First, two quick thoughts: (1) A&M deserved to win; (2) LSU did not deserve to lose.
(Yeah, that's confusing. But I am conflicted.)
Make all the excuses you want, place all the blame -- on officiating, on the highly paid defensive coordinator -- and whine forever. Not into that personally.
 |
| LSU linebacker Devin White (40), from Springhill was outstanding in this game, as he has been all season, but he and his teammates could not keep their grip on A&M QB Kellen Mond or the victory. |
LSU fans are upset -- mad? crazy? -- and you could say rightfully so. They feel robbed -- by the officials -- and I could make a case for that.
But a fact: The final result ain't changing. And, frankly, the whining/excuse-making is tiring. Give A&M credit for not giving up, for making play after play after play, and for having lots of luck.
Give the LSU kids credit -- despite some odds -- for never giving up, for proving that this is a football team that has given all it for most of this season. It is not a great team, but it is a darned competitive one.
Aggies fans are elated and, gosh, they needed this victory ... because they are Aggies.
Look, I root for LSU -- and Louisiana Tech -- in every instance. I also have a bunch of friends with A&M ties, some good longtime friends, and it is a wonderful university (as almost all universities/colleges are). The tradition there is outstanding ... and some of the traditions are, well, weird.
Sorry, Aggies, not about to apologize for feeling that way. You are proud of your place; we just shake our heads.
Oh, heck, back to the football game. Posted this on Facebook, and will repeat it here:
A helluva football game. Great win for Aggies, no shame for Tigers. Both teams fought their hearts out. (more below)
---
There were several debatable calls in the final minute of regulation and in the overtimes. Officiating is what it is -- never going to be perfect.
But here is a fact: LSU had a dozen chances to end this game. Could not do it. One play in any of those situations -- offensively or defensively -- would have done it.
Starting with the 3rd-and-4 play when a first down -- with A&M out of timeouts -- would have clinched it at the 2-minute mark. The Tigers' play call was too predictable, too conservative -- a run to the right by QB Joe Burrow -- and easily stopped. Forced a punt.
(I think Steve Ensminger has done a really nice job with play-calling all season, and in his stint two years ago, too. But not a perfect job.)
 |
| A&M's Kellen Mond (11) made so many big plays late in this game. (Associated Press photo by David J. Phillip) |
Five plays made by A&M QB Kellen Mond and his corps of receivers, who got better and better as the game wore on.
(And it did wear on.)
In the overtimes, the Aggies -- especially Mond, scrambling away from LSU's attempted defensive pressure -- had gains of 12, 9, 17, 25 (TD pass), 10, 21, 13, a tying PAT pass, and a 4th-and-6 tying TD pass (and spectacular, one-handed catch by Kendrick Rogers -- the play of the game, in my opinion).
No way to win a game defensively.
Yes, a couple of very tough calls went against LSU -- the targeting/ejection call, and the last pass interference against Shreveport's Greedy Williams. (Greedy can play, and he's going to be a first-round NFL draft pick. But he did get beat on the 1-second-remaining tying TD pass.)
But, darned it, here's a couple of defensive points for the LSU defense:
(1) Aggies ran 6 plays inside the LSU 4 during the overtimes, did not score; that is a heroic effort;
(2) LSU played this game without five defensive starters (a linebacker, a down lineman, two cornerbacks, the free safety) -- all hurt, a couple out for the season. Then the starting middle linebacker is ejected in overtime.
So, you have the fifth-through-seventh best defensive backs on the team on the field for most of the game. And little depth or experience to replace them. (And this is my excuse for LSU; you don't have to buy it.)
Those kids played their butts off. You want to blame the defensive coordinator, who is one of the nation's best (and highest paid), you do so. I won't.
As for blaming the officials or the replay official, it is too easy, too convenient. Yes, I question putting the one second back on the clock -- that's what Coach O and the LSU staff were furious about afterward -- and I thought A&M's nine-man line of scrimmage was pretty obvious before the spike play (think it is a 5-yard penalty, but no clock runoff). But that's life in athletics, folks.
It was A&M's great fortune that a screwup, Mond fumbling the snap, picking it up and then throwing a deflected pass that was intercepted, became a giant break when his knee touched the ground as he picked up the fumble. Think the replay was clear on that.
Another fumble, the muffed punt return by LSU, recovered by A&M in the third quarter was a real momentum-breaker at the time for LSU. After the Tigers' defense, not too stout in the first half, had settled in and forced two Aggies' punts, that fumble hurt and gave A&M a short field (29 yards) for a tying-breaking touchdown.
Practically forgotten in all the overtime drama.
