PURPLE REIGN VOL 1

As we witnessed the Tigers win the SEC in a thoroughly dynamic, undefeated and dominant fashion, capturing the #1 seed in the CFP while everyone from Grant Delpit, Ja'Marr Chase, James Cregg, Joe Brady, Joe Burrow and our head coach won every award possible (also a Heisman still to be delivered to our quarterback) and with only two games remaining in the way of glory, the current season continues its theme of dreams coming true in a manner so storybook it would make you cringe if it were a movie...or if you happen to be an Alabama fan.

LSU's charge to their first ever College Football Playoff has been a journey of triumph, but the sweetness of the so-far perfect season lies in the hard roads many of these players and their coach had to travel: a path filled with potholes of doubt all along the way.

Still, the 2019 LSU Tigers will be remembered for the vengeance they sought and the scores they settled throughout their jaunt: every disrespect was righted, every challenge was overcome, every classic rival in the SEC has been cast asunder like used toilet paper.... it's all been directed by a coach who could motivate teenagers to run through cement walls and orchestrated by a quarterback everyone wants to be and every retired QB wishes they had been:

In Joe Burrow's infinite swagger, he's commanded an offense that's rewritten the definition of the word "juggernaut" while Dave Aranda's defense remains stacked with stars and playmakers who carry on the tradition of great Tigers defenses of old.

But it's the overall winning attitude, the aggressive play-calling on both sides of the ball, and the consistent "chip-on-the-shoulder" mentality that's converted millions into bandwagon LSU fanship...

....how often do you see redemption, revenge, star power and legendary sass join forces, translating into a title-contending behemoth?

Hardly ever.

Most of the recent champions in college football history were redemptive or had star power, but never the whole package: USC's defense cost them a true dynasty in 2006 (they were never the same after Coach O left in 2005) and for all the vindication of their dynasty, Alabama won the title twice without winning the SEC, completely relying upon committees to qualify (and winning three national titles without a high quality NFL-ready quarterback in their ranks), losing a few as well along the way to Clemson; Urban Meyer's Florida (and Ohio State) teams won behind a quarterback who couldn't throw and a murderer at tight end, or there's Jim Tressel's Ohio State and the luckiest pass interference call of all time to claim theirs in 2002...

....perfection and undefeated runs on the way to a title were expected in the BCS era, yet with the dawn of the 4-team CFP, perfection didn't even seem possible anymore...unless you were in the Big 10 or ACC...

....that is...until now....

....we felt LSU could be flirting with a perfect 15-0 after a grinding SEC schedule which included five top 10 teams and three more top 20 units including a battle in McConaughey country vs #9 Texas and a title-deciding dance with Alabama on the road, but it would require the stars aligning.....we were sure LSU would be successful in 2019...but perfection???

Somehow it's a reality: everything about LSU's run has only proven just how complete they really are: Oklahoma, Clemson and Ohio State better get ready...and they better watch out.

"We comin...we comin'," Coach Ed Orgeron warned with significant gusto after the victory over Alabama, a game that put college football on notice after Joe Burrow and co. clocked up a 33-13 lead at halftime, then followed that up with timely, ruthless responses to fend off a Crimson Tide comeback in the 2nd half.

But it didn't start there, LSU has been devastating opponents and anyone trying to skip commercials via DVR all season, scoring faster than many can call a play and putting up suitable final score lines by halftime.

This has been a year in which we've all bought the ticket, we're all taking the ride and LSU has obliged us all by turning their old VW into a Lamborghini...all in less than 12 months.

As a lifelong LSU fan, I didn't think we'd see a season as dramatic, triumphant or as entertaining as 2007 again, nor did I feel we'd ever see a squad of Tigers as loaded (in more ways than one)  or as fun to watch as LSU's 2011 defense led by Tyrann Mathieu and Eric Reid...

As fans we were just worried about having an offense that could put up 200 yards a game....

....we were just dying for a quarterback and an offensive system that'd free us from the bondage of 8 years rotting among the lint in Alabama's pocket.

....and in one man, LSU's path to destiny and the rock and roll infinite became attainable.

The 8 year wilderness period which spanned from December 2011 until September 2019, began when LSU were crowned undefeated SEC champions going into January 2012's title game; however when the new year crept up, the Tigers coughed up a national championship to Alabama (while getting shutout in a defeat that still haunts us all).

The aftermath of the 2012 BCS National Championship loss to Alabama brought pain, sorrow and frustration in ways LSU fans have only just started recovering from: returning Heisman candidate Tyrann Mathieu (closest defender to the pose since Charles Woodson) was exiled out of LSU in one of the most gut-wrenching moments in our recent history.

Les Miles used Mathieu as a scapegoat to explain why his players were perennially in trouble with the law...after all, this is a coach who covered up every positive Mathieu drug test during the 2011 season, but with the 2011 campaign finished, Miles' loyalty to Mathieu had reached its limit.

Sure, Tyrann made the wrong choices and suffered the consequences, but had Miles disciplined his players in the first place, Mathieu would've finished his college career the right way, I'm certain....instead, Miles never had control over his football team, nor did he care to instill discipline.

He allowed others to become bigger than the team, while scapegoats (for both on and off the field issues) Mathieu, Jarrett Lee, Russell Shepard, T-Bob Hebert became the fish to fry for unjustifiable reasons which struck a nerve across the fan-base which still reverberates years later.

Make no mistake, the coach's public destruction of Mathieu's reputation and collegiate career changed how we all saw Les Miles...whether we realized it or not.

From that day forward, Les was a marked man at Lousiana State University, turning his back on a player who trusted him like a father...and probably still does to this day, such is Tyrann's beautiful heart.

In the years after the title loss, Miles' Tigers were still the second best recruiters in college, but our team began suffering defeats in games we had no business losing...under Miles we started losing 3+ games a season, dropping 5 in 2014.

He was supposed to be gone in 2015, but thanks to a nostalgic and incredibly ugly win over A&M, Alleva famously announced (during the 4th quarter of the A&M victory) that Les Miles would be back for 2016.

Now on a fiery hot seat, Les tried to get back his "no pressure job" by polishing his staff with big-time names, and in the process, Les built the foundation of the current LSU juggernaut...mostly by accident.

In between the 2015 and 2016 seasons, Miles pulled in Ed Orgeron and defensive coordinator Dave Aranda, now the 2019 Coach of the Year and highest paid assistant coach respectively (later leave to become head coach of Baylor).

Following next in 2010, he'd hired former LSU quarterback Steve Ensminger to better our offense, but couldn't figure out how best to utilize the old school offensive mind, switching his title after every season and opting for OCs' like the fantastic but extremely temporary Gary Crowton, the woeful Greg Strudrawa and the interminable Cam Cameron...

...but finally in 2016, no coordinator could shield Les from what was to come: Miles was exposed as an under-par coach when he bungled a game vs Auburn due to the worst clock management of all time (setting our 2016 season up for failure);

Immediately following the Auburn loss, LSU Athletic Director Joe Alleva, the alumni, the boosters and the fans had seen enough.

The Mad Hatter could be a phenomenal coach most of the time and could certainly recruit, the crazy bata could even be a genius at times...but he rode luck and the roll of the dice for far too long and LSU lost close game after close game due to his inability to progress our offense.

Despite taking the Tigers to a pair of national titles (winning one), Coach Les Miles wore out his welcome at LSU; not merely from the "stone age offense" he deployed (as Joe Burrow dubbed it) or the near lack of institutional control, the Mad Hatter thought he was bigger than LSU.

Miles was the right coach for that time ...the politician thing had some charm, however LSU's brand was starting to become synonymous with Les Miles..and that meant something that lacked substance.

Although he had some big success in Baton Rouge, Les only took LSU to three BCS games in 11 years (2005-2016) while possessing a bevy of talent unmatched outside of Alabama and Clemson during a decade and a season span in which Saban racked up 4 titles at Bama, Dabo won one and coached another, Auburn scored one in 2010 and lost another in 2013...LSU equaling Auburn or Clemson isn't good enough.

Indeed, after he shocked the world when he snatched Ryan Perriloux out from under Texas's Mack Brown (before never playing the kid), Les couldn't recruit a single decent quarterback other than Zach Mettenberger, wasting big-name weapons on offense like Russell Shepard (who should've played quarterback), Jordan Jefferson (who shouldn't have played quarterback), Malachi Dupre, Jarvis Landry, Leonard Fournette, D.J Chark, Derrius Guice, Odell Beckham Jr and many maaaany more.

We didn't have enough creativity on offense to out-scheme Nick Saban or Gus Malzahn whatsoever...in fact during the last years of the Miles era (until the first two years of Coach O's), LSU were fading as a national powerhouse, burying themselves in an inescapable SEC West quagmire.

Coach Miles believed he put LSU on the map and didn't need the Tigers job to be a success...we were really just a stop on Les's route...after all, he'd inherited the 2007 title-winning team from the work of Nick Saban in the first place...and at that juncture, back in the madness of fall 2016, LSU were at their most important crossroads in their history:

The guy to replace Coach Miles was an unknown in the mainstream college football world but one who's legend among true football careerists / junkies was already long secure; this was a man athletic director Joe Alleva and Les Miles did everything possible to insert on their staff and for that, I thank you, Les.

Like a lot of us, Coach Miles had heard all the stories about the guy's miracles in recruiting, his 4 National titles as an assistant, the man's motivational skills and his wondrous defensive line intensity, although as an added bonus, they didn't have to go too far to find him: Louisiana-born Ed Orgeron came into the LSU staff and recruited like a demon and coached as if he were a father under Les Miles.

"I missed the chase," Coach O once said of his fifteen months out of action in a 2015 ESPN article, "I've always wanted to be a Tiger, I've been on the other side and always wanted to be apart of this program...I'm excited to be a Tiger."

Soon after Les Miles was dismissed, also under-fire athletic director Joe Alleva nearly went with Houston's Tom Herman or Florida State's Jimbo Fisher.

Despite Alleva claiming he would "never have hired Fisher", I ask Mr. Alleva: why was Jimbo shopping for homes in Baton Rouge and nearly accepting a contract worth up to $50,000,000?

Current Texas coach Tom Herman was offered the gig but rejected it for the Longhorns' offer. Alleva definitely tried to get the former title-winning Florida State coach as well: overtures were made to Jimbo Fisher, but the guy went for the Texas A&M job and the mega dollars.

It's not as storybook as we advertised...the cold, harsh truth is LSU's Joe Alleva wasn't looking at Orgeron for the future...he was looking for him to clean up his own mess before a "real coach" came around.

This is the moment in which Ed Orgeron had other designs and made his own luck...he was and still is that coach and some of us actually knew it (myself included).

Orgeron seized the opportunity to coach the university he always wanted to be apart of...the college he chickened out of as a wild young man due to homesickness...the team he knew he'd most likely never get a chance to lead again.

For the rest of 2016, Orgeron coached as if his life were on the line, clearly auditioning for the role in competition against the LSU alumni's big name-fancy.

For the patience they gave Coach O, the LSU athletic department, especially the departed Joe Alleva, deserves a lot of credit: there were moments where it felt the Ragin Cajun wouldn't last long at the helm, mostly due to fan impatience and frustration from too many years kicking the can next to the tumbleweeds within the abandoned parking lot of the SEC West.

Many said "we've seen this movie before..."

So, to accelerate the process Orgeron flipped the script.

In hindsight, his potential firing in 2017 or 2018 would've been a decision which would've altered the future course of the football program, the SEC and the national college football landscape.  

 In the beginning of the Orgeron era, LSU lost to Troy (enduring a humiliating shutout in the 1st half), and everyone from boosters, fans and pundits wanted Coach Ed Orgeron to take a "hike back to Hicksville" as one LSU fan put it over the phone to the Paul Finebaum show.

The Waterboy jokes followed soon after and everyone painted Lousiana State University as a school of the past, just a prestigious name and nothing else.

Many wondered aloud why Coach O even deserved the LSU job in the first place, let alone continuous faith, while Paul Finebaum himself famously predicted he "expected Orgeron would not return in 2019."

Although things were already changing under Orgeron to anyone paying attention: after his underdog Tigers shutout Louisville's Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson in the 2016 Citrus Bowl, led by rampant, medieval performances from Devin White and Jamal Adams, the team had an impressive finish to a year that begin with 2 losses and Les Miles' firing.

Alleva went with the coach who would command the most respect out of the players...and they didn't have to look any further than the fired up enthusiasm of Coach O.

It wasn't just Ed's resume which kept him around: the resume speaks as loud and as directly as the man himself; he kept the job because he had a vision of how to beat Alabama, how to win the SEC and how to drag the Tigers back to winning ways...and the biggest piece of the puzzle was finding a quarterback who could take us all the way.

On Saturday night the inevitable finally happened when a 23 year old Southeastern Ohio man named Joe Burrow took home the most coveted individual award in all of college sports...but it wasn't the distinguished honor and the stunning history in motion that completed the night, it was the people around him that loved and supported him being there to share in the moment and not a care or a worry about who doubted him...at least for Saturday night.

From the giant teddy bear figure of Coach O, with that mindblowing pause in the moment where Joe says "Coach O..." (just gives ya chills, dunnit?) to Ohio State coach Ryan Day aka "the guy who gave him a chance before we did" (a potential CFP title game opponent) and the offensive coaches Steve Ensminger and Joe Brady, everyone got their deserved praise; but the most obvious emotional elephant in the room is Joe's relationship with his father.

Jimmy Burrow, the father who'd missed most of his three sons' college careers (due to his coordinator gig with the University of Ohio) finally retired in 2019 to be able to watch his son start for a Division I college team and compete against the highest level in the SEC.     

Since his father's retirement, Joe's dad has witnessed his son complete a life altering regular season that's not only re-ignited his perceived dormant NFL future, he's now the undisputed #1 pick in next Spring's NFL draft.

Earlier in the season, we saw Joe wanting to prove to his father just how good he always has been, throwing touchdowns and leading the offense down the field with a fury and aggression as if hell-hounds were on his trail.

But now, we feel like he's at peace...he's shown his dad what he's been missing all these years...but now Joe's just playing football with a relaxed edge and a chip still firmly on his shoulder.

The renegade quarterback's 2019 season, capped off by a Heisman Trophy and a spot in the College Football Playoff, has been an accomplishment many couldn't have imagined as even a remote possibility going into the fall, yet when you see the professionalism, the attention to detail and the intense focus of the LSU offense, you look to its leader and you listen to the many people around the program who know what's going on: Joe's what's going on...we've been hearing it for a year and a half geauxing on two years now...Joe's the real deal.

In fact, the name "Joe Burrow" and the words "potential Heisman Winner" weren't uttered in the same sentence from the mouth of any pundit until after the Alabama game.

Before that contest, LSU fans had to hear the nation fawn over Tua Tagovaiola while Joe was cast as the gutsy white dood who's sole purpose was to make it interesting; after Joe dropped a seismic 46 points on Saban's Alabama in Tuscaloosa, we stopped hearing anyone else's name uttered alongside Burrow's when discussing who was "the best player in college football".

The Alabama game is the moment we all knew he'd won the Heisman. He cast out the Wicked Witch of the SEC and took LSU to the promised land all in one magical night in Tuscaloosa. The win stopped a trail of bloody tears that dragged on for eight agonizing seasons...but no more...from our ravenous Coach's warmup speech to the rampant leadership from Joe Burrow infecting every other player on the team, we buried Alabama with a polarizing president looking on and an entire country rooting for LSU and Joe Burrow.

The Tua vs Joe match-up lived up to the hype, although we all knew who the better quarterback had been that day; the game will live on as yet another masterpiece SEC moment where Joe Burrow took his Eye of The Tiger moment and ran with it.

Following his elite play throughout 2019, it only took Burrow 48 touchdowns, the smashing of SEC records for yards, touchdowns, completion percentage and thoroughly vanquishing five top 10 opponents to finally be considered a favorite; but it appears he also needed to drop 46 on Alabama on the road and then juke out Georgia's best linemen in the SEC title game for the Athens High product to finally make the Heisman his and his alone (in the minds of the pundits)...

    ...the talking heads may be riding the bandwagon hot and heavy now, but they still haven't been paying attention when they compare Ohio State's pisspoor schedule to LSU's or when they try to claim Oklahoma's offense is more high-octane than ours; it wasn't until our SEC Championship defacing of Georgia for Southern sports-talk heavy Paul Finebaum to finally give his blessing.

        The claims have been outrageous from those complicit in their own jealousy...and now every program wants to be the "next LSU"...every college quarterback will believe they may be the "next Joe Burrow"...and that's how fun it is to be a Tigers fan this season.

Whoop it up...get crazy...break out the booze and the Fritos and get weird...get strange this is the only time we'll have Joe Burrow...right now is the time we've got a guy under center that could be facing a deficit of 50 points going into a 2nd half and he'd still be confident....and we should be, too. This is Fantasy Land for LSU fans...the fun and purity of LSU's 2019 offense is now the 8th Wonder of the World.

This is the first time, since Nick Saban left us, where we've had the last laugh! So please Tigers fans, if you're ever going to rub it in Alabama's face, now's the time.

Enjoy every second.

We'll never have this team rolling through that type of schedule in that fashion again, scoring 40+ points in 10 out of their 13 games and 6 games of 50+ points....I still don't think we understand or appreciate how much this team has transcended sports.

But this is about more than football.

Joe's progression, his defiance and his triumph goes beyond athletics: he's become an icon for "the disenfranchised", "the overlooked", "the doubted" and "the under-appreciated", speaking out for his people from Southeastern Ohio as he spoke atop the Heisman stage.

The Heisman speech has become a moment all of us, even non-LSU fans have chosen to watch over and over again: it's not hard to repeat every ray of light in a dark 2019.

In our fake, robotic society we've wrapped ourselves in disingenuous bullshit like self-help bubble wrap; yet somehow, in our cold-hearted / "me-first" world, Joe Burrow's purity, his genuine nature and the young man's soul penetrated through the thick gauze of cynicism and hate our world is usually mired in.

...everyone remembers winners, though as their generation fades and starts to age, so does their glory;

Winners can hang banners aloft the rafters to signify their accomplishments, but legends, no matter what they win, never die:

Legends always stand for more than just a game decided by a ball or accomplishments of tallied numbers, they live on in each new generation and their fire burns brighter long after they've departed this life...

Whether Joe wins another game at LSU or doesn't...whether he hoists the national title we all crave, or doesn't, his most important work as a Tiger may already be complete.

