Tinker:
Losing reflect more of what is really true about a college football team than all the other talking points could ever tell.
http://www.ted.com/talks/john_
Les Miles LSU football program is in serious trouble if this
losing trend don't stop. People around the LSU tiger nation are feeling
the first stages of empty emotion in a declining football program.
Losing football game has a way of decorating the most optimistic LSU fan
victory cake with ugly marks. Who in their right mind thinks that it is
OK to lose.Losing reflect more of what is really true about a college football team than all the other talking points could ever tell.
http://www.ted.com/talks/john_
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http://www.lsusports.net/
Video
Catching Up with Coach - Pre-Texas A&M
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http://www.tigerrag.com/
By CODY WORSHAM
Tiger Rag Editor
With the Tigers sitting at 7-3 and well outside of the SEC and national title hunts, energizing the LSU fanbase would seemingly take something superhuman.
http://espn.go.com/college-
Coaching carousel if Sumlin bolts Blog »
Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports
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http://www.tigerrag.com/
Gametime Preview: LSU vs. A&M
11/22/2013 8:30:47 AM
By CODY WORSHAM
Tiger Rag Editor
With the Tigers sitting at 7-3 and well outside of the SEC and national title hunts, energizing the LSU fanbase would seemingly take something superhuman.
Enter Johnny Manziel.
The reigning Heisman Trophy winner brings a legend as big as his talent to Tiger Stadium for his first and (probably) only venture in to Death Valley, leading Texas A&M into Baton Rouge for its first contest against LSU as a member of the SEC.
CBS will televise the 2:30 kick off Saturday, and all eyes will be on the mercurial Manziel, whose numbers are improved from a season ago, when he became the first freshman to ever win college football’s most coveted trophy.
Manziel will roll into town sporting the SEC’s best passer rating (186.86). He’s already thrown more touchdowns in 2013 (31) than in 2012 (26), is completing more passes (73% to 68%), and sports the third-best fourth-quarter passer rating (226.45) of any quarterback in the country.
He’s running less, averaging four fewer attempts and 40 less yards on the ground than a season ago, but Les Miles knows he’s no less dangerous.
"Guys like [Manziel] are very, very real,” the Tiger head coach said. "With one ball he probably does as much offensively as anybody that I’ve seen. He’s very talented, very capable.”
The key to Manziel’s improvements this season has been greater pocket patience. Last season, he was more apt to tuck the ball and run when receivers were covered, something LSU took advantage of in their 2012 clash by rushing just three players, playing contain, and spying Manziel with a speedy defense.
The result was the only game of his career with passer rating below 120 (82.48), as he threw interceptions and averaged just 4.9 yards per pass attempt in a 24-19 loss.
Of course, Manziel is a different player one year later, and it’s not just about the hardware on his trophy case.
"He’s stronger and faster,” said Miles. "He’s got more confidence with where he’s throwing the ball.
"I don’t think he really needs to do a lot of running. He’s a very talented thrower, and for whatever reason he’s maybe a better quarterback.”
Not only is he a better quarterback, but LSU’s is a worse defense. The Tigers have seen major drop-offs in every important defensive category over the last season, unable to depart NFL draft picks like Eric Reid, Barkevious Mingo, and Kevin Minter with this year’s crop.
That’s why Miles hesitates the game plan to defend Manziel will be like it was last season.
"There is a little different team here,” he said. "There are some things that we are going to change, but in the same vein some of the principles that were used a year ago were real quality. Maybe they’ll be employed differently.”
Manziel isn’t A&M’s only weapon. Mike Evans leads the conference and is second in the nation in receiving and his twice gone over 275 yards in single games this year. Both of those games, oddly enough, were A&M losses, but he remains a threat nonetheless.
With Manziel more pocket prone this season, Ben Malena has been picking up the slack on the ground for A&M, rushing for 476 yards and 9 touchdowns on the season. Sophomore Trey Williams (326 yards, 6 TDs, 7.2 yards per carry) is perhaps the bigger home run threat, but Malena is the grit in A&M’s flashy attack.
"He's kind of like Superman and Clark Kent,” said A&M offensive coordinator Clarence McKinney. "You don't notice him in meetings. You don't notice him at practice. He doesn’t say a whole lot, but when the lights come on and it’s time to play, he’s a different person. He’s a vocal leader. When we're in practice and we're in meetings, you don't even know he's there."
All of those weapons have had to make up for one of the worst defenses in the conference. The Aggies are dead last in the SEC in total defense, giving up 454.4 yards per game, and 12th in scoring defense, allowing 30.9 points per game. Stops have been few and far between, a luxury afforded only by a quarterback as dynamic as Manziel.
A&M will win by....
Letting Johnny Be Johnny
Take the defending Heisman trophy winner – who just so happens to be a frontrunner for the award again this season – and throw him smack dab in the middle of a defense with the tackling aptitude of a weaning kitten, and what do you get? Well, it depends on your perspective. If it’s A&M, you’re looking a recipe for another day flirting with 50 points and 500 yards of offense. If it’s LSU, you’re looking at a recipe for disaster. Nothing complicated about Kevin Sumlin’s offensive gameplan this week. Just watch Johnny go, go Johnny go-go-go.
