Hard work covers a hell of a lot of ground

[PassInterference]

LOTS of mistakes tonight. Whiffed blocks by OL and WRs. Dropped balls. Interceptions. That many of that type of mistakes would usually drop a L on us.

The difference tonight was the effort, the intensity. We kicked South Carolina's ass all over the field. Getting after them play after play made up for our mistakes and then some.

It was just South Carolina, but they're a hell of a lot better than South Alabama. We're not about to go win 8-10. But after tonight, I feel a lot better about getting to a bowl game.

[Commercecomet24]

Absolutely correct! It was South Carolina but any sec win is a good win. Got some stuff to clean up for sure but much better doing it after a win.

[Todd4State]

The play calling and personnel usage was much better in the first half on both sides of the ball. Nick at QB. Aeris had some nice runs. Peters came down with an interception. The only thing I would have changed would be to get Malik Dear involved more. But A+ for the first half. And we see how good we CAN be with proper personnel usage and some reasonable creativity.

But here is what confuses me. After one half of dominance and doing things that worked we reverted back to Holloway up the gut and bend and break defense. And it didn't work again. WHY did we go back to that?

Don't get me wrong I'm happy with the win but we should have beaten South Carolina 38-45 to 0-10 with our talent that we have right now.

Dan talks about how we need to finish games. Well he could help by not trying to run his 160 pound running back up the gut and continue bringing pressure for most of the second half. It's hard to run it down the other teams throat with a guy like Holloway.

And to be clear I'm not upset or pissed about it. I just don't understand why he doesn't see these things that should be common sense obvious.

[Liverpooldawg]

The play calling and personnel usage was much better in the first half on both sides of the ball. Nick at QB. Aeris had some nice runs. Peters came down with an interception. The only thing I would have changed would be to get Malik Dear involved more. But A+ for the first half. And we see how good we CAN be with proper personnel usage and some reasonable creativity.

But here is what confuses me. After one half of dominance and doing things that worked we reverted back to Holloway up the gut and bend and break defense. And it didn't work again. WHY did we go back to that?

Don't get me wrong I'm happy with the win but we should have beaten South Carolina 38-45 to 0-10 with our talent that we have right now.

Dan talks about how we need to finish games. Well he could help by not trying to run his 160 pound running back up the gut and continue bringing pressure for most of the second half. It's hard to run it down the other teams throat with a guy like Holloway.

And to be clear I'm not upset or pissed about it. I just don't understand why he doesn't see these things that should be common sense obvious.
In all honesty I thought the real difference in the halves was the energy in the building. The long delay hurt. The fact that at least a third of the crowd didn't come back hurt, just like last week when it was more like half. When a team is looking for its footing, the crowd matters. There are other issues of course but nobody can deny Old Scott Field and New Davis Wade Stadium was electric in that first half tonight.

As for Holloway up the middle.....more than one of the times that didn't work was a busted read by Fitz. Several more he got hit in three yards deep in the back field. Those ain't on Holloway for sure. They aren't on Mullen either, especially the busted reads.

[Goldendawg]

Todd, stayed for every snap and afterward. Do you think Dan continues to take his foot off the gas when we have a lead? Hated the play calling with Holloway two touches inside the five, hated not going for the FG to go up two scores early, and sure hated the fake punt ( although it's now on film for future opponents to see). Holloway still and Shump still getting too many carries than Williams and even Gibson, but I don't see practice and off the field but how long until two 4 star backs see some carries and get more chances? Been a year since Williams fumbled against aTm.

[Todd4State]

In all honesty I thought the real difference in he halves was the energy in the building. The long delay hurt. The fact that at least a third of the crowd didn't come back hurt, just like last week when it was more like half. Win a team looking for its footing, the crowd matters. There are other issues of course but nobody can deny Old Scott Field and New Davis Wade Stadium was electric in that first half tonight.

The delay likely did hurt with focus but South Carolina dealt with that too. And that doesn't have anything to do with play calling or personnel management.

