Evergreen wins final installment of rivalry game
October 23, 2012
Keeping up with the local pro
October 23, 2012
Saints:
Quarterbacks – Drew Brees was in rare form Sunday afternoon, carving the Tampa Bay defense like a Halloween pumpkin. The one blemish on his day was an interception that wasn’t his fault – it was a tipped ball.
Grade: A+
Halfbacks – Both Pierre Thomas and Mark Ingram struggled to find room against Tampa Bay’s inconsistent front. That hurt the team late when they tried to turn to the ground game to run out the clock.
Grade: D
Receivers – Without Jimmy Graham, Lance Moore stepped up big and had a huge day, posting nine catches for 121 yards. The Saints’ receivers are loaded with weapons.
Grade: A
Offensive line – The Buccaneers are not known for their pass rushing prowess. Despite their inept defensive ways, Brees wasn’t sacked a single time on Sunday – that’s a huge bonus for this group.
Grade: B+
Defensive line – They were gashed and gave up too many yards. But near the goal line, this group stiffened and kept Tampa Bay out of the end zone a couple of times – the difference in the game.
Grade: B-
Linebackers – Jonathan Vilma was back Sunday. He recorded the same amount of tackles in 20-25 snaps as you or I – zero. Suspended or not, the dude can’t play. Who can play is Curtis Lofton, who had another big day.
Grade: B
Defensive backs – Allowing 420 passing yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions to Josh Freeman is pretty sad. Just sayin’.
Grade: F
Special teams – Coverage and return units weren’t superb, nor poor on Sunday – just a routine day from the Black and Gold special teams.
Grade: B
Coaching staff – The Aaron Kromer era is officially over in New Orleans, as the interim-interim coach will be replaced next week by actual interim coach Joe Vitt. No disrespect to Kromer, but he showed his inexperience often in his tenure, including on Sunday when his conservative strategy on offense and defense nearly cost the Saints the game.
Grade: C
Overall – In the NFL, a win is a win, so the Saints should be very pleased with the outcome of Sunday’s game. But allowing Tampa Bay’s weak offense to gash for 28 points is not a good sign when Peyton Manning is next on your schedule.
Grade: B
LSU:
Quarterbacks – The good news is that Zach Mettenberger didn’t turn the football over. The bad news is that his inaccuracy woes have continued. No one could use a bye week more than this guy.
Grade: C
Halfbacks – Jeremy Hill is an absolute horse. For the second-straight game, he overwhelmed an SEC defense in a second-half rally. He’s slowly carving a path toward the team’s offensive MVP.
Grade: A
Receivers – As usual, the LSU wide outs really didn’t do much to help Zach Mettenberger in this game. Their grade will be saved by a huge and beautiful touchdown grab by Kadron Boone that was one of the plays of the week in college football.
Grade: C+
Offensive line – They may be without starters, but the makeshift LSU offensive line is playing as well as it has all season. Credit to LSU coach Les Miles and offensive coordinator Greg Studrawa for fixing what was a pitiful unit in late September.
Grade: B+
Defensive line – After being gashed for a quarter, the LSU defensive line made adjustments and shut the door on Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel. That’s no easy feat.
Grade: A
Linebackers – Against a high-paced, spread offense like the Aggies, linebacker play is a must. Limiting Manziel to just 27 yards rushing is a testament to how good the Tigers’ backers truly are.
Grade: B+
Defensive backs – As good as Manziel is in open space, he is a terrible vertical passer. The Tigers took advantage of his mishaps, picking off three passes and nearly having a handful more in the win. This would be an A+ score if not for two completely bone-headed third down penalties by Eric Reid that extended drives and let to 14 Aggies’ points.
Grade: B
Special teams – Does LSU get credit for Texas A&M’s kicker being inept? His missed extra point and two missed field goals (one a chip shot) were a huge storyline in this game.
Grade: B
Coaching staff – LSU was woefully unprepared for the intricacies within Texas A&M’s offense. But the Tigers shifted from a four-man front to a 3-3-5 alignment – a move that ended the Aggies’ offensive success for the rest of the game. Credit LSU’s coaches for putting pride to the side and admitting their initial game plan was inferior. In this game, that one shift was the difference between victory and defeat.
Grade: A-
Overall – Things sure weren’t looking good for LSU on Saturday. Down 12-0 with three minutes to go in the opening half, the Tigers’ defense took the game into its own hands and forced two first-half turnovers that turned the game around. With all of the struggles the Tigers have had throughout the season, heading into the bye week with a 7-1 record is a major feat. Amidst all of the perceived poor play, if LSU wins the remainder of their games, they will still likely play for the BCS National Championship.
Grade: B+
Nicholls
Quarterbacks – We have a Beaux Hebert sighting in Thibodaux. The son of the Cajun Cannon played his most significant snaps this season in relief of Landry Klann, who struggled. The Colonels’ duo passed for 274 yards and a touchdown – this part of the game is the least of the team’s problems.
Grade: B
Halfbacks – Here’s all you need to know – 27 carries, 13 yards. Enough said.
Grade: F
Receivers – The Colonels’ receivers had a solid day Saturday, hitting several plays down the field. Their job is so much more difficult without a legitimate running game, as well.
Grade: B-
Offensive line – The Colonels’ quarterbacks were sacked four times and the team rushed for a grand total of 0.5 yards per carry. This hit-or-miss group missed on Saturday.
Grade: F
Defensive line – Nicholls did a good job stopping the running game, limiting Stephen F. Austin to just 60 yards on the ground. But they didn’t record a sack in 71 total passes thrown by the Lumberjacks – that’s a problem.
Grade: C
Linebackers – One week after having an off week by his ridiculously lofty standards, Colonels’ linebacker Jordan Piper recorded 15 tackles. This guy is a monster back there. Recording that many stops as a linebacker against a pass-happy offense is impressive.
Grade: B
Defensive backs – Recording two interceptions is nice. But allowing 515 yards passing and five touchdowns is just flat awful. Stephen F. Austin did whatever it wanted within its passing game, gashing the Colonels’ secondary early and often.
Grade: F
Special teams – Cory Kemps is a good punter. He had a nice day in an otherwise rough afternoon for most of the Colonels.
Grade: B+
Coaching staff – For the past few weeks, Nicholls hid a lot of its failures behind the mask of playing the top teams in the Southland Conference. Stephen F. Austin isn’t among those top-tier teams. So what gives? The Colonels’ staff needs some blame for the team’s weekly failures.
Grade: D
Overall – After struggling against two of the best teams in the Southland Conference, I had high hopes that Nicholls would reverse its fortunes against a middle of the pack team. They didn’t and looked as bad as they have all season. Whatever is wrong in Thibodaux needs to be fixed real soon or another one-win season may be forthcoming.
Grade: D
LSU receiver Kadron Boone makes a diving touchdown reception to put LSU ahead of Texas A&M. After a slow first half, the Tigers rallied and defeated the Aggies. The victory sets up a showdown against Alabama next Saturday in Tiger Stadium.
