Morris: Tigers 'fail' to fall like other teams

• By GEORGE MORRIS
• Advocate staff writer
• Published: Sep 28, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:35 a.m.

• Print
• Email
• Save
• Reprints
• Twitter
• Share

• Del.icio.us
• Digg
• Facebook
• Reddit
• 

In almost every college football season, you can count on a weekend like this. When and where they hit are as unpredictable as tropical weather systems. And, for those seeking the crystal football, almost as damaging.

Sorry, USC. You should be used to this by now. Remember Stanford? UCLA? Bet you do.

Too bad, Georgia. Someday, the Bulldogs may live up to preseason expectations. Not this day.

Well, well, Urban Meyer. Losing at home to Ole Miss? Don’t feel too badly. It happened to Florida in 2003, too. (Then again, feel very badly. That was the beginning of the end for Ron Zook.)

On weekends like this, teams that emerge unscathed should feel as thankful as those who saw Hurricane Gustav push trees everywhere but on their roof.

Underwhelmed by LSU’s 34-24 victory over Mississippi State on Saturday night? Don’t be. Not only did this year’s storm spare the Tigers, but their property values actually went up. Probably up from No. 5 to No. 2 in the country, behind only Oklahoma.

Point spreads don’t matter. Even against a team that has struggled like the Bulldogs, a so-so win is plenty good enough. They’d love to have one in Los Angeles, Athens or Gainesville right now.

“In a week where a lot of college football suffers loss, we played to win,” said LSU head coach Les Miles. “I can tell you that it was not the game that we all had scripted. We would’ve liked to play better than we did, but I like what we did.”

Maybe the Miles era has spoiled Tigers fans. Of his six losses in three-plus seasons, all but one has been to a ranked opponent, and all to teams that went to a bowl game. His teams hit the ground running in games they’re supposed to win in a walk.

There were uneasy moments. Derek Pegues’ 59-yard return of the opening kickoff. A missed Kelvin Sheppard tackle produced a 29-yard gain on MSU’s second possession. Signs that the Tigers were ready to mail in their performance? Not this night.

Charles Scott was a big factor. His fourth consecutive 100-yard rushing night — 141 yards on 27 carries — made life easier for freshman quarterback Jarrett Lee, who had an uneven, but successful, follow-up to his heroics against Auburn.

Lee was far better than anyone had reason to expect two weeks ago. Except for a brief slump — one completion for 5 yards and one interception in a four-pass stretch — he hit 17 of 23 throws for 256 yards and two TDs. LSU can win a lot of football games with quarterbacking like that.