REPORT CARD: The Grades Are In

The Tigers limp back from 30-point loss in The Swamp

by Matt Deville
Tiger Rag Senior Editor

(At left) Jarrett Lee fights for extra yardage in his first SEC road start at Florida (Photo by Steve Franz/LSU)

All that can be said is, Ugh!

LSU’s 51-21 loss last Saturday at Florida was the last thing anyone expected to see. The Tigers never had a chance against an angry group of Gators as an emotionally-charged week culminated in the most complete thrashing of a Les Miles-coached LSU team.

The atmosphere in The Swamp seemed to engulf the Tigers, especially its rookie quarterbacks and inexperienced secondary.

Tim Tebow showed no mercy on LSU as his every move seemed choreographed, the result of an offseason of nightmares from last year’s heartbreaking loss in Tiger Stadium.

The Gator defense, so maligned during last season’s 9-4 campaign, rose to the occasion; shut down LSU’s heralded rushing attack and even scored some gratifying points of its own.

It was no doubt lambs to the slaughter. The Tigers were pilgrims in an unholy land of orange and blue. Enough touchdowns couldn’t be scored; the dose of humiliation not nearly dense enough to satisfy the masses.

Florida Field engulfed Miles’ team, consumed the Tiger players like never before in his tenure.

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Quarterbacks:
Any knowledgeable fan knew there were going to be growing pains with Jarrett Lee. The redshirt freshman got off to a rocky start, but did complete 23 of 38 passes with a pair of touchdowns. He threw a pair of picks, the second one being returned for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Andrew Hatch gave LSU a nice change of pace and showed some toughness when he ran the ball. It wasn’t great, but the two scoring drives were impressive. Also, for it being the QBs first trip to The Swamp, it could have been worse.
Grade: C+

Running Backs:
Considering LSU ran for 80 total yards, you’d think the running backs had a bad night. But when you’re in a 20-0 hole right off the bat, it’s pretty tough to establish a ground attack, especially when you’re playing catch up. The Heisman mentions will end for Charles Scott, who fumbled in the second quarter. It wasn’t his fault as Hatch’s handoff hit him in the shoulder, instead of the stomach. Kudos go out to Richard Murphy for running the Wildcat formation.
Grade: B-

Wide Receivers:
Had it not been for the play of LSU’s wide receivers, the game could have been much, much worse. Early on, Lee couldn’t get the ball to them. But when the quarterback settled down, the Tigers’ wideouts made some nice catches, including Brandon LaFell and Chris Mitchell – on the first touchdown. Also, bonus points go out for the imaginative hook-pitch and ladder late in the first half.
Grade: A-

Offensive Line:
This had to be the most shocking letdown for coach Les Miles and his staff. Touted as having one of the nation’s top offensive fronts, with four veteran starters returning, the LSU O-Line was ineffective against Florida’s smaller, quicker defensive front. The Tigers couldn’t run the ball – at all – and the Gators kept constant pressure on LSU’s quarterbacks. Sure Brett Helms was banged up, but this was far and away the worst offensive line play of the Miles era.
Grade: D-

Defensive Line:
The LSU defensive line found itself under heavy scrutiny after Ricky Jean-Francois’ comments last week. Jean-Francois didn’t make the trip still suffering from a pulled groin, but it didn’t matter anyway. The Tigers’ defensive front sacked Tim Tebow three times, but couldn’t apply consistent enough pressure to slow him down. Plus, LSU’s front four looked a step slow and out of position when the Gators elected to run the option. Florida ripped off more than enough bursts between the tackles and ran up the third highest rushing total (265 yards) against a Miles-coached LSU defense.
Grade: D-

Linebackers:
Darry Beckwith returned to action after missing two games with a knee injury. But he and his fellow linebackers again struggled in coverage as Beckwith got picked on for Percy Harvin’s second receiving touchdown. Plus, the Tiger backers were soft against the run.
Grade: D

Secondary:
Red flags went up after Auburn’s Chris Todd lit up the Tiger secondary for 250 yards four weekends ago. And Tim Tebow sparked a full-fledged red alert when he sliced and diced the LSU secondary to the tune of 14 of 21 for 210 yards and two touchdowns. The numbers weren’t breathtaking, but the ease at which Tebow completed one underneath pass after another was shocking. Also, continued mismatches in nickel and dime packages were evident as Harvin was paired up on Danny McCray and Beckwith on both of his TD receptions.
Grade: F

Special Teams:
LSU’s kickoff return team did all it could to give the Tiger offense decent starting field position. Colt David converted every kick and executed an onside kick to near perfection. LSU’s punt return game was largely ineffective with Chad Jones in the game fielding punts. Brady Dalfrey did average 45.5 yards per punt. But the decision to kick it to one of the nation’s most dangerous return specialists Brandon James in the first quarter wasn’t the best move, especially when James setup Florida’s second TD with a 47-yard return.
Grade: B-