http://www.youtube.com/watch?
GoldRing:
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Tinker Town: "I am starting to remembering something, that I want to have again... I can feel it building strongly up inside me, raging. Lets go tigers!!!" http://www.youtube.com/watch?
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http://www.andthevalleyshook.
LSU vs. Clemson, the 2012 Chick-fil-A Bowl: What to Watch For
LSU puts a bow on the 2012 season while we celebrate wrapping the year itself? Eh, why not.
We may have our complaints with the 2012 bowl process, but let it not be said that we aren't excited about this matchup. LSU and Clemson have more juice than two of the BCS bowls this postseason. It features two ranked, 10-win squads that are fairly evenly matched with some complementary strengths and weaknesses and coaches known for their..."colorful" personalities.
And besides, New Year's Eve is a party night anyway, we might as well make the best of it with a great football game, right?
Both of these teams can put a whole lot of speed on the field. Clemson's big-play credentials are known. DeAndre Hopkins was one of the best deep-threat wideouts in the country this year, averaging 17.5 yards per catch and find the endzone 16 times. Andre Ellington averaged over five yards per carry, and Sammy Watkins, despite struggling with some injuries and discipline issues this season, is a threat to go long any time he touches the ball.
Tahj Boyd has executed this offense exceptionally well this season, with about 4,000 yards or total offense and 42 combined touchdowns. We've discussed the Chad Morris running game, but the passing game has to be a major concern, especially given how LSU's defense closed out the season. The Tigers allowed 1,144 passing yards in the month of November -- that's just 44 yards less than they allowed in September and October combined.
Morris' passing game relies on a lot of the Air Raid standards we're used to watching now and even got to see LSU employ this season. Vertical, stick and drag concepts and an interesting variant on the "smash" corner-route concept known as the three-man snag. FIGUREFOUR from Shakin' the Southland illustrated it to demonstrate a big play Sammy Watkins made versus Auburn.
via assets.sbnation.com
It's a play primarily designed to conflict zone defenders, though it can work just as well versus man coverage with the right matchup. The quarterback can read short-to-deep, starting in the flat then moving on to the curl and corner, depending on his pre-snap coverage read. The corner route is such a great deep throw because it has a low interception probability if the route and throw are executed correctly. As long as the defense doesn't have outside position, the throw should either be completed or have the ball sail out of everybody's reach.
We may have our complaints with the 2012 bowl process, but let it not be said that we aren't excited about this matchup. LSU and Clemson have more juice than two of the BCS bowls this postseason. It features two ranked, 10-win squads that are fairly evenly matched with some complementary strengths and weaknesses and coaches known for their..."colorful" personalities.
And besides, New Year's Eve is a party night anyway, we might as well make the best of it with a great football game, right?
What to Watch For Monday Night
Rug Burns
The Georgia Dome fast track could have a whole lot more mileage on it after this one.Both of these teams can put a whole lot of speed on the field. Clemson's big-play credentials are known. DeAndre Hopkins was one of the best deep-threat wideouts in the country this year, averaging 17.5 yards per catch and find the endzone 16 times. Andre Ellington averaged over five yards per carry, and Sammy Watkins, despite struggling with some injuries and discipline issues this season, is a threat to go long any time he touches the ball.
Tahj Boyd has executed this offense exceptionally well this season, with about 4,000 yards or total offense and 42 combined touchdowns. We've discussed the Chad Morris running game, but the passing game has to be a major concern, especially given how LSU's defense closed out the season. The Tigers allowed 1,144 passing yards in the month of November -- that's just 44 yards less than they allowed in September and October combined.
Morris' passing game relies on a lot of the Air Raid standards we're used to watching now and even got to see LSU employ this season. Vertical, stick and drag concepts and an interesting variant on the "smash" corner-route concept known as the three-man snag. FIGUREFOUR from Shakin' the Southland illustrated it to demonstrate a big play Sammy Watkins made versus Auburn.
via assets.sbnation.com
It's a play primarily designed to conflict zone defenders, though it can work just as well versus man coverage with the right matchup. The quarterback can read short-to-deep, starting in the flat then moving on to the curl and corner, depending on his pre-snap coverage read. The corner route is such a great deep throw because it has a low interception probability if the route and throw are executed correctly. As long as the defense doesn't have outside position, the throw should either be completed or have the ball sail out of everybody's reach.
