Monthly Archives: January 2009
LSU holds on to beat Arkansas, 79-69
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LSU came out on fire in this one. The Tigers jumped out to a 25-8 lead with around 8 minutes to play in the first half. This was led by smothering defense, steals, blocks, rebounds, as well as great shooting. Arkansas was unable to get anything going at all in the first. LSU was in complete control on a day that honored LSU’s greatest over the last 100 years, beginning with a pick up game of sorts played by former Tigers.
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LSU Picks Up HUGE Road Win
First off, I want to apologize for my lack of writing an article after the Xavier game. I was out of town in Houston listening to the legendary Dr. James Andrews lecture on the shoulder. Secondly, I don’t remember the last time I’ve cursed so much watching a sporting event. This game had everything you could ask for. LSU took a 2-0 lead to start the game and pretty much dominated the first half. Through the first 9 minutes of the game, LSU was 10-14 from the field and 3-6 from three point land. The refs in this game were definitely bi-polar. The first half you could draw blood and no foul would be called only to blink and a foul would be called on you in the second half. LSU took a 43-38 lead at the half.
The second half was 10 times more exciting. LSU had a 14 point lead at one point only to go ice cold for about a 6 minute period. The only way LSU stayed in the game during that span was thanks to a Bruce Pearl technical foul. The last 3 minutes of the game was a possession difference. With less than one minute left LSU hit the free throws when it counted to go on for the 79-73 victory. Marcus Thorton continued his red hot scoring with 29 points. Bo Spencer played exceptional scoring 15, and Chris Johnson was probably the player of the game with a double double 14/14, but had several key blocks when it counted. LSU shot a respectable 47.5% from the field and 80% from the stripe (16-20). The memorable moment of the game that really stood out to me was when LSU was down by 2 with less than 5 minutes left and the camera showed Trent Johnson on the bench, who was cooler than the other side of the pillow. I was on my treadmill running at a mock 3 pace cursing up a storm, and I read Trent Johnson’s lips and he said “calm down” to his players. Right then and there I knew had John Brady been coaching this team, we would have lost by 10, but Coach Johnson has the cool demeanor to not only calm his players down, but also the crazy fans. Terry Martin had 4 points for the only bench points. Freshmen Delwan Graham and Storm Warren played some good minutes and I’m glad they did. They got a chance to experience what it’s like to be in the fire at a quality SEC opponents house. This was a huge win for LSU that might come back and help them come “dancing” time. LSU (16-4, 4-1) returns home to play Arkansas at 4, and we need the PMAC to be rock’in againn!!!!!
LSU Tigers Ranked 13th in ESPN Prestige Poll
ESPN recently devised a system that ranked every football program in D1 based on several factors, some of which are bowl games won, national championships, players drafted, etc. Well, the LSU Football Tigers ended up ranked as the 13th best football program of all time (kinda, actually since 1936 when the first AP Poll came out).
The SEC faired very well, with Florida 15th, Georgia 14th, LSU at 13, Tennessee at 12th, and Alabama at 6th. When everything was tabulated, the Oklahoma Sooners came out on top, followed by USC, Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Nebraska.
Considering how dominant most of the programs in the top 10 have been over several decades, you have to like where LSU finished. From 1972 to 1994, the Tigers just were not impressive. Only went to 11 bowls during that time frame and lost all but 2. Then there’s the six straight losing seasons from ’89 to ’94. OYE! It just goes to show how much we have owned the 2000′s. Anyway, its a cool thing they did so click one of the links above and mess around.
The Mythical Priority Point
Aaahhhhh the Priority Point. What is it? What does it look like? How can I get some, you ask? Well, it’s green, made of paper and normally kept in your wallet. Yes, the priority point is nothing more than the amount of the all mighty dollar you plan on giving LSU’s TAF. I decided to write this because the deadline of March 31st for you to donate your money and put in your season ticket renewals is rapidly approaching. So don’t take this as a gripe from me, we have it a lot better than the majority of big programs in the nation. But with the economy in shambles and people tightening their fiscal belts, LSU could see a cut back in season ticket renewals giving some of us LSUtopians a chance to finally get our coveted season tickets. My guess is we’ll see a slight drop, but not very much. So as for me, I’m prepared to live on dehydrated food and rain water just so I can get my damn tickets. (dysentery here I come!) So, how much of a priority is LSU football for you? Leave your priority list in the comments section.
After the jump is a great article on the financial state of LSU sports (they are loaded) and a video of the dangers of eating dehydrated food.
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You Win Some, You Lose Some.
This past weekend was an up and down one for LSU sports. On the down side, the men lost to Xavier 80-70. The Tigers went about 9 minutes in the 2nd half without scoring and allowed a first half lead to slip away. The lead at the end of the first half was only one point, 37-36, but anyway……. Speaking of the first half, it was a great one to watch. There were a bunch of ties and lead changes. It was just back and forth for 20 minutes. Then the Tigers went colder than our fellow LSUtopian is in Oklahoma City, OK today (wind chill at noon was 8 there).
