Can any football fan imagine a team coached by Mack Brown, Joe Paterno, Nick Saban, or Jim Tressel coughing up a holding-the-football-like-a-loaf-of-bread fumble when all a running back—LSU's Stevan Ridley, in this case—has to do to clinch a big win is to fall down with possession of the ball?
For all their speed and skill, the Bayou Bengals of coach Les Miles often seem in over their heads when strategic adjustments are needed, when gambling defenses are a bad idea, and when a subtle feel for game situations is called for?
In LSU's fortunate 30-24 win over North Carolina on Saturday night, Ridley was guilty of bad ball security after he burst for a first down that should have locked up the game.
Earlier, freshman back Alfred Blue, in on the so-called hands-team to defend an anticipated on-side kick by the Tar Heels, hesitated in going for the ball. Blue touched the bounding ball, was wiped out by a charging Tar Heel, and Carolina gained possession. One wonders how well a frosh is schooled on the rules of such kicks.
Lastly, give credit to maligned UNC QB T.J. Yates, who pitched lots of good passes in the second half. But the LSU defense is still waiting for coaching adjustments to Carolina's slant-in pass strategy, and while a corner blitz created a big play for LSU at the right time, the Tigers might not have been in such a nervous mess had earlier such gambles not burned their defensive unit.
--Bob Boyles
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