5 Reasons Why LSU Lost to Kentucky

Well, the inevitable has happened.
LSU, my Mighty Tigers, have fallen in defeat to the Kentucky Wildcats.
Here are 5 reasons why:
1. RYAN PERRILLOUX DISAPPEARED: The hybrid-running back/quarterback threat for LSU totally vanished after the 3rd quarter for some unknown reason. Although several Tigers got banged up (including tailback Jacob Hester) indications are that he wasn't one of them. After an uneven 3 quarters that saw Perrilloux get 15 yards on 5 carries, LSU's coaches didn't call his number again. This, despite the fact, that he didn't run not one option play the entire game. LSU's final play, a fourth-and-2, was a perfect situation for Perrilloux who could have ran an option on the play, instead LSU went with a shaky Matt Flynn the entire 4th quarter, and overtime.
2. KENTUCKY RECEIVER STEVE JOHNSON: No player has had such a big effort against the Tigers defense this year, including Tim Tebow. Johnson, who caught 7 balls for a season-high 134 yards (a whopping 19.1 yard average!), absolutely owned the Tigers secondary all night. It was Johnson, who moonlights as a rapper, that got open in the end zone for a 7-yard score in the third overtime, wide open because defender Jonathan Zenon tripped and fell down (Andre Woodson double-pumped before throwing the ball, giving LSU a chance for a sack, but alas it came a half-second too late).

3. LSU COULD NOT STOP THEM: The LSU defense gave up 375 yards of total offense, but it was deceptive. Kentucky, which trailed 27-14 late in the third quarter, started to POUND THE BALL against the Tigers just when the LSU coaches thought they would see a barrage of pass plays from Woodson. It was a brilliant strategy by UK and it outfoxed Les Miles. UK freshman running back Derrick Locke (20 rushes, 64 yards) ground up just enough yards to keep the LSU defense from pinning back its ears and the Wildcats scored the game’s next 20 points, AND put the first overtime points on the scoreboard. Kentucky's big tight end Jacob Tamme seemingly came up with big catches and equally good blocks while LSU's secondary got rocked: Chevis Jackson was knocked out of the game (2 swollen eyes after a helmet-to-helmet collision); Craig Steltz almost bit off his tongue when he was jarred in the chin unsuspectingly, and Jonathan Zenon was outmanned and undersized.

4. WOODSON WAS UNSACKABLE: The Tigers committed 12 penalties for a season-high 103 yards in negative yardage, but the biggest trump card their defense had all season was its ability to lay a quarterback horizontal. On Saturday, there was none of that. LSU failed to sack Woodson, ending a streak of 25 consecutive games with at least one sack. Barring a couple of late knockdowns he pretty much wasn't hit all night.

5.IT WAS ACTUALLY 4TH-AND-3: The game came down to a fourth-and-2 play at the Kentucky 17, but it was actually fourth-and-2.7, a long two. If the LSU coaches put in their best fourth-and-3 play they would probably still be undefeated. Instead they put in a fourth-and-1 play. The result? Kentucky linebacker Braxton Kelly stuffs LSU tailback Charles Scott for a 1-yard gain, sending hysterical fans onto the field and smoke from cannon fire into the air. "I thought it was close," said Scott, who wept in the tunnel as the echoes of "Go Big Blue" filled the hallway near the visitors' locker room.