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LSU In Review - Week 1 vs. Washington


With Bowl Season starting up Saturday and the Capital One Bowl coming up fast, I figured I would take us on a magical mystery tour through the LSU Tigers' season to give us some perspective on how they got where they are. So in this exercise I'll recap each of their games to give you some insight into the Tigers. So with that, let's recap week 1.




Star-divide

Week one was probably more of a challenge than the Tigers expected against Washington who failed to win a game in 2008. The Huskies jumped out to a 7-0 lead with the help of a 51 yard catch and run by Johri Forgerson. James Johnson finished off the drive when he caught a pass from Jake Locker, shook off a tackle by Chad Jones and walked the final five yards into the endzone.

LSU responded by gaining 40 yards on three running plays. But the drive eventually stalled at the three yard line and LSU had to kick a 24 yard field goal to cut the lead to 7-3.

On Washington's ensuing drive, LSU linebacker Jacob Cutrera intercepted Locker on the first play and ran it back 29 yards for a touchdown giving LSU a 10-7 lead.

Washington took the ball back and marched 69 yards down the field and looked like they were about to score. But Chris Polk fumbled the ball on the LSU 6 yard line where Patrick Peterson recovered it. But the LSU offense couldn't do anything and Derek Helton was forced to punt the ball from his own endzone.

Washington got the ball in excellent field position thanks to an 18 yard punt return by Fogerson. The punter, Helton, saved a touchdown with a tackle. But the Washington offense couldn't capitalize, and they were forced to take the 34 yard field goal to tie the game at 10.

The deadlock continued until about a minute to go in the first half when LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson hit Terrance Toliver over the middle. Toliver juked the safety and ran 45 yards for the score and a 17-10 lead.

Washington responded when Locker hit Devon Aguilar for a 46 yard gain to the LSU 20 yard line. But three incomplete passes killed the drive, and Washington kicked the field goal as time expired in the first half with the score 17-13. Though LSU led on the scoreboard, the Huskies rolled up 296 total yards with 183 coming in the air against LSU's supposedly superb secondary.

LSU tried to break the game open in the third quarter with an 86 yard scoring drive. Toliver capped off the drive when he caught a short pass from Jefferson, evaded two tacklers, and scampered 39 yards for the touchdown to give LSU a 24-13 lead. Toliver finished with 4 catches for 117 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Washington tried to respond, but placekicker Erik Folk hooked a field goal wide. But the LSU offense went into pucker mode and stalled giving the Huskies another scoring chance. This time Folk hit a 32 yard field goal to cut the lead to eight with just under six minutes to play.

But this time LSU responded with a 25 yard pass to Toliver that set up a six yard touchdown pass from Jefferson to Brandon LaFell. The game was sealed, but Washington added on a last second touchdown as time expired to close the gap to the final 31-23 score.

Quotes From The Game

"We sputtered in the first half at times on offense. There were opportunities to take advantage of our opponent, and we didn't attack them the way we should have." - Les Miles

"I think our new defensive coaches did a good job. The team was in position to make tackles and do things. We missed some tackles early on. At times I saw that Tiger defense that I want it to be." - Les Miles

"LSU's team speed negated Jake (Locker''s) ability to create a big play with his feet." - UW Dawg Pound

"Defensively, (LSU) just did not cover the other team well enough in the middle of the field.  Usually, if the opponent was on the outside against Peterson, Eugene, or Hawkins, (LSU) had pretty solid coverage.  Even when Riley had man coverage way on the outside and down the field, the coverage was there.  Jake Locker's a really good quarterback, and sometimes he made a perfect throw, and there's nothing that can be done about that other than generate a better pass rush.  If the receiver was in the middle of the field in a safety's or linebacker's zone though, he was usually wide open." - And The Valley Shook

0 recs  |  Comment 13 comments |

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Comments

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throws across the middle

i can honestly only think of one guy who we threw to over the middle this year…Zug. but i’m not even sure about that, because i can’t even remember an actual play where we did it. maybe we hit quarless or royster with a couple, but again, nothing i can remember. it’s either bad because we had no significant over the middle attack…or that my memory is that bad and i’m only 22…

We decide when you hear the snap count...

by thedrizzle on Dec 17, 2009 9:13 AM EST reply actions   0 recs

I only made the Northwestern game this year...

