The Alabama Crimson Tide are the BCS National Champions for the 2011 season. Alabama destroyed our LSU Tigers 21-0 on Jan. 9 in the Superdome. I was in Tiger Stadium in 2002 when LSU lost 31-0 to an Alabama team which was on probation. It wasn’t as bad as last night.
The 21-0 game was not worse than 31-0 just because the stakes were higher. In 2002, LSU moved the ball a little bit on offense but couldn’t score. Last night, LSU couldn’t move the ball on offense, period.
LSU’s offensive game plan for the title game was terrible, to put it mildly. Alabama had clearly practiced for the option plays with Jordan Jefferson at quarterback which stung the Tide in the first meeting in November. None of them worked last night. Yet, the coaches kept running them. It was stubborn, unfathomably so in fact.
The defense for the Tigers was unprepared to see Alabama roll out A.J. McCarron and the Tide had great success moving the ball with those plays right from the start. The Tiger defense held up their end for most of the game, tired as they must have been, by limiting Alabama to field goals to give the offense a chance.
It was clear that the offensive plan needed to be scrapped and something else needed to be tried. Jarrett Lee never got a snap. He was ready and willing to play, but head coach Les Miles wouldn’t put him in. Even on the last drive with no chance for the Tigers to win, Lee could have been inserted as a kind of thank you to the senior quarterback. No chance. Miles felt, as he said, Jefferson’s mobility gave the Tigers a better chance of doing something against Alabama’s defense busting through the offensive line.
Alabama was efficient but careful on offense. They outgained LSU 384-92 but only had one touchdown. The Tide defense was smothering, but that wasn’t different from the first time the Tigers played them. LSU was outcoached and outplayed. Alabama deserves praise for their effort.
I’ll never understand why LSU played so badly on offense or why Miles refused to take any risks or change strategies. What could have been an unforgettable season fizzled out with a bizarre loss.
As an LSU fan, witnessing this lack of an effort to finish what could have been the best season in LSU history was flat out embarrassing.
More from Patrick Johnston:
LSU’s 2012 schedule includes eight home games
Gunner Kiel commits to LSU
Top five moments in LSU’s recent bowl history
Source:
Game stats and information from LSU Sports.net