LSU Tigers defensive back, Tyrann Mathieu, has been an absolute beast on the field this season. It seemed as though he made the biggest play of almost every weekend. Check out the highlights below and then decide which game was his best?
The LSU Tigers visit Morgantown, WV to play the West Virginia Mountaineers in week 4 of the college football season. The strength of the Tigers is defense and the strength of the 'eers is offense, and this will decide the football game.LSU has already been challenged twice this season, once by the Oregon Ducks in Dallas, TX and another time in Starkville, MS by the Mississippi State Bulldogs, and both games their defense dominated. The flash and dash Ducks offense was made to look pedestrian, and the power run game of the Bulldogs found itself on the receiving end of the game's punishment. Their defense is really that special. Their front seven wreck havoc on the offensive lines they've faced this year, and their back four can man-up and tackle in space as good as any secondary in the nation. The LSU defense is complimented by its tough nose, run the ball offense that does not make mistakes. Jarrett Lee was once a laughing stock in the SEC as indicated by the nickname "Pick 6" for all the interceptions he threw returned for touchdowns. Today, however, he has been playing smart and managing the game as well as any quarterback. Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, WVWVU has also been challenged this season when they faced the Maryland Terrapins. The Terps were coming off a big win against the Miami Hurricanes, but were unable to complete a comeback and were defeated by the Mountaineers 37-31. WVU is led by junior quarterback Geno Smith. This season, Smith has completed 82 passes in 118 attempts for 1,008 yards, seven touchdowns, and one interception. The WVU passing game is its team strength, however, its running game is below average. This presents a potential problem for the 'eers against LSU because they will need to mix it up. Another problem I have seen is they have yet to play a full game this season. In one game they start off slow, in another they slip in the second half. They will need to play good, sound football for four quarters to beat LSU.Stat Comparison of Both TeamsWest Virginia Mountaineers Statistics through Week 3Rushing Offense - ranked 107; 78.67 rushing yards per gamePassing Offense - ranked 7; 356.00 passing yards per gameTotal Offense - ranked 34; 434.67 total yards per gameScoring Offense - ranked 15; 42.00 points per gameRushing Defense - ranked 45; 116.00 rushing yards given up per gamePass Defense - ranked 53; 200.33 passing yards given up per gameTotal Defense - ranked 40; 316.33 total yards given up per gameScoring Defense - ranked 40; 18.67 points given up per game LSU Tigers Statistics through Week ThreeRushing Offense - ranked 58; 166.00 rushing yards per gamePassing Offense - ranked 93; 178.67 passing yards per gameTotal Offense - ranked 85; 344.67 total yards per gameScoring Offense - ranked 35; 36.00 points per gameRushing Defense - ranked 3; 47.67 rushing yards given up per gamePass Defense - ranked 19; 160.00 passing yards given up per gameTotal Defense - ranked 7; 207.67 total yards given up per gameScoring Defense - ranked 15; 12.00 points given up per gameThe line of the game is currently LSU by six points, exactly what they beat WVU by last year. TV analysts seem to believe LSU is a sure thing in this game, but I'm not so sure for two reasons. LSU has yet to face a top passing attack like WVU's, and they have also yet to face a true dual threat quarterback like Geno Smith. If the Mountaineer's are able to play sound football with no turnovers for four quarters, they might be able to pull the upset in Milan-Puskar Stadium at night. Morgantown is not an easy to place to play as 'eers fans can make it nasty on an opposing opponent. I think LSU should be on upset alert. I'm not saying it will definitely happen, but it is a possibility. The Tigers have been through a tough slew of games thus far, and they have many more ahead of them. If they don't come to play, they'll leave with their first loss of the season. I'm on the fence on this game. I think WVU can pull an upset, but I love the LSU defense. I just don't see the LSU defense letting them lose this game. I think the Mountatineers have a good chance, but I doubt they'll quite be able to do it. LSU will win late in the game after their rush offense tires out the WVU front 7.
