LSU Grades

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            It still seems surreal.

            This blog post by all rights ought to be about how Alabama’s quest for its 15^th National Championship ended on a wild Saturday night in Baton Rouge before a record Tiger Stadium crowd. You should be reading about how the undefeated and top-ranked Crimson Tide of 2012 which had dominated all comers, found itself dominated by a ferocious LSU defense and a quarterback having the game of his life. I should be explaining how Bama was inept in every phase of the game: a fumbled punt, 1 of 9 on third downs, 435 yards surrendered to the Tiger offense, and an offense that could only manage to possess the ball for 8:28 of the entire second half.

            The message today should be that LSU proved itself to be a superior team and once again Les Miles outcoached his predecessor. Instead, I write today about one of the most improbable Alabama victories I have ever witnessed.

            With the game, the season, the prospect of any sort of championship on the line, and his team trailing by three points with 1:21 to play in the game, AJ McCarron and the Alabama offense did something that by all reason and sanity they should never have been able to do. Something that every preceding second half possession suggested was beyond their reach. Having gained a total of only 49 yards in the previous 28:39 of the second half, Alabama marched 72 yards on 5 plays in 0:43 to score the game winning touchdown and send the stunned LSU fans into the stygian darkness wondering what they had witnessed and searching for some glimmer of meaning around which to organize the remainder of their lives…..or at least what remained of their lives before drinking themselves into a stupor, setting fire to their furniture, or telephoning the post-game radio show to rant about the obvious insanity of Les Miles.

            LSU outplayed Alabama in the first quarter but, thanks to just enough defense at just the right times, the Tigers held only a 3-0 lead going into the second period. The next 15 minutes saw Alabama assert itself with authority. The offense put together two stellar TD drives of 92 and 63 yards. The defense stymied LSU and denied the Tigers any points even when a special teams’ error set LSU up in favorable field position.

            The second half, however, was a nightmare. The offense could not convert a third down while the defense could not prevent LSU from do so. The Tigers punted only once in the second half while managing drives of 58, 90, 39 and 53 yards. Zack Mettenberger, the LSU signal caller with a checkered past and less than stellar present was virtually flawless. Time after time he withstood the Alabama pass rush to find receivers open in the secondary. These receivers not only made catch after catch, but gained extra yardage as Alabama defenders failed to tackle. Finally, the Tide managed to hold the Tigers to a longish field goal attempt which sailed wide left, giving AJ and the offense the ball at the Alabama 27.

            What happened next is the stuff of legend.

            Three complete passes to Kevin Norwood moved the ball to the LSU 28. A scrambling AJ tried Norwood once again but the pass was incomplete in the end zone. Then AJ tossed the ball on a swing pattern to TJ Yeldon who followed his blockers, split defenders and raced into the Tiger end zone for the go ahead points.

            Fifty one seconds remained in the game when Cade Foster kicked off.  LSU returned the kick to its own 20. Despite being void of timeouts, Mettenberger and the LSU offense had proved they could gobble up yards. The Tide defense, bone weary, and gassed from having played more snaps than all other teams this year could manage against Alabama in six quarters, had to preserve the win.  Two complete passes netted only 5 yards and Mettenberger was sacked on the final play of the game.

            This is a game that will be talked about for as long as Alabama plays football. It will take its place alongside the other great comebacks: The Iron Bowls of ’85 and ’09, the ’92 SEC Championship. An emotional AJ told the on-field reporter that this was a team win and that he was blessed to play with the best teammates and for the best coaches in college football. It’s hard to disagree with him.

            Here’s how I grade the game:

Offense:          C         Alabama earned 18 first downs, gained 331 yards of total offense [166 rushing] and scored three touchdowns, but could only convert a single third down opportunity in nine attempts.

            AJ completed only 14 of 27 passes for 165 yards, but he threw the game winning TD to Yeldon and continued his record-setting streak of pass attempts without an interception. He now has 19 TD passes in the season which puts him in second place all time at Alabama. Kevin Norwood caught 5 passes for 62 yards, with three of his receptions coming on the game winning drive. Christion Jones added 40 yards on 4 receptions. Seven different players caught passes, but Kenny Bell was not among them. The usually reliable Bell had some uncharacteristic drops. Also missing in action was Amari Cooper, who started the game but was covered all night by the LSU secondary.

            The running game was actually rather effective. Eddie Lacy had 83 net yards on 11 carries while Yeldon gained 76. Alabama runners averaged 6.6 yards per rush, but at times it seemed as if the play calling was too impatient. The best drive of the second half-prior to the game winner-was a 5 play, 34 yard march, primarily on the ground that ended with Yeldon losing a fumble at the LSU 9 yard line. Alabama had only three drives in excess of 40 yards [92, 63, 72] each ended with a TD.

Defense:          D         LSU shredded every statistical defensive benchmark. With 435 yards, the Tigers became the first team to crack the 400 mark against the Tide this season. The Tigers converted 10 of their 20 third down opportunities and Jeremy Hill became the first runner this season to rush for more than 100 yards against the Tide defense this season.

            Adrian Hubbard and Nico Johnson were each credited with 12 tackles. Nick Perry and Trey Depriest each made 10 and Dieon Belue made 9.  The defense recorded 10 tackles for lost yardage including 3 sacks.

Special Teams:

Punting:           C         Cody Mandell was brilliant in his punting with an average of 40 net yards per punt. He cranked out 2 punts that traveled in excess of 50 yards and twice nailed LSU deep. The down grade comes from a lost fumble on a punt return.

Place Kicking:            A         Jeremy Shelley was perfect on 3 PATs.

Kickoffs:         B         Cade Foster averaged 39 net yards per kick and the return game had few opportunities.

Coaching:        B+       It is not my custom to award a coaching grade that is a full letter better than either the offense or defense, however I believe that this game is an exception. It was very obvious that the coaches were managing the players’ emotions, keeping them in the game. Alabama was penalized only once and 51 players are listed in the participation report.

            Texas A&M and Auburn stand between Alabama and a return trip to the SEC Championship Game. The Tides’ probable opponent in Atlanta is Georgia which having dispatched Ole Miss today has only to beat Auburn in order to punch its ticket to the Georgia Dome.

            The Aggies present a significant challenge. The Tide defense was embarrassed in Baton Rouge. Receivers were open all night and made more yards after catch than any opponent the Tide has faced since the Utes in the 2010 Sugar Bowl. A&M’s quarterback, Johnny “Football” Manziel, will test the Bama stop troops.

            Champions find ways to win games. They do not fold under pressure. They exhibit strength of character, teamwork, commitment and a relentless will to overcome adversity. That is what Alabama did Saturday night in Baton Rouge. It was one for the books.

            As a wise man famously used to say, “Remember this moment.” I know I will.         

The Commissioner