---
The rest of my original postgame Facebook post: There is a reason why for years I have said and written that overtime is BS. Coaches do not have to "go for it" at the end of games, they can settle for another OT. Jimbo took the easy way out twice, Coach O once. No guts. Some games should just be ties.
John James Marshall will vouch for this: Since 1985, I have written and said -- repeatedly -- that overtime is unnecessary for regular-season high school and college football. Playoffs, yes, there has to be a way (if the old first downs or penetrations method was unacceptable).
It is a long and separate argument (and blogs), and one of my friends (Jimmy Manasseh put a proposal on Facebook today that I like) ... but back to Saturday's game.
Jimbo Fisher could have made the decision at the end of regulation, when it was 31-30, LSU, to have his team go for a two-point PAT -- win or lose, right there. But he chose the tying PAT kick, and even refused an offside penalty on LSU that would have put the ball at the 1 1/2-yard-line on a retry.
Worked out for Jimbo and A&M, but it was a chicken-spit way out.
At the end of the second overtime, LSU scored and was one point behind. Coach O chose to go for the tying PAT kick (and a third overtime). He could have had the Tigers go for two -- win or lose, right there. Nope. Chicken-spit way out.(Hey, Paul Dietzel would have gone for two.)
These head coaches are paid millions a year to make those tough calls. But the rules, at the end of regulation and the first two OTs, give them an easy out -- a "no guts" out. Make the so-tired kids play some more overtime(s).
Yes, it is great theater. What happened in this game, the tremendous do-it-or-lose scenarios, was riveting. (Of course, I did not watch; I refuse to watch the OTs in college or high school football, my own statement of protest. No guts.)
---
One more angle on A&M-LSU football, the sentiment that it was not a rivalry. How stupid and short-sighted a thought.
The Bryan Eagle web site headline: "Texas A&M needs to beat LSU to help the series become a rivalry." Heard that in the pregame comment on TV, too.
In memory of John David Crow, Ken Beck and Richard Gay -- North Louisiana football fans will remember -- A&M-LSU long has been a rivalry, always will be. The on-field games have been going for more than a century; the recruiting battle is fierce in many areas -- especially around Houston.
So what if LSU had won the previous seven games? Never easy, always competitive. Think it wasn't a rivalry when A&M won six out of seven in the 1990s, five in a row from 1991-95. Think that Cotton Bowl at the end of the 2010 season (LSU, 41-24) wasn't tough?
Think that A&M did not kind of resent playing 16 times in a row in Baton Rouge -- and rarely ever won? Think that one of those rare Aggies' victories, 20-18 in 1970, on a 78-yard pass from Lex James to Bucky McElroy with 13 seconds remaining, wasn't devastating for LSU?
Look, Alabama has beaten LSU eight times in a row, and Bama coach Paul "Bear" Bryant beat his former player and then-LSU coach Charlie McClendon 14 out of 16 (the only Tigers' wins were in 1969 and '70), but -- darn it -- it is still a rivalry. And it was when LSU beat Bama seven out of eight starting in 2000 (Nick Saban's first season as LSU coach).
Too many "not a rivalry" experts out there. Too many fans second-guessing everything that didn't go their way.
LSU fans should be proud of this season's team. Stop complaining. Yes, a 9-3 regular season could have/should have been 10-2. Still, these Tigers were a pleasant surprise, fought hard and achieved a great deal, and -- my opinion, again -- deserve a New Year's Day bowl game.
I have gone overtime in this blog, several overtimes. I should gave gone for a two-point PAT much sooner.
I remember playing 45 or 50 plays once. Against Florida. Tired but no big deal. The guys Saturday played almost twice that. That is a lot of football. I always felt that this will get to be a bigger and bigger game each year. Culture, late season game etc.Remember this is entertainment not surgery.
ReplyDeleteFrom Gerry Robichaux: Points well taken. In old Times talk, this is prize material. Cut out and save copies.
ReplyDeleteFrom Barbara Winkler: I just read your blog on the game the other night. Very good, however the title gives me the idea you consider me a "whiner" or a "loser," which I am neither. I was just another Knight with an opinion and based on the irregular activities during the refs calling the game, I would imagine the majority of LSU fans were frankly shocked at the goings-on. I sincerely hope you do not think of any of us as whiners, complainers or Losers. Most of us have never complained about the refs' calls. Still think the world of you and yes, we all remember it's only a game.
ReplyDeleteFrom Josh Wellen: Yes, very well written. We were robbed by some brutal calls, but nothing you can do about it. Not too significant of a loss, either.
