There’s a lot on my mind after another classic game Saturday afternoon in Death Valley.
First of all, I’m still upset that Zenyatta lost by less than a nose in the Breeder’s Cup. I wanted the girl to go a perfect 20-for-20 in her starts.
That’s a topic for another day, I suppose.
But if there is one thing I took away from LSU’s victory, it’s this: LSU’s football team has finally found what it has been looking for all season.
The Tigers have found “the want.”
Everyone knows what I’m talking about. Les Miles talks about it nearly every week. I mock it nearly every week. And now, the Tigers have proven us all wrong.
You could just tell the entire game that there was one team on the field that perhaps had “the want” more than the other.
One team showed more emotion on every tackle, every catch and every big play.
That team was LSU.
Just look at how hard Patrick Peterson fought to keep Alabama running back Trent Richardson out of the end zone early in the second quarter.
Just look at Jordan Jefferson laying a key block on Deangelo Peterson’s 23-yard rush on 4th -and-1 in the fourth quarter.
And look at the emotion Kelvin Sheppard showed after his interception and later fumble recovery.
This is an LSU team that simply had more “want” than its opponent.
And what was even more noticeable was the simple fact that the want extended beyond those wearing helmets to those wearing the headsets.
It makes me think I’m starting to get some pull around this place.
First Verne and Gary didn’t sing Nick Saban’s praises the entire game, as per my request.
Then Les used the two quarterback system to perfection by sticking with the hot hand like I asked a few weeks back.
How much more can a columnist ask for?
That’s a joke for those of you who don’t get sarcasm.
I was ridiculed by some after the Auburn game when I said Jefferson should have stayed in the game and taken the majority of the snaps.
My reasoning was plain and simple: If Les says he is going to stick with the hot hand in the system, then he should do it.
Against Auburn, he didn’t. Against Alabama, he did.
Les showed the want to coach a good game, and he did. Both he and his offensive coordinator Gary Crowton coached a hell of a game, making the right calls at the right times.
Jefferson was in the game for virtually the entire second half (outside of when he was forced to sit out for a few plays because of a minor injury). That allowed Jefferson to get into the flow of the game, and it showed.
He threw 10-for-13 for 141 yards and a touchdown, and he commanded the offense with poise for the first time all season.
And was that a little shoulder fake I saw on the 75-yard strike to Rueben Randle? Look at Jefferson busting out all the tricks.
Now, obviously I’m poking fun at Miles and one of his “Milesisms,” but in all seriousness, LSU put together its best team performance of the season Saturday. It was one of those “where has this been all season?” type of games.
If LSU can keep it up and get a little luck here and there from outside teams, there could be a chance to show the nation how much want there is on this football team. And perhaps they will be able to show it in a BCS game.
Andy Schwehm is a 21-year-old English and psychology senior from New Orleans. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_ASchwehm.
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Contact Andy Schwehm at [email protected]