One of my customers is a Michigan donor and they've had enough. They don't really blame Hoke, they blame the AD for hiring RichRod and letting him completely retool the entire Wolverine culture. They want to go back to the stone age and pound on people. Don't know if it will work any longer, but according to this guy they will back the truck up to get Les, even as his brand of football falters in the new SEC. They haven't given up the idea of Saban chasing if this season wobbles on them and he gets disgruntled (as he's wont to do).

Oklahoma is who we thought they were.

Notre Dame is too, but they're going to ride to the top because their helmets are gold.

This...every freaking word.

wesfau2 · « **Reply #9 on:** October 06, 2014, 12:18:50 PM »

Quote from: TheSix on October 05, 2014, 11:41:57 AM

The worst football team in the state is in Troy.
- I only mention this because Larry Blakeney is probably gone at the end of the year and that will be a good stepping stone for a young coach on the rise. Maybe one of the offensive assistants closest to CGM - Lashlee or Craig maybe.

Rhett can certainly do better.