ReplyDeleteFrom David Lee: Very good article, you covered all bases. I believe coaches should go for the win and that would settle everything. Officiating is always going to be an issue, but remember they are people and people are not perfect.
ReplyDeleteFrom Ross Montelbano: Sorry, Yoda. I think that the Master missed a couple. I disagree with the "chicken" and "no guts" comments. Coaches go for two when they know that they don't have the best team and want to try to "steal" one. When they feel that they have the best team, it makes no sense to gamble because they feel that they will win on the next possession. Now, if they lose their starting QB, it makes sense to gamble because they know that they can't score over and over. As for the continued OTs, the schools are members of the NCAA and if they want to change it, they'll change it. Finally, I'd be willing to say that 95 percent of the young men that were busting their asses for our entertainment, want no part of a tie. Otherwise, you nailed both teams' effort, officials actions, the need to get over it, and the rest. The Italian judge gives you a 9.5.
ReplyDeleteFrom Tom Arceneaux: Good stuff. I think officiating played a role, but in the end the Aggies made all the plays and the Tigers didn't. Just the way it goes sometimes (said Tom after three days of sulking).
ReplyDeleteFrom Joe Ferguson: Great. Well written. LSU fans really don’t realize that this was not a great football team. Coaches got them ready each week. No way they should have ever beaten Georgia. I like the QB but he is not a great one.
ReplyDeleteFrom Chuck Baker: Enjoyed the blog.
ReplyDeleteI love the college OT rules. Would make only two changes: start possession at the 35-yard line instead of the 25 and make the two-point conversion mandatory from the first possession.
Didn’t care who won the LSU game, but thought it was one of the best college games I’ve ever seen. LSU clearly a Top 10 team. A&M not quite that good, but was very impressive.
From Bob Basinger: Good read. I agree with you on all your points ... which worries me immensely!
ReplyDeleteFrom Malcolm Smith: Great article. Terry and Donna Ewing are upset, of course, and my Aggie son Joel is ecstatic. Life goes on.
ReplyDeleteFrom Randall Perry: You know how often I declare a game over. When Mond dropped the snap, picked it up and threw an interception, I told Marty that LSU had just won the game. Then the refs reviewed it and said Mond went to one knee to pick up the ball, which nullified the interception. Then they had the spiked ball with one second left, then the touchdown pass. It was the most bizarre game I've ever seen.
ReplyDeleteI don't know all the rules for overtime, but if I remember correctly, they allowed each team to kick field goals in the third overtime. It's just ridiculous for a college football game to finish at 74-72. They really need to rethink how they do overtimes.
From Tommy Henry: Very good insight into this game and I agree with many of your comments. Of course, I have my own thoughts about this game. I’m not going to take the time to go into my thoughts at this time other than to say that I strongly believe we [LSU] should have aggressively attempted to pick up a first down on our last [regulation-time] possession. I believe a sweep would have been in order -- it widens and opens up the field and is more time consuming.(Turns out if we would have used up JUST 1 MORE SECOND in that series, we wouldn’t have been hashing this out now. BUT -- NO PASS PLAYS!!)
ReplyDeleteBut we ran some plays that were just south of taking a knee and in doing this, we did not use enough time in this very important series.
After that, our defense should have won the game for us, but it didn’t come through on several Aggies pass plays.
And I have my thoughts on playing enough overtimes to constitute what amounted to almost a doubleheader in football. I just cannot see how this is in best best interest of the safety and welfare of the players of both teams. Hey, they even have tie games in the NFL.
From John English: This was well done and calms me down a bit. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteFrom Mike Harper: Your stuff is always appropriate. I watched the game and admittedly am biased, never seen a team with so many second chances. I think the folks in Birmingham have no idea of the consequences of their decisions ... just rule on play, catch, fumble, etc. And while I’m on that subject, why are receivers held to a higher standard than running backs? For a running back, crossing the plane ends the play; a receiver has to maintain control through the catch. I don’t get it.
ReplyDeleteFrom Jon Stephenson: Worst “football” game I’ve ever seen -- NO defense and not much skill on offense. If I want to see 70 points scored in a college game I’ll go to Reed Arena when a decent team plays the Aggies there!
ReplyDeleteThe refs had back to back to back tough calls. Replays on ESPN in a Sunday recap showed most if not all were good calls. The Monday morning quarterbacks in our state will disagree...but in the end....poop and scoop happens. And when you read the Advocate's explanations, where the SEC responds,, the refs were better than some in Louisiana would indicate. Tune in next year when LSU jacks the prices for a rematch.....minus the early Gatorade baths
ReplyDelete