LSU played well enough on defense to win it, they just simply couldn’t score when they needed to. On the up-side, Marcus Thornton blessed us with yet another 30 point game gaining him SEC player of the week, averaging 30.5 points in the last two games. In those games against Miss. St. and Xavier he shot almost as well from the 3-point line (53%) as his did anywhere else (55%). Congrats to him. More after the jump.
The Tigers’ (15-4, 3-1) next game will be Wednesday night in Knoxville against the Tennessee Volunteers (12-6, 3-1). The Volunteers are a pretty average team and they haven’t beaten anyone as of late by any significant amount, except for beating Vandy in Nashville by 13. They also lost a close one by 2, to #24 Memphis over the weekend. If the Tigers play their game, they should leave with the win.
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Tigers Take Down Bulldogs
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LSU welcomed Mississippi State into the PMAC tonight in front of, visibly the biggest crowd of the year, (11,709). The Bulldogs tied the score at 2-2 and that is as close as they would come the Tigers crushed the State 81-57. The Tigers, led by Marcus Thornton and Tasmin Mitchell, smothered State with great defense, hustle, and timely scores. Thornton, who had 31 points, led all scorers. Mitchell, who had 12 points in the first ten minutes of the game, ended up with 24 by the final buzzer. More after the jump…..
The Tigers had 16 assists, Garrett Temple had 6. They also out-rebounded the Bulldogs 40-23. LSU also shot a fantastic 8-18 (44%) beyond the arc and 48% overall. Thornton was 5-8 for 3′s by himself.
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Four LSU Football Tigers in Mobile for Senior Bowl
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Four LSU Tigers are in South Alabama this week in preparations for the January 24 Senior Bowl. Quinn Johnson, Herman Johnson, Demetrius Byrd, and Darry Beckwith will all showcase their skills for NFL scouts and attempt to prove they have what it takes to make it in the league. Overall, 22 players from the SEC will be participating in the game, with the biggest “name” players being Florida’s Louis Murphy, Bama’s John Parker Wilson, Tennessee’s Arian Foster, and Georgia’s Mohamed Massaquoi.
I believe all four guys from LSU will enjoy decent success in the NFL. Quinn Johnson is a tireless worker and I’m sure can help somebody in goal line and special teams. Big Herm never really panned out to be the monster we thought, but will be a solid backup for somebody. Demetrius Byrd, well, your guess is as good as mine. He went from a guy who was a sure fire first rounder, to a guy that needs an amazing week to go on the first day. Some of this was due to our QB play, and some was due to Byrd being lazy. And Beckwith is a serviceable player who will catch on somewhere. I wish each of these guys the best of luck this week and hope they show the powers that be that they all have what it takes to earn a living playing playing football.
Way too early preview of the 2009 Heisman Race and random tidbits
Happy Martin Luther King Day! If you are at home right now reading this, it means you work for a progressive company that gives you MLK Day off…I hate you. I, unfortunately, do not. I’m at the office working away as if were Martin Scorsese Day or Martin Sheen Day or Steve Martin Day instead of Martin Luther King Day. I’m a little bitter, but wtf.
With the announcements that Colt McCoy, Tim Tebow, and Sam Bradford would all be returning for their senior years, its sets up one of the most hyped Heisman races in recent memory. Considering all three of these dudes were in New York LAST YEAR, and there is no sign that any of their teams will be slowing down, we can only imagine that they’ll all be back in 2009. Throw a few wild cards in there such as Jevan Snead, Jahvid Best, and Dez Bryant…ya, wow.
Much has been made of the way USC coach Pete Carroll reacted to his star quarterback, Mark Sanchez, jetting out a year early for the NFL. Boo fuckin hoo. Pete, you somehow smooth talked Carson Palmer into staying, then totally conned Matt Leinart into coming back for his senior year, and to a smaller degree, John David Booty (though he wasnt nearly as coveted as the other two). Let me break it to you Pete, you cost Matt Leinart several million dollars as well as a starting job (as he would have been the #1 overall pick had he left his junior year, and #1 picks start…period). Not only that, how could you ever tell a kid that is certain to be a top 15 pick that it is in his best interest to return to school? As soon as his name is called, he’s set for life. He’ll get a multi-million dollar contract as well a seven-figure signing bonus, a few endorsements, and avoids the chance of a career ending injury while playing football for free. Dont be selfish Pete, you’ve got Mitch Mustain and an incoming Matt Barkley who might be good enough to start now. Dont make a kid feel bad for a decision that is clearly in his best interests…even if it is not in yours.
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