In the two seasons since he arrived in Baton Rouge, Joe Burrow has changed the entire fortunes of a fading national power. His rise has given Coach Ed Orgeron the vindication and respect he's deserved for over 20 years; Burrow has changed the perspective from LSU being just a school for defensive backs and skill position players into a serious quarterbacking school following 2019's metamorphosis...and of course, we're still DBU (suck it, Florida);

His greatness unlocked the potential of LSU's most dangerous weapons, setting up Chase, Jefferson and Edwards-Helaire for promising NFL careers and elevating their burgeoning talents;

Burrow's 2019 blitzkrieg through the SEC has set aggressive play-caller Joe Brady apart as the premier coordinator in college sports, while simultaneously supplying long-time Tigers offensive mind Steve Ensminger with some hard-earned credit for his tireless work on the LSU offense over the years.

While inspiring and supporting those around him, Joe Burrow, man of the people, the saint of LSU, has given so much to so many people in and around the LSU program...but no...Joe's generosity and influence doesn't stop there:

Since his epic, G.O.A.T Saturday night Heisman speech with a touching nod to his hometown and the economic hardships of the Southeastern Ohio area, $340,000 has already been raised directly for the local food banks in that area, right in time for Christmas.

On and off the field, he's carried himself with a maturity, a professionalism and an intensity that openly scoffs at the most daunting of obstacles and says "let's geaux, ride or die!"

It also helps that he's got a cannon for an arm and an undying football IQ that puts the pedal to the metal.

Although this two year adventure is bittersweet and short, what he's done in 2019 will live on in the time capsule of LSU history forever.

The lucky fans who've seen Joe Burrow play for LSU in the flesh will tell their grandkids they were there and all of us following every play from home are just glad to be born in the same lifetime.

To add to this history, many fans in Baton Rouge might never witness another LSU team go unblemished (with such swagger and grace) through a rollercoaster schedule like this again.

The murderer's row LSU has had to pass through to remain undefeated is an achievement most college teams and their fans take for granted. While many power-five schools have to change their pants at halftime when playing the one or two top 10 opponents they might face in an entire schedule, LSU are battling two top 10 teams in the first weeks of every season.

So it was no surprise then that the national love affair with our Tigers began on a Saturday night during a non-conference / top 10 tilt in Austin, Texas.

Where were you on 3rd and 17?

I was standing up, pacing anxiously as I wondered if LSU's defense could hold Texas for the first time all second half...after our upcoming punt of course.

However, we wouldn't see punter Zach Von Rosenberg for the rest of the game (or for much of the season) after Burrow escaped out of a collapsing pocket, rolled to his left and launched one of the most remarkable passes you'll ever see through double coverage and into the hands of Justin Jefferson for the 1st down....

....But in a play that's as emblematic of the unstoppable 2019 LSU offense as any, Jefferson didn't stop there: Joe's pass was so good it teased and baited the over-aggressive Texas secondary into over-committing and Jefferson burst through and raced down the sidelines to put the game away 45-31 with under 3 minutes remaining.

It was only the beginning...

...you didn't need to see Matthew McConaughey's one word / four-letter sideline response immediately following the touchdown to realize what we'd just seen was the start of something profound.

We've seen it all from Joe Burrow...well, we got close to seeing it all, but luckily he gave up on that run against Mississippi State 😎🌕.

He smoothly and quickly became the coolest guy in sports as LSU's offense became something unthinkably fast thanks to the spread attack of Joe Brady, Steve Ensminger and the never-ending triple threat of Ja'Marr Chase (over the top), Justin Jefferson (over the middle or outside) and the extremely explosive Clyde Edwards-Helaire in the ground and pound or in the short passing game...imagine all of those options behind an offensive line (Traore, Charles, Deculus, Cushenberry III) that can buy you an average of 7-9 seconds against the #1 ranked defense in the country... and then there's the conductor at the helm: a steady, experienced warrior who's sick of messing around...he wants the big one and he's done joking...

...all of these ingredients are a gumbo that's even too spicy for Nick Saban, Tom Herman, Gus Malzahn and Kirby Smart....Lincoln Riley, want some? Ryan Day? Dabo??

Where's my boi, Dabo Hahaha??

In 2019, we saw the first college football team that could score with such ferocity, pace and aggressiveness (from their play-calling to the finesse in which they executed said plays) that it seemed as if the players were betting on whether they could finish off the game by the 3rd quarter.

Through this steadfast domination, Burrow continues his gift-giving: because of their destruction of so many teams, backups like quarterback Myles Brennan and running back Davis-Price saw a lot of the field.

Thanks to his explosive 2019 and high quality 2018, in only two seasons, Joe has set nearly every Tigers single-season quarterbacking record, he made Nick Saban go crazy and he's only 5 touchdowns away from passing Tommy Hodson as the all-time touchdown thrower in LSU history.....and Tommy Hodson was a four-year starter in the late 80s and a damn good Tiger who still holds the all-time LSU passing yards-record by 1,506 yards (don't count Joe outta this one yet, buddy!)

The simple truth: no matter the outcome in the upcoming College Football Playoff,  Jeaux Burreaux will go down as the greatest player in the illustrious 126 year history of Louisiana State University.

And it almost never happened...

(Written December 2019)

        Burrow was a rambunctious, headstrong talent at Athens high school, setting state high school records and impressing everyone who saw him...that was except his father (who couldn't make the games) and every college scout in the country barring two.

Joe's initial dream was to carry on the Burrow legacy at Nebraska, the school his father and brothers played for, but after Scott Frost told Joe's father his son "wasn't good enough",  Nebraska was forgotten.

The only firm offers were from the University of Ohio where his father coached, which was "a pity offer", as Joe described, but randomly there was a second interest coming from Urban Meyer, head coach of Ohio State at the time.

The former Florida, Bowling Green and Utah national champion became interested in the young gunslinger after his offensive assistant Tom Herman (current Texas coach) called him after "seeing something special in him," and said, "I've got your next Alex Smith."

OSU assistant coordinator and current Ohio State coach Ryan Day was equally impressed despite Joe's raw mechanics and wanted a wild card in their quarterback room.

"There were these intangibles that Joe had that made you pause and think for a long time...the kid kept me up a lot," Meyer has said in the wake of Burrow's 2019 success.

Joe accepted Ohio State's offer in 2015 and joined their stacked QB room.

Meyer recruited a group that were four-men deep with Grade A pedigree, athleticism and pre-ordained hype in such abundance it was hard for Burrow to stand out when Meyer already had his favorites. There was National Championship-winning freshman Cardale Jones returning to Columbus for his red-shirt junior year, there was future starter Braxton Miller, another future starter J.T Barrett and 4th on the totem pole...Jim Halpert-looking Joe Burrow.

Meyer wasn't too impressed with Joe, the man who was supposed to be able to spot a Heisman instead favored more "athletic" quarterbacks as he put it, while once telling Joe he "threw like a girl".

For two seasons Joe Burrow sat and waited...watching...wondering when his chance would come. Even his father continued coaching at the University of Ohio, knowing his son couldn't get a game.

Though he was initially promised the starting job for the 2017 season, it became evident the Buckeyes were going with Dwayne Haskins. Yet again, Joe Burrow, 2019 Heisman winner, sat another year of eligibility and the Ohio guy started thinking his chances at a career were going down the drain.

During his Heisman speech, Joe emotionally admitted that around the time of his transfer, he "wasn't even sure he could still play". Burrow was frustrated, felt betrayed by the OSU staff (though he'd never admit it), but was still torn between staying at Ohio State or leaving for the great unknown.

After much thought, he chose the latter.

Burrow wasn't content accepting garbage duty behind Haskins, coming on late in 4th quarters against Indiana or Minnesota for "pride" would never be enough for a dude as ambitious as Joe. And with time now running out on his college career and NFL dream,

Burrow knew he had to transfer....but where?

There weren't many schools looking at this kid...even Nebraska's desperate Scott Frost ignored the familial  / professional ties between the Burrows and the Cornhuskers, incredibly passing on Burrow for a 2nd time...a decision that'll haunt Frost forever.

Nebraska's tomfoolery opened the door for Cincinnati, a school closer to home and one that promised Joe the coveted starting job. It was said they were in pole position at that moment for his signature.

Cincy were led by former Ohio State interim coach Luke Fickell, a guy Joe Burrow was comfortable playing for, though the quarterback only went for one unofficial visit. Tip your hats off to them, Cincy showed significant interest, trying to entice Burrow with the idea of staying local...after all, Joe had never lived anywhere other than Ohio.

Meanwhile down in Baton Rouge, Coach O scanned the practice field and saw the quarterbacks at his disposal and gave a foreboding statement to all of college football..as well as every QB on the Tigers depth chart:

"....we'll be looking into any transfer quarterbacks to add depth," he said to a local Tigers source.

Whispers abounded that he was going after "an Ohio State guy hard" and that Coach Orgeron was very invested in his recruitment.

Taking stern advice from his brother, Burrow saw the opportunity waiting for him at LSU and ran with it:

He'd always wanted to play in the SEC and so when Coach Orgeron obtained permission to speak with him, plans were arranged for a weekend family trip down to Baton Rouge to tour the campus and facilities, a conversation via Joe's brother Dan (Joe hates phones as we've found out).

Arriving with Joe for the three day trip to Baton Rouge was his brother Dan, his father Jimmy Burrow and his mother Robin, all excited about the prospects of Joe playing in the SEC.

Waiting for him were Coach Orgeron, Offensive Coordinator Steve Ensminger, a bunch of game film of the offenses they'd be running and large meals of Cajun seafood and crawfish, hoping their pitch would be enough to capture the Ohio exile.

The initial film study session was supposed to go for two hours, but after Joe and his father struck up a warm conversation with Steve Ensminger and Coach O about offensive schemes, the meeting extended to four.

"He obviously saw that there wasn't an established quarterback and he took that opportunity," Coach O said in a Sports Illustrated article.

On May 20th, 2018, Joe Burrow signed on the dotted line to play at LSU for his final two seasons of collegiate eligibility...coincidentally (we think not), this was the same day the last LSU Heisman Trophy nominee and winner / icon Billy Cannon passed away....

A torch had been passed....

2018 was an intriguing season for the Bayou Bengals, with The Joe Burrow Era at LSU beginning with the Tigers as the final ranked team in the top 25 going into a Week 1 match up against #8 Miami, a game played out in the apocalyptic confines of Cowboys Stadium.

From the outset of the Burrow Era, no primetime pundit or talk show host thought anything of LSU, in fact Tigers fans had to listen to chants of "TROY!" everywhere they went. The Vegas odds had LSU winning 6-7 games in 2018, and it was obvious there was no belief coming from the heavies at the AP and CFP.

As always, we played a hard-nose 2018 schedule, hand-selected by Coach O to test our guys and bring us back to national prominence...which gradually happened...beginning with a smackdown of Coach O's old team.

They administered an ass-kicking upon #8 Miami on ABC, Burrow making his rusty debut before a national television audience. In his first game as a Tiger, Joe threw a pedestrian 11 completions for 140 yards, but looked like a leader with poise. The 33-17 defeat of Miami was highlighted by a feverish, demonstrative Joe helping LSU get out of the traps quickly to a 27-3 lead by halftime, extended to 33-3 by the 3rd. He fought to prove he belonged, but he was already our guy.

Next came a big test on the road against #7 Auburn, a nail-biter in which  Burrow courageously led us to a one point win, the Bayou Bengals making a stunning 2-0 start to the season. Though we'd later suffer a bad loss to #22 Florida after attaining a #5 ranking, we'd rebound the next weekend with the moment Joe Burrow took flight.    

While watching him lead our #13 LSU Tigers to an emotional 36-16 upset over #2 Georgia, I had a great feeling about Burrow: finally we had a quarterback

with some moxy at LSU...finally a quarterback with the cajones to throw the ball into coverage...finally we had a stone cold boss who was willing and able to complete the tight throws that guys like Brandon Harris, Danny Etling, Jarrett Lee, Matt Mauck or Jordan Jefferson wouldn't even attempt.

Although we'd have to endure yet another primetime shutout to #1 Alabama (while ranked 3rd in the country), it was the 70+ point score-a-thon against A&M that scarred the players most.

The humiliating loss forced our future-NFL stars on defense (Grant Delpit, Patrick Queen, Jacoby Stevens, Michael Divinity Jr., Kristian Fulton) to look in the mirror, realize the bigger picture and atone for yet another promising season in the Bayou that disintegrated before our eyes...though it took 7 painful overtimes.

Still, there were signs of the magic that was to transpire this season during those last tattered moments of 2018:

We scored 40 points in three straight games for the first time since the opening trio of gimme-games back in the 2012 season; Burrow, his receivers Chase, Marshall, Jefferson and running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire (who was hardly used at the beginning of the season) looked unstoppable, meanwhile Joe was slinging the ball around at a higher volume, velocity, percentage and touchdown rate than ever before...a sleeping giant had awoken.

I didn't know exactly what we'd see in his senior season: either the 40-burger the offense dropped in the Fiesta Bowl against UCF or the near-unforgivable shutout at the hands of Bama in Death Valley? Most opted to bet on somewhere in between those two extremes and who could forgive them, LSU were a terribly unlucky team at the time, striking out in everything from injuries to last second losses or erroneous targeting calls...although how breathtaking it would become would prove impossible to quantify.

We knew the team was very very very good, though incomplete...but most importantly, the team itself understood their true potential and worked hard to unleash it.

Burrow took a walloping in the backfield throughout 2018 and the offensive line knew they needed work: Joe was going to get killed if they continued the loose protection of the last year.

With Joe already a college graduate from his time at Ohio State, Burrow had the time and the responsibility to become the center of the non-stop professionalism and will to win our LSU players are renowned for.

Their search for collective improvement was so devout and their work ethic so intense it impressed many opposition coaches, media members and attracted new fans across the board.

Burrow and Austin Deculus, Lloyd Cushenberry III, Badara Traore and Shadiq Charles worked on protections and hard counts; Joe and his receivers ran routes day and night to work on their timing; Burrow and Edwards-Helaire worked on handoffs, play-actions etc in the back-field...it took hard work throughout the offseason to build to the triumph of this 2019 juggernaut.

It was around this time Coach O compared Burrow's obsession with improvement and leadership to that of Tom Brady, ruffling the feathers of other SEC schools with promising quarterbacks.

But our Coach didn't care, he knew what kinda talent his team possessed and the country would find out soon enough.

To further jettison Burrow to Tom Brady-esque heights, Coach Orgeron wanted to couple old school offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger alongside "another Brady": New Orleans Saints quarterbacks coach Joe Brady.

Brady's youth and aggression gelled nicely with Ensminger's all-encompassing experience and together the two provided the ultimate mix of youth and age to supply Joe with the best chance to succeed in this, his final collegiate season at LSU.

There were so many signs of encouragement and hope geauxing into 2019....though could any of us have dreamed of domination on such a scale as this?

Could one have been so full of megalomania, egomania and false dawn insecurity to seriously believe LSU could do what they've done?

 Some of us asked the question: well...why the hell not?

And now, a guy who hoists the Heisman Trophy, who's now broken the all time SEC records for TDs, completion percentage and yards in a season, while his LSU offense has scored 46.3 points per game, defeated five top 10 schools on their way to an SEC title and will have to get through two more top 5 teams if they're to win it all, which would be yet another NCAA record.

...After all that you'd think Joe Burrow has lived out his wildest college football wet dreams and will go riding off into the sunset with both barrels smoking, no matter what the results of the upcoming College Football Playoff....right??

Hell no, Joe Burrow still has scores to settle:

Athens High lost the state championship game in Joe's 2014 senior season after a record-breaking offensive year on a team of destiny that went unfulfilled.....sound faintly ominous????

Joe doesn't feel he's done until he's won a national championship this season to atone...to finish...because Joe Burrow never forgets.

And we'll never forget him.

What this team has done on the field has made them historic...

Their swagger and mentality has made them legendary...

And what they should soon accomplish could seal their legacy as the greatest college football team in modern times...

But they're not finished.

Not yet...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Joe Burrow enjoyed his final night in Louisiana, rocking aviators, savagely dissing Alabama, and wildly celebrating Coach Steve Ensminger, the parade crowd that gathered at the Maravich Center went nuts, whooping it up for the final time in a week full of celebration.

Although I'm stunned to say I still don't even know how to process what just

happened...we've tried mass drunkenness, lewd public behavior, fist-a-cuffs with the police, we've gone down on all fours growling like a gawddamn Tiger, we've gone to the White House, we've dropped dolla dolla billz ya'll...we got the gat baby....we've done it all and yet the wonder of the 2019/20 season doesn't feel real.

Did that just happen?

Did we seriously just go from Cam Cameron and Danny Etling to Ensminger/Brady and Joe Burrow??

Though we felt a dynamic offense was on the horizon after outstanding offensive showings vs A&M and UCF in 2018/19, we only dreamed about this type of scoring; while we had personal faith in Clyde Edwards-Helaire (who many forgot in pre-season), Ja'Marr Chase, and Justin Jefferson, who could foresee a smashing of nearly every single-season offensive record and many all-time SEC and LSU records, orchestrated by the mad-eyed majestic #9???

I'll tell you who:

In the entire country, only 3 AP writers voted LSU preseason SEC champions, while Joe Burrow claimed "this offense should put up 50 points a game."

The few writers or media members, who paid attention to Burrow's renegade statement of intent, mocked his arrogance...instead, they should now applaud his foresight.

We predicted Joe Burrow's rise....but no one could've anticipated the breadth of his legend: Burrow had to earn that himself...he worked for nothing short of greatness and he became greatness personified.      

  LSU's highly doubted, often criticized squad of proto-NFL-footballers out-scored all-comers to a Division I record 726 points to 328 (Take it Jimbo, just take it!), while being led by a stable of singular, ambitious coaches (all with Hollywood backstories too fairytale they'd even make Jerry Bruckheimer sick).

Together, Coach Ed Orgeron stirred these ingredients into a feisty, Grade A gumbo and drew us all in, keeping celebrity bandwagon "fans" like Vince Vaughn, Donald Trump and Matthew McConaughey entertained to no end; meanwhile, for the fans who were here before 2019 and will remain long after: we were in heaven.

No matter what happens, there'll always be something profoundly special about Autumn 2019, knowing full well every time you went to turn on the radio, TV or phone you'd be hearing every sportscaster or host worth a damn talking about the insanity of Joe Burrow's LSU.

The pedal-to-the-metal manner in which LSU took over college football captured the hearts and minds of an entire nation...and I don't know about you, but I'll never get old of hearing people admiring our Tigers.

And as someone indebted to sports, there's nothing more ultimately satisfying than listening to non-stop doubt at every turn of the journey and watching so many with such big platforms proven so infinitely wrong.     

