Into the Fire: Give Yourself a Chance to Win

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The reason LSU has been able to pull out a couple of big time victories away from Tiger Stadium this season has been their ability to give themselves a chance to go out and win the ball game. LSU had been a very smart and very calculated team until last week when the physicality and pressure barely cracked them enough to give Florida the edge. LSU is a very good team because the body of work already shows that this is not a team that will beat itself. If the Tigers are going to pull off their biggest home win of the season so far with Georgia coming to Death Valley, they are going to need to get back to what secured them victory versus Miami and Auburn.

LSU has not put up points at the same rate as Georgia. The Tigers are not even putting up offensive yardage the way they did the first time around under Steve Ensminger. These are different players and there is not that kind of constant explosion LSU had with guys like Leonard Fournette and DJ Chark. What the Tigers are doing well is making the splash play at least a couple times a game. Even when Florida was forcing LSU to go three and out over and over again, Nick Brossette was still able to manage to splash a big run on the Gators. LSU may not find a rhythm very well on offense, but they do find a way. The 3-4 defense Georgia is bringing to the game on Saturday does not lend itself to many big plays up the middle on the ground or down the field over the top of the safeties though. LSU is going to have to be patient and use misdirection and their speed guys to find that splash against a team giving up under two touchdowns a game.

The turnover margin has been solid all year long for LSU. They currently sit at 18th in the country with a +5 margin. LSU takes the ball away more than they give it away, but we all know why they lost against Florida. Joe Burrow was under duress all game long and cough the ball up multiple times. The Tigers cannot afford turnovers against Georgia. The fact that the game was so close in Florida is a testament to LSU’s grit and talent, but a lot of it had to do with Florida’s inability to generate offense. The Gators could have capitalized on LSU mistakes a lot better and that game would have been a lot uglier. If those mistakes occur against Georgia, LSU will be giving an opponent that as an offensive identity and know-how when it comes to capitalizing on opportunities you give them.

Tiger Stadium itself is going to be an advantage LSU has yet to have against a truly dangerous opponent. It overwhelmed Ole Miss for sure, but Ole Miss would lose to LSU on most fields and on most nights even if Garth Brooks and Mel McDaniel aren’t playing on the loudspeakers. The fact that LSU has this advantage against one of the best teams in all of the land means that LSU needs to utilize the home field atmosphere to their advantage. Players and fans will no doubt be jumping up and down at the start of the game, but if Georgia calmly walks down the field for an early touchdown or Lsu has an early turnover, Tiger Stadium needs to maintain it’s affect on the game so LSU has a chance to win. At the end of the game on Saturday, the score will be dictated by how much effort LSU puts into giving themselves a chance to win, because the rankings may say that Georgia is the better team, but everyone knows that this is the SEC and LSU is just as talented as Georgia is up and down the field. Energy, and composure being maintained throughout the game is what will give LSU a chance, and ultimately, the victory.

– Alan Michael