Arclight
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Rabalais: LSU Collapse Goes Down As One of Worst
By SCOTT RABALAIS
Advocate sportswriter
The first reports were that Tiger Stadium didn't suffer any significant damage from Hurricane Rita. Apparently, those reports were inaccurate. Tiger Stadium was the scene of a complete collapse Monday night. The culprit wasn't Rita, though. This one was all on the LSU Tigers themselves.
You could blame LSU's loss on the funky fact the game had to be played on a Monday night, pushed back on the calendar by Hurricane Rita. You could blame the distractions and the destruction visited on Louisiana and the despair that is all around.
But hey, Tennessee had to fly in on game day because there were no hotel rooms to be had. Tennessee had to overcome a completely disorganized offense that had managed just 24 points in its first two games but piled up 30 in the second half and in overtime win it against LSU to win 30-27.
Stunning. I've seen some LSU collapses over the years in all sports. But this was stunning.
LSU has a wall in its locker room on which it places its greatest Tiger Stadium victories. If it had a wall for worst collapses, this one would go on a wall with Auburn in 1994 and Ohio State in 1988 and Alabama in 1998.
At halftime it looked like anything but a Tennessee win. Ahead 21-0 at halftime, the Tigers were completely in control, looking almost like a mortal lock. Almost.
The Tigers came out and played the second half like they were trying not to lose. They ran the ball tentatively. They seemed afraid to pass except in obvious passing situations, managing just 56 yards total offense in the second half and overtime. They played the kind of soft defense that helped Arizona State pile up the yards in a game that LSU managed to win 35-31 on the strength of two special team blocks for scores.
Tennessee played the second half like it was desperate to win, so desperate in fact that coach Phillip Fulmer did what he seemed so eager to avoid by bringing former LSU quarterback Rick Clausen off the bench to bail out woefully ineffective Volunteers' starter Erik Ainge.
But Clausen, that scared and shaky young boy last seen starting the 2002 Ole Miss game for LSU, came back as a man wearing Tennessee orange and white. He worked within his limitations -- limitations Tennessee coaches apparently felt he had compared to Ainge that relegated him to the bench.
If Ainge looked lost, Clausen looked like he had channeled the spirit of Arizona State quarterback Sam Keller. Clausen nipped and tucked and sliced LSU for 7 yards here and 8 yards there with short drops and quick passes, just like Keller did. That and a few ill-timed Tiger penalties -- once again, LSU looked mighty undisciplined from a penalty standpoint -- allowed Tennessee to mount drive after drive to outscore the Tigers 24-3 in the second half.
Maybe the Tigers were just too emotionally overcharged, wanting to win too badly. For that, the buck stops with first-year LSU coach Les Miles.
It's up to the head coach to set the tone for his team. Either the team didn't listen, or Miles didn't say the right things.
Either way, Miles is certain not to forget his first game in Tiger Stadium. He got to experience the full range of emotions from the raucous cheers to raining boos.
Tiger fans had big boos for quarterback JaMarcus Russell at the end of the first half. Russell took off running on second-and-10 at the Tennessee 14 with no time outs left. He got 8 yards but LSU couldn't stop the clock. A field goal there might have made the difference.
For all the great decisions he made against Arizona State, Russell seemed to regress Ainge-like against a much better Tennessee defense.
I was going to write a column later this week saying that the major polls did LSU a disservice by trotting out their rankings Sunday instead of waiting until after this game was played. Partially because LSU didn't play Saturday and Virginia Tech throttled Georgia Tech 51-7, Virginia Tech leaped over LSU to No. 3 while LSU fell to No. 4. The Tigers were just No. 5 in the new Harris poll, part of the revamped BCS formula.
LSU doesn't have to worry about polls now. It can forget playing for the national championship. The Tigers must regroup and see if they can get into the Southeastern Conference Championship Game.
The Tigers now have 3 1/2 days to prepare for Saturday's game at Mississippi State. What was a sure win seems like a must win.
In the post hurricane world, nothing that once seemed like a sure thing remains that now. In the post Tennessee collapse world, LSU is searching to find itself.
