The No. 15 Tigers football squad returned to practice Wednesday, but LSU head coach Nick Saban said despite contrary belief, the team’s enthusiasm remains high with its Southeastern Conference title destiny in its hands.
LSU (6-2, 3-1 SEC) still possesses first place in the SEC West even after the loss to Auburn last Saturday.
“Who controls their own destiny on our side of it?” Saban said. “So why wouldn’t we be enthusiastic? The sky did not fall. I didn’t see anything fall out of the sky because we lost this game … We beat Florida and it’s like somebody rose up from the dead. It ain’t really all that great because you’ve got to play the next week.
“And when we lost one game, nothing fell out of the sky. The sky did not fall, you know? We’re still alive today. There’s about 24 million Chinese that don’t know the score of the game. There’s a lot to live for. It’s not like the end of the world. Nobody got assassinated. We’ve still got a lot to be thankful for.
“I’ve still got all those days to 75 up on my wall to mark off and I’m thankful I’ve got another day to live. If we win all the rest of our games, that means we can win the West and go to the championship game. S–t, it’s fun. Goddamn we lost one game. We won 12 out of our last 13 games and we lose one game and the University should drop football. We should burn down the stadium.”
Many players expressed their lack of production following the Auburn game and called it possibly the worst game of their career.
One of Saban’s goals this week will be to push the players past the loss and move on, because he felt the team played below its potential.
“I think we had some players that didn’t play very well and I think players with maturity can look at the film and see what they didn’t do and focus on what they need to do to improve,” Saban said.
Saban said following the Auburn game that he does not like a bye week after a loss, but he said the players were anxious to work on the game plan for the Wildcats.
“I’m pleased not that we lost, but with the way we responded to losing so far this week,” Saban said.
The Tigers began preparing for the Nov. 9 matchup with Kentucky without free safety Damien James, as he officially was kicked off the team.
He will keep his scholarship but will not rejoin the team.
Jack Hunt and Adrian Mayes will battle for the starting spot with James’ absence. Saban said they did a good job at free safety in the Tigers’ first practice since the Auburn loss.
Injuries
Cornerback Demetrius Hookfin and tight end Marcus Spears did not practice Wednesday.
Saban said Spears dressed out and was able to move around and in a few more days he may be OK with his high ankle sprain. But the time table for Spears’ return remains uncertain.
Bradie James honored one more time
LSU linebacker Bradie James made the cut for another national award as he was named a semifinalist for the Lombardi Award, the awards committee announced on Wednesday.
James, a senior from West Monroe, is one of 12 players to make the list of semifinalists for the Lombardi Award, which is presented annually to college football’s top lineman or linebacker.
Last week, James was one of 11 players to make the cut for the Butkus Award, which is awarded each year to college football’s top linebacker.
James currently leads LSU and ranks second in the Southeastern Conference with 100 tackles, including 7.5 for losses. James, who has recorded 100 or more tackles in three straight seasons, ranks third in school history with 363 career tackles.
James also has two sacks, one interception, one forced fumble and 11 quarterback pressures for the 15th-ranked Tigers this year.