Florida vs. LSU: What in the "tractor pull" heck was that??!!

by Mr. Rosewater on Oct 11, 2009 10:32 AM EDT Comment 43 comments

It's that time to call out the media again, although most of us have abandoned those corporate windbags and their "objectivity" long ago. Which is why we go to blogs because we want to read stories that slant our way.

So where do I begin? Florida and LSU are terrible. I don't care if Tebow was a drooling catatonic or Professor Jesus H. Christ, Esq, LCC, PhD, MD, Copyright 0 B.C., All Rights Reserved. Based on last night's Slow Eastern Conference pillow fight, I'd say these two teams are way overrated. But who am I to say, right? Because if you read ESPN, CNNSI, and other sports rags, no one's bashing this game.

I mean, afterall, let's look at the stats (courtesy of ESPN):



1st Downs	22	12
3rd down efficiency	5-12	1-9
4th down efficiency	0-1	1-3
Total Yards	327	162
Passing	134	96
Comp-Att	11-16	11-17
Yards per pass	8.4	5.6
Rushing	193	66
Rushing Attempts	48	30
Yards per rush	4.0	2.2
Penalties	6-45	9-64
Turnovers	1	1
Fumbles lost	0	0
Interceptions thrown	1	1
Possession	36:30	23:30

What say you Pat Forde?

A good portion of America spent the past two weeks wringing their hands over Tebow's status after he suffered a concussion against Kentucky. The cards, letters and other expressions of support were "humbling," Tebow said. The long wait to be cleared to play was maddening.

Hey, hey! Don't talk about my maddening week! So what if I sent Tebow a few cards? As a Penn State fan, I was concerned. But please, let's talk about football:

In general, Florida went as conservative as it thought it could get away with -- and that was pretty conservative, given its lights-out defense.

Okay, now we're talking! Defense! That's why the game was so boring!

The primary reason Florida won Saturday night was the work of that relentless unit.

Whoa, whoa! TMI, good buddy!

But wait a minute. Isn't this game awfully similar to one played last year, with two top ranked teams, from that other non-SEC conference? (you peeps had better know where this is going).

Let's go to some stats, shall we?

Penn State v. Ohio State 2008

1st Downs	18	14
3rd down efficiency	5-12	8-15
4th down efficiency	0-0	0-0
Total Yards	281	287
Passing	121	226
Comp-Att	12-20	16-28
Yards per pass	6.1	8.1
Rushing	160	61
Rushing Attempts	37	31
Yards per rush	4.3	2.0
Penalties	0-0	4-48
Turnovers	0	2
Fumbles lost	0	1
Interceptions thrown	0	1
Possession	31:26	28:3

If I didn't know any better, which I probably don't (but I do), I'd say these games are awfully similar (3rd down eff between PSU and UF is spooky), yet construed and analyzed from behind completely different goggles. Do I really need to cull the articles after this particular game? Do I have to??!!! Is it that obvious!!!???

We'll wait for the other wires to come in on Florida's victory, but if you ask me, I'm not expecting the same kind of vitriol spewed from last year's game. Even though it was the same game in different uniforms.

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Comments

but the big ten lacks SEC SPEED

- or a big ESPN contract, i forget which

by b598650 on Oct 11, 2009 10:40 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

The big10 has a better ESPN contract than the SEC

We just don’t get a special logo and the announcers blowing us.

by whiteoutonly on Oct 11, 2009 11:42 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Its all about competition.

ESPN has to make the conference that isn’t trying to become a competitor sound better.

I’m wondering if the ridiculous bias could amount to a blacklist under antitrust law…?

by psume06 on Oct 11, 2009 3:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Or...

and I’m a huge Penn State fan, don’t get me wrong, but there was a Heisman Trophy winner with 2 national titles coming back from a concussion playing against a team that hasn’t lost a home night game in its last 27 tries. The Big Ten’s reputation preceded it in the 2008 PSU/OSU matchup, and while the Florida/LSU game played out nearly the same way, I would never expect the media to come to the same conclusion about how the game was played. OSU had a freshman QB that couldn’t get the broadside of a barn last year, and our backup got us the winning TD. Not exactly apples-to-apples IMO.

by jimbo2psu on Oct 12, 2009 9:13 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I Agree

The blatant SEC bashing on here is pathetic. I know we get the SEC shoved down our throats, but when we post garbage like this OMG SEEEE EEEEE CCCCC!!!! It makes us appear shallow, and with an inferiority complex.

