LSU, Fournette run roughshod over Auburn, 45-21

LSU is fortunate to have Fournette.

The sophomore tailback amassed 228 yards rushing and three touchdowns in three quarters of work. He carried the rock only 19 times as the Bayou Bengals walloped the Auburn Tigers, 45-21 in Baton Rouge.

Before the game, the talk was all about Auburn’s quarterback Jeremy Johnson, who waited on the bench for two years before laying an egg against LSU.

Auburn's Rudy Ford said before that game that tackling Fournette wouldn't be "that difficult," but boy was he wrong. Also, unbeknownst to him, he had just supplied locker room fodder for Les Miles, who pasted Ford's quote on Fournette's locker before the game.

LSU defensive line coach Ed Orgeron, quoted in CampRush, said it best: “That was the most dominant performance of any college player I’ve seen in my 30 years coaching,” Orgeron says. “It was unbelievable.”

After the game, all anyone could talk about was Fournette and how he steamrolled Auburn’s defenders, breaking 11 tackles and created an ESPN highlight reel.

Will Jarrett Lee EVER get any meaningful playing time?

It got egregious in the Arkansas game. Ahead, 41-10, LSU coach Les Miles continued to insert Jordan Jefferson after the game was way out of hand and victory over the No. 3 Razorbacks was all but assured.

Jarrett Lee, the No. 2 rated passer in the mighty Southeastern Conference strapped his helmet on and just stared at Miles, waiting for, at that point, obligatory playing time. After all, it was Senior Day. Lee's parents, as were all the mothers and fathers and available relatives of the undefeated LSU Tigers, in attendance.
But Miles, being Miles, didn't let Lee in until less than 2 minutes remained in the game.
On Saturday in the SEC Championship, LSU was up big-time over Georgia 35-10 even as the third quarter drew to a close.
To start the fourth quarter, who was it again? Jefferson.
So, the question begs itself: Why isn't Lee getting any meaningful playing time?
This is a guy who staked LSU, in its most important football campaign in five years, to an 8-0 start before throwing two bad interceptions at Alabama.
His punishment since that time? About 5 minutes P.T.
Tops.
Is there something deeper? Did Lee's father possibly curse Miles out after the Bama game and the coach see fit to send a message? We don't know.
Whatever the offense, Lee's time in the game has been reduced to Token Time. Garbage.
While Lee has only thrown for more than 200 yards once (against Mississippi State) he was completed more than 70% of his passes an astounding five times, including 90% against Northwestern State.
For comparison, Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, the likely Heisman winner and No. 1 pick in next year's NFL draft, has completed 70% of his passes in five games also.
Jefferson, a constant threat on the ground, has only completed 70% of his passes in two games, including one in which 100% of his passes were caught (against Ole Miss).
Will Lee get some valuable P.T. in the BCS game against likely opponent Alabama, especially since having a horrible showing against them on November 5?
Time will tell.

Florida Gators concerned about Mathieu

LSU sophomore cornerback Tyrann Mathieu has the full attention of Florida coach Will Muschamp.

“Just an electric guy on the field,” Muschamp said of Mathieu. “[He] plays with great energy; tough, hard-nosed, great blitzer. Has just a knack for getting the ball off people as far as strips are concerned and interceptions. Just one of those guys that shows up in the right spots regardless of what’s being asked of him.”
The New Orleans native is being mentioned for Heisman consideration.

The Gators are right to be concerned, as Tampabay.com reports. Mathieu leads a deep Tiger defense with 35 tackles, four pass breakups, an interception, 1 1/2 sacks and four forced fumbles.
To put that last number in perspective, the whole Florida Gators defense has forced four fumbles or the year.

Mathieu has two fumble return TDs.

Les Miles explained the force that is Mathieu in a way that only we can, Tampabay.com reports:

"We saw it in camp, that aggressiveness and want to compete even in high school,'' Miles said. "That allowed us to be very comfortable and anticipate that he’d be that kind of player in college. What happens with guys that make those kind of plays routinely, they envision each play as an opportunity to make a great play and if it just happens they are put in that position, they saw that great play they were about to make even before it ever happened. And I think there are few of those. Patrick Peterson certainly was one. I think there are a number of guys on our team who see it that way. But I don’t know that anybody predicts that until you get them on our campus and see it routinely. Really in the first year he showed he was that kind of player.,' he was quoted as saying.

Still, Florida with the speedy Demps and Rainey, will find a way to produce. Look for punt returns and flea-flicker trickery to put 14 points on the board. After that, it'll be all smash mouth football, which Tigers coach Les Miles prefers anyway.
Prediction: LSU 24, Florida 17.

LSU beats West Virginia, 20 -14

LSU just outlasted a determined, speedy, formidable West Virginia team bent on an upset. The Tigers scored on the first play of the 4th quarter for a six-point lead, and made it stand throughout the remaining hellacious 13 minutes and some change.
LOOK! I even live-blogged it!
Up by six with the ever-dangerous but injured Noel Divine on the other side of the ball, the LSU defense rode it's swagger wagon, Patrick Peterson, to victory.
Peterson took back a punt 60 yards in the third quarter in a dazzling display that took the wind out of the Mountaineers, temporarily.
West Virginia stormed back from 17 points down to make it a three point game before LSU's workman-like rushing attack went into overdrive.
And Jordan Jefferson? No progress week to week, just the same DIH (Deer In Headlights) look he always has. Jarrett Lee, for the second game in a row, came in to finish the game after JJ simply flamed out mid-game. Again.
But Peterson? I think it's time we talked Heisman.