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Rabalais: LSU Collapse Goes Down As One of Worst
By SCOTT RABALAIS
Advocate sportswriter
The first reports were that Tiger Stadium didn't suffer any significant damage from Hurricane Rita. Apparently, those reports were inaccurate. Tiger Stadium was the scene of a complete collapse Monday night. The culprit wasn't Rita, though. This one was all on the LSU Tigers themselves.
You could blame LSU's loss on the funky fact the game had to be played on a Monday night, pushed back on the calendar by Hurricane Rita. You could blame the distractions and the destruction visited on Louisiana and the despair that is all around.
But hey, Tennessee had to fly in on game day because there were no hotel rooms to be had. Tennessee had to overcome a completely disorganized offense that had managed just 24 points in its first two games but piled up 30 in the second half and in overtime win it against LSU to win 30-27.
Stunning. I've seen some LSU collapses over the years in all sports. But this was stunning.
LSU has a wall in its locker room on which it places its greatest Tiger Stadium victories. If it had a wall for worst collapses, this one would go on a wall with Auburn in 1994 and Ohio State in 1988 and Alabama in 1998.
At halftime it looked like anything but a Tennessee win. Ahead 21-0 at halftime, the Tigers were completely in control, looking almost like a mortal lock. Almost.
The Tigers came out and played the second half like they were trying not to lose. They ran the ball tentatively. They seemed afraid to pass except in obvious passing situations, managing just 56 yards total offense in the second half and overtime. They played the kind of soft defense that helped Arizona State pile up the yards in a game that LSU managed to win 35-31 on the strength of two special team blocks for scores.
Tennessee played the second half like it was desperate to win, so desperate in fact that coach Phillip Fulmer did what he seemed so eager to avoid by bringing former LSU quarterback Rick Clausen off the bench to bail out woefully ineffective Volunteers' starter Erik Ainge.
But Clausen, that scared and shaky young boy last seen starting the 2002 Ole Miss game for LSU, came back as a man wearing Tennessee orange and white. He worked within his limitations -- limitations Tennessee coaches apparently felt he had compared to Ainge that relegated him to the bench.
If Ainge looked lost, Clausen looked like he had channeled the spirit of Arizona State quarterback Sam Keller. Clausen nipped and tucked and sliced LSU for 7 yards here and 8 yards there with short drops and quick passes, just like Keller did. That and a few ill-timed Tiger penalties -- once again, LSU looked mighty undisciplined from a penalty standpoint -- allowed Tennessee to mount drive after drive to outscore the Tigers 24-3 in the second half.
Maybe the Tigers were just too emotionally overcharged, wanting to win too badly. For that, the buck stops with first-year LSU coach Les Miles.
It's up to the head coach to set the tone for his team. Either the team didn't listen, or Miles didn't say the right things.
Either way, Miles is certain not to forget his first game in Tiger Stadium. He got to experience the full range of emotions from the raucous cheers to raining boos.
Tiger fans had big boos for quarterback JaMarcus Russell at the end of the first half. Russell took off running on second-and-10 at the Tennessee 14 with no time outs left. He got 8 yards but LSU couldn't stop the clock. A field goal there might have made the difference.
For all the great decisions he made against Arizona State, Russell seemed to regress Ainge-like against a much better Tennessee defense.
I was going to write a column later this week saying that the major polls did LSU a disservice by trotting out their rankings Sunday instead of waiting until after this game was played. Partially because LSU didn't play Saturday and Virginia Tech throttled Georgia Tech 51-7, Virginia Tech leaped over LSU to No. 3 while LSU fell to No. 4. The Tigers were just No. 5 in the new Harris poll, part of the revamped BCS formula.
LSU doesn't have to worry about polls now. It can forget playing for the national championship. The Tigers must regroup and see if they can get into the Southeastern Conference Championship Game.
The Tigers now have 3 1/2 days to prepare for Saturday's game at Mississippi State. What was a sure win seems like a must win.
In the post hurricane world, nothing that once seemed like a sure thing remains that now. In the post Tennessee collapse world, LSU is searching to find itself.
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