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http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/
(USA Today Sports Images)
Chick-fil-A Bowl
LSU (10-2) vs. Clemson (10-2)
Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
About the (LSU) Tigers: LSU was once again among the
nation’s best teams thanks to its stellar defense. The Tigers ranked
among the nation’s leaders in points allowed (16.9), total yards
(297.8), defensive passing efficiency and rushing defense (103.1). The
LSU defense has 18 interceptions this season. The offense has been
another story. First-year starter Zach Mettenberger
struggled early, but found some offensive rhythm after the Tigers
nearly defeated Alabama in early November. Even though the offense still
isn’t lighting up the scoreboard, it’s doing just enough to give the
defense a cushion.LSU (10-2) vs. Clemson (10-2)
Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
About the (Clemson) Tigers: Clemson is one of the more entertaining sides to watch because of the Tigers’ offense. Quarterback Tajh Boyd was the ACC Player of the Year with 3,550 yards, 34 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. His favorite target was DeAndre Hopkins, who had 1,214 yards and 16 scores. But as dangerous as the passing game has been, the rushing game has been equally as potent. Andre Ellington was second in the ACC with 1,031 yards and eight scores. Boyd also added nine rushing touchdowns. And of course Sammy Watkins is one of the nation’s most dynamic all-around players, who could break the game open at any time.
(USA Today Sports Images)
Key number: 508 and 6,220
Clemson has set school records with 508 points and 6,220 yards this season.
The breakdown: This game is widely considered one of the best of the bowl season because both of these teams are ranked and both could have easily been playing in BCS bowls. Earlier in the season, this game would have been Clemson’s offense vs. LSU’s defense, and while that’s probably still the main matchup, both of these teams have gotten better on their weaker sides of the ball as the season has gone on. But Clemson’s defense has allowed 27 points in six games this season, including 37 in a loss to Florida State and 27 in a season-ending loss to South Carolina. But it’s unclear whether LSU will be able to take advantage of Clemson’s defense. Mettenberger is only completing 58.7 percent of his passes.
Predictions
Frank Schwab: LSU 28, Clemson 21
It's hard for me to forget how uncompetitive Clemson was in its two games this year against elite opponents. Florida State beat Clemson easily, but the game that's really a red flag is the Tigers' loss to South Carolina. In a rivalry game, at home against the Gamecocks' backup quarterback, Clemson got pounded by a more physical SEC team. LSU can do the same.
Graham Watson: LSU 24, Clemson 21
Clemson has a fantastic offense, but it’s going to have a tough time against its second consecutive SEC defense (it only had 17 points against South Carolina – a season low). While I don’t see Mettenberger lighting it up, he’ll do enough to get LSU a close win.
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http://espn.go.com/blog/acc/
ACC Blog
Clemson faces another physical test
December, 30, 2012
The more physical team will win.
To that end, Swinney ratcheted up the physicality during bowl practices leading up to the game. Offensive coordinator Chad Morris told local reporters in South Carolina earlier this month, "Coach Swinney’s got his foot up our butts, basically, and he doesn’t plan on taking it out for about four days."
Streeter Lecka/Getty Images"This
is a game that's won and lost in the trenches for sure," Clemson coach
Dabbo Swinney said of the LSU game. "No doubt about it."Now the Tigers are facing a team just as physical in LSU, another huge test against an opponent from the SEC.
"This is a game that’s won and lost in the trenches for sure," Swinney told ESPN.com. "No doubt about it. This is a team that’s going to line up and just challenge you physically and come right at you. You can either match that or you can’t. Very few teams have been able to match that versus LSU. We’re going to have to play great up front. Our guys are going to have to play great and learn from the two games we’ve lost because we’ve had the lead in both our losses in the third quarter but we haven’t been able to quite finish in the fourth quarter. It’s a big challenge for us, as big of a challenge as we’ve had in a long time here at Clemson."
While Swinney called Clowney the best player in the country, the Tigers counter with one of the best defensive end duos in the country in Sam Montgomery and Barkevious Mingo. Clemson center Dalton Freeman said in a phone interview that LSU has better interior defensive linemen than South Carolina.
"They’ve got really good players in their front seven," Freeman said. "Their secondary is extremely athletic. They play a lot of man coverage with one safety over the top, a man free kind of look that gives you the one-on-one matchups. They feel so confident in their guys, and rightfully so, they can go out there and match one-on-one and put seven or eight in the box and force us to throw the ball. I think there is some similarities with South Carolina but again, this is a pretty stout LSU defense."
So what did Clemson learn from its game against South Carolina to apply against LSU?
"We just have to be physical back," Clemson running back Andre Ellington said. "We have to take on the challenge, to understand that football’s a physical game. Just going against a team like that is definitely not going to be easy. We just have to execute the game plan." Read more...http://espn.go.com/blog/acc/
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http://www.lsureveille.com/
The Daily Reveille
Opinion: Bowl not just about game for student-athletes
LSU will prevail, but players’ experience is more important
Posted on
December 30, 2012
ATLANTA, Ga. – When LSU coach Les Miles and Clemson coach Dabo
Swinney took questions at their joint news conference Sunday, they
looked more like best buddies than two coaches vying for a Chick-fil-A
Bowl title.-
by
Alex Cassara
Miles and Swinney arrived to little fanfare and proceeded to answer multiple questions with effusive praise for one another. They could have well been old pals sitting in that conference room between recycled answers, watching about looking in on the opposing team’s practices, Spygate-style.
What else could they say?
They’ve had a month to talk to the media about one another’s teams in the lead-up to their New Year’s Eve bowl game. That’s a whole lot of time to get their overarching clichés straight and regurgitate them to the media.
When it comes to the actual game, it also means they’ve had plenty time to formulate and perfect their teams’ game plans. With school being out since early December, there’s been nothing for the coaches to preach besides beating the other team.
Their players were undoubtedly listening. But how much are they actually following that advice, especially now that they’re in this unfamiliar city with much to offer?
Focus has been a bit of a problem for the Tigers from Baton Rouge this season. Players have dropped like flies for team rules violations, the most recent being redshirt sophomore Brad Wing, one of the best punters in the country, less than two weeks from kickoff. They were blindsided by
Florida early in the season after weeks of underperformance.
And you’ve got to think it’s been even more difficult to focus given the situation.
The Chick-fil-A Bowl berth seems to have been a disappointment for both those associated with the team (Miles said it “would be fine” if they played in Atlanta prior to the announcement) and the fans. LSU, with its infamous traveling fan base, has sold just 10,500 tickets of its allotment of 16,000.
The teams have been here for a week, during which bowl officials schedule events for the players each day. LSU players’ solicitations for nightly plans have been apparent to anyone who knows how to work Twitter and a city like Atlanta holds plenty of distractions, especially when the sun sets.
When I asked Miles about his team’s focus leading up to the game, he said there was a “strong center core of [his] team that’s about playing the game”. That must mean he knows there are players in it for the trip. No player is going to say that explicitly, but it’s apparent.
I don’t blame them.
Ask yourself what bowl games are for and there’s no other logical answer but money. Sponsors like Chick-fil-A splurge for exposure, coaches have incentives for bowl victories and television contracts, and as we all know, that makes the world of collegiate football go ‘round.
The players see none of that. For their months of unpaid labor, this is the fruit.
They were brought to Baton Rouge to win games. Put yourself in their collegiate shoes before judging though. Years removed from what will be an irrelevant bout, would you want to remember a win in a bowl you didn’t think you should be in, or would you rather recall enjoying yourself with your closest friends after you’ve spent the distant past with them in the trenches? Read more...http://www.lsureveille.
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http://theadvocate.com/sports/
Chick-fil-A Bowl notebook: Miles, Swinney trade final compliments
Both men spent more of the final pre-bowl news conference praising each other and each other’s programs than they did talking about the actual game.
“He’s got a great family,” Swinney said, “and I’m recruiting his sons.”
“I met his wife and his family, and they can hang out with us now,” Miles said. Then he added, “I’m not ready to go vacationing yet.”
Maybe after Monday’s game.
First, of course, is recruiting. One of the top targets for both schools will be the nation’s consensus No. 1 prospect, defensive end Robert Nkemdiche (6-foot-5, 265 pounds) from nearby Loganville, Ga., just west of Atlanta.
Nkemdiche initially committed to Clemson but decommitted in November.
LSU and Ole Miss are now considered two of his favorites along with Alabama and Georgia, though Clemson remains in the mix.
Despite what could be a potentially bitter battle, Swinney said he respects the way Miles and LSU recruit.
“He does it right. His staff does it right,” Swinney said. “I can’t say that about everybody in this business.”
Said Miles: “I’ve only ever seen Dabo Swinney’s operations to be done right and correctly and with the best interests of the player in mind.”
Swinney on SU’s Odums
A reporter covering LSU asked Swinney about his route to becoming Clemson’s head coach being similar to that of new Southern coach Dawson Odums. Both were first named interim coach, then got the full-time job. Reas more...http://theadvocate.com/------------------------------
http://www.shreveporttimes.
Shreveporttimes.com
Clemson's offense will try to spread LSU thin
ATLANTA – LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis may have to wear a hat tonight. Either that, or some Grecian Formula 16.
No. 14 Clemson (10-2), which plays the No. 8 Tigers (10-2) at 6:30 tonight in the Chick-fil-A Bowl on ESPN, is one of the best college football teams in the nation behind multi-talented quarterback Tajh Boyd at running the spread offensive attack that has been sweeping the nation for years.
Boyd, the Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year, is fourth in the nation in passing efficiency at 168.54 with 251 completions in 377 attempts for 3,550 yards and 34 touchdowns with 13 interceptions. He is No. 15 in the country with 295 yards passing a game.
Chavis’ pass defense, meanwhile, slipped late in the regular season to No. 20 in the nation with 194 yards allowed a game after being among the best in the Southeastern Conference and the nation in that category. Using mainly the spread or pass-dominated offenses, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Arkansas each threw for 300 yards or more against LSU to end the regular season.
“I’ve been focused to improve on the mistakes we made in the past weeks,” junior free safety Eric Reid said. “It’s a running thing for us to always be improving. So we find out what we did wrong in the previous game to try to get it corrected for the next game. Coach Chavis does a great job of that.” Read more...http://www.
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http://footballrecruiting.
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Jason Howell
Recruiting Analyst
When New Iberia (La.) Westgate offensive lineman Josh Boutte gave the LSU Tigers his commitment in February, Boutte he viewed it as a chance of a lifetime. Nothing has changed.
"I was a huge fan since I was in the seventh grade," Boutte said. "It was a dream, and I never thought I'd get a scholarship to go there."
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 |
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| Josh Boutte said he has been an LSU fan since he was in the seventh grade. |
"It feels great," Boutte said. "It's big relief, and I can't wait to play for LSU. Just a couple of months. That's all I have left."
The early commitment allowed him to concentrate on other things, including his senior season.
"It was a big relief," Boutte said. "I committed very early, but just the fact of me getting it out of the way early, I was able to focus on my season and in the weight room. I did pretty well this year, and it was pretty stress free."
Since his pledge, other programs have continued to keep in touch. While he is not saying whom he will visit, he has plans in the works.
"There's a few schools trying to weasel their way in, but I'm pretty solid on LSU right now," Boutte said. "I would like to visit other colleges just to make sure my decision is 100 percent what I want. As of right now, LSU is all the way 100 percent."
Boutte would not name names, but he said they were "big schools." He also said he has talked to the LSU coaches about his decision to take visits.
"They understand, and Coach Miles is very confident I am going there," Boutte said. "I kind of know that myself. I just want to make sure."
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http://www.livestream.com/
cfafinalpsr
| Orange and White | Video (55 min, 44 sec): Les Miles, Dabo Swinney press conference (starts at 14 min) |
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?
LSU Football Specialists Bowl Practice "Spoof"
-----------------------------| Bayou Bengals Insider | Defensive Breakdown: Clemson |
| Bayou Bengals Insider | Offensive Breakdown: Clemson |
| Bayou Bengals Insider | Coach's Take: Clemson |
| Bayou Bengals Insider | Players' Take: Clemson |
| Times Picayune | LSU vs. Clemson: View from the other side |
| LSU | Video (4 min, 4 sec): Behind the scenes with MikeTigerVI |
http://espn.go.com/college-
Heart Of The Tide
Behind a talented O-line, RBs T.J. Yeldon and Eddie Lacy drive Alabama's attack. Edward Aschoff » Schlabach: NIU's place in BCS history »Gemmell: Cardinal O-line flourishing »Bowls home »US Presswire
Read more...http://espn.go.com/college-
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?
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