We've seen this movie before, We all know how it ends. LSU has a lead in the fourth quarter. The opposing teams' QB, who's been held in check all night, suddenly finds new life and leads his team on a surge for a comeback. It doesn't matter who the QB is, a fifth year senior or a true freshmen.
How do we know how it ends?
Because we know the director. Leslie Edwin Miles. He is the Hal Needham of football.
Needham, in case you don't remember, is the stuntman turned director who did Smokey and the Bandit. One of the greatest comedies of all time. Scored 81 on rottentomatoes.com. Then Needham did Smoky 2, Cannonball Run, and Cannonball 2. Successful box office all, but left their audience with the unsatisfied feeling they've seen this before. Combined they did not add up to 81 on rottentomatoes.
See where I'm going, folks?
I know I sound like one of those damn LSU fans who's never satisfied, but once, just once can we see how it would be if Leslie W. changed his script??
I'm not even saying stop running the ball to protect a lead. I'm just asking to run a different play!!
Take the MSU game for example. A game, in all fairness, should have been over by halftime if not for penalties. LSU stopped throwing and began running virtually the same play at the beginning of the 3rd quarter! I mean,come on!! No defense, I don't care who the coordinator is, can hold up to the pressure of stopping anybody if they're on the field 90% of the time. They are going to wear out.
Kevin Steele's gameplan worked for 3 1/2 quarters, but after being on the field so much, they wore down. He tried to apply pressure but his linemen were out of gas. His db's had good coverage but had no energy to make a play.
It doesn't help that Leslie is more conservative then Sarah Palin on steroids. Steele must go prevent to protect. Leaving underneath open to give up yards for clock. That's great strategy if you're up more than two scores. But in today's game with today's offenses, teams can march down the field with plenty enough time left on the clock.
LSU D-coordinators under Miles continues to use it. Bo Pellinin did it, John Chavis did it too. Now it looks like Kevin Steele will as well.
Chavis must feel like he died and went to heaven. No longer does he have to send his defense out on the field time after time after time to bail out his boss. Protect a two point fourth quarter lead because Miles has sent his offense to the locker room. He now has the luxury of dialing up any 4th quarter defense he chooses. He knows his head coach won't leave him hanging. He didn't walk, he sprinted to A&M.
Why?
Check out their director.
