AJC > Sports > Blog > Archives > 2007 > November > 05
Monday, November 5, 2007
LSU must be a team of destiny
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Five things we learned over the weekend:
1. LSU must be a team of destiny: There is no other explanation for the fact that LSU lives on the razor’s edge and has escaped so many times to stay alive in the national championship race. Some teams just have the ability to make mistakes and overcome them with talent. LSU is just such a team. It could be that the Tigers are simply meant to play for the BCS national championship in New Orleans. And if they play Ohio State, the Tigers will win.
2. Darren McFadden is back in the Heisman race: When he’s completely healthy, No. 5 of Arkansas is the best football player in America. After running for 321 yards against South Carolina, he may follow it up with another big game against Tennessee, the No. 9 rushing defense in the SEC. Matt Ryan of Boston College threw three interceptions on Saturday and thus his chances were hurt. Now it’s McFadden, Ryan, and Oregon QB Dennis Dixon.
3. Alabama is going to be just fine: What we really learned Saturday is that when Nick Saban gets some players, the Crimson Tide is going to be tough. Alabama was really outmanned against LSU but found a way to make enough plays to lead the game until the final three minutes. When Saban bumps up the talent level, and that is happening right now, the Crimson Tide will be a regular contender in the SEC West. The sheer fact Alabama played in such a high profile game in November means that Saban has had a successful first season.
4. Georgia Tech needs to be careful: Georgia Tech’s 27-3 loss to Virginia Tech was an awful performance by the Yellow Jackets. There is no way to sugarcoat that. And right now a lot of Georgia Tech fans want to throw Chan Gailey under the bus. But those people need to look at the young talent in the program and the way recruiting has been on an up-tick the past couple of years. Are you ready to start over and compete with a whole bunch of schools that are going to be looking for coaches in December? It’s easy to say you should change coaches when you think your program should be at another level. But it is not always the right thing to do. Just ask Nebraska. Just ask Ole Miss.
5. Saturday will be Knowshon Moreno’s kind of game: Moreno looks like a kid who, the tougher the game is, the more he likes it. Well, Georgia’s New Jersey Jet is really going to like Saturday’s game with Auburn. You know that Auburn’s defensive coordinator, former Bulldog Will Muschamp, will have his troops ready for Moreno. If you’re going to Saturday’s game, better leave the women and children at home. This one will be for men only. It will be standing room only in the training room on Sunday.
