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The 2007 season was a wild roller coaster ride for Tiger fans, and its lore will live on for years to come. With that said, Les Miles isn’t buying into the “defending” part of his team’s title-defending champions...

LSU Football '08: No Repeat, No Surrender

by Justin Goar (Senior Writer)

18

1,119 reads

Preview/Prediction

July 24, 2008


The 2007 season was a wild roller coaster ride for Tiger fans, and its lore will live on for years to come.

 

With that said, Les Miles isn’t buying into the “defending” part of his team’s title-defending champions.

 

Les has stated that this year’s team is starting with a clean slate. The record is back to 0-0. That’s a pretty good outlook for a team that will have a tough time trying to repeat its success from a season ago.

 

Most college football fans will mention that LSU’s quarterback situation will be the main reason it would be hard to repeat the win total from a year ago.

 

Most LSU fans will mention that the rest of the team is reloading and that all they need is a quarterback who can manage the offense efficiently and not make mistakes.

 

However, I think it’s much more difficult than that.

 

Here are six reasons LSU’s hopes for a two-peat might not come to fruition:

 

1) QB Experience

Nothing is a more glaring obstacle than two green QB’s competing for the starting role on a potent offense. Everything on offense flows through the quarterback.

 

With the offseason dismissal of Ryan Perrilloux, LSU is left without any notable experience in either Junior Andrew Hatch or Redshirt Freshman Jarrett Lee.

 

This is the one factor I just can’t get past right now. Either kid is more than welcome to prove me wrong and I’ll be happy to admit it when the time comes, but so much rides on a quarterback’s effectiveness.

 

Football in the SEC is brutal and I think it takes more than a good running game and offensive line to get the job done week in and week out. You have to be able to make the other team pay when they load the box if the offense wants to keep drives going.

 

That leads to…

 

2) Third downs

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18 comments Last one added 11 months ago — Leave a Comment

  1. Alan Bass 11 months ago

    there is no way theyre going to be able to pull it off again in my mind. they will get close, and will most likely be in a bcs game, but i dont think they will get to the national championship again

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    • Justin Goar 11 months ago

      thanks for the comment.

      i'm with ya, alan.

      some of the LSU faithful though don't agree.

      but i've never been much of an optimist either.

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  2. Paul Augustin, Jr. 11 months ago

    Even year schedules are brutal for LSU. That 2004 schedule with 3 out of 4 on the road against UGA, Auburn, and Florida killed the Tigers. Lots of outsiders say Les Miles blew a national title with his most talented team in 2006. They often ignore the 2006 schedule of playing #3, #5, #5, and #8 on the road. Luckily, we don't have UGA in the road again in the same season we play UF and Auburn on the road, but it's still tough.

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    • Justin Goar 11 months ago

      for everyone that knocks LSU for the '07 season with the catching of breaks, i refer them to the '06 season. that team was just as good if not better. had some bad breaks against AU and shot themselves in the foot against UF.

      they didn't catch any breaks when finishing strong a la UGA in '07 but without all the bellyaching (sorry dawg fans.)

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  3. Ed Freeman 11 months ago

    I cant wait until Oct. 25 when the Dawgs go to Baton Rouge. No matter what time the game starts that crowd is going to be electric.

    Go Dawgs!!

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  4. Jimson Cuenta 11 months ago

    LSU FOOTBALL
    A TRADITION . . . SINCE AUGUST 2003

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  5. Blair Ellis 11 months ago

    Jimson, You're just jealous. LSU will enter the 2008 season with 693 victories, the 12th most in NCAA history, and the 4th most of any SEC team, behind only Alabama (787), Tennessee (771), and Georgia (714). LSU will also enter the 2008 season with a 0.640 all-time winning percentage, the 14th best in the NCAA, and the 4th best in the SEC, behind only Alabama (0.706), Tennessee (0.697), and Georgia (0.644). 14th BEST in 111 years of collegiate football. I'll take that tradition over your Kansas Fakehawks any day. I'll give your boys props for turning out guys like Sayers and Riggins, two of the best ever, but that's where it ends.

    And what's up with your claim in a previous post that y'all won a Football MNC. Never happened, dude. Put the glue down. It's killing the few remaining brain cells you have left. lol

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  6. Blair Ellis 11 months ago

    BTW, Nice read, Justin. Detailed, informative and interesting. No one here can question your LSU fanhood. Geaux Tigers!

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  7. Ed Freeman 11 months ago

    ha no problem man (justin) its going to be an awesome matchup. Yall have one of the loudest crowds in one of the best stadiums in college football. I can see why yall would want more night games.. just like we(UGA) do. It gives our fans and students a little more time to get "juiced" up for the game lol i wish cbs would push there 3:30 games(eastern time zone) back to 5:30 or 6. that would be primetime for Sec fans. Night games offer a better atomosphere in my opinion.

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  8. Timothy Croley 11 months ago

    Some good stuff Justin. I agree that LSU has a tough road to climb. Impossible? No. Probable? Unfortunately for LSU fans that's a no as well.

    I do think LSU will be pretty good this year, not great, but pretty good. Good enough to finish in 2nd in the West at worst. If they finish third in the West I'll be totally shocked!

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  9. Rob Sansing 11 months ago

    LSU was extremely fortunate last year. those exciting wins over bama, auburn & florida could have all been losses. if any ONE of them had been, the tigers would not be day dreaming about back-to-back national titles.
    justin, you mention jacob hester in passing, but without him that 4th down conversion stat wouldn't be nearly as glamourous. they are going to miss him in short yardage situations.
    LSU should have a good team, but still with 3 or 4 or 5 losses.

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  10. Reggie Garcia 11 months ago

    Im not jealous of LSU. I liked this article, really. I have nothing bad to say about it. SEC is tough enough as it is, and with unexperienced quarterback play, it gets even worse. They have depth at alot of positions, it is not like Hatch/Lee won't have anyone to throw to, I just think LSU will not repeat. They already have a 5 start QB waiting in the wing for next year, so it is not like there going to totally blow. Oh and Highsmith should have stayed another year...thats just my opinion

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    • Justin Goar 11 months ago

      thanks for the comment reggie.

      this will be a rough year but miles is burning up the recruiting trail picking up another 5 star DT this week. hopefully more to come.

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  11. Thomas Brown 11 months ago

    I couldnt agreree with you more Justin. Great article

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  12. lonnie ellis 11 months ago

    oct 25 will be a sad day for the dawg nation for lsu will cometh and kicketh thy butts ! ! ! ! ! !

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  13. Chris Ballay 11 months ago

    Awesome informative article. Good stuff. I have to agree I think the team will drop down a bit.

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