[Liverpooldawg]

Todd, stayed for every snap and afterward. Do you think Dan continues to take his foot off the gas when we have a lead? Hated the play calling with Holloway two touches inside the five, hated not going for the FG to go up two scores early, and sure hated the fake punt ( although it's now on film for future opponents to see). Holloway still and Shump still getting too many carries than Williams and even Gibson, but I don't see practice and off the field but how long until two 4 star backs see some carries and get more chances? Been a year since Williams fumbled against aTm.
Those two inside the 5 he got tackled three yards deep in the backfield as soon as he got the ball. It wouldn't have mattered who had the ball, it could have been Bo Jackson or Herschal Walker.

[Liverpooldawg]

The delay likely did hurt with focus but South Carolina dealt with that too. And that doesn't have anything to do with play calling or personnel management.

Come on man, they had much less of an atmosphere to deal with after the break. The delay helped them a lot.

[Todd4State]

Todd, stayed for every snap and afterward. Do you think Dan continues to take his foot off the gas when we have a lead? Hated the play calling with Holloway two touches inside the five, hated not going for the FG to go up two scores early, and sure hated the fake punt ( although it's now on film for future opponents to see). Holloway still and Shump still getting too many carries than Williams and even Gibson, but I don't see practice and off the field but how long until two 4 star backs see some carries and get more chances? Been a year since Williams fumbled against aTm.

I don't know. It's bizarre. It's not like the guys he doesn't play are clearly NOT performing when they actually do play. I think in his head he really thinks Holloway is the best between the tackles option. Despite the results.

It's confusing too because you think back to the old triple option a big part of that was the big bruising fullback. With the spread option the single back functions like the fullback. So typically you would want a big back (200 pounds which I know is not that big by today's standards) to give you that inside threat. The only inside running threat we have with Holloway in the game is Nick and teams will key on on him since Holloway goes down after first contact. With Aeris you get that "fullback" option back. And yes I oversimplified that totally but I think everyone gets my point.

[Todd4State]

Come on man, they had much less of an atmosphere to deal with after the break. The delay helped them a lot.

They were also on the road in an unfamiliar environment. You are way overstating how much effect the crowd has on a game. All we had to do was pound on them with Aeris and we totally embarrass them. Instead we go to Holloway and get behind the sticks, end up punting more times than not and give South Carolina MORE chances to score and wear our defense out in the process.

And thank God they kicked their onsides kick out of bounds or it gets interesting with a team with an already fairly fragile psyche from last week's debacle.

[Goldendawg]

Thanks for the reply. Loved to see us line up in the I close to the goal line with Shump at FB and Williams at TB in the Red Zone once, but don't really remember if we ran the ball. Would like to see that more often in short yardage situations.

[Liverpooldawg]

They were also on the road in an unfamiliar environment. You are way overstating how much effect the crowd has on a game. All we had to do was pound on them with Aeris and we totally embarrass them. Instead we go to Holloway and get behind the sticks, end up punting more times than not and give South Carolina MORE chances to score and wear our defense out in the process.

And thank God they kicked their onsides kick out of bounds or it gets interesting with a team with an already fairly fragile psyche from last week's debacle.

I've been around too much football on too many levels to EVER overstate the impact of the crowd. It's hard to do, especially when teams are trying to establish themselves. I've seen it turn games at little podunk high schools in rural Mississippi. Those crowds aren't even that loud.

[Liverpooldawg]

The announcers just commented crowd bailing both tonight and last night. We bitch about the team not showing up after the half, yet we don't either.

[Todd4State]

I've been around too much football on too many levels to EVER overstate the impact of the crowd. It's hard to do, especially when teams are trying to establish themselves. I've seen it turn games at little podunk high schools in rural Mississippi. Those crowds aren't even that loud.

Then how come LSU doesn't win every home game?

[Todd4State]

The announcers just commented crowd bailing both tonight and last night. We bitch about the team not showing up after the half, yet we don't either.

You can't be upset at our fans for leaving early for an 11 AM game in September in Mississippi when we are up 17-0 on a Sun Belt team and then for not packing the stadium back out after being told to evacuate the stadium.

How about have a team that is mentally tough enough that they don't have to have a rock concert environment to win big and take care of business?