   It was four men who really ignited the 2018/2019/2020 LSU machine: LSU recruiter and safeties coach Bill Busch, athletic director Scott Woodward, and the untrusted, "unproven" grittiness and intelligence of jarhead Coach Orgeron joined forces with their Ohio born "James Dean" quarterback: together, these men led this team down a path where they defied the odds, spat in the face of their detractors, and spray painted their names all over college football lore:

There were the corps of NFL-ready receivers running routes and catching anything that went up in the air as if they were playing in front of Randy Moss...and they were;             

The maligned offensive line, full of badasses and vagabonds such as Austin Deculus, Lloyd Cushenberry, Badara Traore, Damien Lewis, Shaadiq Charles all suffered through hell until they elevated their play over the course of the offseason under O-line coach James Cregg, transforming into the greatest wall of protection college football has ever seen;

There was Dave Aranda's criticized defense, a unit chock full of NFL talent who had to sit and listen to the entire known sporting world regurgitating the same rhetoric about a "weak LSU defense that'll cost them big" while ignoring their litany of injuries across the front and secondary to key guys.           

 However, anyone who was actually paying attention

could see this was a scary good defense capable of only being gassed by their own quarterback and the pace of LSU's drives, proving that statement as they out-lasted and controlled Clemson, Alabama, Auburn, Oklahoma, Texas, Florida, and UGA...while at 50-70% capabilities!

Imagine how much better this defense would've been with a healthy Grant Delpit, Rashard Lawrence, the absent Michael Divinity Jr or hampered K'Lavon Chaisson?

After the last four games, how much better could a defense possibly be?

These guys were already 1st & 2nd Round NFL Draft picks when they came into the season...this was never just about offense.

This was a complete team that'll be remembered ahead of the 2001/2002 Miami Hurricanes' roster, with players across the board who'll have far more projected success in the NFL.

Although regarding pure accomplishment, no team will ever come close to this LSU Tigers unit.

Beating 7 Top ten teams, all except Oklahoma winning a bowl game and finishing with a collective winning percentage of 65%. Among those teams, LSU beat the last 4 national champions and another unit, UGA, who made the 2018 title game;

They beat 5 of the top 20 defenses in the final rankings, putting up 40 points on 3 of them, and faced three #1 ranked defenses at the time of kickoff, dominating top opponents and proving to be far more cunning than #8 Auburn's Kevin Steele, #4 UGA's Kirby Smart or #3 Clemson's Brent Venables could've anticipated, tripling the amount of points their defenses allowed in those games, while Burrow's stratospheric football IQ punished every possible scheme.

You've heard all the stats, you've seen all the games, hopefully...just judge for your own eyes rather than Stephen A Smith or Drew Rosenhaus or Michael Douglas's murderous pizza boy brother:

...you know for a fact this team was the greatest to ever strap em on...after decades of swimming in alcoholic punishment... even Vince Vaughn knows this!

Even Donald Trump is under the delusion that he's as cool as Joe Burrow...

This team's connection to our current national orbit is as American as success and failure, Lou Pearlman owning the Dallas Cowboys, or Simon and Garfunkel.

If you're a willing, faceless contrarian and still hold fast to the belief that Ohio State was the best team in the country or that LSU will never deserve the respect and the titles they've earned, let this sink in...let this list remind you as final evidence.

No apologies coming from us Ohio State, Clemson and Alabama fans...just read em and weep...and remember:

(Written December 2019 / January 2020. published on uninterruptedsportsodyssey.blogspot.com)

On Saturday, the real #1 and #2 ranked teams in the country collide in a colossal SEC showdown that will feature a myriad of fantastic match ups across the field, intriguing psychological warfare coming from the sidelines, and a merciless bloodbath in the trenches...all of which provides a damn good opportunity to live up to the billing of "Game of the Century" eight years later.           

As LSU reinvents themselves as a quarterback school (all started by Joe Brady and Steve Ensminger guiding Joe Burrow to the promised land) and Alabama have enjoyed another record-shattering season with Tua Tagovailoa, both offenses now rank in the top five in points per game, margin of victory, touchdowns per game, and nearly every other offensive stat that could be amassed.

To aid in our collective ADD hunger for offensive firepower, the game at Bryant-Denny will most likely also dictate the Heisman Trophy winner between the two aces, both Tua and Burrow being the two strongest quarterbacks to come out of either program in a long time (Tua could potentially become Alabama's first Heisman winning quarterback and Burrow holds a big chance to be LSU's second ever Heisman winner).

As great as the game should be, as star-studded as each recruiting class is, and as much as the hype has boiled over (even our President demands a seat), we're still not even sure exactly how much is on the line in this one

If the game ends in overtime or the victor wins by a gap of less than 8 points, will it even matter who wins the game? Or is it a case of: if tough-scheduling LSU barely lose, they're still in but if untested Alabama lose, they're out of the final four?

If you recall recent history, you may be cynical about Saturday's contest being anything more than a tough inner-division game...especially when it comes to the CFP committee's fixation on Alabama.

 In 2011 when the "Game of the Century" went down, we believed it was a de facto national semifinal thanks to the unforgiving  BCS structure at the time.

However, it turned out the two teams were viewed as so superior to everyone else, the loser didn't even have to win the SEC, and climbed over a high octane, one-loss Oklahoma State team on their way to a rematch.

Perhaps the BCS got it wrong, yet it's impossible for Tigers fans to say anything about the controversy of Alabama's place in the 2012 National Championship game after they were dismantled in the rematch 21-0...a loss the program has failed to erase from their memories for 8 long years.

The last time the LSU Tigers beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa was a game on my birthday, November 5th 2011 and it was a game of lasts:

2011 was the last time LSU won the SEC, 2011 was the final season Tigers fans trusted Les Miles and it was the last occurrence where LSU found themselves anywhere near the national championship game...

The years in between LSU's dominant undefeated jaunt through the regular SEC season have been a wilderness of pain and trial for Louisiana State University:           

 LSU hasn't beaten Alabama since the 9-6 overtime victory in 2011, but worse than that, 99.9% of the match ups haven't even been close.
  Alabama has outscored LSU 179-82 over the 8 year span, shutting the Tigers out on three occasions (including last season's meeting in Baton Rouge, losing 10-0 in 2016 and the 2011 National Championship game) and scoring an embarrassing 3.3 points over the last three meetings.

More than losing to your biggest rival and watching them appear in nearly every national title since, LSU has been humiliated at the hands of other culprits in such a way that has made the images of Alabama's glory sting worse:

There's the seasons where Les Miles was unable to win any game of consequence while possessing Leonard Fournette and Derrius Guice on the same team, there was the dismissal of Heisman candidate Tyrann Mathieu for positive drug tests before the 2012 season;

The high flying Landry and OBJ-led offense of 2013 became derailed by Zach Mettenberger's horror knee injury; there was the awful time management that cost LSU an entire season vs Auburn;

There was the catastrophic loss to Sun Belt school Troy in which Coach Ed Orgeron was destroyed as a "nothing coach" by many fans, pundits and talking heads; there was the 7 overtime loss to Texas A&M where LSU (a traditional defensive powerhouse) allowed 70 points;

There were bowl game losses to Clemson, Notre Dame, and allowing a shootout / bloodbath against UCF in last season's Fiesta Bowl.

This is LSU's time to win a national title before senior quarterback Joe Burrow tries his hand at the NFL, this is Coach Ed Orgeron's chance to send a big middle finger to all of his doubters...

But what does this game mean for an under the radar Alabama team who's floated by with a soft schedule and an injured starting quarterback?

We don't have a clue about Alabama...we have no idea what team they are mentally, physically or how emotionally prepared they are to handle duress, adversity or pain when the hard hits come in from equal (or even superior) competition after facing easy opponents in 2019.

Alabama's combined margin of victory was 262 points against those 8 teams...are you telling me the entire SEC didn't just congregate preseason to say "hey, let's make sure that no matter what Alabama get into the College Football Playoff"...that's conspiratorial, but it's as legitimate as any committee ever allowing a team with such a pathetic schedule to be ranked so highly.

There's no Florida, they're too scared to play Georgia...hell there's no Missouri or Kentucky on their schedule, either...just three teams from Mississippi, Tennessee's Volunteers volunteering for an Alabama beatdown and a bunch of other roll-over-and-die roadkill in their path.

Besides the crappy schedule and the obvious eye test telling us the huge numbers, the big scores and the success is distorted by the low level of competition, Nick Saban's players aren't dormant cadavers waiting for orders. They still have much to prove after the humbling destruction by Clemson in last year's national title game and have heard the nation backing LSU unequivocally.         

The 2019 National Championship game defeat didn't dent Saban's place as the greatest college coach of modern times, but it definitely took a long swipe with a key to the paint job.

The former LSU head coach's reputation and prestige speaks for itself and his place in the annals of greatness is crystallized already, yet if he fails to win multiple national championships with Tua Tagovailoa, there will be doubts over whether the master could win one without a conservative game plan.

Did Nick Saban have to be a "Quarterback Killer" to win national championships? Riding or dying with anti-quarterbacks like Greg McElroy, A.J McCarron and Jake Coker?

Only time will answer that question, but rest assured in this SEC West "title game", neither team will be allowed to escape or survive with checkdowns and safe play selections: this game will be won outright by the quarterback and receiving duo brave enough to complete throws on the edges, in the seams, down the sidelines and in the corners of coverage.

Despite the traditionally defensive SEC West rivalry, the football IQ of these two Heisman-worthy quarterbacks and their cavalcade of weapons suggests a score of anything other than a 9-6 study on the prowess of punters and field positioning.

So...how will this game be savagely won?

How will it be brutally lost?

We go deep.

The 3 things LSU need to do to win:

    After two seasons showing their operatic range of high character and ability, it's become obvious that the only way to conquer and shackle Joe Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa is by limiting their existence on the field.

Both quarterbacks are far more gifted at picking coverages apart than their peers and with their arsenal of fiendishly dangerous options at receiver, it seems the only way a victor will be decided is by whoever's offense keeps the other from the field longest.

Early in the season, Coach Orgeron's men were lacking discipline in their control of games, going up on Texas by 13+ points on two different occasions; yet due to their propensity to score faster than any other team on the planet and their inability to ground and pound early in the season, they lost time of possession to Texas by 7 full minutes, allowing the Longhorns to come within striking distance repeatedly. Shockingly, in their two score pull-away vs Florida, Burrow and the Tigers lost time of possession to Florida by 17 full minutes...

Would it help LSU to score as quickly as they can? Or would it be far more beneficial for them to play keep away from Tua?

They're good at performing both duties, often within the same game (example: Auburn).

If you watch the Tigers play, they mix up their attack with a heavy dose of rush attempts (vs Florida: 48 total plays, 24 pass, 24 rush, vs Auburn: 46 rushes, 42 passes) and love to gash a defense and work their edge rush side to side before dicing them over the top. 

Under Steve Emslinger and Joe Brady, LSU's blueprint for success isn't all on the passing game, in fact the balance = dominance game-plan behind dual-threat running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire may prove to be the difference in a game of fine margins.

The Warrick Dunn-esque back is capable of disappearing behind his own offensive linemen, patiently waiting for the gap to open before suddenly appearing 30 yards down the field in space.

Because of his under the radar ability out of the back field potentially forcing Saban's defense to commit men in the box, Edwards-Helaire is the biggest X-factor in this game.

Averaging 5.9 yards per rush, 6.6 yards per reception, 8 touchdowns and 683 rushing yards on the year, the tiny (though brutishly strong) running back is a perfect outlet for Burrow to fall back on when Alabama send in ferocious blitzes, just in time to sustain drives and keep the Tigers defense fresh.

When we compare these two incredible offenses, set up by two top of the line coaching staffs (Brady / Ensminger vs Sarkisian) and led by two of the most exciting quarterbacks we've witnessed in a long time, we can't help but expect a lot of big plays jumping out at us.

These teams are the king of the big play, with every receiver from both the Crimson Tide and Tigers averaging 11.9 yards or more per reception (only counting receivers with 20+ catches).

Alabama's big three receivers Jerry Jeudy, Devonta Smith (caught the game winner in OT vs Georgia as a true freshman in the 2018 National title) and Henry Ruggs III have incredible versatility, toughness and vertical threat, combining for 123 grabs, 1,916 yards and 23 touchdowns.          

 Still, Alabama's early season success wasn't just about the electric plays: the Saban efficiency quota was also met. The Sarkisian-Tago passing game has helped boost a lackluster running attack and the Tide's offense is 2nd in 3rd down percentage (LSU trails marginally in 7th place).

But are we going to really judge how Alabama have operated on 3rd down against Duke, New Mexico State, South Carolina, Southern Mississippi, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Tennessee and Arkansas???

Or should we judge their 40th ranked red zone efficiency against the same lower tier opposition? Especially when compared to LSU's 4th ranked red zone offense?             

Matching Alabama's endless receiving corps (led by Smith and Waddle) is LSU's ludicrous wide-out tandem of Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson, a wide receiving duo that hearkens back to yesteryear's dynamic pairing of Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr.

These two cats' performances and numbers are far more impressive than the Alabama trio's "inflated digits against midgets".

Thanks to Joe Burrow's explosive passing accuracy and aggressive gunslinging, Chase and Jefferson have 18 combined touchdowns (9 each), 98 catches and 1,568 yards together, just under the totals of Alabama's top three receivers.

More than sheer numbers, Jefferson and Chase have made important catches when it's mattered most, such as Jefferson's snag of Burrow's lightning throw on 3rd and 17 to seal the Texas game or Ja'Marr grabbing 2 massive touchdowns against Florida...LSU's receivers have made huge plays against world class coverage while Alabama's Adams, Jeudy and Ruggs III have yet to be in a game of consequence since January of this year...and we all know how that finished....

And since many have questioned how anyone can beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa this week, LSU defies that failed logic by averaging a staggering 49 points per game on the road this season, 9 more than their home average. The points are mostly supplied by the arm of Joe Burrow stunning opponents to their knees early, giving the Tigers a stranglehold on the game before the opponent can figure out what hit them.

Can Burrow, Chase, Edwards-Helaire and co. start the game fast and begin to control the tempo with big plays down the field? Could the Tigers jump out to a two-score lead on Alabama?

Or will 'Bama stamp their authority in the ground game with Najee Harris, then look to outscore LSU through the air?

In every top 10 match-up this season, LSU's traditionally high octane defense has been bend and not break, allowing 21 points to Florida in the first half (28 total), 38 in a shootout against Texas and finally 20 to Auburn in a grinding game that showed a great improvement along the LSU front on both sides of the ball.

Although the season is a marathon and "success" is measured by each week's survival, LSU has done far more than escape: they've been making statements on both sides of the ball. Most importantly, their defense is getting hot collectively at the right time...so I give LSU's defense the edge in this game.

Why?

Not only is this about the huge improvements in the Auburn game defensively, we're also talking about an aggressive, flexible and deep Tigers defense that has the better collection of talent and the proper mentality coming into the game:          

(Example:) Early in that shootout against Texas, the Tigers defense made two consecutive 4th and goal stands against the Longhorns with their back in the Austin end zone, stuffing and frustrating the Sam Ehlinger-led offense to 0 points from three 1st quarter trips into the red zone.

The Tigers will need that fight if they're going to win on the blood-stained field in Tuscaloosa, and to win they'll need to get their defense off of the field.

The only way to do that is force Alabama into 3rd and long situations with penalties, sacks, no gain rush attempts, pass deflections and then, on 3rd down you test Tua's ankle: you see how well he can move and extend the play, Divinity or no Divinity.        

This was a formula that didn't work out in the Crimson Tide's favor last season after Tua's previous mid-season ankle surgery, though the kid's toughness is remarkable...but can he extend the play? Or could LSU drown him in the backfield under the titanic weight of expectation and a surgically repaired ankle that won't let him fly around in the pocket and back field?

To stop Tua, LSU's secondary will need to back up what they continue to tell opponents before, during and after games: "that Baton Rouge houses the real D.B-U". The Tigers boast outrageous talent in the safety and corner spots, amassing 32 pass breakups and 8 interceptions between Kristian Fulton, Stingley Jr. and Grant Delpit (the freshman Stingley Jr. has half of the team's interceptions).

Even with these impressive statistics, there's always a damning one with this year's LSU defense so far: this secondary, full of stud safeties and corners are 60th in passing yards allowed (278 per game)....this indicates it won't be whether Stingley Jr and Kristian Fulton can cover Jeudy or Adams, it's whether the wild cards in LSU's deep secondary unit, Jacoby Stevens or Kary Vincent can cover the deep throws.

Stingley Jr. was picked on by Florida's backup quarterback Trask with much success, nearly toppling the Tigers in Death Valley until the freshman made a brilliant interception in the back of his own end zone. It's a lesson Stingley Jr. and the rest of the secondary must learn from going into the Alabama game: there may be a bevy of big plays, but that one turnover late in the game could change everything.

What's worth more than a turnover in this game?  

Making Tua run around for nearly eight seconds on every play, wearing and stressing his ankle ligaments down with each bending cut on his feet and every time he plants to release the football, he'll wince.

Last year when Tua had this same mid-season surgery on his other ankle before the College Football Playoff, his foot refused to plant without significant agony and Alabama were run off the field for one 4th down after the next in the title game, Clemson's offense taking complete advantage, shutting the door and throwing away the key.

If LSU's pass rush can imitate the rampant way Clemson forced Tua to escape in the pocket and test that ankle to its ultimate, then LSU won't just win this game, things could get out of hand with a defense providing Joe Burrow with countless opportunities to rack up points.

On the other side of the field, this is an Alabama defense that can be exposed further:

Five of their top six leading tacklers from last season are playing on Sundays and new faces / new blood has often meant a down season in the Crimson Tide's recent defensive fortunes and overall performance, with cataclysmic 40+ point losses to Ohio State, Oklahoma and Clemson staring Nick Saban down after a large NFL draft departure class. 

The Alabama defense has allowed 9 touchdowns and 5 field goals in their opponents' 20 red zone trips, giving up only 3 red zone rushing touchdowns on the season to a variety of weak teams...This is where it gets intriguing, though:

LSU have a top five red zone efficiency, punching the ball in at a remarkable rate inside the 25 yard line, scoring 34 times out of 44 trips (19 passing touchdowns and 15 rushing), a stunning illustration of their balance in the most critical of situations and a weakness of Alabama's to be taken advantage of.           

As good as cornerback Trayvon Diggs has been (0 touchdowns allowed, 3 interceptions and 5 pass breakups) he is yet to be faced up against a receiver like Justin Jefferson or Ja'Marr Chase, and as good as Shane Lee is at linebacker, the highly recruited middle man could be exposed by the dual threat Edwards-Helaire brings in the running and short passing games.

Outside of the superb quarterback battle on display, the stacked receiving corps, the violence in the red zone or the success or failure of LSU's Edwards-Helaire or Alabama's Najee Harris, a perfectly timed turnover will decide this game.
 

This game could go two ways: either LSU play a smart, aggressive game and test Tua's ankle early with blitz after blitz, forcing him to throw passes away, take big hits and leave the field on 3rd down while giving up minimal big plays while Joe Burrow doesn't take the extra possessions for granted and gives LSU a two score lead they won't relinquish, or...the most hoped-for path could be an exciting heavyweight battle with one hay-maker and knockout punch thrown after another, with whoever answers last winning...