I am Laura Nichols and I like Bacon.

BSD is an addiction, and this is the first step.

by carolinaeasy on Oct 12, 2009 11:01 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

OK, but

LSU clearly looked like a 1-dimensional team coming in. All D, inconsistent O. Florida and Alabama look like the real deal, but LSU was ranked merely by association. A D-only team from any other conference (though only the Big 10 & SEC really tries to play D these days) would not have a #4 ranking.

It is annoying that the SEC is the only conference where beastly D-line domination is considered acceptable. But maybe there does need to be some atonement for jobbing that Auburn was handed earlier this decade.

by gcdyersb on Oct 12, 2009 1:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Half the reason UF won

Is because LSU’s d-line DIDN’T dominate and whiffed on a whole shit-ton of tackles aimed at Tebow (he gets credit for maybe 2 dodges, most were just overpursuit).

by psume06 on Oct 13, 2009 8:18 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah.....

I agree with you. But ultimately, mark my words (and I hope I am wrong), Florida is going to either go undefeated OR will lose to Alabama in the SEC Championship game. Either way, they will win their high profile bowl game as will LSU. OSU and PSU……who knows. Florida and LSU seem to be able to turn it on when they need to much like USC.

Florida is really missing Percy Harvey, that is pretty obvious and LSU is playing a true Soph. at QB. The fact that UF can “go consevative” and still beat the number 4 team in the country on the road AND that LSU is number 4 in the country (even if that is probably a little generous) with w trus Soph. at QB tells us where those 2 programs are relative to where PSU and OSU are.

This is just one “Big” SEC game, out of many exciting ones, for the media to swallow. That OSU PSU game was yet another in a long line of perceived stinkers. Remember, the media you are bashing were slobbing Michigan and OSU’s knob after they played that game a few years ago when they were 1 and 2.

"Art...saw this guy tackling full speed on the gravel, then calmly picking rock chips out of his knees and elbows as he hustled back to the huddle. He didn't have much meat on his bones, but he used everything he had. We got Lambert as the 46th pick of the draft."

Dan Rooney

Eric Watters Atlanta, Ga.

by ech2os on Oct 11, 2009 10:55 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

LSU was not even a top 10 team

DO YOU HAVE PRIDE, DANNY?

by ReadingRambler on Oct 11, 2009 3:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

We will see........

Nobody is very impressive thus far, but frankly, I’ll give LSU the nod despite the way they “appear”.

Dan Rooney

Eric Watters Atlanta, Ga.

by ech2os on Oct 11, 2009 5:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

They played a close game against Washington (just like Notre Dame, but Washington has been blown out by Stanford), beat Miss. State due to a punt return, a pick six, and a goal line stand, and have now been shut down by Florida. And, yet, they’re still ranked 10th and ahead of Iowa (the pollsters all like to bring up Northern Iowa, ignoring LSU’s game in Starkville). There’s no good reason for that.

DO YOU HAVE PRIDE, DANNY?

by ReadingRambler on Oct 11, 2009 7:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

neither were we...

I am Laura Nichols and I like Bacon.

BSD is an addiction, and this is the first step.

by carolinaeasy on Oct 12, 2009 11:02 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

So what? (and some of us were saying that anyway)

DO YOU HAVE PRIDE, DANNY?

by ReadingRambler on Oct 12, 2009 11:50 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

So comments like that are the type of little behavior I abhor about our fanbase

We appear like we have an inferiority complex.

I am Laura Nichols and I like Bacon.

BSD is an addiction, and this is the first step.

by carolinaeasy on Oct 12, 2009 12:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Uh, OK

You’re entitled to your opinion. I don’t mind pointing out media-inflated rankings – even when their to our benefit.

