Curfew, thefts land several in hot water
September 5, 2012Isaac impacts schedule
September 5, 2012
LSU football coach Les Miles promised fans that the Tigers would be offensively balanced in 2012.
So far, the coach’s words are holding true.
In its first game of the new season, LSU’s offense rushed for 316 yards and threw for 192 more in a 41-14 drubbing of North Texas.
The Tigers’ 508 total yards are the most the team has accumulated in a single game since the team posted 595 yards in a win against Louisiana Tech on Nov. 10, 2007.
“We played very well,” LSU sophomore halfback Kenny Hilliard said. “We made a few mistakes, but overall I give credit to the O-line for neutralizing the perimeter. Overall, I think we played a good game.”
Hilliard mentioned LSU’s success.
The truth is he was one of the biggest reasons for the Tigers’ ability to move the football down the field.
The Tri-parish native and former Patterson High School All-American carried the ball 13 times for a college career-high 141 yards and two touchdowns.
“I think Kenny Hilliard is ready to play,” Miles said with a smirk.
Hilliard provided the power and brunt to LSU’s ground attack.
His counterpart, junior Alfred Blue, gashed the Mean Green with speed and finesse.
In his first opening day game as LSU’s starting halfback, Blue showed why he earned an offseason promotion, rushing for 123 yards on 16 carries.
Miles said he fully expects Blue to have his best season as a Tiger in 2012.
He joked that the one-two punch of Blue and Hilliard is reminiscent of the “shake and bake” tandem of Ricky Bobby and Cal Naughton Jr. in the 2006 slapstick comedy Talladega Nights.
“I liked our backs,” Miles said. “I think Blue is really going to have a good fall. He is quicker, stronger and more capable.
“Again, we’re going to have very good tailback play. We need to sure up some things and get better. If we line up and make some simple adjustments, we probably add another 70 yards to our total (yardage).”
The halfback play wasn’t a major surprise to Tiger fans – LSU has been stocked full of capable ball carriers for the past decade.
It was quarterback where the Tiger faithful wanted to see improvement.
Junior Zach Mettenberger appeared to pass the test in his first-ever career start at LSU.
The 6-foot, 5-inch righty completed 19-of-26 passes for 192 yards and a touchdown against the Mean Green secondary.
He completed passes to seven different receivers in the win and hit passes of short, medium and long lengths.
All in all I liked him,” Miles said. “I liked his composure.”
More important than the stats, Miles said he also liked Mettenberger’s toughness.
The junior took a bone-crushing hit in the first half, which silenced Tiger Stadium and the entire LSU nation.
After lying on the turf for a few minutes, Mettenberger woozily walked off the field.
The quarterback missed one series after the blow, but returned to the game and finished strong, completing his final nine passes of the game.
“He took a punch to the mouth,” Miles said. “That was the plan, not for him to take a punch to the mouth, I prefer that we protect the quarterback, but with that being said, it is one of those things where you have to learn to get the ball out and you have to recognize the defense that is being played. … He showed toughness.”
A known colorful personality, Mettenberger said his biggest accomplishment of the night wasn’t his play, but his ability to pass the difficult questions on the concussion exam.
“I passed with flying colors,” Mettenberger said. “I had to count backwards from 100 by threes. So I was pretty proud about that. I’ve just got to rest up tonight and be ready for Monday.”
But even in victory, Miles believes the offense has lots of improvement to make.
The coach said missed blocks hampered the running game and its ability to turn short gains into moderate gains and big plays.
“(We) had an opportunity to play dominant at times, but really had some sloppy plays,” Miles said. “That is kind of how I look at it.”
In the passing game, the coach singled out Mettenberger’s forced pass in the end zone, which led to an interception.
“He threw a pick down in the red zone that I think is something that we will correct,” Miles said. “He will learn to take what that defense is giving you more than pressing.”
But overall, rust and sloppiness could be expected out of LSU when one looks at the scope of their situation.
The Tigers didn’t have a full week of practice for the Mean Green after Hurricane Isaac made its mark on Louisiana.
That delay, combined with the excitement of a season opener presented a sloppy win – something Miles and players say they somewhat expected given the circumstances.
“It’s tough. It’s not like the NFL where we get four preseason games. It’s not like high school where we get jamborees or a scrimmage,” Mettenberger said. “So it’s tough to go out there and play your first game. But we got it under our belt, we came away with the win, and hopefully we can get better for Washington. … This week definitely got screwed up a little bit with Hurricane Isaac coming in. I don’t want to make any excuses or anything. We’ve still got to go out there and execute and play better.”
“We rushed for 300 and threw for close to 200 yards,” Miles added. “Not too bad. … Imperfect, but with reason to smile.”
LSU sophomore halfback Kenny Hilliard breaks into open space during the Tigers’ 42-14 win against North Texas. LSU’s offense was dominant in the win, accumulating 508 yards on the Mean Green defense. That number is the highest mark for the Tigers’ offense since the 2007 season.