I can see LSU winning this game by 10 just as much as I can see a hobbled Tua courageously diving into the end zone with seconds left to wrestle the lead back late...but I'm going to go with my gut on this:

The game will be a joyous occasion for any football fan with the quarterbacks making a show of it. At 34-28 with 3 minutes to go, Alabama will get the ball back and drive down the field dangerously.

But after a clutch Delpit interception and an LSU field goal with 1 minute left, the Tigers stake their claim to a national championship quest with the biggest statement possible.

By

Lonn Phillips Sullivan (November 7-8, 2019)

  Every sports journalist, blogger or gambling fiend who rushed out their analysis and predictions for the upcoming College Football Playoff sent them out waaaaay too soon.

          For such self-respecting scribes to forget about the annual barrage of suspensions and injuries that always arrive during the two week holiday layoff is utterly ridiculous (considering these shenanigans occur annually and frequently play a role in the CFP outcome).

          And there's no better example than the upcoming 2019 Peach Bowl between SEC champions LSU and Big 12 winners Oklahoma:

         This last week's news about the Oklahoma suspensions and the crucial LSU injury arrived just as the Tigers' crown was already being sized: it was as if the college football gawds saw the pre-game spread in LSU's favor and said:

         "To hell with thaaaat, let's have some fun...which LSU player (who isn't Joe Burrow) should we hurt?"

         The injury to Clyde Edwards-Helaire isn't a hamstring tear, it's one of the college football gawds getting even after a year where everything went the Tigers way by taking a croquet mallet to the back of #22's leg: non contact injury, my ass....

          Thanks to these masochistic college football gawds, LSU vs Oklahoma is riddled with sudden changes and off-the-field dramatics that will definitely make this one a lot more unpredictable.

          In most years, one of the CFP's semi-final games is a non-competitive dumpster fire in which one of the Big 10 or Big 12 teams are on the receiving end of an emasculating defeat. We feel this year will feature two high quality games with this SEC v Big 12 match up in Atlanta packing a mighty punch in the entertainment factor.

          The 2019 Peach Bowl pits #1 LSU against #4 Oklahoma, a pair of teams that possess the two most prolific offenses in the country, the best duo of young offensive minds anywhere (Joe Brady and Lincoln Riley), two brilliant transfer quarterbacks (one a Heisman winner flirting with destiny, the other hungry for validity) and two underrated defenses. 

          Coming into Atlanta's Mercedes Benz Stadium, Oklahoma find themselves hunting for respect as Coach O's Bayou Bengals fight for a place in the history books.

          And while many are heavily focused on Clemson vs Ohio State being the real marquee match up, we feel LSU v Oklahoma has every chance to be just as intense, as dramatic and possibly even more entertaining than the Fiesta Bowl.

          We go deep inside this tantalizing match up, covering everything from the best running back in the country you've never heard of, Oklahoma's revamped defense and Jalen Hurts' undefeated record against LSU.

           JOIN US AND TELL US YOUR THOUGHTS & PREDICTIONS.

           LET'S GEAUX!!!!

WHO'S IN / WHO'S OUT

OKLAHOMA

   We begin with the millionth consecutive bowl season in a row where at least a few crucial Sooners will be missing for the postseason, none of the three more important than all-world defensive end Ronnie Perkins.

          With Perkins leading a solid and much-improved defensive front with his NFL-ready size, agility in the trenches and his Chase Young-esque swim move (all you D-linemen know what I mean) Oklahoma's defense has been much improved in 2019. 

          Thanks to new defensive coordinator Alex Grinch's philosophies and a versatile athlete such as Ronnie Perkins clogging the front, Lincoln Riley's group are not only more adept at keeping scores lower, the Oklahoma defense is finally capable of tilting the balance in the Sooners' favor.

          On many occasions this season, Ronnie made a big time play that changed the entire momentum of a game, no contribution more imperative or timely than his 3 sacks in the Sooners' epic comeback win vs Baylor in November.

          But instead of shutting down Joe Burrow on December 28th, Oklahoma's best defensive player will be watching from a couch.

          The celebrated edge rusher's suspension is a devastating blow for Lincoln Riley and a huge headache for defensive coordinator Alex Grinch to address, specifically when going toe to toe against a mastermind such as Joe Burrow. 

          The repeated chaos Perkins creates in a backfield and the extra pressure he would've provided a weakened Oklahoma secondary would've been priceless against LSU's rampaging offense.

          Oklahoma loses two more players on the offensive side of the ball, too: Rhamondre Stevenson's suspension (for the same drug test violations as Perkins) will hamper the depth Lincoln Riley has available in his backfield, putting the entire rushing load on Kennedy Brooks or Jalen Hurts . And in the passing game it's much the same: Hurts loses a target in suspended receiver Trajen Bridges, another MIA that saddles even more of the burden on the shoulders of star OU receiver Ceedee Lamb.

LSU

      For the #1 LSU Tigers the distractions have been more subtle, although still worrying for those beholden to states of fiendish disarray like myself:

            There was the bizarre 48 hour saga of UNLV's on/off pursuit of defensive coordinator Dave Aranda, while the constant awards show accolades, interviews and ass-kissing from the entire world over the last month could cause the Tigers to lose their edge at the worst time.

           The biggest disruption in LSU's preparations (and potentially their place in a national championship game) hasn't been any statues, ego-tripping or job offers: it was the non-contact "hamstring" injury Clyde Edwards-Helaire suffered in practice that has every Tigers fan freaking out.

           Edwards-Helaire is simply the best running back in college football for the obvious fact the speedster does more than run the ball:

           Clyde has a near telepathic connection with QB Joe Burrow, always making himself available as a passing outlet when Joe's in trouble; #22 makes the first guy miss every time, he's built for the moment, he's also been the best pass blocker of any SEC running back and forget about catching the guy,most of the time the man can't even be tackled...in fact Alabama are reportedly still trying to tackle Edwards-Helaire.

            Before the season began, there were three players I felt were mandatory for an LSU national championship: one has a Heisman, one has a Thorpe Award and the other is Edwards-Helaire.

            When #22 is available, the pace, tempo, control and expansion in Joe Brady's schemes become so fast it's actually frightening when you compare 2019 LSU offense to Cam Cameron or Matt Canada's travesties of yesteryear.   

            Yet the nature of their prize running back's injury creates a variety of issues for any LSU player, coach or fan to chew on over the next two games.

           With a possible national championship game on January 13th, should LSU risk #22 against Oklahoma or hold him back in hopes he'll be at 100% for the title game?

           Either Coach O is taking a huge risk by leaving his best weapon and most influential player on the bench or he's taking a massive gamble playing him (perhaps in limited / decoy fashion).

          Thanks to Edwards-Helaire's injury, there's a lot more on the line for the Tigers in this game than many believe.

           Right now, OU's Riley knows who he can count on going into the game; however on the other sideline, Coach O must manage his personnel play by play. 

           The information Brent Bankston's medical staff gathers from Clyde's hamstring and how Tigers play-caller Joe Brady solves #22's potential groundingis as important to LSU winning a national title as keeping Joe Burrow upright(next chapter, we'll discuss who can replace Clyde Edwards-Helaire if he doesn't make it on the field).

            On the defensive side of the ball, stud senior Michael Divinity Jr is still being held back until the national championship game for reasons unknown, though the influential defensive end has been seen in uniform coaching up his teammates on the sidelines ever since he left the team for "personal reasons".

            Huge credit must be given to Coach O and his staff for still keeping the Divinity story under wraps after two and a half months in our 24/7 news cycle society, especially in the run-up to the Alabama game. Big kudos have to be sent to Divinity Jr as well for staying active within the team and cheering them on.  

It's hard to sift through the absences and the shoulda-woulda-couldas and tell you all exactly how the 2019 Peach Bowl is gonna go down, but the classic saying about winning championships being "all about who can last a marathon" is a cliche for a reason: because it's true.

            Depth, whether it be psychological or actual physical bodies, will win this battle over both teams' absences...

            ...so...since Oklahoma's pass rush won't be the same without Perkins and there isn't anyone on the OU D-line who can replicate his disruption, the absences were always going to hurt the Sooners more.

            Since LSU's Edwards-Helaire hasn't been officially ruled out of the game just yet and with their additional options in the backfield, it'd be a major disappointment for this special squad to bow out before the title game because of one injury.

            Let it be known: with the quality, presence and heart of Joe Burrow and the plethora of absolute NFL-ready talent slathered all over Ensminger/Brady's offense, Coach O's team possesses far more dimension and versatility in the personnel department to overcome any absences. 

OFFENSIVE SHOOTOUT? 

OR

UNDERRATED DEFENSES?

            Both schools are nearly level in as many statistical categories (on each side of the ball) as could be possible, though it must be said the level of defensive competition in the SEC far exceeds the physicality, speed and prowess of Big 12 defenses, specifically when it comes to linebacking and the secondary.

            Yes, in the history of college football, conference has mattered in these match ups, although recent history in the CFP tells us that style points in a conference schedule mean very little until this season's seeding:

            We've seen underdog Clemson beat Alabama twice, including an absolute stomping last year after playing a powder-puff schedule while Saban's team had a far tougher route to the playoff; in other years, Lincoln Riley's own Sooners battled Georgia to the death at the Rose Bowl and in the first CFP semifinal ever, Urban Meyer's Ohio State outclassed Saban's Crimson Tide in an epic masterpiece.

            In the 2019 Peach Bowl, we will see the two NASCAR-on-meth offenses affecting the defensive side of the game like never before...just as dominoes tip in a line: this will be a chess match of cause and effect, where offense and defense become one and the same.

            Despite the 13.5 pre-game spread in favor of LSU, the high-flying Jalen Hurts-led offense posted 43 points per game and averages a Division I best 7.8 yards per play (LSU is 3rd), leading many to believe the Sooners could feasibly keep up with LSU. 

            But as much as the Sooners need to "keep up" with LSU's rollercoaster offense, they're defense must also "shut down" the LSU passing attack over the middle or they have no chance.

Although the Sooners defense has come a long way in one season: 

           In Norman, Lincoln Riley made a fantastic hire when he grabbed defensive coordinator Alex Grinch to repair the mentality and confidence of the porous OU defense and since his arrival, Grinch has quickly developed a much-improved defense. 

          Grinch's group is allowing 25.4 points per game compared to last year's 33.3, they're ranked 32nd in the nation in stopping the run (allowing 5.5 yards per play), and surprising us all by ranking 9th on 3rd down.

          Without Perkins, can their defense keep the game tight? 

           Can their secondary make a few plays in 2nd and long situations and force difficult 3rd down attempts or maybe even grab a turnover and frustrate Joe Burrow? 

Could Alex Grinch be the real "Grinch Who Stole LSU's Christmas"???

           Anything is possible with great players and coaches, yet we feel the Oklahoma offense has an equally critical role to play in keeping the Heisman winner on the sidelines.

         With their skill freaks like Ceedee Lamb out wide, Kennedy Brooks in the backfield (as well as Hurts' running ability and sharper accuracy), Oklahoma deserve the respect many (especially Skip Bayless) have given them...however, to say LSU's historically difficult path to their first ever CFP appearance means nothing when evaluating this game would be a disastrous folly.

Matthew remembers 3rd & 17....           

The manner in which this historic, irresistible LSU team traversed through the SEC, the way they torched McConaughey's Texas in defiant swagger, finished off Florida in style and controlled Auburn will be a benchmark for SEC greatness for a long time; 

          But it was during the Game of The Century Pt. II against Alabama where this team made their dream a reality, vanquishing the biggest monkey on anyone's back since Brendan Fraser did George Of The Jungle. 

          Coach O's Tigers rode the unstoppable Clyde Edwards-Helaire to victory against Bama, the running back executing innumerable spin moves with extreme prejudice while weaving under, through, and (at the goal-line)over Bama in a masterpiece worthy of that infamous "Game of the Century" tag. 

          In front of the entire country, LSU humbled and embarrassed Saban's 'Bama in Tuscaloosa, forcing a litany of ridiculous errors, penalties, missed tackles and busted coverages while driving Saban out of his mind. 

          But if all of those highly entertaining, unbelievably epic and legendarily confident performances still weren't enough to impress the CFP committee or you dear readers,the rampant LSU journey to their first College Football Playoff didn't stop after the Alabama game:

          Burrow and company dropped 50 points on Jimbo Fisher's gutless Texas A&M while shutting down Kellen Mond, destroyed Arkansas so badly the starters left after the 3rd quarter, and to wrap up their first conference title since 2011, Orgeron's soldiers stormed into Atlanta as if they were Sherman's army and belittled Georgia for the SEC title....

           ...oh and Joe Burrow became the first LSU player to win (or even be nominated) for the Heisman since 1958, an award he collected for shattering every SEC record imaginable....and yet in only a pair of seasons, he still might break Tigers legend Tommy Hodson's four-year span of 69 touchdowns (Burrow only needs 5 TDs & 1,506 yards to pass Hodson for both TDs and yards...don't count him out 😎).

  More than Joe dropping dimes, more than jamming Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson at the line of scrimmage, it'll be the tempo of this LSU offense and their speed in space that Grinch's defense will have the most trouble dealing with...there's simply no way to simulate the pure talent and pace of Joe Brady and Steve Ensminger's boys...and because of those intangibles, Oklahoma are going to need help in getting off the field...any way they can.

The Sooners cannot allow LSU to start off with a quick two score lead to begin this game....

          ...This likely scenario would kill any confidence Riley has in his defense, making the OU coach gamble early and often on 4th down opportunities: a do or die proposition against Joe Burrow's #1 ranked red zone offense.

          Equally worrisome for any Sooner: an early lead plays right into the hands of LSU's highly sought after (and highly paid) defensive coordinator Dave Aranda and his blitz-heavy, hell bent for leather defensive philosophy. 

          When playing with a lead, this team seems untouchable, proving capable of answering the call against stormy comebacks from Alabama, Florida, Texas and Auburn.

           Every time they've needed a spark in 2019, the Tigers'

coaching staff and players have made the right decisions and the big plays in all the right moments, grinding out of every sticky situation this season.

          A prime example of their resolve? The second half of the Alabama and Florida games: 

          In a rough and tumble battle against the #9-ranked Florida Gators, our freshman prodigy Derek Stingley Jr was repeatedly burned on a few touchdowns against Florida. Backup quarterback Kyle Trask led the Gators to 21 first half points, including big plays on the freshman. 

        However things would be much different in the second half: Stingley came alive and Muschamp's Blue Pooh were held to a lone score in the final two quarters as Stingley atoned for his earlier mishaps, grabbing an interception and a crucial deflection in the end zone.

          Which perfectly segues into LSU's defense vs Oklahoma's full throttle attack.

           This LSU defense can recover, they're adaptable and can withstand the pressure, but will they avoid the yards after catch that'll help the Sooners stay on the field?

           This veteran group led by Grant Delpit, Jacoby Stevens, K'Lavon Chaisson, Michael Divinity Jr, and Rashard Lawrence have shown a terrific ability to create turnovers, tackles for loss or sacks in critical moments during every type of game: from shootouts, shutouts and crapshoots, this defense has held its own end of the bargain in 2019:

           This underrated unit creates a multitude of turnovers and uncomfortable situations for every opponent they've faced this season, producing moments of magic and strength while dealing with a ridiculous amount of reps and injuries.

Although this group contains NFL talent and have vastly improved as a collective, we'd be remiss to say they haven't struggled: in fact, sometimes they were one of the most porous Tigers defenses I'd seen in a long time.

           LSU's defense hasn't been horrible, they weren't god-awful throughout the season and they didn't hurt their team overall, but what they were was injured and sloppy. 

           Oklahoma's offensive minds Lincoln Riley and Bill Bedenbaugh will have a lot of game film to sift through that'll undoubtedly expose Dave Aranda's defense missing tackles in the secondary, taking bad angles on outside runs, and displaying an undisciplined gap control which has allowed many big plays (once the opponent reached the second level).

             Much like any defense, this Tigers unit hates the tempo offenses, but they're in better conditioning to deal with Oklahoma's pace than any other group: their own high-octane offense has added an extra five or ten drives to the defense's workload per game and they've come out the other end healthier and playing better than they have all year....perhaps because of it.

          Really, the only team that's been able to gas LSU this season has been....LSU.

             Since many talking heads and pundits have crucified Aranda's defense in the name of statistical analysis, context must finally be given to those stats:

             I've never seen an offense score so fast that they tire their own defense out, but the two Joes (Brady and Burrow) continually pushed their injury-hampered unit back out on the field in such random quick bursts that their big men in the trenches hardly had time to catch their breath.

             This high tempo Ensminger/Brady-led offense yielded a historic amount of points, yet it also helped wear their own defense down over the course of the season...and it's during these breathless transitions from offense to defense where I feel Oklahoma can have success against LSU.

             Much like Orgeron's Tigers, Riley's Sooners are speed freaks and touchdown merchants: quarterback Jalen Hurts can expose middle linebacker Jacob Phillips, a high-volume tackler who has an awful time figuring out whether he's in coverage or plugging gaps in the trenches. 

           Hurts could also isolate Delpit or Jacoby Stevens in the secondary by beckoning one of them up to the line to stuff the run, then attack the vacated space deep with a play-action pass.

            It's been well documented that LSU is susceptible to giving up massive chunks of yards, though most of those plays took place when the Tigers defense were either missing multiple key guys, the starters were on the bench in a blow-out or all of these guys were playing through the pain barrier and performing at half capacity: 

          Safety and Thorpe Award-winner Grant Delpit played on one ankle for half the schedule; a hurt Rashard Lawrence was unable to get a good push for much of the year; senior Divinity Jr was out at first for an injury against Vanderbilt before he left the team for personal reasons prior to the Alabama game; backup safety Todd Harris tore his knee ligaments and is out for the season, 2nd-leading sacker Glen Logan also went down vs Vanderbilt before returning, and future 1st Round pick in the NFL Draft K'Lavon Chaisson battled against the knee problems that took his 2018 season.

             Tell me any team that can play commanding defense without their NFL-ready safety, star linebacker, three best pass rushers and psychological leaders...no defense in college football could've accomplished what Dave Aranda has with as many big players out or banged up.

             No excuses though, the Tigers' defense hasn't been their usual selves until the last month and a half, with the embarrassing 58-37 Ole Miss game igniting the defense to improve right as Aranda's injured starters returned to full health. 

             Lincoln Riley should be highlighting Ole Miss's 400 rushing yards and 600+ overall against the Tigers as a blueprint for success: most of the big Ole Miss plays in that contest came on the heels of a fast LSU touchdown drive and against Aranda's starters.

           To prove how LSU's offense can affect their defense, Ole Miss were held to only a single score in the 1st half, but then came out and scored 30 points in the final two quarters as LSU's offensive drives became more frenetic and the already gassed Bayou defense was sent out there time after time after time.             