DO YOU HAVE PRIDE, DANNY?

by ReadingRambler on Oct 12, 2009 12:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It's a media bashing Fanpost, not SEC bashing

We have an inferiority complex because the national media continues to say we are inferior. Every weekend, we are reminded of Joe Paterno’s age, how slow we are, how the schedule stinks even though other top schools have the same thereabout…this “tractor pull” conference.

You really shouldn’t criticize me for bashing the media fawning over the SEC, you should criticize me for falling into their game. For posting Pat Forde’s comments on a blog so hundreds of people will read it. The hypocrisy, I’m sure, is intended.

Also, I don’t think Penn State needs a Heisman, 2 time National Championship winning veteran to make a 13 -3 game interesting. Dont’ get me wrong, Tim Tebow great guy, but his greatness shouldn’t come at our expense.

by Mr. Rosewater on Oct 12, 2009 2:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Last year

I think it was SI that said our game with OSU set offensive football back 30 years.

I’m at the point where I don’t care what’s said about the Big Ten anymore. A lot of the criticism is deserved, but clearly no one in the media is willing to have an original thought so the Big Ten sucks line will continue to be regurgitated.

by speedomike on Oct 11, 2009 12:00 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

SEC offenses...

are never as good as they are made out to be. The defenses tend to be really good though. The speed of that conference is over-hyped, but the defensive lines are usually very quick. I didn’t watch the game last night, but it sounds like it was boring.

Never mistake effort for achievement.

by Esteban d' Amur on Oct 11, 2009 12:37 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Refuse to watch anything SEC-related

I used to be interested in high-profile non-B10 games like these, but I refuse to watch anything SEC-related now. The biased-coverage and blind-love for anything SEC has become trite and nauseating, and the coverage of the Big Ten has become utterly ridiculous. Sure, the Big Ten is not as strong as the SEC (this year), but the media bashing of our conference goes way beyond what might be perceived as warranted.

Thus, I’ve made a decision not to watch SEC games, read anything about their conference, or click on the links of their supporters (Pat Forde, Todd McShay). In fact, I’ve stopped watching Gameday (except when it was at the Beav) because of the SEC lovefest that it’s become.

by NoLimitLion1 on Oct 11, 2009 12:39 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I didn't even bother to flip between that game and the Iowa game, or FSU FAIL

I kept my attention between the Iowa and FSU games, the Florida game was boring as hell.

by dawsonPSU10 on Oct 11, 2009 1:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed.

Except for long breaks in the Iowa/UM game.

I was lucky enough to catch the gem where 2 LSU DTs missed Tebow (again, missed – not really impressive/quick dodging by Tebow as the media would have us believe) and he made 8 yds on the play. DC17, no bias here, would have made at least a first down, despite not being OMG SEC SPEED!!!!

by psume06 on Oct 11, 2009 3:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

+1 Sir.

I was thinking the same thing. Especially considering the score.

by GreatScawt on Oct 11, 2009 2:56 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

You know something?

I heard all the media hype for that game but figured it would be crappy. LSU’s O had been bad, and Meyer wasn’t about to attack with Tebow in that shape.

DO YOU HAVE PRIDE, DANNY?

by ReadingRambler on Oct 11, 2009 3:34 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Another significant similarity:

concussions played a role in the game. In our case, though, it required us playing with our second string, non-“Superman”, qb for a chunk of the game.

by psume06 on Oct 11, 2009 4:14 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

the comments are pretty good as well.

"They say in Happy Valley that if God wasn’t a Penn State fan, why is the sky blue and white?" Fortt said. "Who am I to argue with God?"

by amandakt on Oct 12, 2009 12:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

That is so disgusting I want to throw up

Black Shoes. Basic Blues. No Name. All Game.

"Everyone has a plan, until they get punched in the mouth."

by Roland86 on Oct 12, 2009 1:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It's disgraceful

Tebow is an elite player – one of the best you’ll see – but this media hype is in a realm of ridiculousness like none other and if Tebow graduating is the only way to make it stop, then so be it.