On Thursday, September 15, 2011, the LSU Tigers will travel to Starkville, MS to play the Mississippi Bulldogs in an SEC West Showdown. If MSU loses this game, they will most likely be out of contention for the SEC West Title. Having already lost once in the SEC, a second loss means MSU would need to win the rest of their SEC games and have both LSU and the Auburn Tigers lose at least 3 in conference games; they would also require the rest of the western division of the SEC to lose two SEC games each, one to them and another to someone else. The LSU Tigers have looked great this year. They opened the season with a huge win over the #3 ranked Oregon Ducks from the PAC 12 in Dallas, TX. In week two, they crushed Northwestern State 49-3. Without starting quarterback Jordan Jefferson, suspended indefinitely following a bar fight, LSU must depend on their defense, special teams, and rushing game to win games. Quarterback Jarrett Lee is expected to merely protect the ball and manage the offense. They do not put a lot on his shoulders, and they do not need to. The Tigers are that good at the other phases of the game.The MSU Bulldogs have also looked good this year, despite losing to Auburn in week two. In that game, the Bulldogs had more rushing yards, more passing yards, more total yards, and held the ball 16 more minutes than Auburn, however, they fell just short when quarterback Chris Relf was stopped at the one inch line as time expired. It was a bad loss and a game MSU should have and could have won. Unfortunately, they did not and now find themselves in a must win situation versus LSU.Stat comparison of the two teamsLSU Tigers Statistics through Week TwoRushing Offense - ranked 41st; 175.00 rushing yards per gamePassing Offense - ranked 99th; 161.50 passing yards per gameTotal Offense - ranked 89th; 336.50 total yards per gameScoring Offense - ranked 19th; 44.50 points per gameRushing Defense - ranked 8th; 45.50 rushing yards given up per gamePass Defense - ranked 28th; 169.50 passing yards given up per gameTotal Defense - ranked 12th; 215.00 total yards given up per gameScoring Defense - ranked 29th; 15.00 points given up per gameMSU Statistics through Week TwoRushing Offense - ranked 6th; 321.00 rushing yards per gamePassing Offense - ranked 32nd; 267.00 passing yards per gameTotal Offense - ranked 5th; 588.00 total yards per gameScoring Offense - ranked 13th; 46.50 points per gameRushing Defense - ranked 99th; 199.50 rushing yards given up per gamePass Defense - ranked 26th; 160.00 passing yards given up per gameTotal Defense - ranked 56th; 359.50 total yards given up per gameScoring Defense - ranked 73rd; 27.50 points given up per gameThis is going to be a very good game, and one that is definitely worth watching. For those of you that think MSU has no chance in this game, think again. If LSU had a more productive offense, that might be true. The Bulldogs are a really good football team and are capable of pulling the upset if LSU is not able to generate a passing game. The opening line has LSU favored by 3.5 points, and I expect the Tigers to be able to cover. Their defense is just too good and will shut down MSU's offense. However, personally, I would not touch this game. It is too unpredictable. LSU did crush Oregon, but they had a lot of young players on both lines and MSU does not.
There is no doubt Trent Richardson is a great running back, but his Alabama Crimson Tide hasn't faced a defense like the LSU Tigers this season. Richardson has rushed for over 100 yards in six of eight games. Will he be able to do it again?
In the SEC Championship Game, the LSU Tigers were struggling versus the Georgia Bulldogs. Then, with around six minutes left in the first half, Tyrann Mathieu returned a punt for a TD. After that moment, LSU dominated the game. Did he save their season with his punt returns against UGA?Were Tyrann Mathieu's punt returns versus UGA the play of the year for LSU?
The #3 Arkansas Razorbacks will travel to Baton Rouge, LA to face off against the #1 LSU Tigers. The entire season is on the line in this game with this being the last weekend before conference championships. A win by LSU, and the Tigers clinch the SEC West. If the Hawgs win, then we have to wait for the final BCS rankings to decide who goes to the SEC Championship Game. Because there will be three one loss SEC West teams if Arkansas loses, the team that goes to the championship is the team that won the heads up battle between the two rated the highest in the BCS rankings. Arkansas vs LSU: Can the Hawgs win in Baton Rouge?
The saying goes, "To be the Man, You have to Beat the Man." In the BCS Era of College Football, the Southeastern Conference has definitely been the Man.The SEC has won the last five BCS Championship Games with four different teams. They have won the last four BCS Championship Games with four different teams. Les Miles claims ''The highest-ranked team to come out of this conference should well have an opportunity to play in the national championship game.'' Is Les Miles Right? Should the Highest Ranked SEC Team Be in the Championship Game?Breakdown of BCS Championships by ConferenceSEC: 7 appearances, 7 wins and no losses; Florida Gators (2-0)LSU Tigers (2-0)Alabama Crimson Tide (1-0)Tennessee Volunteers (1-0)Auburn Tigers (1-0)PAC 10: 2 appearances, 1 loss, 1 vacated winUSC Trojans (0-1)USC Trojans vacated 2004Oregon Ducks (0-1)Big 12: 7 appearances, 2 wins, 5 losses; Oklahoma Sooners (1-3)Texas Longhorns (1-1)Nebraska Cornhuskers (0-1)Big 10: 3 appearances, 1 win, 2 lossesOhio State Buckeyes (1-2)ACC: 3 appearances, 1 win, 2 losses Florida State Seminoles (1-2)Big East: 3 appearances, 1 win, 2 losses Miami Hurricanes (1-1)Virginia Tech Hokies (0-1)
The way the current system is playing out seems unfair to me. In week ten of the 2011 college football season, the LSU Tigers traveled to Tuscaloosa, AL and beat the Alabama Crimson Tide in overtime. Therefore, LSU was able to win the SEC West over Bama. Right now it appears that Bama and LSU will play each other in the BCS National Championship Game. Because LSU beat Bama, they are being forced to play the SEC Championship Game versus the #14 Georgia Bulldogs, while Alabama gets to sit at home and begin bowl preparation a week early. Essentially, by losing to LSU, Bama was given a bye-week while the winning team has to play an extra game against a formidable opponent.Is this fair? Should Bama be given the de facto bye-week?
Check out and compare the punt returns of Joe Adams, wide receiver from the Arkansas Razorbacks, and Tyrann Mathieu, defensive back for the LSU Tigers.After viewing both of them, vote for the best return.
It seems most people give the nod to Alabama's head coach Nick Saban as better than LSU coach Les Miles. What do you think? Is Les Miles a better coach than Nick Saban?
Larry King
March Madness
Natasha Fame Leslie
Ryan Seacrest
Sanu Dellafiore
John Armstrong
Fred Hanna
Georgia Hester