          The same situation happened against Florida: Joe Burrow and co. dropping 42 points in 48 plays, though the Gators offensive deficiencies came to the surface late and the LSU defense made crucial plays down the stretch to pull away.

            Though unlike Florida, Oklahoma won't have many weaknesses on the ground or in the air, especially with such great play-callers running the show.  

           "They're the fastest team we've seen on film," Tigers Coach Ed Orgeron said the other day when speaking of the Riley/Bedenbaugh offense, although the Sooners haven't played a defense as fast as Aranda's crew either. 

            Much like the time of possession from Riley's offense can stunt Burrow's rhythm, Joe must grind out a few drives in the 3rd and 4th quarters instead of finessing the ball down the field every time. This'll help recharge LSU's front seven, it would stop the big plays from Hurts, Lamb, Rambo or Brooks, and could prevent the same huffing and puffing on their own defense.

            The truth is: sometimes, as we've seen with LSU's real Greatest Show On Turf, playing fast doesn't speed the game up...it can actually buy a fantastic offensive mind and a gutsy, warrior quarterback time to make adjustments.

            In being more methodical at certain points in the game, the Tigers win in multiple ways: 

A) They're able to control the game, much like in the wins against UGA, Texas A&M and Auburn

B) They're able to keep their defense fresh

C) This strategy buries Jalen Hurts and Ceedee Lamb on the bench and prevents the quarterback and receiver from getting any chemistry going

and

D) This "patiently aggressive" approach, like we saw against UGA, would actually speed the game up, increasing the margins of error for Oklahoma and offering Lincoln Riley less time to come up with offensive solutions. 

            This strategy will supply D-line anchor Rashard Lawrence with all the energy and rest he needs to cause chaos in the Oklahoma backfield. 

           In those trenches, Lawrence's edge-rushing partner Glen Logan and nose tackle Tyler Shelvin will face Adrian Ealy, left tackle Eric Swenson and sophomore starter Creed Humphrey at center, and this will be a match-up guaranteed to bloody the lens: be advised, regardless of how many points these teams score, both are capable of knocking the living hell out of an opponent.

             For OU's D-line, they must attack with as many bodies as possible, making quick substitutions highly critical. Oklahoma's D-line has been at their best when attacking the line of scrimmage with disguised blitzes from the linebackers or secondary.

            In lieu of the suspended Ronnie Perkins, look for Kenneth Murray or Marcus Stripling to try and pick up the slack against the best offensive line in the country; but expect Austin "Re"Deculus, Badara Traore, Lloyd Cushenberry III, Adrian McGee and Shaadiq Charles to win most of the battles in Ronnie's absence.

             Prediction: The only way the Sooners defensive line can win their match-ups or even plug the gaps? 

            Getting off to a fast start in the stance, busting Deculus or Cushenberry quickly off the line and staying committed to hard-nose, old school "rough em 'up" football.

            The last critical offense vs defense question we must answer:               

Will Edwards-Helaire play?

Should he play?

And if he doesn't, who should replace him?

My solution: we dress Clyde, we put him in pads and we keep him available if he's needed, just so Alex Grinch and his staff must waste valuable time watching tape on a guy who most likely won't play. 

          Although the guys who will play are absolute specimen: John Emery Jr. and Ty Davis-Price.

             LSU should start the game by showing Oklahoma some power formations in the run attack behind Davis-Price before introducing 5-star recruit, John Emery Jr for a gut-check change of pace. Once they open up the screen game to Emery (or Edwards-Helaire if he plays) and the little slants over the middle to Ja'Marr Chase and Jordan Jefferson, Joe Burrow will establish a rhythm that's akin to a heavy metal band hanging out with Tom Brady.

            We get it: LSU's passing attack is scary good and we love watching it just as much as you do, but if LSU want to beat Oklahoma and win a national title, they need all the dimensions to their offense firing on all cylinders, including the ground game. 

             Once they've ingrained this slightly tweaked run attack and confused Oklahoma with their variety of runners and personnel combinations, then Joe can put the pedal to the metal and run Ensminger and Brady's play action concepts against a stretched, hampered Sooners secondary. 

           We highlight Oklahoma safety Justin Broiles as a player who will struggle against such an exquisite football mind as Joe Burrow and the movement key offense he runs with an intrepid brilliance. Broiles must also anticipate when Joe runs up the gut in the open gaps against the blitz, something we've seen set up the massive plays for LSU.

             And though the YouTube "vloggers", ESPN talking heads and fansite writers are directing all the pressure towards Joe Burrow and the passing attack in the wake of Edwards-Helaire's hamstring injury, the 2019 Peach Bowl is primed for either Ty Davis-Price (6 TDs already) or John Emery Jr, aka the "Bayou Blur" to have breakout games.

           Earlier this season, Joe Burrow once called a timeout and screamed in fury for Emery's removal from the game after a supposed screw-up from the freshman and we hadn't seen him for more than a few pointless carries until late in the Mississippi State game. Then, after a Joe Burrow-led destruction of rivals Arkansas, John Emery Jr had his moment: he ran off a miraculous 39 yard touchdown run to put an exclamation point next to the rivalry win.

           He shows fantastic escapability, he's slippery, he's patient and he can make 5 star athletes miss, all components of Edwards-Helaire's success.

 With Joe Burrow as your quarterback and with that offensive line, how could Ty Davis-Price or John Emery Jr not have a breakout game?

     In a season where all the stars have aligned and every conceivable LSU talent announced themselves on the world stage, this is a challenge we're officially giving the "Bayou Blur": tear up Oklahoma, John, come on!

            Emery Jr will be something special...whether it's in 2019 or January 2020, or much later, is up to him, the LSU coaching staff and Edwards-Helaire's hamstring.

            As for the current delicacy of EH's leg muscles, Coach Orgeron and team doctor Brent Bankston have to manage Edwards-Helaire's hamstring and keep him on the sidelines, only using him in case they really need him....

           ...Losing #22's pace and influence against Oklahoma is a headache, although if he were to tear his hamstring beyond repair after only a few meaningless plays in the semifinal and were to miss the title game, it would be a catastrophe going up against better defenses in Ohio State and Clemson.

PREDICTIONS

  In a contest where the offenses appear impossible to stop, a single turnover could be all Joe Burrow needs to finish this game off with an unassailable lead...or it could be just what Jalen Hurts needs to get back on the field and connect with Ceedee Lamb, gas the LSU front with Kennedy Brooks and try to let his running ability take over.

            However, could it really be anyone other than LSU as the team I favor most to grab a pick, force a fumble or defensively score? LSU haven't scored on defense all year, in fact they've surprisingly only scored one defensive touchdown in the last three seasons...but they're due.

           With 16 interceptions on the season, LSU is #5 in the country in picking off your quarterback, they've forced 9 fumbles, collecting 4 recoveries, have batted down 70 passes on the dot and held most teams on their schedule under 20 points. 

       This disrespected defense is special, they're posting a turnover margin of 0.8 (16th in the nation and only behind 'Bama in the SEC) and are damn-near automatic when handing Joe Burrow the ball, no matter what the situation.

           Due to the LSU defense playing as well as their offense recently, I feel they'll show up in this game with a bigger chip on their shoulder than Dabo Swinney and his "Oh so offended" / "You Mad, Bro?" Clemson Tigers. Look for Jacoby Stevens, Patrick Queen, and Rashard Lawrence to manhandle the Oklahoma front and hand Burrow significantly more possessions than Hurts.

          Jalen Hurts' unbelievable four-year run in the College Football Playoff will end in another defeat, but his legacy will live on as a true competitor....it just won't be enough.

          LSU will be like a caged beast ready to pounce...and when Coach O unleashes these guys, they'll be ready to play.

          "It's ball time, it's focus time, it's playoff time," a stern, fast-lipped Coach O told ESPN's Marty Smith on location in Atlanta, where LSU has already arrived with families in tow for a little Christmas business trip: these guys want one present and one present only this year and that's the national title ring they all deserve for such a hysterically memorable season. 

LSU's Jacoby Stevens will intercept Hurts on Oklahoma's opening drive and will cash it in for 7, then later in the 1st quarter, Ty Davis-Price will catch a pass out in space, make Sooners miss and will score to put LSU up 17-0 early. 

         For dramatic implications, Oklahoma score from two big plays, one from a bomb to Lamb and another after Hurts scrambles into the end zone to cut it within 3 points going into halftime 17-14...but Sooners fans should turn off the game right there

          Even with a hampered Clyde Edwards-Helaire, LSU will throw the ball nonstop, using the short passing game as a run attack and they'll chip away at Alex Grinch's men. Burrow will throw for 5 touchdowns, 511 yards with only a handful of incompletions and the Tigers will win this one 44-17.

         The dream season will continue in the do-or-die title game in Bayou Country...down in Nawwwlins: the scene of the crime in January 2012 where then #1 LSU disappointed and were shut out in a pathetic showing after a storied, celebrated and honored run to the title game. 

          But this is notthat team....and this isn't that coach.

          This is a different animal altogether, something Oklahoma will soon find out.

We comin'.

(Published December 23rd, 2019)

Throughout 2019 we just couldn't get enough of Burrow:

We watched his workouts, his warmups, poured over every interview...but against Mississippi State this season became far more revealing than ever before...

On October 19th, Mississippi State were being methodically dispatched by Joe Burrow and co with the game going according to the Tigers' typical early lead pattern. Suddenly, as if the game was directed by the Farrely Brothers, we saw more of Joe than we may have wanted to:

In the 4th quarter, with LSU orchestrating patient play and longer drives to gas the strong, versatile Miss State front seven, we saw Burrow escape from the pocket and start to scramble up field with lineman Chauncey Rivers draped all over him.

As Joe ran, the lineman's grasp slipped and his hands almost tore off Burrow's yellow pants on his way down, with an all access pass to #9's ass now hanging out for CBS's national audience to see...and we would've had to hide our eyes from a lot more had he decided to keep running into open field: Burrow only giving up out of fear of public nudity.

It's okay, Joe, it was slightly colder that day.
 

The next weekend, during a hearty bloodbath on a balmy October afternoon in the SEC, #8 Auburn and Kevin Steele's top ranked defense orchestrated the best game-plan of anyone against Joe Burrow and these LSU Tigers:

Although the Ensminger/Brady/Burrow-led offense racked up in excess of 500 yards, LSU scored their fewest points of the season as Steele's group became the only team to hold these bloodhounds under 30 points all year.

Auburn's Gus Malzahn and now former LSU DC Dave Aranda's chess match completed what was an all-around thrill-fest in the Bayou: one that featured hard hits, gutty touchdown runs from Edwards-Helaire and Joe Burrow, and bruising efficiency from the Tigers' defense.          

This early season SEC West clash was a primal bludgeoning, one which the Tigers passed by more comfortable margins than the final 23-20 score indicates (thanks to a last second "Alabama Tigers" touchdown).

Due to the 3 point win (LSU's smallest margin of victory) and Kevin Steele's miraculous defense, led by versatile D-lineman Derrick Brown, the 2019 LSU v Auburn match-up will long be known as the toughest test the high powered 2019/20 LSU Tigers offense had to face.

After the 29-0 shutout to Alabama in 2018, Coach Orgeron knew something had to change...and fast.

Orgeron went to offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger and told him "we need to go to the spread and give Joe the keys to the car", followed by O pursuing his connections from within the New Orleans Saints.

He asked to do walk throughs with the Saints' offense and staff...just to make things crisper as they adapted to the new spread / West Coast-ingrained attack.

It was during this walk through when 29 year old Joe Brady caught the eye of Orgeron and Ensminger:

They witnessed former William & Mary receiver Joe Brady challenging LSU's star receivers and talking trash with a youthful exuberance. He also showed them a new first step technique that would make them unstoppable.        

Wide receivers coach Mickey Joseph, offensive assistant Jorge Munoz, and Steve Ensminger generated a rapport immediately with the 29 year old assistant and didn't need to convince Coach Orgeron to steal Brady out from under Sean Payton.

Regardless of Joe Brady's importance throughout the Tigers' 2019 run, the majority of analysts and fans remain confused as to Brady's role in the offense.

Unequivocally, Steve Ensminger called the plays, bolstered by input from Jorge Munoz, Joe Brady, as well as the quarterback Mr. Joe Burrow; Brady was the passing game coordinator and helped coach the receivers alongside Mickey Joseph. Because of LSU's aerial dominance, the new Panthers offensive coordinator became the first Tigers assistant since John Chavis to win the Broyles Award.        

Though Brady's Broyles Award made more sense as a shared award with OC Ensminger, what Brady brought to the Tigers was an enthusiastic, bombastic new attitude that took all the talent, athleticism and energy of every past great LSU receiver and added the finesse and agility of Chase, Jefferson and Marshall to the already-unstoppable gumbo.

Indeed, Ja'Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, Terrace Marshall, Clyde Edwards-Helaire outta the backfield, and Thad Moss were better than any previous LSU receiving corps before...and you'd be playing with fire to assume Joe Brady had nothing to do with it.

Would this LSU team have won the national championship without Joe Brady?

Was he so integral to our success that we don't even beat Bama or Clemson without Brady?

As important to our staff as Joe Brady was, Steve Ensminger had already advanced the offense to a higher octane than previously before....with both the 72 point and 40 point efforts vs A&M and UCF occurring before Brady's hire.

We were going to win this thing regardless; what Brady provided was the extra mileage on the stats which delighted us all, his youth reinforcing the "pedal to the metal" virtues of these 2019/20 LSU Tigers, and raising every offensive player's draft stock by millions of dollars each.

Though we couldn't agree with the gross timing of Brady's ascent to NFL coordinatorship less than 24 hours after winning the national title, we understood why he did it.

Now we'll find out just how good Brady is at his new gig in Carolina, Brady trading head coach Matt Rhule for Steve Ensminger and quarterback Kyle Allen or Cam Newton for Joe Burrow.

Because of this personnel switch, expect a big dropoff in Brady's success in 2020, though if he can pull it off again he'd solidify his place as one of the best young coordinators in the game.

While the evisceration of Oklahoma in the Peach Bowl had us all in rapture, and the defiance in the title game solidifed and furthered LSU's greatness, true offensive junkies looked no further than the the backyard QB street fight vs Florida in Death Valley as the game to get the blood pumping.

The breathtaking track meet displayed pure efficiency and tempo, LSU operating as close to offensive perfection as possible, even to the point they forced Kyle Trask to throw the football with more poise and accuracy than we could've imagined Trask was capable...

...all just to keep up with Joe.

Against the Gators, LSU started fast and kept their foot on full throttle, blowing the doors off a 28-21 3rd quarter deficit with touchdowns so quick we wondered if an arena league team had stolen the home whites:

It took a total of 10 minutes and 20 seconds for LSU to amass 48 points on a top 10 defense during a primetime SEC matchup...for true LSU fans (who's hatred for anything Florida knows no bounds)...this was ecstasy.

The wild victory over the Gators featured massive plays from The Continuing Legend Of Clyde Edwards-Helaire,

#22 running for two long, ridiculous touchdowns; Joey Burrow tossed countless bombs to J'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson, as well as a squeaker in the corner of the end zone to the Chris Carter-esque Jefferson (#2 tapdancing and kicking the pylon into the photographers on his way to the ground).

At some point in the 2nd half, while freshman Ty Davis-Price's first carry from scrimmage found him untouched and standing in the end zone, it seemed as if every time Joe Burrow touched the football, whoever he gave it to would add 7 points on the board, automatically...like we were viewing a video game simulation.       

With 5 scoring drives under 2 minutes and 10 seconds and another "methodical" drive of 3:42, Joe Burrow wanted to make sure Florida fans remembered him...and he's still the phantasm that haunts their nightmares.

/

On senior night in the cauldron of Death Valley, this legendary squad took to the field for the last stop of their 2019 Revenge Tour...yet even the coldest, most business-minded senior couldn't fathom how much this A&M rematch meant:

Destroying the Aggies wasn't merely about a notch in the W column...this rivalry week showdown was all about protecting the past, present and future psychological welfare of LSU's entire program.

If you're already a Tigers fan, you know why the regular season finale vs unranked A&M meant so much...but for those who failed to understand our Jimbo-disturbed fanhood, we'll detail our debilitating madness:

In 2018, A&M scored 74 points on us after 7 overtimes, barely escaping with a 74-72 win, costing LSU a Sugar Bowl appearance, branding Jimbo Fisher's grotesque visage on our minds for 12 long months, damning us to an unsavory section of the CFB history books, and physically exhausting / injuring many players, including Joe Burrow passing out postgame.

It had been the worst way for the 2018 seniors to leave, guys like #18 leader Christian LaCoutoure, Foster Moreau and DB John Battle unable to stomach the loss. During this uncertain aftermath, Dave Aranda's defense was roundly ridiculed as many in the SEC cackled about the "sorry" state of LSU and even questioned Aranda's ability as a coach:

 "In Baton Rouge they always had a defense, just no offense....now here comes 72 points, Burrow dropping dimes... but suddenly...no defense...what has happened to LSU????"

The loss hurt the team's progress, our national standing, but most of all, it wounded our pride....you could even make an argument that the 2018 Texas A&M game is both the 2019 LSU Tigers' rock bottom and their #1 most significant moment...but this list, or its author will never take Texas A&M that seriously.           

 Despite allowing 70+ points and losing to our "rivals", there were positives and Coach Orgeron made sure his boys learned from this failure:

During 2018's losing effort in the disassociating gloom of College Station, LSU's offense posted the 2nd highest score in program history and previewed their frenetic, untouchable passing attack, all while the telepathic relationship between Burrow, Edwards-Helaire, and his receivers exploded in full flight...and no offensive player in purple or gold has ever looked back:

Since the horrifying loss, Orgeron's men haven't lost a game and have only trailed by 10 points once throughout the entire campaign. Additionally, LSU's offense failed to score 30 points on 1 occasion (still beating #8 Auburn in the process); they scored 40+ in 13 of their next 15 contests, dropping a 40-burger on 5 Top 10 teams, scoring 50+ against 7 others and 60+ on 3 additional opponents (the most notable 60-burger coming in the 2019 Peach Bowl over the perilous, amusing Oklahoma Sooners).

Coming into the 2019 rematch, nobody expected Texas A&M to drop 74 again...most commentators expected Kellen Mond to keep it tight. Instead, the Tigers had an overwhelming surprise for them: they hadn't forgotten last year (whatsoever).           

After 12 long months enduring A&M fans celebrating the 7 Overtime win as if it were their "national title", it was now time for a demonstration in exactly how a real national champion wins.

Our guys laid the pain on Jimbo's Aggies from the first whistle to the last, deleting A&M in a 50-7 atrocity where most of the damage was incurred in a runaway 1st half...