DO YOU HAVE PRIDE, DANNY?

by ReadingRambler on Oct 12, 2009 1:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed

It really is a shame, because instead of enjoying him, it makes you disdain him for no reason other than the ridiculous love affair. It’s okay to call our elite players if they have sub-par games, especially ones coming off of injuries.

by STU Boy on Oct 12, 2009 1:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

thank you

for fixing the link.

by STU Boy on Oct 12, 2009 1:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Paradoxical scenarios

1. Tim Tebow faces Mike Ditka of Da Bears circa 1986. Who wins?
2. Tim Tebow faces the Florida defense. Tebow is superhuman, but his mere existence enables the UF defense. Who wins?
3. Tim Tebow or Jesus. Who’s the savior?

by gcdyersb on Oct 12, 2009 5:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Faster than a Lou Holtz magic trick!

More powerful than Mark May’s love for Matt Barkley!

DO YOU HAVE PRIDE, DANNY?

by ReadingRambler on Oct 12, 2009 5:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I first read that as

Tim Tebow feces.

"For me the game wasn’t grounded in reality. It was about the uniform you put on that turned you into a warrior. It was about the mythology of the battle, the victory, the defeat, the struggle." - Mike Reid, PSU '69

by jtothep on Oct 12, 2009 5:58 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

you found the holy relic?!?!?!

by The JuggerNitt on Oct 12, 2009 6:06 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

tee hee hee

by jtothep on Oct 12, 2009 6:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Have a Look at This Garbage...

Or not. It’s Schlabach talking about the initial round of BCS standings. Not only does he blast us, he preaches the following:

"Even it finishes 11-1, Penn State doesn’t deserve to play in a BCS bowl game. "

If you care to read more, it’s on tWWL’s site.

by NoLimitLion1 on Oct 12, 2009 5:39 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

wow... what a shock

I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member

by TheMightyErik on Oct 12, 2009 9:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Since I am a faculty member at one of these two universities

(hint — the one that can spell “go” with an “X”) and have been for neigh on twenty years, I feel I can offer some perspective — perspective that might have actually been read had this not been mid-term week. As such, I’m late to the show. Nonetheless, the majority of the sentiments expressed above are spot-on. Since 1990 I’ve heard about “football as religion” and how the SEC is the BEST conference in the country. Disturbingly, when these folks say “best conference,” they are likely including the AFC and NFC in that estimation. Christ, I just don’t see it. This conference puts on the most mind-numbingly-boring football games short of Mansfield v Bloomsburg. Accordingly, TRACTOR PULL is the most apt metaphor I’ve yet seen for SEC football, So apt that I think I need to geaux hurl. . . However, before I do, allow me one more observation. This conference has a TV contract with CBS while the other five BCS conferences split time on ABC/ESPN. Beyond the obvious exposure issue (i.e., there is an SEC game on nationwide every Saturday), there is also a self-interest issue: CBS has an interest in selling the SEC. ABC/ESPN has no such interest with the rest of the CFB world. It now gets worse — we see the SEC logo on ESPN’s bottom line because they are about to become the de facto SEC network in 2010. I am now hurling.

"Never mistake motion for action." - Ernest Hemingway

by SubLime on Oct 16, 2009 11:28 PM EDT reply actions 3 recs

+1

"They say in Happy Valley that if God wasn’t a Penn State fan, why is the sky blue and white?" Fortt said. "Who am I to argue with God?"

by amandakt on Oct 17, 2009 11:08 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

This conference puts on the most mind-numbingly-boring football games short of Michigan v Ohio State

FIXED!

DO YOU HAVE PRIDE, DANNY?

by ReadingRambler on Oct 17, 2009 9:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

This conference puts on the most mind-numbingly-boring football games short of Mansfield v Bloomsburg

People ask me why I am such a huge Penn State fan when I did not go to school there. I say “I went to Bloomsburg”. I loved my school, had a great time but please…

Nice post

Lucky gun, fake fifth, 8XY bitch
Daryll Clark, The Penn State Football Story Is...

by letsgopsu on Oct 17, 2009 8:46 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs