3 & Out: The Absence of Tyrann Mathieu, An FSU BCS Title Run and Applauding Lane Kiffin
By Zach Pugh
1st Down: Can LSU recover from the loss of Mathieu?
Friday was a bad day for LSU fans. When All-American and Heisman Trophy finalist Tyrann Mathieu
from the team, the reaction poured in. The future of Mathieu is yet to be determined, but just as recently as today, has surfaced about his interest in
returning to the Tigers for the 2013 season
. While his next step is a mystery, the effect on the 2012 LSU Tigers is something we can analyze with certainty.
Mathieu brought a dynamic to the 2011 Tigers that can’t be replaced with 76 tackles, six forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries, nine pass breakups and 1.5 sacks. He was also a danger in the return game with two touchdowns.
Many will point to the fact last year’s defense didn’t rise and fall behind Mathieu with players like Barkevious Mingo, Sam Montgomery, Morris Claiborne and Eric Reid. Sure, the argument can be made Mingo, Montgomery, Claiborne and Reid were more valuable to the success on defense. Claiborne was the sixth overall pick in this year’s draft and Montgomery, Mingo and Reid are all projected to be first round picks in the 2013 draft. The Tigers are also set on the defensive line with some great talent in Anthony Johnson, Bennie Logan and Josh Downs.
So how much could LSU really miss Mathieu; will they at all?
The impact of Mathieu was never more clear than in games against Georgia and Arkansas last season. Against Arkansas, Mathieu came through with a 92-yard return when the Tigers were down 14-7 in the first half. That sparked a 34-3 Tiger run. In the SEC championship game against Georgia, he changed the tide when LSU was down 10-0 in the second quarter with a 62-yard punt return score. There was also another punt-return against Georgia where he was able to make enough Bulldogs miss to set up the offense for an easy touchdown drive.
Mathieu also single-handedly changed the course of the early season match-up against Oregon. The Tigers were down 6-3, and then in comes the Honey Badger to strip the ball on a Duck punt return to get LSU into the end zone for the first time. His touchdown sparked a 30-7 run.
How much was Mathieu a factor? Defensively and in the return game, his numbers were better than Charles Woodson’s 1997 season, when he won the Heisman.
While the Tigers defense will be one of the best in the nation again this season, Mathieu’s presence will be missed at the nickel position. He was the perfect nickelback. Mathieu had the ability to cover the whole field; he knew how to anticipate where the ball was going and always put himself in the position to make plays.
2nd Down: A Florida State BCS title run
We were a year early on the expectations for Florida State: that’s been a common theme this off-season for the Seminoles. FSU managed a 9-4 record last season with a slew of injuries and inexperience on offense. With three of their losses being close, many can argue that’s where the experience comes into play.
The 2011 October version of the Seminoles is what some are expecting the whole season to look like in 2012. And while the expectations are deserved, there needs to be some changes in order for them to compete for a BCS title.
The offensive line’s performance last year was a big drop-off from previous years. Going into 2011, the Seminoles had an experienced line with 112 combined career starts ready to lead the charge. But when Andrew Datko and David Spurlock went down to injury, quite a few true freshman were thrown into the fire. The plus side to all the line’s struggles is they now have some experience moving forward in to 2012.
Senior quarterback E.J. Manuel was sacked 9.3 percent of the time last season. Some of that was due to the inexperienced carousel on the offensive line and some of that was due to Manuel holding on to the ball too long looking to make a play. Manuel has the ability to lead a strong offensive charge with a loaded receiving group, but it will all go to waste if the line doesn’t protect him. And let’s be honest, he could also learn to just throw the ball away when nothing is developing downfield.
Defensively, FSU is just downright scary. With nine starters returning from a unit that ranked fourth in the country last year, the domination is expected to continue with defensive end Brandon Jenkins leading the way. The Seminole defense would fit perfectly in the SEC, with six players projected to be drafted in 2013. To sum it up, the defense is loaded and will challenge LSU and Alabama for the best in the country.
FSU has some talented running backs, but again they will go to waste if the O-line can’t step up. If the offensive line can protect Manuel and anchor a running game that ranked 104th in the country last season, this team can finally make a run at a BCS national championship.
3rd Down: What to take from Lane Kiffin
Yes,
Lane Kiffin lied about his vote in the USA Today Coaches poll
. And, he probably should not have lied about such a silly thing in the first place.
As far as Kiffin voting for the team he coaches, who cares? He felt his team is the best in the country and voted accordingly. Should he have lied? No. But giving up his voting responsibilities is something that I applaud him for.
The coaches’ poll is such a pointless system as is and shouldn’t exist. The poll is nothing but a biased waste of everyone’s time, including the coaches who vote. What coach can honestly have enough knowledge of teams outside his own and those on his schedule? The answer is none.
Coaches are not concerned about who should come in at No. 25 in the poll, nor do they have enough time to watch film of teams who they more than likely won’t even play in order to make an informed decision. All their time goes into their team and film review of their next opponent.