The second the hapless Aggies witnessed Joe Burrow gladiating out to the guttural roar of Death Valley, clad in the unfathomable BURREAUX jersey, they knew they'd be powerless to stop us.            

Death Valley went nuts, shaking from every seat...and for the real LSU fans, most will say this was the atmosphere of the season and the most aesthetically satisfying game for the fan.

Just as we trampled the cameraman underfoot when flying out of the tunnel before the National Championship, just like Coach O's "Roll Tide? F**k you!" speech before Alabama, or the overpowering confidence before Georgia and Oklahoma, the BURREAUX jersey was yet another example of Orgeron's team capturing a game before a down had ever been played.

It was as if the first 12 games meant nothing to the national media:

"Ohio State and Clemson are the two best teams in the country",

"Georgia has the #1 ranked defense to stop Burrow"...

"Joe only succeeded against Alabama cause Saban's defense sucked"...

"Burrow's only a system-guy"...

"Orgeron's lucky to have Joe Brady..."

"Joe just chucks the ball, he's no Tom Brady..."

"LSU's defense is embarrassing...pathetic...there's nothing about this defense that says 'LSU' whatsoever..."

Negativity was all you or I heard before LSU took on Kirby Smart's Georgia in the SEC title game...and this scrutiny piled high, especially after LSU's sloppy 58-37 win over Ole Miss.

    Nevertheless, Aranda's defense ignored the noise and pinned their ears back, rattling UGA in what would be one of the top 3 defensive performances of the year.

Led by a brutish awakening from their peaking defense, LSU stormed into Atlanta as if they were Sherman's army and proceeded to geaux scorched earth on the Bulldogs in their own backyard.

Though UGA had three big passing opportunities early in the game, UGA did what UGA does: dropping two of these long passes while another was called back for a penalty, and Rodrigo Blankenship (no relation to My Morning Jacket bassist "Two Tone" Tommy Blankenship) shanked close field goals.

Possessing Kirby Smart's "#1 ranked defense", UGA held the high-flying Ensminger/Brady/Burrow offense to a slower start than normal (forcing more field goals from Cole Tracy than ever before)...but they still couldn't prevent LSU from racking up points and controlling the tempo...

Although there was nothing more effective in settling the SEC Championship game (or the Heisman) than the psychological-violence Joe Burrow committed in the 3rd quarter:

"The Play" came about on 1st and 10, 4 minutes and 16 seconds left in the 3rd and LSU up 20-3:

Joe took the snap in the gun and was immediately under pressure from Georgia's Travon Walker blitzing right in his face.

As if Joe told Lloyd Cushenberry to "let Walker through" or felt in the mood to recreate the opening scene from Saving Private Ryan, Burrow waltzed to his left to get away at the last second from #44, rolling out of the reach of Walker's flailing hands, but #9 slid right into trouble, again:

Sensing this second breakdown from his left, Burrow danced back to his right and ducked under the swatting limbs of UGA defenders, escaping from trouble again right as the pocket collapsed around him.

As he extended the play to his left, Burrow added to the wonder move with another juke around the perpetually sprawling Walker, leaving #44 on the floor as if he'd just crossed him over with a basketball.         

As he escaped to the sideline to find a target on the run, a final pair of UGA defenders nipped at his heels, one diving for his feet and the other smashing him out of bounds...but not before the Heisman winner chucked a long, accurate bomb to Justin Jefferson in space, the NFL-ready product tearing off clear to UGA's own 5 yard line....

In that sequence alone, LSU went nearly 80 yards, from end zone to red zone, and Burrow broke 5 tackles as well as every Georgia fan's heart, stomping all over their pulsing ventricles with the definitive Heisman-sealing play....and it would be a move #9 was crazily capable of recreating.

This wasn't just a 5-star offensive outing, either:   

    After weeks of questions regarding the health, ability and performance of LSU's defensive leaders (Delpit, Lawrence, Chaisson, Stevens, Queen, Fulton), Aranda's hounds responded with an appropriately-placed middle finger:

Our hard-hitting madcap group of future NFL stars continuously pounded UGA, with Delpit sacking Jake Fromm so violently the UGA QB left the game in a state of feverish agony.           

Fromm, playing in his final game in the state of Georgia, proceeded to shy away from the moment, clearly rattled and faded after 2nd quarter painkilling injections to get him back on the field.          

As if we watched only one team participate on that incredible Saturday in December, Coach O's Tigers thoroughly dominated UGA to the point they were a no-show, hiding from tackles and running in fear for their lives...even their fans began vacating Atlanta's just-renamed "LSU Memorial Dome" en masse, covering their children's eyes from the wanton brutality before them.

The LSU Tigers' rampant performance in the SEC Championship game was stark evidence of their championship pedigree: on both sides of the ball.

Without this medieval onslaught and display of absolute control against #4 UGA, LSU would've been stuck with the #2 seed the committee were desperate to hand us, and would've faced Clemson in the semifinals before taking on Ohio State in New Orleans, neither potential opponent affording us the luxury of half-resting Edwards-Helaire's torn hamstring in the semifinal.

Instead of leaving LSU's CFP placement up to the committee, Aranda's defense stepped it up for the entirety of the college football world to see. Guys like Grant Delpit or Derek Stingley and his unbelievable pair of interceptions stood up to be counted in a moment that sealed the former Utah State & longtime LSU coordinator's future as Baylor head coach.

With this additional assistance from the defense, LSU's offense was now firmly capable of terminal velocity, presenting a multi-faceted attack that could simultaneously stay aggressive and remain patient....aka unstoppable.

Many have pointed to this moment as the exact instance LSU won the 2019/20 national title:

Could you win a nationally-televised top 10 encounter with anymore pomp and circumstantial swagger?

It was 3rd and 17 with just over 3 minutes left in the 4th, the game hanging in the balance at 37-31 and Texas freshman QB Sam Ehlinger in the ascendancy...but to arrive at that special moment, we have to give it all proper context:      

It was a sweaty, hazy night in Austin, not only in the sexually cannabalized Longhorns' frat house Matthew McConaughey had just boozed his way through, but in the nonstop College Gameday coverage and sweltering bloodlust between the sets of fans...in LSU v Texas, we had a Top 10 feast that had every college football fan dialed in.

As in years before, the Tigers' bravery in scheduling high profile showdowns in the first weeks of the season gave Orgeron's squad a national platform from which to announce their upcoming insurgency upon the sporting world:

Like much of the Tigers' games this year, the Texas encounter featured a fantastic 1st half full of potent offenses coupled with jaw-shaking hits and opportunistic turnovers from our defense:

Joe Burrow, the receivers, and Edwards-Helaire built a key early lead thanks to Aranda's defense holding the aggressive Longhorns' on back to back 4th and goal stops in the 1st quarter, Ehlinger and Tom Herman maintaining an aggression which echoed LSU's.

Burrow remained on the attack throughout & the Tigers edged out to a two score lead, however in sparkling fashion, Sam Ehlinger brought Texas back to the cusp of tying the game...if they could get one more stop.

There it was, 3rd and 17 with 3 minutes left...LSU weren't converting, obviously, so Kirk Herbstreit and Chris Fowler segued into a rant about how much time would be left for Ehlinger against a gassed LSU front seven...

Due to this sense of foreboding, Joe knew he couldn't give Texas the ball back...he had to settle matters now.

In a play which made Matthew McConaughey wish he'd never enrolled at the University of Texas, #9 rammed his foot down on the pedal: LSU weren't strictly going for a 1st down...unlike many other teams, this Bayou squad never waited around to find out the pain of horrifying defeat.

As the pocket collapsed around him, #9 stood in the backfield and felt Texas's best blitz of the night shoving James Cregg's O-line into his feet, preventing him from establishing any arm strength for a throw, resulting in a dead to rights scenario for LSU inside a second and a half.       

Luckily, Edwards-Helaire's underrated protection held Longhorns' senior LB Jeffrey McCullough just enough to allow Burrow to commit the impossibly perfect crime:

Moving slightly to his left, he sensed the bullish Longhorns' pressure wearing down LSU's freshman guard Anthony Bradford directly in his line of sight; simultaneously, with eyes in the back of his head, Joe felt the resurrected McCullough's hulking presence riding Edwards-Helaire's block and leaping from his right towards the ball.

At the exact moment a fumble should've occurred, Joe moved the ball away from the flying McCullough and jumped into Bradford, using his back as an inadvertent launching pad, and threw a howitzer right into the purpling salutations of hell's flame...the pass precisely finding Justin Jefferson in stride, #2 working back to his QB when he needed him most.

Jefferson turned on the afterburners and took the catch to the house, sending Longhorns' Stadium into a frenzy of shellshocked horror, with LSU's mighty traveling faithful losing their minds in palpable, hallucinatory madness.

Les Miles used to hand it off on 3rd and 17 to gain a few yards specifically for the punt.

Under Les Miles, punting was an important play; in 2019 and 2020, however much we love the handsome Zach Von Rosenberg, this team scoffed at the idea of punting.

And on 3rd and 17 that night in front of the entire college football universe, LSU were never punting the football...they refused to flinch; and their new aggressive identity, as well as their orgasmic legend, was definitively cemented right then and right there.

Individual awards could never detail the uncompromising, unrelenting camaraderie between the young men, coaching staff and surrounding team personnel of the 2019 LSU Tigers.

This group stood for far more than a few gleaming trophies sporting their own names: this unit were seeking collective glory, they demanded Bayou revenge, and they worked for these rewards.

But what they wanted most was for the team to be eternal...etched in stone, earned by blade and bone, paid in blood, sweat and secret tears.

Regardless of mentality, a mountain of silverware etched in stone is a finite representation of just how in command and how successful this group of Tigers were this year.         

This team nearly swept the Awards season, representing themselves in nearly every position: dynamic LSU legend Grant Delpit deservedly snagging the Thorpe Award,  Ja'Marr Chase taking home the Biletnikoff, the offensive line came home with the Joe Moore Award, Joe Brady and Coach Ed Orgeron were honored as the best assistant and head coach in the country and of course, Joe taking home the Davey O'Brien, Maxwell Awards and the most deserved Heisman we could imagine...to cap it all off, Burrow stole the show with the most incredible acceptance speech of all time.

Every sports fan will remember where they were when Joe walked up to the stage and started talking. As for us Tigers fans, witnessing an LSU player win a Heisman Trophy was a first for anyone born in 1959 let alone 1989, so it goes without saying we were all going to be riveted...but what we didn't expect was for Joe to transcend the cold exterior of our current national malaise.   

He profusely thanked potential title game opponent Ohio State and their coach Ryan Day for taking the first chance on him when Day was Urban Meyer's assistant, then Burreaux waxed lyrically about his father finally retiring and being able to watch him play, and showered Steve Ensminger with extreme praise, the reserved master ducking in the shadows and hilariously using an empty water bottle to spit his chew.

Joe became emotional when discussing Coach O and his passion for the man, breaking down and admitting he "didn't know if he could ever play again" after his hand injury at Ohio State...after all of the accomplishments and litany of admiration, this was something we still hadn't heard before...Joe was the greatest comeback story college football had ever known, pulling off the inspirational while innovating the quarterback position and kicking more ass and taking more names than Michael Chiklis during the Bush administration...but now, on the grandest stage of all, to hear the most confident man on planet earth admit that yes, even he doubted himself before, was a moment that made the entire season worth it and beyond, title or no title.

If this wasn't Sean Astin's Rudy fooling around with Joe Montana in a back alley then what could be????

Then Joe opened the floodgates, talking about his hometown of Athens located within the impoverished region of Southeastern Ohio, demanding nothing less than listening ears. Instead, this poised humanity shook us out of our national coma for a little while and suddenly, right on time before Christmas, nearly $800,000 dollars had been raised from the humanizing effect of Burrow's comments.            

By this point it became official: there wasn't a dry eye in the house...or in any house where "The Speech" could be seen and heard.

Before 2019, we'd always heard this regurgitated theme about college football recruiting:

Go to USC to become a star, go to Alabama to win national championships, go to Ohio State to win individual trophies, and Geaux to LSU if you wanna get to the NFL.

Now in 2020, it's simple what Joe Burrow's character and that of his team represent for the future of Tigers football:

You can head off for USC to become a star, you could go to Alabama and maybe you'll win a championship, or you may go to Ohio State to be a Bosa Brother or Troy Smith...but you'll always be a successful human-being playing for Coach Ed Orgeron.

Out of all the incredible circumstances and achievements of this LSU juggernaut, the record-erupting performances, the Hollywood rise, or their gritty, unglamorous grind on a daily basis to get the gat, one of the things Tiger fans will miss most about this team will be the way they could talk trash and back it up.            

For the longest time, I viewed bragging rights as an overrated part of sports, meant for inane online debates with 'Bama fans (aka Gumpers) or for private conversation between jealous friends.

But in 2019, the stakes were raised and words mattered:

Bragging rights for LSU fans became ominous warnings or statements of intent, as Tigers fans' pride and belief in their team quickly evolved into a cathartic exorcism of the last few decades with the momentum of each win. Meanwhile, our players and coaches wielded this ultra-confidence as a psychological weapon...and there was nothing any Alabama, Florida or A&M fan could do or say as we lived vicariously through our heroes.

After the rout of UGA in the SEC title game and the overwhelming vindication of the awards ceremonies, this was a team that were operating with such hysterical phenomena and aggression, that when combined with the familial looseness in their overall approach, the results were always going to be untouchable.

As the College Football Playoff drew near, this group of Tigers were branded as "cocky, careless" young men hustling for an NFL payday, regardless of their hard work. That's when this backlash of 'LSU hate' sunk to lower, more sinister depths in the wake of Joe Burrow's Heisman:          

Burrow was roundly criticized for his ultimate bravado and self-belief, many choosing to misinterpret Joe's constant drive to prove LSU's doubters wrong as evidence of his "unquenchable ego".

This pathetic Haterade aimed at #9 was nothing more than pure jealousy...of the kind we haven't previously seen in college football:

Nobody likes a loser transforming into a winner; nobody likes surprises which make a fool of the public gallery's verdict...nobody likes honesty in 2020...and when it came to Joe Burrow, simply put:  nobody likes a smart ass....especially one who's smart and proceeds to make you look like an ass.

Never before was there a team so at peace with themselves, so secure in their unity and their leadership, that they would make constant declarations and then fulfill them 100%...right in front of the naively bitter eyes of every overpaid analyst in the country.

Joe Burrow brazenly declared the LSU offense would "drop 50 points a game"...and he said this back in August, backing it up against all comers.        

  Every one of those deranged opponents baited us into beating them down mercilessly, poking at us with consistent hollering of "LSU isn't thaaaaat good", "they've only played four Top 10 SEC teams! Only four!" "Their defense is weak, Dave Aranda's so overrated, this is not an SEC defense!"

But every time, we answered the call in swift, brutal fashion that brought opposing fans to their knees...before they went back to their Pinterest or shopped at IKEA for 10 hours just to pretend none of it happened.

We were the phantasm in the dark corners of their mind prodding them with memories of Joe Burrow's eternal legend, Clyde Edwards-Helaire busting out moves like it's Saturday Night Fever or the receiving corps leaving five star DBs in the shadows of their dust like a four-headed Randy Moss hydra..

...all while our defense left many a quarterback hobbled, inaccurate, confounded, and ineffective or they simply took the ball back and gave it to the one man on the field it truly belonged to...

If there's one game alone that really showed the core of LSU's swagger in full filthy flight, it is inherently the 2019 Peach Bowl vs Oklahoma.

Before the semifinal, we listened to proclamations about how "high octane" Oklahoma's offense were, we even heard the hapless slapstick witticisms of Skip Bayless and maverick vloggers (like my man R.J) position the Sooners' offense on par with LSU's...(laughter and aimless gunfire in response)...

We sat through talk of how Oklahoma could lose three or four players to suspensions and remain competitive against LSU in a high class fashion...wait, what's that infernal racket?

A pin dropping in Lincoln Riley's coke-stained bathroom?

Hellish moans and tears of rage falling upon the OU coach's lifesize nude bust of Patrick Swayze?

Either way, the pregame uproar from the delusional Sooners fans only heightened once linebacker hybrid Patrick Queen and receiverjesus Ja'Marr Chase uttered vague warnings of the storm that was about to descend upon Atlanta.            

LSU's players were roundly viewed as arrogant meatheads already acting as if they were in the NFL, but once again, in all their smug naivete, no one from the media took the Tigers at their word: most were too scared to risk losing a few Twitter followers from a bad prediction, despite having a platform in Bristol.

Finally on December 28th, every Tigers fan woke up excited for the talk to end, the game to kickoff, and all of us ready to enjoy our second to last opportunity watching this legendary team lay waste to Lincoln Riley's Sooners.            

Suddenly, hours before the Peach Bowl, horrific tragedy struck in Lafayette, Louisiana, with someone (who respectfully will not be named here) extremely close to the team passing away in a horrid accident.

Shaken but undeterred, this loss strengthened the already unbreakable emotional bond between the team and their grief-stricken offensive coordinator, Steve Ensminger: These were merely men going through life's tidal wave of horror and whirlwind of joy together...

Inevitably, the 2019 Peach Bowl was a stark reminder of Steve Ensminger's greatness, both in the booth and as a father and proud grandfather...after what these instantly lovable people had been through, this semifinal had to go down exactly the way E drew up his dream scenario:

It had to be a demonstration of everything this LSU team could do and just how high they could fly;

When you see Joe Burrow's face as he stalked the sidelines before the game, you don't see someone mourning a tragic loss, you see a glare of stoic anger and vitriol for vengeance, you see a bloodhound frothing at the mouth ready to hunt, you see a wild-eyed Mel Gibson awaiting the chance to avenge Danny Glover's blown up toilet....just as Ensminger wanted.

The 2019 Peach Bowl was a definitive massacre of Oklahoma from first second to last, buoyed by the greatest 30 minutes in college football history. This vulgar display of power silenced any remaining doubts about the pedigree of Orgeron's young men...at least we thought.

Before the game, a sizable question mark surrounded the health of our own Warrick Dunn / Marshall Faulk hybrid prototype, fresh from the Freak of Nature Lab of Sciences within LSU's locker room:

Clyde Edwards-Helaire, much like Joe, had the season of a lifetime in 2019, advancing his own game, his NFL draft stock, and his place as a definitive LSU legend.  In the lead-up to the game, he tore his hamstring only a few days after the CFB Awards ceremonies, officially throwing his status in the LSU backfield up in the air.              

Under Coach Orgeron's professional guidance, the Tigers' staff kept the situation smoke and mirrors for the media, the fans and their opponents, forcing Oklahoma's defensive coordinator Alex Grinch to waste crucial preparation time on #22....while LSU also boasted a trio of accomplished backups in freshmen Ty Davis-Price (who impressed throughout the season), John Emery Jr. (who flashed moments of raw talent in his rare carries), and slightly unknown quantity Chris Curry.               

Nevertheless, our offensive staff of Steve Ensminger, Joe Brady, Jorge Munoz, and Mickey Joseph were far too cunning for OU's porous, undermanned unit to withstand.

We deployed Clyde as a threatening decoy early,  the player's apparent semi-health and durability used against the unprepared Oklahoma; but we stunned Grinch's front seven by handing the ball to Chris Curry and running heavily in the early going.

The underrated Curry's downhill, violent style of running battered and bruised OU's thin defensive line for 90 yards from 16 carries, and set up the passing game.

Though the Peach Bowl will be remembered for Joe Burrow's 7 first half TD passes and Justin Jefferson's 4 first half TD catches, the initial declaration of devastation came from Dave Aranda's disrespected defense:

On the first play from scrimmage, K'Lavon Chaisson ripped through the Sooners' edge, erasing Oklahoma's #81 (who won't be mentioned to save his face...because it just got erased), and our versatile D-end buried Jalen Hurts in his own backfield, letting out two weeks of frustration into the ex-Bama QB, grinding him into submission.

Following Hurts' quick three and out, OU's punter filled his pants with the stinking result of mind-numbing fear, aiding LSU's two play scoring drive after a pathetic 20 yard punt.

Once Burrow had the ball, we routinely began air-raiding Oklahoma's fragile cornerbacks and undisciplined, backup safeties, targeting Turner-Yell's replacement Justin Broiles (as I'd hoped Joe would) time and time again.

Burrow threw a simple out pass to the leaping Thaddeus Moss, then a trademark quick slant to Jefferson in heavy traffic, #2 diving for the end zone. And just like that, LSU scored the first of what would end up being 7 first half touchdowns. Sooners fans all over let out a knowing hiss of impotent dismay: 

Before Oklahoma's players, coaches or fans could wake up, the game was already far beyond their control.

This culminated in a hilarious 1st quarter moment where Clyde trucked Justin Broiles, showing the world he was in prime condition. In retaliation, a disgraceful sucker-punch targeting hit came from "Boo" Radley-Hiles to the head of Clyde, enraging the Tigers.

After that nasty cheap shot on Clyde Edwards-Helaire, his best buddy and quarterback became more dialed in and quickly morphed into an incendiary figure with infinite eyes of dancing madness: he was holding nothing back...he didn't just want to beat Oklahoma, he wanted possession of their soul.

The score was still locked at 14-7 when Burrow dared Oklahoma to come at him, leaving them in the dust one at a time:

The Heisman winner held on to the ball for an eternity, shifting left, then right, then left, followed by #9 inviting the on-coming pressure from the right as he flushed out toward the sideline, out-running 5 star OU linebacker Kenneth Murray to the point the player tore his hamstring in desperate pursuit of Joe.

Murray is a smart defensive player, and he knew what would happen if Joe extended the play outside the pocket...

What other quarterback would be so feared in this position?

As Joe retreated deeper towards his own end zone, he quickly communicated (with the flick of an authoritative index finger) for Terrace Marshall to go deep, then calmly waited for the wide out's route to develop.

Knowing he was about to receive a blistering hit to the chest on his way out of bounds (remember, he'd done this before), Joe hesitated, sensing Murray's maimed presence writhing behind his heels before uncorking the throw of a lifetime.

Joe was pelted hard into the sidelines a split second after unleashing a looping gawdpunch that left the Peach Bowl crowd in a collective gasp (literally...you can hear it), and Marshall made sure he stretched up to the heavens to haul it in, sending every LSU fan into a fit of devout lunacy...

...Even with a score of 14-7, Burrow and co knew where this was going the whole time....Oklahoma were aware of their fate, too.

Before our very eyes, the Heisman winner became an assassin, a cold-hearted killer on the football field, raising his game beyond the anointed "Tom Brady-level" he'd been chained to by lazy analysts.               

These death-eaters and critics of LSU's "Too Much Fun Crowd" remained naive...stunned...rooted to their borrowed intelligence.

They'd never seen anything like this before, so they began making excuses about Big 12 defenses or the talent level of LSU's receivers just to make sense of it all, but they couldn't hide the fact that Joe's new transcendence was an echelon higher...further...beyond what was once possible...this was college football's own Lionel Messi or LeBron James, and never was this more obvious than with 12 minutes left in the 2nd quarter, the score at 21-7.

Burrow moved up and out of the pocket, bypassing danger like this was Madden 2029, and released a jaw-dropping back-shoulder fade to Justin Jefferson, the flight of the ball so gorgeous it reportedly made Sir Isaac Newton a little randy.             

 Steve Ensminger's brutal play-calling, Joe Brady's expert playbook and Joe Burrow running the offense with a mad glint in his eye will forever be maddening and stupefying for Oklahoma fans, confounding to LSU's critics in Division I and the guffawing media, but it'll be an eternally relivable orgasm for Tigers fans.

Our Heisman winner's electric combination of Steve Young and Han Solo made Lincoln Riley vomit during halftime, his perpetual savagery ruining the Sooners worse than any previous Mike Stoops scandal or past BCS collapse.             

While these fools doubled and at times tripled up on Ja'Marr Chase (as if the Biletnikoff Award meant he was LSU's only great receiver), Justin Jefferson constantly ripped through Oklahoma's Casper defense.

Meanwhile, receivers Terrace Marshall and Thaddeus Moss combined for 10 catches, 179 yards and 3 touchdowns, all led by the legendary work of quarterback Joe Burrow, the master and commander of this fleet of hearty warriors delivering 8 total TDs before being pulled out of the game midway in the 4th....

Has our national consciousness become desensitized to Joe Burrow's greatness?

We know so:

There were 48 records broken by this LSU juggernaut in the Peach Bowl.

Burrow set the records for touchdown responsibility in a bowl game, tied the record for passing TDs in a bowl game, set the record with 403 passing yards in the 1st half...

The numbers and the records broken start to make you feel ill from the sheer amount of calculation and thought that goes into making sense of this team's stunning outrageousness:

 692 total yards on offense, 9 total touchdowns, 8 from Joe Burrow, 7 through the air, Justin Jefferson catching 14 passes for 227 yards and 4 TDs, scoring 49 in the 1st half, scoring 63 total...these were all untouchable records that won't be eclipsed anytime soon...

The offensive onslaught during the 2019 Peach Bowl, the illustrious performances, the swaggering victory, these were all huge moments...but in conclusion, we have to sweep all of that aside: we already knew LSU were geauxing to rock and roll Oklahoma...

On that day, football was still rendered meaningless in comparison to tragedy.

While elements in life may be out of our control, we can still find the value and positivity all around us: On one of the worst days of his life, Steve Ensminger didn't have to look too far.     

Though nothing can bring back the loss of a loved one, this performance from his offense, his university, his favorite quarterback, and his alma mater helped the Bayou Gandalf receive the priceless gift of glory-drenched escapism.

When choosing which title-deciding match-up meant most out of LSU's 15 victories, no single regular season game of the last decade comes close to the rivalry, the passion, the intensity,  pageantry, and overall difficulty of beating Saban's Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

In 2019, every college football fan marked November 9th on the calendar as D-Day for 2019's CFP national champion:

Throughout the lead-up to the game, most of the country were pulling for Orgeron's LSU Tigers to take Saban down, however no one, from Stephen A. Smith, Colin Cowherd or Skip Bayless, had the stones to pick LSU.

"Sure, LSU have a better offense now, but Joe Burrow's never scored a point vs Alabama," was what we listened to.

It was true, he hadn't...but that didn't mean he couldn't...

We had to choke on eight years of statistics vs Alabama, with special attention given to the 2018 shutout in Death Valley and the 2012 duck in the BCS National Championship Game, and we had to sit back and take it.

Regardless of the rankings, LSU and Alabama were the two best teams in the country at the time they squared off (just like 2011) and it was obvious whoever won the game would not only be going to Atlanta for the SEC title, they'd lock down a spot in the final four as well, while the loser would be left to their own devices and the CFP committee's decision.

For LSU, defeat wasn't an option:

After the 2018 shutout perpetrated upon Joe Burrow and this group, this LSU Tigers team were playing for their legacies in the annals of Louisiana State University's history.

The pregame trash-talk was far from limited to final score-lines of the past, as the mechanical mouths of the talking heads continued to ignore the Tigers' rapid development from Winter to late Summer 2019:

LSU's players, coaches, and fans had to listen to talk of "Bama's 'championship' defense" or non-stop comparisons between Tua and Joe Burrow to the point it made us sick.

Most analysts were quick to dismiss the future Heisman-winner as someone who'd "shrink in the spotlight" and "couldn't win in Tuscaloosa"...especially if he didn't score in Death Valley the year before. And joining them in projecting the Tigers' demise were a few gutless, faithless LSU "fans", most of these dissenting "Bama will win" voices belonging to cowardly LSU beat writers.

Much like the rest of their 2019 campaign, Joe couldn't wait to prove them all wrong once again.

As for pure spectacle, the 2019 Game of The Century pulled out all the stops:

Not only was the President of the United States in attendance, every college, NFL or LSU/Bama luminary took to the sidelines to witness something special.

It really was the Game of the Century...although if you're Nick Saban all the scoring and busted coverages could be cause for a mid-life crisis full of alcoholism, frenetic gun play, and quasi-sexual betrayal.            

Setting aside Saban's carnal abyss, we had a great feeling when Tua fumbled the ball in the red zone, curtailing an extremely promising opening drive.

If we had to wonder about Joe's mental state, the Heisman winner couldn't wait longer than LSU's 1st play to show us all what he could do:

#9 refused to hesitate as he launched a ball through a tight window, fitting a filthy pass to Ja'Marr Chase between two Bama DBs like it was routine. Joe wanted every nihilistic Bama fan to kneaux that great quarterbacking was just a part of his everyday existence.

During the operatic opening 30 minutes, there were altogether 6 touchdowns, 3 turnovers, a punt return for a touchdown, 7 spin moves helping Edwards-Helaire to 2 TDs, and one long Saban howl of anguish heading into the tunnel down 33-13 at half.

Yet a few of these miraculous happenings (occurring on almost every play) deserve extensive highlighting:           

  In a game littered with special plays, one of the more frightening pieces of skill arrived via an end of half tap-dancing routine by Thaddeus Moss, the namesake of Randy showing off Chris Carter-esque intuition / positioning and Pink Panther-esque reflexes.

Known as "The Catch", this play seemed destined to have been made out of bounds, never to be shown again. Suddenly, much to Saban's eternal dismay, the line judge raised both arms, immediately ruling Moss's dazzling footloose magic was indeed a completed catch.          

  Saban lost it...and so did Bama's fragile fans expecting a picnic, somehow having to make due with a Bayou Burrow Pain Sandwich.

Thanks to the unbelievable footage showing his remarkably quick footwork, Thaddeus Moss became a household name overnight and bolstered the trusted receiving options for Joe in the red zone.             

After this ridiculous play, not a soul wearing crimson could be heard apart from the barnstorming Bayou contingent, as LSU took an unthinkable 26-13 lead, following Edwards-Helaire's orbital goal line leap above 'Bama's spineless defense. What would follow would be another crucial error from Saban's coaching staff of adversarial inbreeds.               

Knowing LSU would receive the 2nd half kickoff, unable to trust the defense he used to start a dynasty, and believing Tua needed to stay aggressive on the final drive, Nick Saban felt it was critical to roll the dice at the end of the worst half in his entire tenure.            

  In a-typical Bama fashion, Tagovaiola gave the ball right back to LSU. Future defensive MVP Mr. Patrick Queen instinctively jumped a route and picked Tua off on the first play of Bama's drive, setting up the ravenous offense in fantastic field position.

As part of their Herculean 93 points scored off turnovers in 2019, it only took a few plays before Burrow threw a dime over two diving Alabama DBs for a wide open Edwards-Helaire, #22 running a left post corner route from the slot.

This sealed a 33-13 halftime lead, Saban geauxing crazy on the sidelines, demanding an inquest as to how they allowed a third Tigers' touchdown to a wide open receiver.             

  While the Tigers had it all their way in the first 30 minutes, the 2nd half became a psychological battleground where we learned just how mentally tough this LSU team really was.

Following a rare Burrow fumble, an incomplete pass knocked out of his hands and into Bama's Xavier Lewis's grasp, the momentum swung back to Alabama. This rare Tigers' turnover ended a solid opening 2nd half drive, and allowed Bama back into the game behind the legs of Najee Harris, the robust back bursting and busting through LSU's front.

After Najee Harris and a hobbled Tua cut the score to 33-27 to begin the 4th, Burrow and co were under massive pressure and facing the hostile Tuscaloosa crowd, the noise surrounding them in the fiery cauldron of Saban's domain...though we should've told them Bryant-Denny Stadium was under new management.

In the first drive of the 4th quarter, Joe Burrow made gutty throw after tight throw, putting passes to Chase and Marshall in tight windows before Edwards-Helaire produced yet another moment of epic brilliance:

In one of a million plays #22 made that day, this was the most key, perhaps more important than 3rd and 17 vs Texas in establishing a mentality of championship-winning determination:

On 3rd and 10, with no rhythm on offense and Alabama proving unstoppable when possessing the ball, the Tigers were in danger of killing another strong drive.

The second Burrow snapped the ball, he knew he had a second and a half before he would be smashed into the furthest reaches of the backfield, and so Joe quickly tossed an angling, hopelessly backwards pass to Clyde. Burrow later said, "I just hoped I could get the ball out and give Clyde a chance to make a play."              

In direct defiance towards his chances of making the 1st down, Edwards-Helaire gave Alabama's entitlement a big middle finger and made the improbable catch, reaching back and scooping the ball outta the air, scanning his head up and seeing only Trevon Diggs in his way of a 1st down.

The statistical probability of

A) Edwards-Helaire making that crazy catch

and

B) Clyde being able to pick up the 1st down and keep the drive alive were absolutely minimal....together it was an impossibility....

...but the one-on-one match-up on the outside between Clyde and Diggs was there and if #22 could make the catch, he can win any match-up.

Instead of bursting forth into Diggs, Clyde slowed down, hesitated to his left, then cut back to his right and drove forth.         

   The smaller LSU back caught Diggs unaware of his sheer strength, and the 5'8 Edwards-Helaire powered through the well-positioned wrap-up, moving Bama's supposed future 1st round draft pick out of his way just enough to get the first down...

....It was something that must be seen to be believed...and it gets better every time you watch it.

The college football world happily began to dig our graves and spit on the headstone, yet, here our guys were, operating on a higher level above this pressure, surfing on a burning lake of ice with aviators and a cigar.

It wasn't merely the catch #22 made, it was how he did it: how the hell could all these players do all of this in one game?

How were we doing this as a collective unit??

Against Saban???

Damn right.

This game had us pulling our hair out with excitement, bewilderment and absolute hysterical joy...we were on the brink of finally beating the lunch money bully.

As we watched Edwards-Helaire spin Xavier McKinney into the furthest reaches of the universe, walking into the end zone to put us up 39-27, answering the call on the biggest drive of our program's history...we lost our voices.                  

However, Tua cast himself as some type of likable 80s' renegade villain, and he limped his way down the field to make it 39-34, hobbling through the pain of his recent ankle surgery finally being exposed by our relentless pursuit.

With the score 39-34, it came down to one final drive for the Tigers, and though we had ourselves racked up against the burning embers of the Tide's pact with Satan all 2nd half, Joe Burrow meant business and he made sure we'd all remember this night for the rest of our lives.

On 3rd and 2, we faced a potential long field goal attempt on 4th down if we couldn't pick it up and only an 8 point lead.

An 8 point lead, or more dangerously Cade York failing to make the kick, would never satisfy either Joe Burrow or Brady, or Coach E or O, any of those receivers, and definitely wouldn't please the tired defense. So, acting as if this operation was as simple as spitting chew into an empty water bottle, Steve Ensminger utilized a wrinkle no team could stop all season for the toughest plays of the game:       

   Joe rushed the team up to the line, forcing Saban's defense to key on Edwards-Helaire for the quick dive up the middle. Cool as ever, Joey Burrow faked the hand-off and rushed out from Shaadiq Charles' hip and powered his way to the first down inside the red zone, effectively ending the game.

But Edwards-Helaire wasn't finished:

As if he was directing the Bama secondary's snuff film, he pounded through Travon Diggs yet again, and fought away from his loose grasp, battering past a trail of maimed Alabama defenders and into the end zone...a final humiliation.

It really was over now...46-34...right?

On Bama's last desperate drive with under a minute left, LSU freshman corner Derek Stingley was burnt for the 2nd touchdown of the day (and 4th time total), and Alabama tried an onside kick for one last chance. Then Justin Jefferson caught the well-placed, spinning ball, and he finally ended the breathless contest.

Like Michael Myers or The Terminator, Saban's Alabama kept coming back; we'd been bloodied and bruised, yet still we outplayed Alabama and survived.

Joe Burrow called the performance "absolute dominance" during the post-title victory parade at the Maravich Center, but truth be told Joe, we escaped in that 2nd half.

But in this real Game of the Century, we witnessed the reality of football, the possibilities of its future, the magnitude of its consequence, and the destiny of these LSU Tigers.

Every time we relive the Game of The Century, we'll be able to pause and admire these unbelievable moments again and again as they stand for time and all eternity as unforgettable, untouchable totems of Bayou Greatness swallowing Alabama's sweat shack whole.

November 9th, 2019 truly was the real Game of The Century as it had everything...from crazy catches, breathtaking speed, vicious hits and defensive stops, two Heisman-worthy quarterbacks throwing for 390+ yards in a duel that went beyond the initial hype and became a masterpiece...

....and no matter how many more titles he may win, the 2019 loss will have left an indelible mark on Nick Saban...one which he'll never be rid of.

Here we are and there they were...

After the digestion of Oklahoma in the semifinals, LSU's fearless Tigers rode their unstoppable wave of inspirational vengeance all the way to the brink of a national championship:

The stage was set in New Orleans, Louisiana, only 60 miles away from Baton Rouge in what would be a de facto home game for LSU, as well as the last detour in our quest to return the title to Death Valley.

There was also the specter of the past and a burning Cajun desire to avenge the 2012 BCS National title game....at all costs.

Though it was 8 years ago, the wounds from that horror show were all too real.

Our diabolical collapse in the Superdome capped off the near-undefeated 2011 run in a burning crash of abject shame and locker room division, our arch-enemy Alabama shutting us out as a result.

But unlike the unpredictable, wild card nature of the 2011 team, everyone around LSU circa 2019 knew what these guys were made of.

Orgeron's squad, most returning from the previous few seasons, were already the greatest LSU Tigers team of all time no matter what the result on January 13th...but winning this final battle secured their status as the single greatest college football team in the history of the game...and before the contest, nothing would deter them from their goal.

In lieu of Ohio State, the adversary for the national title game turned out to be a dangerous opponent: the defending national champion Clemson "Tigers" looking for their 3rd ring in the last 5 years.

They had playmakers, athleticism, speed and consistently innovative, aggressive coaching, the latter having the most impact on their bevy of talented five-star recruits.

Instantly, there were comparisons drawn up between the two programs' commonalities: from the mascot, to the name of their stadiums, the way their coaches talk and their Southern locales.

However, their most obvious shared attributes were the team's aggressive philosophies and recent success:           

Together, LSU and Clemson ranked among the top 10 programs of the last decade as far as wins, recruiting, wins against top 10 opponents, and a plethora of other major statistics.

Despite the media trying to even it up, the talk prior to the National Championship read like most of LSU's 2019 jaunt through CFB:

LSU = ARROGANT,

Burrow = cocky,

LSU = overrated,

Coach O = lucky

Clemson = "battle tested champions".

No, that's not a typo, that was said....ohhhhh how naive were the college football media in 2019?

It was astounding how out of touch they were amidst the constant barrage of broken records, hard-earned domination, and complete team success from LSU while playing in the SEC...it was as if the Tigers were the over-achieving son who couldn't command their own hard-partying college football parents' attention,

No one was giving LSU any respect....even after dropping 40+ points on Alabama, Florida, Texas, and 49 in a half over Oklahoma.

What other team in CFB history has ripped through every blue blood in their vicinity, remained undefeated in the toughest conference and division in American sports, and erupted with 40+ points vs four of the best defensive coordinators in the country??

Who else???

Despite the mind-numbing greatness from LSU, the message was loud and clear from the media and the public's overwhelming jealousy:

"LSU have had such a wonderful season that's entertained us all, but Clemson is the real deal and they'll humble these arrogant punks in Baton Rouge!"

Before the game, many previous dissenting voices such as Paul Finebaum began riding LSU's bandwagon, failing to acknowledge that Clemson were also shooting for the same historical synthesis as LSU:               

Their Georgia-born sophomore quarterback Trevor Lawrence already had a ring on his finger, had never lost a game in his collegiate career, and the long-haired colossus spurned LSU's advances after watching the Tigers' hopeless offense in November 2016;

Clemson's Louisiana-born running back Travis Etienne already had a ring, too and was on a mission to beat the team he rejected for a college career in South Carolina, a place he called "the real Death Valley";

And of course, most intriguing was the approach of defensive coordinator Brent Venables against the Ensminger/Burrow/Brady offense.

The former Oklahoma defensive coordinator had taken down or hampered "G.O.A.T" offenses before in national title games (Warrick/Weinke's Florida State in 2000, Alabama in 2018 and 2016, Florida in 2008)...but he'd never faced a group this multi-dimensional, this aggressive or as empirically confident as Burrow's unit              

 However much we looked forward to the enticing matchup, the 2020 National title game became a confounding mystery for anyone willing to be unbiased:

Nobody knew how either team would react to adversity, nobody could anticipate how LSU or Clemson would perform in the surroundings of NOLA (LSU feeling too confident or Clemson intimidated?), nobody could predict this scoreline with 100% certainty, but one thing we called before the game definitely happened:

The 2019 LSU Tigers were only coming off the field in defeat if they were in body bags.

Here was the most beloved LSU Tigers team of all time in this crazed atmosphere close to home, the 2019/20 Revenge Tour finally taking its last stop of the campaign and instead of feeling the ultimate pressure, these guys were loose and having a ball.

Elsewhere, members of the haunted 2011 class unintentionally put Orgeron's current high flying talents under a microscope.

LSU alumni Odell Beckham Jr, T-Bob Hebert, and the legendary Tyrann Mathieu all hung out on the sidelines to witness the banishing of their 8-year-old defeat, with Mathieu allowed behind the DBs bench, while an intoxicated OBJ acted a fool.

And so, with OBJ, Karl Malone, The Honey Badger, HOF running back Marcus Allen, Donald Trump, Vince Vaughn, James Carville's shiny bald dome, and a disgusted Nick Saban (wearing a tux straight out of Dumb and Dumber) all under one roof, the classic title game kicked off.

Despite our usual fast starts, LSU were slow out of the gate and Clemson nearly made us pay the ultimate price:

Every possible error, individual rust or missed assignment transpired within the first half alone...and somehow, in typically surreal, comically brilliant LSU fashion, they survived with an 11 point lead:

Brent Venables' defense was getting to Burrow, hitting the Heisman-winner, while cornerback A.J Terrell was making life difficult for receivers Chase and Jefferson.

Due to this physical coverage, our guys were dropping easy catches to start the game, and the Tigers found themselves repeatedly pinned in their own end zone, unable to generate any rhythm.            

  On the other side of the ball, Aranda's defense were getting faked out by the RPO action, missing gaps and assignments, with Trevor Lawrence continually making us pay early.

After a few long passes down field against Kristian Fulton, Lawrence and Etienne stretched our defense out on the edge and punched in touchdowns.

With the whole world ready and willing to gladly turn on LSU, and the Clemson blitz schemes smelling blood in the water, Joe dug deep while remaining the stoic, poised leader he's always been, and his team followed suit.

To quickly get something on the board, Joe threw a tumultuous bomb down field for 70 yards to Ja'Marr Chase, stopping the bleeding, igniting the New Orleans crowd, and sending all Tigers fans into delirium.

But things soon changed:

Following a Clemson field goal and another successful Lawrence-orchestrated drive (finished off by an end-around sweep from Tee Higgins), our Tigers were facing a 17-7 deficit...and we were in desperate need of adjustments and a good slap in the face.         

   Instead of self-inflicted slapping, Joe punched back against Terrell's aggressive coverage, catching the Clemson corner napping on Ja'Marr Chase's first step, and Burrow found the filthy sophomore down the sidelines to house the Tigers in the red zone.

Of course, Venables' defense tightened up with their backs to goal, holding the Tigers to a pivotal 3rd down scenario...at that moment, LSU desperately needed a touchdown: 17-10 wasn't an option.

Before snapping the ball, Joe emptied the backfield until he was alone in the gun and all five LSU receivers were occupying seven Clemson defensive backs. As he flashed the mad-eye of the tiger, he snapped the ball and crouched behind his hulking offensive line, ducking before barreling through the open gap to his left and safely tucking away the biggest 7 points of our national title quest thus far.

With our swagger back, our defense buckling down and forcing another Clemson 3 and out, Ensminger/Brady gave Clyde Edwards-Helaire the ball repeatedly in the 2nd quarter to wear Clemson down, #22 crucially stretching the Clemson defense to the tune of 164 yards in the air and on the ground.          

    Riding our running game and getting the popcorn ready for our receivers' aerial showtime, LSU drove down the field to reclaim the lead 21-17 with a typically commanding drive, hinged on our high-flying Harlem Globetrotters meets Cirque Du Soleil passing attack.

LSU were beginning to take flight, while Brent Venables and Dabo Swinney started to look uncomfortable against the wild backdrop of Bayou natives heckling them. And thanks to Edwards-Helaire's tough yards, holes began to surface in the Clemson secondary.

The class of these Tigers exuded began to take control: it wasn't just the catch by Justin Jefferson to take us into the red zone or his first down, it was the psychological impact his jitter-bug move had on safety Tanner Muse, hilariously fading Clemson's #19 to the ground.

Venables' defense were losing their hold on the game and they knew it, LSU took it, and the crowd could feel the scales tilt dramatically.          

Anyone, who'd watched the 2019 LSU Tigers knew what was about to happen next:

In Clemson territory, Burrow sent a teardrop toss to Ja'Marr Chase, hitting the sophomore phenom in stride for his 2nd touchdown of the game, causing mass hysteria within the Superdome as if Drew Brees and the Pope just arrived to do a verse with Lil Wayne.

Ensminger's selection of play calls were now clearly preying on A.J Terrell's inability to cover Chase one-on-one, and the Tigers were feasting.

And just like that, LSU had reclaimed the lead.

Clemson played their best game....they had a ten point advantage over our guys, they stuffed us early and ruined our "early lead" pattern of play...and with that, their fans assumed the game would be over.

These huckleberry hootenannies believed Lawrence and Etienne could run out the clock, and Joe Burrow would shrivel and shrink in the moment.

Suddenly, every Clemson fan were hit in the head with the startling realization of Joe Burreaux's renegade 2020 reality, and he wasn't done ending their season just yet:

Knowing they'd regain possession to start the 2nd half, LSU stole an all-important drive before halftime thanks to Dave Aranda's defense and the Clemson offense's bizarre play selection. Due to this momentum shift, Burrow would have one more shot to add to our 4 point lead.          

 Throughout the first 3 quarters, it was a mano e mano chess match between Joe Burrow and Clemson linebacker #47 James Skalski, the Georgia-native amassing 5 forced incompletions, 4 QB hits, 1 sack, 1 pass deflected, and 5 tackles (4 solo) before his ejection.

Skalski was Clemson's best chance at stopping Joe Burrow, and his unsung work punishing those NFL-ready receivers on the slant was important in keeping the Ensminger/Brady/Burrow offense at bay.

After the first few drives, Burrow and the offensive staff made significant adjustments once it became clear Skalski was spying Burrow and the inside routes. Despite changes to protection schemes and the pacing of our routes, Clemson's raging middle linebacker was incredibly effective, and was a constant nuisance.

However, it was Skalski's merciless hit on Joe at the stroke of half-time when we realized just how dangerous the linebacker was to our quarterback:               

After another brilliant 3rd down run from Joe (his 29 yard burst taking LSU to the five with 12 seconds left), Venables sent Skalski in on a furious blitz. Our quarterback quickly delivered the perfect ball to a wide open Thaddeus Moss in the end zone, taking the reins and stealing the game from Clemson 28-17...but Joe paid the price on the pass.

As we said before the game, the only way Clemson could beat this LSU team was if they knocked Joe Burrow out of the game, and it seemed someone, somewhere on Venables' staff agreed.

Right as Joe got the pass off, his left arm was pinned against his body sickeningly by Skalski's helmet, and the impact drove his elbow hard into his chest, fracturing ribs, tearing rib cartilage, and causing horrendous pain to the Heisman-winner.

During the dramatic halftime interval, Clemson were left in tatters and thousand yard stares, incapable of preventing the Tigers' comeback...meanwhile, Joe Burrow's health was the main concern for LSU.

In what Skip Bayless called a "hot dog move", Joe came out of the locker room 10 minutes early and wheeled around on the bicycle, staring up at the lights in deep contemplation.

He tried to mask his pain, but it was there for us all to see: the young man was in agony, and he needed to ride that bike until he felt his chest was loose enough to keep throwing a football.

When Joe kept looking up at the lights, isolated and in physical torment, you could see the range of emotions subtly pushing themselves out; but #9 kept them down, moaning with an F-bomb as he stared down at the ground.

Then, without a word, he hopped off the bike and was ready to win a national championship.             

 In an illustration of both teams' class, Clemson made a swift comeback themselves after Travis Etienne began breaking tackles. After the Louisiana-born running back fulfilled his dream of scoring a touchdown in the Superdome, Dabo's guys pulled off a 2 point conversion to make it 28-25 at the start of the 3rd.

As Clemson kicked off, both sets of fans rejoiced: the title game lived up to its billing, with the Superdome about to erupt.

The atmosphere inside the confines of the stadium never stopped buzzing, the fans continued to scream for blood, bone, and touchdowns, and both teams came to give everything...but at this point, the manic energy and pulsating voodoo all culminated in a frenzy of primal savagery.

On the Tigers' next drive, Clemson would suffer a catastrophic blow to their already-gassed defense:

Justin Jefferson made a slant reception over the middle and crouched in self-protection as Clemson's Skalski came flying in, helmet first and speared Jefferson right in the face mask.

What seemed innocuous at first became bad news for Clemson when a review was initialized from the booth and the best defensive player against Joe Burrow's LSU was sent packing.

Though there were no protestations from any Tigers player and Jefferson seemed fine, Brent Venables' entire game-plan had to go out the window on a play that'll forever be judged as a rather soft targeting call.      

And just like champions, Burrow punished Clemson and buried the game on the next play, the Heisman-winner delivering a brilliant pass in the red zone for Thaddeus Moss to stretch out for his 2nd Touchdown of the night, rejoicing in front of his Hall of Fame father.

Joining their offense's ascendancy, LSU's defense played one of their best games of the season, smashing the hell out of Lawrence, and spooking Etienne and Tee Higgins after Stevens', Delpit, Fulton and Chaisson's intensive hits on every one of their touches.       

Against Clemson, the stats may not show their effectiveness as a defense, but K'Lavon Chaisson, Rashard Lawrence, Michael Divinity, Jacoby Stevens, and Tyler Shelvin were continuously hounding Lawrence into 17 errant throws (13 over /4 under) and allowed only one 3rd down conversion in the entire contest.

And when Clemson's athletes reached the second level, Patrick Queen, Grant Delpit, and Jacoby Stevens prevented 4 or 5 yard plays from becoming 10-15 yard gains, Aranda trusting their speed on every play and disguising his blitzes behind the mass of his front four.

Following Lawrence completing a few throws over Kristian Fulton, the senior corner smashed Tee Higgins in the johnson so hard, the lanky Clemson wide out left the field as if he'd just had sex with Roseanne Barr.

In the biggest game of his career, Fulton wasn't perfect, but he responded with a championship-winning display, much like his quarterback.

Most importantly, Aranda's defense took possessions away from Clemson and helped Burrow and co finish this thing off.      

  It was 2nd and 9 with 12 minutes left in the 4th quarter, the score 35-25 after a missed Cade York field goal, and Aranda's defense forcing another Clemson punt.

But when Chase dropped an open touchdown and Tracy missed wide right,  Joe wanted to finish this thing off right here, right now at the Clemson 24.

Unlike Les Miles, a man who will watch punts and field goals in reverent slow motion, this team never waited around to find out if they were going to lose.

On the cusp of Clemson's red zone, Venables flanked Burrow on either side with a strong blitz, however Joe felt their presence and immediately looked vertical for Terrace Marsall streaking towards the pylon.

In one of the greatest moments in LSU's storied history, in a play which signified our "Never Say Die, Pedal To The Metal, Foot to the Throat" mentality on both sides of the ball, Joe throttled a laser up for Marshall to grab and the electric sophomore wouldn't let his QB down:

Terrace leapt up and stole the ball out of the air, pulling it down in epic style to give the Tigers an unassailable 17 point lead.

Once Joe pointed to his ring finger and hugged Coach Orgeron, we all knew it was over...and like all opponents before them, Clemson understood their fate, as well.

We'd won the psychological battle long before, but there was no atmosphere worse for an opposition coach than an unstoppable LSU team playing in Louisiana with a 17 point lead in a national title game.

Dabo Swinney was quiet, reserved...he wasn't himself from the beginning, and unlike his Tony Robbins meets Deliverance performances during the prior Bama-Clemson trilogy, Dabo hardly featured in the television broadcast of the game.          

  From the second LSU's team ran out on the field and trampled a camerman underfoot in their title-hungry gusto....we knew it was over...we knew this game was ours.

Even down 10 points with everyone saying "what's wrong with Burrow?" and Kirk Herbstreit doubting his fellow Ohio bro, we knew it was only a matter of time before LSU began stringing massive chunks of yards together.

With #9....we were never going to lose this game.

I don't think we'll ever fully fathom how much Joe Burrow means to the history, present and future of our university:

Throwing for 5,700+ yards (no SEC QB had thrown more than 4,300) and usurping Colt Brennan's record of 59 touchdown passes with his 60th (Brennan achieved 59 vs the WAC, while Burrow grabbed his in the SEC and against the defending national champion: in his lone start vs SEC opposition in the 2008 Sugar Bowl, Brennan threw 0 TDs).

His 14 touchdowns in the Peach Bowl and the title game in New Orleans were the most combined TDs of any player's career in the CFB Playoff's history since 2014, and he accomplished this in one season.

This total was more than the entire touchdown haul of the Big 10 (12) and Pac 12 (11) conference participants in all CFB Playoff games combined.             

Yes, that's right:

Burrow is better than every team from two entire Power 5 conferences, earning those touchdowns in the biggest games of them all. And against Clemson, he finally proved to every whining critic, every ignorant bloviating hipster, and every puppet-mouthed pundit:

He was and he most definitely is the real deal.

Just imagine if he was a sophomore....

They should retire #9 from LSU's availability from henceforth immediately...if we're geauxing to wait for a statue, let's prevent anyone from wearing his number.

This much is clear:              

There'll never be another Joe Burrow...there'll never be another 2019/20 LSU Tigers.

No matter how many titles Coach Ed Orgeron may lead our Tigers to in the future, I don't think there could ever be a team as dominant, as professionally unified or as flamboyantly excellent as this group.

From the mix of experience and youth on the powerhouse staff to the NFL-ready showmanship of our players, this team were of the highest quality....to the point this unit could never last...it was never meant to anyway, with Joe Burrow becoming ineligible after January 2020.

Still, there were many others choosing to depart the Bayou in the wake of this title:

Numerous players including Grant Delpit, Patrick Queen, Edwards-Helaire, Justin Jefferson,

and K'Lavon Chaisson deservedly declared for the NFL draft; meanwhile, heralded defensive coordinator Dave Aranda turned away numerous opportunities over the years to stay at LSU;

But after elevating his status this year, Aranda earned the head coaching position we couldn't offer him; what about Joe Brady's arrival as the wunderkind prodigy who altered the course of LSU's history...before his sudden rush back to the NFL.

We weren't surprised by his exit, we just didn't know he'd cut the cord this fast...

The second the trophy had been hoisted, this historic team, this intriguing, mesmerizing, defiant group we couldn't let go of were finally gone and the wild ride was over.

The longest 5 months of our lives had ended in vindicating victory, the players and their coaches forever enshrined as heroes for taking away the pain of starving LSU fans.

As the celebratory hugs and glory-road interviews went down, this team exploded into a million pieces: meddlesome media members and bandwagon fans flocking into the players' limelight...it wasn't the players' anymore, it wasn't ours either, it became the world's spectacle to analyze, debate and destroy with extreme prejudice.           

After all the confetti has fallen, the tears have been shed, the laughs have been had, the victory speeches and the MVPs, the shots all night at Red Eyes, the cigars smoked, cops smacked on the ass, the fake, real and fake/real money handed out, and the NFL draft / coaching carousel beginning its rotation, there was still one man left in the corner, alone with his own cigar...no cameras around, only shadow, smoke and relief.         

 Ed was probably thinking about what's next and how they got there and where they go in the aftermath of such resounding success, perhaps even allowing himself to enjoy the surreality of the moment and the long road he'd traveled to get there.

But then, ever the recruiter, Ed most likely ate that ham sandwich he told us he would eat, called up athletic director Scott Woodward with his big ideas going forward, and went to bed that night singing "hold that tiger" in his sleep.