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The Big Game - First Take (kinda long)
Dec 30, 2019, 3:00 AM
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Just watched highlights from some key LSU games to see what we are up against. Here's a few quick observations and what we might see from them.
LSU/Aub: 10-10 at half, 16-13 start of 4th, 23-20 final
Auburn stuffed their run up the middle but failed to set the edge over and over.
LSU running back is a lumbering dude who made good outside gains from Auburn repeatedly crashing down.
No blazing speed but big, fast enough, and always lingering around as a decent handed outlet.
Aub chose to defend the LSU receivers soft a lot, kind of like BV vs Bama, and made LSU bull it in from the red zone. It worked pretty well. Burrow is a running threat for sure. Beware.
LSU/Bama: 33-13 at half, 33-27 start of 4th, 46-41 final
Lots of mistakes by Bama cost them this game. Busted coverages led to 2 LSU scores, plus a Tua fumble and an int. Bama punter muffed a kick. Horrible first half for Bama. LSU had a lot of success bunching receivers in a pod and splitting them, and the Bama secondary just didn't have the discipline to deal with it, over and over and over. Najee Harris ate LSU pretty good in the 3rd, both running and receiving.
Repeat, Burrows is a run threat. Tua got behind them late with a bomb.
Pretty weak overall Bama D, but Bama O stayed with them. LSU looks real soft over the middle.
LSU/UGA: 17-3 at half; 34-3 start of 4th (should be 34-13 if UGA wasn't totally inept); 37-10 final
Georgia got zero pressure as Burrow could have smoked a cigarette in the pocket waiting for a receiver to open up. UGA misses FG. Bunching receivers is flummoxing UGA too. Someone always seems to slip free. Even Fromm can throw on LSU across middle. Again, Burrow is a running threat. UGA getting abused. Someone wide open every play. To compensate, UGA decides to drop TD passes and miss FGs left and right. Dogs. SMH.
Bottom Line - Offense
LSU has 4 really good, tall receivers. #2 Jefferson is their big slot guy over the middle, #6 Marshall and #1 Chase are their “Grass-ketball” rebounders on the outside, and #8 Moss the big tight end. All can jump-ball and have really good hands, but I didn't see any blistering speed from any of them. Burrows is really good at throwing to a spot and having these guys get there, or finding the open man downfield or his outlet. As often as not their “trips” formation just baffles the opponent and someone simply slips free. Gotta bump them at the line or make Burrow uncomfortable. Undisrupted, these guys are simply trouble. Sometimes they put Jefferson in at tailback and sneak him out late, or run a lot of deep routes to clear the middle for a crosser underneath. Not a lot of run game from them, but their RB is a bull with good hands, and Burrow is really elusive and shifty. In some formation, they basically have 4 ball catchers downfield every play, their RB as an outlet and Burrows waiting to bolt. All he has to do is see who got missed, or take off himself once everyone clears out deep. Easy.
Bottom Line – Defense
They seem pretty stout up the middle, but I didn't see any dominant pass rush in any of the three games. Stingley at DB is good but young. Got himself a few ints but got beat some as well. Everyone, including Fromm, thew over the middle on them.
The game looks absolutely winnable. BV's D just needs to be disciplined and avoid busts. SO many plays in those three games were simply from a confused secondary leaving guys wide open. There shouldn't be much of a run threat other than Burrow, and he needs a spy big time. In my mind, as far as keeping drives alive, he is as big a threat as his receivers. None of them has break away speed but one ALWAYS seems to be open, and down close they can beat you in the back of the end zone with the jump ball. Alabama receivers burn you with sheer speed. These guys almost feel like 4 giant possession receivers.
If Bama and Auburn could keep their games close, Trevor, ETN, Higgins and Ross should have a field day. We shouldn't have any problem scoring. We just need some BV magic, a few grinding, time consuming drives, or a slight turnover edge to slow them down a little, and we win. 30-0, Back-to-Back!
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