Tide lurking?
After watching the Alabama-Miss. State game last Saturday on TV, I put Saturday's game in the win column for LSU.
Then, looking in the paper, I saw the boys in Vegas had a similar feeling, making LSU a 17-point favorite in Saturday's game in Baton Rouge.
So why do I think this may be more than just another glorified Tiger Stadium scrimmage like every other LSU home game has been this season?
Because Alabama coach Mike Shula said something on today's SEC teleconference that actually makes a little bit of sense concerning his 6-4 team.
"We've played some pretty good games against some pretty good teams that have been real close,'' Shula said. "The thing we haven't done is that whatever it takes, at the end of these games, especially on the road that we played against Florida, Arkansas and Tennessee.''
In all three of those games, the Tide had their chances. They lost in overtime at Arkansas (before the Hogs knew they were good). They lost in the fourth quarter to Florida and Tennessee.
"If you watch LSU, they did that last week (at Tennessee),'' Shula said. "It was a very similar game, back and forth with Tennessee and they found a way to win the football game. And that's what we haven't done. And that's what we have to be able to do.''
This isn't to say Alabama is going to win on Saturday. But it does say that an Alabama team that comes back from a Mississippi State loss with a chip on its shoulder could be a lot tougher to deal with than LSU fans or Vegas oddsmakers think.
Then, looking in the paper, I saw the boys in Vegas had a similar feeling, making LSU a 17-point favorite in Saturday's game in Baton Rouge.
So why do I think this may be more than just another glorified Tiger Stadium scrimmage like every other LSU home game has been this season?
Because Alabama coach Mike Shula said something on today's SEC teleconference that actually makes a little bit of sense concerning his 6-4 team.
"We've played some pretty good games against some pretty good teams that have been real close,'' Shula said. "The thing we haven't done is that whatever it takes, at the end of these games, especially on the road that we played against Florida, Arkansas and Tennessee.''
In all three of those games, the Tide had their chances. They lost in overtime at Arkansas (before the Hogs knew they were good). They lost in the fourth quarter to Florida and Tennessee.
"If you watch LSU, they did that last week (at Tennessee),'' Shula said. "It was a very similar game, back and forth with Tennessee and they found a way to win the football game. And that's what we haven't done. And that's what we have to be able to do.''
This isn't to say Alabama is going to win on Saturday. But it does say that an Alabama team that comes back from a Mississippi State loss with a chip on its shoulder could be a lot tougher to deal with than LSU fans or Vegas oddsmakers think.
posted by Scott Ferrell at 9:10 AM
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