Meltdown in Death Valley

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By Cedric Meyer

Coach Mark Richt and the Georgia Bulldogs came to Baton Rouge armed with a big play offense and a hungry defense. They also brought with them a huge dose of reality. Last Saturday’s meltdown in Tiger Stadium wasn’t the mirage we thought we may have seen in Gainesville two weeks earlier. The Tigers just aren’t a good football team. Yes, they have talent, but no; they’re not a good football team.

We saw it on the first touchdown of the game where Jarrett Lee spotted Georgia a quick seven-point lead within 20 seconds of kickoff. We saw it throughout the game where Lee repeatedly stared down his receivers and eventually capped his disaster day with a déjà vu pick six to the same defender late in the fourth quarter.

And boy did we see it on defense. The defense’s meteoric crash is the most puzzling aspect of the whole situation. Missed tackles spread like a virus through the defense and it seemed like everyone was sitting back on their heels looking for someone else to make a play.

Every time the Tigers needed a big third down stop, Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford found a receiver running free in the secondary. Knowshon Moreno ran a personal track meet up and down Death Valley. We have defenders who can’t defend and pass rushers who can’t get to the quarterback.

For the second time this month, an opponent has scored over 50 points against LSU, which is unheard of. You don’t need me to tell you that LSU needs to scrap the co-defensive coordinator circus they’ve been running this season. However, I’ll throw out this observation.

In the second half, defensive backs Danny McCray and freshman Karnell Hatcher, No. 37 for those who aren’t familiar, were inserted into the game. Chad Jones stood next to coaches watching helplessly on the sideline. If you can’t find a way to get your best athlete on the field, you don’t need to be here. Period.

Surprisingly they were ranked No. 15 in the latest polls, but in reality, should LSU even be ranked? The Tigers’ signature win is a road victory at South Carolina where they had to stage a second half comeback in order to win the game. They resorted to the same formula earlier in the season against a dreadful Auburn team. In the other two “real” games against Florida and Georgia, the opponents have each hung 50 on them. The Tigers’ résumé is lacking. Severely.

What’s next for the Bayou Bengals? Obviously, the Nick Saban homecoming game is next on the horizon, and it’s looking more and more like the Tigers’ real bowl game. A Chik-Fil-A Bowl appearance won’t hold a candle to this. One thing is for sure though; for the psyche of the program and the fan base, the Tigers cannot afford to lay another egg, especially to the guy many refer to around these parts as “Satan”.

Originally Published: Issue 710 - October 29, 2008

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