T-Shirts Of The SEC: Louisiana State Tigers
[suggestion: play the Mortal Kombat theme song while reading this post]
NOW IT BEGINS!
Time for Alabama to pin the tail on the Tigers over in the spooky spooky romper room they like to call Death Valley.
This is the Saban Bowl. The most one-sided rivalry in all of college football. For Alabama fans, it’s just another SEC West matchup.
For the great unwashed masses of LSU fans, winning this game will be the closest the voodoo capital of North America ever comes to vanquishing a man they schizophrenically refer to as the Antichrist.
More than anything else though…
I wonder what crazy, cockamamie, bordering on insane tactics Les Miles will try to pull this year.
Mike Singletary already used the mind-blowingly Milesian tactic of dropping his pants in the locker room, albeit at halftime, a week ago. Maybe Miles will take it to the XTREEM!!!! and drop his on the sidelines during the game?
I’m sure the faithful LSU horde (of drunken Cajuns) will need something to smile about after Mr. Saban takes his team of +100 Asskicking south this coming weekend and reminds the swamp kitties how a real coach with talented players gets it done.
|| posted by chris under clueless, game, kma, more cowbell, nostalgia || comments (12) || ||
Real coach? Remind me, what was his NFL record?
-Vlad
comment by Vlad Mazek — November 2, 2008 @ 4:45 pm
About the same as Spurrier’s after he left Florida for the big dance, IIRC.
Update: Whoops, I stand corrected. Saban had 3 more NFL wins and 3 fewer NFL losses than Spurious.
comment by chris — November 2, 2008 @ 5:51 pm
Not all LSU fans hate Saban. I loved him when he was here at LSU and hold no ill will for leaving to go to Miami or leaving to go to Alabama. Regardless if we win or lose the game I sure will be smiling about the fact that since 2000 LSU has a 80% win record and won 3 SEC Championships and 2 National Championships. In that same time frame Alabama has a 58% win record and no SEC Championships or National Championships. As good as they look this season, Alabama has yet to prove themselves this decade.
comment by Craig Bayer — November 3, 2008 @ 2:35 am
@ Craig…
Thanks for proving my entire point with your post. Two words: Ryan Perrilloux
With the talent pool built during Saban’s tenure at LSU, even a merely serviceable coach would have been able to build a dynasty. LSU managed to squeak their way into the National Championship game last year as a 2-loss team, and came away with the crystal despite Les Miles’ best efforts to throw the season away using his Bizarro-world playbook.
The lack of discipline in LSU’s squad was already sickeningly evident in last year’s game against the Crimson Tide. Not that I really care or mind. But that’s a difference directly attributable to coaching.
As for proving themselves…we’ll see how this season ends up for LSU and Alabama.
But I have to think that Alabama’s early dismantling of Georgia in Athens, a team who less than one month later dismantled LSU at Death Valley, gives a pretty good indication of what’s in store for your swamp kitties.
comment by chris — November 3, 2008 @ 5:05 am
I don’t know that comparative logic works, because every team is different (from preparation to physical ability) from week to week and you just might destroy all the ranked teams but get 0wn3d on the 4th down by an unranked bottom feeder team like Ole’ Miss.
Oh god it hurts.
-Vlad
comment by Vlad Mazek — November 3, 2008 @ 3:41 pm
I know it still stings, and the thought of the Gators getting teabagged by Houston the Hutt can still make Timmy Jesus cry.
None of Alabama’s last 3 regular season games are gimmees, as I posted at Vladville…
LSU = Saban Bowl. Different kind of ballgame, for obvious reasons.
MSU = Sly and the Family Bulldog save up their magic juju powder for one upset every year. And Sly just loves to use it against Alabama after getting passed over for Shula.
AU = Iron Bowl. The rest of the season literally does not matter for this rivalry, which has no euqal in CFB.
But Miles is erratic as hell, and discipline problems off the field lead to discipline problems on the the field.
comment by chris — November 3, 2008 @ 6:02 pm
Well using your logic then Mike Shula looks like a genius and Nick Saban is just a merely serviceable coach.
Come on, Les Miles won a national championship in his third year and has pretty much had top ten recruiting classes every year.
Saban is a good coach and you guys will have a good year, probally beat LSU on Saturday and probally get beaten by Florida in the SEC Championship.
comment by Craig Bayer — November 3, 2008 @ 6:17 pm
@ Craig…
Not at all. Alabama is playing an insane amount of TRUE freshman this year because they have to. The fact that they happen to come from the top recruiting class last year is further proof of what Nick Saban brings to the table.
Truth be told, Shula was a pretty good coach in a lot of ways…
Was an absolute Mr. Clean (I’d argue that was the #1 reason he was hired).
Impeccabel football pedigree (former Alabama QB, the Shula family singers)
Hired good coordinators.
Recruited EXCELLENTLY given the conditions he was under.
Drew decent (altho not great) QB talent to Alabama, given his experience as a QB and a QB coach.
Shula’s fatal flaw as a coach? Coordinator-itis.
Specifically, Shula was not the disciplinarian required of a good head coach. He didn’t instill into the players the kind of mental toughness and discipline that translates into physical toughness and discipline on the field.
Saban dealt with those holdover traits ALL last year. The final 4 loss stretch, including the loss to LA-Monroe, are indications of that.
And that’s the difference that I’m talking about. Miles is a shoot-from-the-hip raving lunatic (as a coach) and that translates into LSU’s players, both off the field and on.
LSU should have easily repeated or even 3-peated as NC given what Saban (and it was his work, that’s not arguable) built down there and the level of talent LSU’s program was drawing. Since you mentioned it, why hasn’t LSU been more of a factor year-in and year-out, given the level of talent it enjoys?
LSU won late against Alabama last year, by a single touchdown, mainly thanks to a ridiculously insane amount of penalties. 14 for 130 yards!
My point is that with Saban at the helm, Alabama’s on a skyrocket path. While LSU’s just now starting to pay for Miles’ foolishness.
comment by chris — November 3, 2008 @ 8:43 pm
Shula was not without talent, we (bama) were not ever beaten by more than 17 during his time at the helm. Most all games were lost in the 4th quarter due to not being in shape. Bama would usually be winning or within 3 up to the 4th Q. Just never worked the kids hard enough. It was his biggest down fall even as a QB. Just too soft.
comment by Bamaokie — November 6, 2008 @ 2:46 am
@ Bamaokie…
You are exactly right, man. Bama’s having a lot more problems with injuries during Shula’s tenure was related to that as well.
Compare that to how physically strong and amazingly injury free Alabama has been this year.
RTR!
comment by chris — November 6, 2008 @ 8:46 am
I LOVE that LSU is trying to use intimidation for Saturday’s game! You know what that says? They’re scared! They know Alabama’s the better team, and they’re grasping at straws trying to swing the momentum in their favor. They should know better than anyone that intimidation does NOTHING to Nick Saban! Did you see his press conference last night?! He’s LOVING it!! Everyone says that LSU will be fired up and ready to beat Bama, but let me ask you all something… Do you really think that Saban will NOT have the Tide ready?!
comment by Jerry — November 7, 2008 @ 10:13 am
@ Jerry…
Don’t forget all the sturm and drang that LSU was slinging last year, when they were arguably a much better team. As it turned out, they didn’t win until the last minute of the game.
I think Coach Saban and the Tide have more than proven their ability to get themselves ready this year. Now it’s all about the finish.
comment by chris — November 7, 2008 @ 11:25 am