[Goldendawg]

I've never left a State game early in 51 years of going and have ingrained that in my 15 year old son now. Scott Field/DWS has been known recently as one of the toughest places in the country to visit and play. We don't need to lose that.

[Todd4State]

Thanks for the reply. Loved to see us line up in the I close to the goal line with Shump at FB and Williams at TB in the Red Zone once, but don't really remember if we ran the ball. Would like to see that more often in short yardage situations.

I saw that and liked Shumpert at fullback too. However I'm pretty sure that was the play where we threw the ball up to Jordan Thomas in the back of the end zone for a touchdown.

[Liverpooldawg]

Then how come LSU doesn't win every home game?

Because there are other factors maybe? You argue like boom boom does on the political board.

[Liverpooldawg]

You can't be upset at our fans for leaving early for an 11 AM game in September in Mississippi when we are up 17-0 on a Sun Belt team and then for not packing the stadium back out after being told to evacuate the stadium.

How about have a team that is mentally tough enough that they don't have to have a rock concert environment to win big and take care of business?
Actually I can. Did you leave? Were you there? In all honesty I've done it before. I didn't last week. AGAIN a veteran team with veteran leadership might not need it so much. I don't think even you would argue we have that.

[Todd4State]

Because there are other factors maybe? You argue like boom boom does on the political board.

There were other factors. Dan's play calling and personnel management which helped kill our drives and kept our defense on the field longer.

[Todd4State]

Actually I can. Did you leave? Were you there? In all honesty I've done it before. I didn't last week. AGAIN a veteran team with veteran leadership might not need it so much. I don't think even you would argue we have that.

Yes. I go to every game and I stay the whole time. We're not a young team either.

[maroonwhitedawg3ddd]

Dan's Play calling on top of a lot of missed blocked assignments,drop balls,etc was the reason for not totally blowing USC-E out of Davis Wade Stadium.

[Interpolation_Dawg_EX]

Everybody bitches about his second half approach, but Mullen is something like 50-2 when leading at the half.

[blacklistedbully]

In all honesty I thought the real difference in the halves was the energy in the building. The long delay hurt. The fact that at least a third of the crowd didn't come back hurt, just like last week when it was more like half. When a team is looking for its footing, the crowd matters. There are other issues of course but nobody can deny Old Scott Field and New Davis Wade Stadium was electric in that first half tonight.

As for Holloway up the middle.....more than one of the times that didn't work was a busted read by Fitz. Several more he got hit in three yards deep in the back field. Those ain't on Holloway for sure. They aren't on Mullen either, especially the busted reads.

:rolleyes:

[IMissJack]

Come on man, they had much less of an atmosphere to deal with after the break. The delay helped them a lot.

You have been pushing this line every chance you get. Holloway should not have gotten the call period.

Sorry replied to wrong post by Liverpooldawg.

[blacklistedbully]

I've been around too much football on too many levels to EVER overstate the impact of the crowd. It's hard to do, especially when teams are trying to establish themselves. I've seen it turn games at little podunk high schools in rural Mississippi. Those crowds aren't even that loud.

Maybe it's the cheerleaders fault. Maybe they're not cheering loud enough...or perhaps they're not doing enough tumbling or something.****

Geezus!

[GreenheadDawg]

In all honesty I thought the real difference in the halves was the energy in the building. The long delay hurt. The fact that at least a third of the crowd didn't come back hurt, just like last week when it was more like half. When a team is looking for its footing, the crowd matters. There are other issues of course but nobody can deny Old Scott Field and New Davis Wade Stadium was electric in that first half tonight.

As for Holloway up the middle.....more than one of the times that didn't work was a busted read by Fitz. Several more he got hit in three yards deep in the back field. Those ain't on Holloway for sure. They aren't on Mullen either, especially the busted reads.

It's not on Mullen? Jesus dude you're like a little puppy dog and your master can do no wrong. It is on Mullen. He's puts the players on the field. Yes, wrong read on Fitz's part but Holloway should never be in that ****ing position.

[blacklistedbully]

nm