Great Scott! Charles Scott Looking for Breakout Game Against Florida Gators

TigerInGatorLand — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 11:32:41 -0400

If there has been one player for LSU this season who has been consistently exciting to watch, it's Charles Scott.

While the passing game has been hit-or-miss with the introduction of two green QBs, the running game seems stronger than in recent memory thanks to the brutal play of Scott.

He faces his toughest test yet tomorrow, in the Swamp, against the Gators.

Charles Scott has looked no less than amazing so far this year. He has run for 535 yards on 71 attempts, with six TDs.

He has started the season posting four consecutive 100+ rushing yard games, the first player at LSU to do that since Charles Alexander in 1977.

He is the first Tiger to ever run for over 100 yards at Auburn.

He is on his way, barring injuries, to a 1,400-yard season.

Also, he and Demetrius Byrd make a fearsome singing duo.

Bravo guys, bravo.

Ok, silliness aside, back to the big matchup tomorrow.

Florida is sixth in the SEC in rush defense with 99.6 ypg allowed. This number is misleading, since the Gators allowed only 70 ypg in their first three games but have since given up 140 ypg in their past two games (Ole Miss and Arkansas).

This, added to the relative youth of the Florida defense, could spell a big day for Scott and the rest of the Tigers' running game.

Don't get me wrong, I fully expect UF to show up to play tomorrow. They are angry, alert, and ready to avenge last year's titanic struggle. It's just that even if Scott fails to live up to expectations, we still have three more potent players in our arsenal.

Look for Keiland Williams to get more touches on the ball if Scott is failing to produce. Also look out for trick plays involving Williams; he used to be a QB in high school.

Richard Murphy seems to be settled in as the third-best runner at LSU, but hopefully he will show some more of that shine he had during last year's BCSCG.

Trindon Holliday, the fastest man in college football, has been largely subdued this season, mainly because of shaky hands on the punt return team.

I hope Les can find it in his heart to give Trindon some touches on the ball tomorrow, since every time he touches it the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

My prediction:

Charles Scott has a good game with a few breakout moments but fails to rush for a fifth straight 100-yard game, but the rest of the rushing game makes up for it with solid play from Keiland Williams and a little trickery by Trindon Holliday.

The rest of the offense will suffer until Jarrett Lee finds the man-stones he had during the Auburn comeback. Somehow, I don't see that happening.

Florida in a close one, 28-24.

I hope with all that makes up my heart and soul that I am wrong. GEAUX TIGERS!!

Here are a few more Charles Scott highlights from this year for anyone that is interested.

Ryan Perri-Who? Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love The Hat

TigerInGatorLand — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 17:43:18 -0400

When I got the e-mail about writing an article about LSU fans' expectations for the rest of the year, I didn’t know what to say. Writing an article about expectations for the rest of the year BEFORE the Auburn game just didn’t compute with me. At that point my expectations were somewhere between SEC championship and third place in the division.

This game has been the fork in the road for the Tigers for most of the past decade, the winner having the edge in the Western division. Having it be the first SEC game of the season didn’t help either.

If we won, we had a shot at winning the division, earning a spot in the championship, BCS game etc., etc. Lose, and well, we’d most likely be watching either Auburn or Alabama in Atlanta instead of actually being there.

I couldn’t say much about the Tigers after seeing their first two games. Yes, we annihilated two teams, but so what? Playing average football and scoring 41 points doesn’t help you score points in Jordan-Hare stadium. So even though Auburn wasn’t looking as strong as I thought they were going to be, neither were we.

Fast forward to Saturday night, 11:00 PM EST, The Friendly Confines Sports Bar in Orlando, FL: GEAUX TIGERS! T-I-G-E-R-S TIGERS! L-S-U, L-S-U, L-S-U, L-S-U!

OK, sorry, had to be done—I couldn’t help it. I am pleased to say that we may have found a QB and at the same time greatly brightened the outlook for the rest of the season. Don’t get me wrong: Our biggest tests of the season are yet to come, but at least we have a foothold in the division race.

Jarrett Lee somehow found his man-stones, erasing the horrible performance he was putting together in the first half, and delivered the first win the Tigers have gotten at Jordan-Hare since 1998. That’s two coaches ago!

Charles Scott played like a monster. Is he the best RB we’ve had in the past couple years? Heisman candidate? Just kidding, but seriously, first LSU RB to ever rush for over 100 yards at Auburn?

Our defense isn’t unstoppable, but I can’t think of another group of guys scarier than Tyson Jackson and Ricky Jean-Francois.

Demetrius Byrd and Brand LaFell are still the wonder twins of receiving and hopefully will start to be even more dangerous now that we have better QB play.

Here’s a breakdown of the remaining games.

Miss St.

Won’t be as competitive as I once thought. Win easily.

Florida

Tim Tebow is Superman. If we win this one I will go ballistic. Won’t be surprised to lose.

South Carolina

See Miss St. explanation, except watch out for Spurrier trickery.

Georgia

Sequel to my favorite game in Tiger Stadium? Yes please, but won't be surprised to lose this one either.

Tulane

Yawn.

Alabama

If we lose the rest of our games and win this one, I’ll be content. Saban will get a "warm" reception in BR.

Troy

See Tulane.

Ole Miss

It’s not likely that Houston Nutt will be able to bust at Tiger Stadium two years in a row.

Arkansas

That place is a mess, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Arkansas give us trouble getting back “The Boot.”

Les Miles is a crazy man, but he is a crazy man that I have come to admire over the past three years. He has dealt with a lot of crap up until the game last night (Screw You Ryan Perrilloux!) but it’s looking like it won’t hold us back as much as I thought.

No doubt that we have a long season ahead of us, but artificially or not, the expectations in Baton Rouge have skyrocketed for this season.

First things first though: Win the SEC West, and everything else follows from there. For now I will just have to trust in The Hat.

Bleacher Report - Articles by TigerInGatorLand

Great Scott! Charles Scott Looking for Breakout Game Against Florida Gators

Ryan Perri-Who? Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love The Hat