But, with the live view I had, PSU receivers were open in the middle all day without one pass thrown their way.

by Pentimental on Dec 17, 2009 11:06 AM EST up reply actions   0 recs

Just off the top of my head....

Quarless TD against Michigan came on a pass over the middle.

by catesinator on Dec 17, 2009 11:11 AM EST up reply actions   0 recs

i thought that was more a streak

though i can’t remember if he lined up on the left or right.

i’m referring more to the jordan-norwood-crossing-the-middle-with-no-regard-for-your-life-or-retainage-of-your-head route.

We decide when you hear the snap count...

by thedrizzle on Dec 17, 2009 12:06 PM EST up reply actions   0 recs

More of a Pete the Streak?

"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 Dec 17, 2009 12:07 PM EST up reply actions   0 recs

PSU: "Middle is scary".

Everyone else: “Middle is open”.

'People are about as happy as they decide they want to be'

by Pete the Streak on Dec 17, 2009 11:41 AM EST reply actions   0 recs

Quarless spending so much early time in the doghouse didn't help matters much either

The Tight End position remains the most underutilized position in offensive football. Less so recently (Gates, Gonzalez, Shockey) in the NFL, but hugely so still in college ball, despite the athletes that get recruited there. The gap between the position’s production and possibilies is larger than any other on offense. Quarless came onto the scene fairly strong by PSU standards early in his career, and certainly had enough of Gods Gifts to possibly affect the historical coaching mentality: athletic and fast, with good hands, and a big enough bruiser to meet traditional blocking responsibilities. But alas, sigh.

I remember his burning Mouton with a simple out route where he just sprinted past him; not so much an ‘over the middle’.

Also would have liked to have seen what Stoops would have done with Gresham this year if he and Bradford had remained healthy.

"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 Dec 17, 2009 12:06 PM EST up reply actions   0 recs

Great idea for a series!

Should be good bang for the buck (effort level required). Thanks!

"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 Dec 17, 2009 11:41 AM EST reply actions   0 recs

Thanks for the feedback

I wasn’t sure if this was a great idea. Only getting 10 comments on the first post wasn’t encouraging. But I’ll keep it going.

by BSD on Dec 18, 2009 10:50 AM EST up reply actions   0 recs

10 Comments is awesome on some blogs!

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

by letsgopsu on Dec 18, 2009 6:44 PM EST up reply actions   0 recs

the environment in that game was insane

It was the first game with the new head coach and UW did a ton to stoke up fan fervor. LSU was patently the better team, and the final score was closer than the actual game even considering the last second touchdown. Washington never really developed as a legitimately respectable team in 09. They were basically like Sparty or Purdue this year – flashes of brilliance with lots of bad times in between and a propensity to choke, so I’m not sure how much you can take from this one.

LSU went against a lesser opponent in front of a madhouse crowd, silenced the crowd, and took care of business. That’s kinda it.

Love the idea for the series!!!

Do I know what rhetorical means?

by NLseattle on Dec 17, 2009 5:18 PM EST reply actions   0 recs

it was nuts

Living in Oregon I was able to go make it to that game and it was an absolute blast. The Dawg fans were louder than I could have predicted given their previous season. I DVR’ed it and watched it again when I got home and the camera shook for most of the game. Jefferson was starting his third career game and you could tell the crowd noise got to him at times.

That said, this game never felt like it was in question. One was to look at the scoreboard is that Washington never had the ball in the fourth quarter with a chance to tie it. Every possession in the last 15 minutes was two scores down. Despite UW’s best efforts, LSU had it locked up.

Also, I love this series, it’s interesting seeing your perspective on our season since I know many of you did not watch our games this year. The comments are also really interesting to read. If only they’d do something like this at ATVS but I don’t think anyone over there has time for it. I didn’t watch any PSU games between my work schedule and my hangovers that preclude 9 am kickoffs. One advantage to living on the Left Coast: I didn’t have to stay up late to watch Gerhart run Charlie Weis out of South Bend.

by ORtigerfan on Dec 19, 2009 3:19 AM EST up reply actions   0 recs

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