Not losing the turnover battle
With 11 interceptions lost on the season, A&M has been prone to throwing the pick. But the Aggies have handled the ball well, only losing seven fumbles, a relatively low number. The good news for A&M is LSU is atrocious at forcing turnovers, ranking 12th in the SEC in turnover margin, no thanks to forcing a mere 12 turnovers on the season. In a game where every possession that doesn’t end in points could be costly, he who wins the turnover battle shall win the game, but A&M, with a better offense, doesn’t even need to win the battle. They just can’t lose it.
Blitzing
Alabama showed everyone watching on national television how to stop LSU’s offense in the second half of their 38-17 win over the Tigers: blitz until you’re blue in the face. A&M’s defense has been dreadful at putting team behind the chains, ranking dead last in the SEC in sack yards with 63. But LSU has an inconsistent offensive line and a quarterback with all the mobility of an oak tree, and the two have combined to allow opponents 18 sacks on the season, 10th in the SEC. The reward outweighs the risk for A&M here. Pin those ears back, and victory is within grasp.
LSU will win by …
Forgetting about the past and the future
All physical and mental scars need to be completely healed by 2:30 on Saturday. Any thoughts about what potentially disappointing bowl games are on the line need to be purged at the same time. Though the Aggies are coming into the game with two disappointing losses of their own, they aren’t a team to be taken lightly. If LSU has anything on its mind besides what is happening right there in front of it, Johnny Football and Co. will be spending a lot of time in the end zone. LSU coaches and players alike are fond of wringing everything they can out of the one-week-at-a-time mentality, but that needs to be reality and not just talk this week.
Containing the edge
YOU CAN’T STOP JOHNNY FOOTBALL, YOU CAN ONLY HOPE TO CONTAIN HIM!
Seriously. LSU’s defenders need to be have an extra level of awareness in Saturday’s game, and can’t get sucked in to leaving their assigned responsibilities to chase A&M’s frantic quarterback. Because if that happens, Manziel will do what he does best: he’ll improvise, find the vacated area and exploit it with his supreme athleticism. A&M is built to win shootouts, LSU is not. The Tigers only hope in this one is to eliminate the big play, and that all starts with forcing Manziel to take what the Tigers give him. If they do that, they might be able to coax him into throwing a ball he shouldn’t, and one turnover might be the difference in this one.
Feeding the beast
Sophomore running back Jeremy Hill has been inexplicably absent in recent weeks for the Tiger offense. Hill hasn’t topped 16 carries the last three weeks, and he hit a season-low in conference play with just 13 against Alabama. That must change against A&M, who allows the league’s second-worst rushing yards per game (210.7), especially if LSU plans to give its defense a breather against Manziel and the high-octane Aggies offense. Hill is just 36 yards away from being the first LSU running back to eclipse 1,000 yards in a season since 2010, and if the Tigers are doing right, he’ll get those yards before the end of the first quarter.
--------------The reigning Heisman Trophy winner brings a legend as big as his talent to Tiger Stadium for his first and (probably) only venture in to Death Valley, leading Texas A&M into Baton Rouge for its first contest against LSU as a member of the SEC.
CBS will televise the 2:30 kick off Saturday, and all eyes will be on the mercurial Manziel, whose numbers are improved from a season ago, when he became the first freshman to ever win college football’s most coveted trophy.
Manziel will roll into town sporting the SEC’s best passer rating (186.86). He’s already thrown more touchdowns in 2013 (31) than in 2012 (26), is completing more passes (73% to 68%), and sports the third-best fourth-quarter passer rating (226.45) of any quarterback in the country.
He’s running less, averaging four fewer attempts and 40 less yards on the ground than a season ago, but Les Miles knows he’s no less dangerous.
"Guys like [Manziel] are very, very real,” the Tiger head coach said. "With one ball he probably does as much offensively as anybody that I’ve seen. He’s very talented, very capable.”
The key to Manziel’s improvements this season has been greater pocket patience. Last season, he was more apt to tuck the ball and run when receivers were covered, something LSU took advantage of in their 2012 clash by rushing just three players, playing contain, and spying Manziel with a speedy defense.
The result was the only game of his career with passer rating below 120 (82.48), as he threw interceptions and averaged just 4.9 yards per pass attempt in a 24-19 loss.
Of course, Manziel is a different player one year later, and it’s not just about the hardware on his trophy case.
"He’s stronger and faster,” said Miles. "He’s got more confidence with where he’s throwing the ball.
"I don’t think he really needs to do a lot of running. He’s a very talented thrower, and for whatever reason he’s maybe a better quarterback.”
Not only is he a better quarterback, but LSU’s is a worse defense. The Tigers have seen major drop-offs in every important defensive category over the last season, unable to depart NFL draft picks like Eric Reid, Barkevious Mingo, and Kevin Minter with this year’s crop.
That’s why Miles hesitates the game plan to defend Manziel will be like it was last season.
"There is a little different team here,” he said. "There are some things that we are going to change, but in the same vein some of the principles that were used a year ago were real quality. Maybe they’ll be employed differently.”
Manziel isn’t A&M’s only weapon. Mike Evans leads the conference and is second in the nation in receiving and his twice gone over 275 yards in single games this year. Both of those games, oddly enough, were A&M losses, but he remains a threat nonetheless.
With Manziel more pocket prone this season, Ben Malena has been picking up the slack on the ground for A&M, rushing for 476 yards and 9 touchdowns on the season. Sophomore Trey Williams (326 yards, 6 TDs, 7.2 yards per carry) is perhaps the bigger home run threat, but Malena is the grit in A&M’s flashy attack.
"He's kind of like Superman and Clark Kent,” said A&M offensive coordinator Clarence McKinney. "You don't notice him in meetings. You don't notice him at practice. He doesn’t say a whole lot, but when the lights come on and it’s time to play, he’s a different person. He’s a vocal leader. When we're in practice and we're in meetings, you don't even know he's there."
All of those weapons have had to make up for one of the worst defenses in the conference. The Aggies are dead last in the SEC in total defense, giving up 454.4 yards per game, and 12th in scoring defense, allowing 30.9 points per game. Stops have been few and far between, a luxury afforded only by a quarterback as dynamic as Manziel.
A&M will win by....
Letting Johnny Be Johnny
Take the defending Heisman trophy winner – who just so happens to be a frontrunner for the award again this season – and throw him smack dab in the middle of a defense with the tackling aptitude of a weaning kitten, and what do you get? Well, it depends on your perspective. If it’s A&M, you’re looking a recipe for another day flirting with 50 points and 500 yards of offense. If it’s LSU, you’re looking at a recipe for disaster. Nothing complicated about Kevin Sumlin’s offensive gameplan this week. Just watch Johnny go, go Johnny go-go-go.
Not losing the turnover battle
With 11 interceptions lost on the season, A&M has been prone to throwing the pick. But the Aggies have handled the ball well, only losing seven fumbles, a relatively low number. The good news for A&M is LSU is atrocious at forcing turnovers, ranking 12th in the SEC in turnover margin, no thanks to forcing a mere 12 turnovers on the season. In a game where every possession that doesn’t end in points could be costly, he who wins the turnover battle shall win the game, but A&M, with a better offense, doesn’t even need to win the battle. They just can’t lose it.
Blitzing
Alabama showed everyone watching on national television how to stop LSU’s offense in the second half of their 38-17 win over the Tigers: blitz until you’re blue in the face. A&M’s defense has been dreadful at putting team behind the chains, ranking dead last in the SEC in sack yards with 63. But LSU has an inconsistent offensive line and a quarterback with all the mobility of an oak tree, and the two have combined to allow opponents 18 sacks on the season, 10th in the SEC. The reward outweighs the risk for A&M here. Pin those ears back, and victory is within grasp.
LSU will win by …
Forgetting about the past and the future
All physical and mental scars need to be completely healed by 2:30 on Saturday. Any thoughts about what potentially disappointing bowl games are on the line need to be purged at the same time. Though the Aggies are coming into the game with two disappointing losses of their own, they aren’t a team to be taken lightly. If LSU has anything on its mind besides what is happening right there in front of it, Johnny Football and Co. will be spending a lot of time in the end zone. LSU coaches and players alike are fond of wringing everything they can out of the one-week-at-a-time mentality, but that needs to be reality and not just talk this week.
Containing the edge
YOU CAN’T STOP JOHNNY FOOTBALL, YOU CAN ONLY HOPE TO CONTAIN HIM!
Seriously. LSU’s defenders need to be have an extra level of awareness in Saturday’s game, and can’t get sucked in to leaving their assigned responsibilities to chase A&M’s frantic quarterback. Because if that happens, Manziel will do what he does best: he’ll improvise, find the vacated area and exploit it with his supreme athleticism. A&M is built to win shootouts, LSU is not. The Tigers only hope in this one is to eliminate the big play, and that all starts with forcing Manziel to take what the Tigers give him. If they do that, they might be able to coax him into throwing a ball he shouldn’t, and one turnover might be the difference in this one.
Feeding the beast
Sophomore running back Jeremy Hill has been inexplicably absent in recent weeks for the Tiger offense. Hill hasn’t topped 16 carries the last three weeks, and he hit a season-low in conference play with just 13 against Alabama. That must change against A&M, who allows the league’s second-worst rushing yards per game (210.7), especially if LSU plans to give its defense a breather against Manziel and the high-octane Aggies offense. Hill is just 36 yards away from being the first LSU running back to eclipse 1,000 yards in a season since 2010, and if the Tigers are doing right, he’ll get those yards before the end of the first quarter.
http://espn.go.com/college-
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