DEVILLE: Grab The Ratchet Wrench, Tigers In Need Of An Overhaul

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No teams needs a season to end as quick as LSU right now

by Matt Deville
Tiger Rag Senior Editor

(At left) This week’s issue of Tiger Rag (J. Sam Frake)

Well, one thing is for certain; the wheels aren’t necessarily all the way off – but there are a few missing lug nuts and LSU needs a ratchet wrench.

And if the Tigers aren’t careful, they could break an axle next Friday.

Just 11 games removed from winning a national championship, it might be a little rash to infer that the LSU football program is in a complete downward spiral.

But if you were in Tiger Stadium on Saturday or one of the millions watching around the country on CBS, LSU looked far from the team that routed Ohio State last Jan. 7 to win the BCS National Championship, the Tigers second in five season.

From this current vantage point, it doesn’t look like the national championship trend will continue in a four to five year cycle.

That is unless some major moves are made in the offseason.

LSU’s 31-13 loss to Ole Miss on Saturday was, without a doubt, the worst performance by a Tiger team under the three-plus season tutelage of Les Miles.

And judging from Miles’ own words following Saturday’s humiliating defeat to the Rebels, he will agree.

“They beat us in all three phases,” a stunned Miles said afterwards. “We couldn’t come back. We didn’t expect that. I expected to play better. As we go forward, it will be really interesting to see how this team responds.”

While Miles might not have expected what happened, it’s sad to say many watching the game certainly did.

What transpired on Saturday wasn’t some big surprise. It was status quo for an LSU football team that has struggled with consistency all season. It was par for the course for an underachieving Tiger team devoid of leadership. It was the norm i