WEBVTT - LSU WINS! 0:00:02.200 --> 0:00:04.720 Welcome to the solid verbal. 0:00:04.880 --> 0:00:05.600 Come that for me. 0:00:06.680 --> 0:00:08.160 I'm a man, I'm forty. 0:00:08.280 --> 0:00:10.119 I've heard so many players say, well, I want to 0:00:10.160 --> 0:00:13.000 be happy, you want to be happy for Dake Edith State? 0:00:13.360 --> 0:00:20.200 Is that whoo whoom? And Dan and Tye, welcome back 0:00:20.360 --> 0:00:23.319 to the Solid Verbal, Boys and girls. My name is 0:00:23.360 --> 0:00:26.960 ty Hildebrand. Joinning me as always over there in New 0:00:27.080 --> 0:00:30.880 York City. My man, the one and only Dan Rubinstein, Sir, 0:00:30.960 --> 0:00:31.480 how are you? 0:00:32.440 --> 0:00:37.000 They said the Bison couldn't do it, They said North 0:00:37.080 --> 0:00:41.400 Dakota State with a freshman quarterback couldn't come through in Frisco. 0:00:42.040 --> 0:00:45.360 And here we are to recap all things. Trey Lance, Ty, 0:00:45.600 --> 0:00:46.599 I'm great. How are you? 0:00:47.000 --> 0:00:51.760 I am doing well? Welcome one, Welcome all, and congratulations 0:00:51.840 --> 0:00:57.000 to the LSU Tigers who triumphantly won the College Football 0:00:57.000 --> 0:01:01.160 Playoff National Championship last night by a forty two to 0:01:01.200 --> 0:01:04.399 twenty five score over the Clemson Tigers. This is a 0:01:04.400 --> 0:01:06.880 different show for us. We only have one game to recap. 0:01:06.959 --> 0:01:09.319 We're going to do our best to go through all 0:01:09.360 --> 0:01:11.680 the minutia of the game that transpired last night in 0:01:11.800 --> 0:01:15.200 New Orleans. In the meantime, though, if you haven't yet 0:01:15.280 --> 0:01:18.280 subscribed to our show. You can do so at soliverbo 0:01:18.360 --> 0:01:22.080 dot com or anywhere you get your podcasts. Every subscription 0:01:22.280 --> 0:01:25.920 helps us boost the show and grow the footprint. Really, 0:01:25.920 --> 0:01:27.920 we're going to be here all off season long, so 0:01:28.319 --> 0:01:30.479 we want you along for the ride as we talk 0:01:30.520 --> 0:01:33.400 about the ins and outs of college football with interesting 0:01:33.480 --> 0:01:36.959 guests with funny themes. Who knows what comes our way 0:01:37.000 --> 0:01:39.240 over the next few months. But as we make this 0:01:39.280 --> 0:01:42.520 turn now into the so called doldrums of college football, 0:01:42.800 --> 0:01:45.120 it's always great to have Oarver Bawlers with us. We 0:01:45.160 --> 0:01:47.440 would urge you to join if you haven't already. 0:01:47.640 --> 0:01:51.080 Yeah, do that. So we do have the one game 0:01:51.080 --> 0:01:54.320 to discuss. I think we can also discuss implications moving 0:01:54.400 --> 0:01:57.840 forward after we now know the results and where these 0:01:57.840 --> 0:02:00.560 two teams are heading and who perhaps might be in 0:02:00.640 --> 0:02:04.200 position to be in our recap show on an early 0:02:04.240 --> 0:02:07.560 Tuesday morning in early January next year. I'd like to 0:02:07.640 --> 0:02:10.440 frame this show and you can turn me down it's okay, 0:02:11.280 --> 0:02:15.080 and figure out what is and what isn't as it 0:02:15.120 --> 0:02:21.119 relates to LSU and Clemson. So I suppose, unless there's 0:02:21.160 --> 0:02:24.880 more housekeeping to do, people understand that LSU is a 0:02:24.919 --> 0:02:27.480 national champion. They'd beat Clemson forty two to twenty five 0:02:27.520 --> 0:02:30.160 in a game that wasn't really in doubt late. But 0:02:30.600 --> 0:02:33.200 to you, what was this game? What did you come 0:02:33.240 --> 0:02:38.400 away with being sure of after watching LSU's offense put 0:02:38.480 --> 0:02:41.160 forty two and over six hundred yards and really when 0:02:41.200 --> 0:02:44.800 they got going dismantle a very very good Clemson defense. 0:02:45.200 --> 0:02:47.000 Well, you know, a week ago, when we previewed this 0:02:47.080 --> 0:02:50.560 game in hindsight, we were right to frame it out 0:02:50.560 --> 0:02:54.000 by asking will it matter? Will it matter that Clemson's 0:02:54.000 --> 0:02:55.760 got a great pass rush and one of the best 0:02:55.760 --> 0:02:59.239 pass defenses in America? Will it matter that Joe Burrow 0:02:59.240 --> 0:03:01.040 and at orger On I haven't been on a stage 0:03:01.080 --> 0:03:03.320 this big, or that it's a home game, or we 0:03:03.400 --> 0:03:08.120 listed off about fifteen items, Will they matter? What we 0:03:08.160 --> 0:03:10.560 know now is that most of it didn't matter, not 0:03:10.680 --> 0:03:13.800 over the course of sixty minutes. What truly mattered was 0:03:13.840 --> 0:03:18.200 that Joe Burrow was again unflappable in two playoff games, 0:03:18.200 --> 0:03:21.799 accounting for fourteen total touchdowns, which is a crazy stat, 0:03:22.200 --> 0:03:25.920 a crazy stat maybe the greatest individual season in the 0:03:25.960 --> 0:03:29.400 history of college football. We can read through the stats later, 0:03:29.560 --> 0:03:33.560 but first and foremost I came away from this game 0:03:33.760 --> 0:03:37.760 sure that Joe Burrow and this magical season he's had 0:03:38.240 --> 0:03:41.440 was not a fluke. Not a fluke. He had a 0:03:41.440 --> 0:03:44.280 good year last year where he won moments, and we 0:03:44.400 --> 0:03:48.400 talked about those moments, but the offense around him hadn't 0:03:48.480 --> 0:03:51.400 quite been assembled. Certainly, the offensive line in front of 0:03:51.440 --> 0:03:54.560 him was a big question mark going into this season. Now, 0:03:54.600 --> 0:03:57.680 after seeing the full body of work and in particular 0:03:57.760 --> 0:04:01.360 what he did in two huge playoff games games, there 0:04:01.400 --> 0:04:04.000 is no doubt that this was no fluke by Joe Burrow. 0:04:04.320 --> 0:04:06.760 He should be the first pick by the Cincinnati Bengals 0:04:06.760 --> 0:04:09.640 to go home to Ohio. And I think that has 0:04:09.720 --> 0:04:12.120 to be the main starting point here, even though it 0:04:12.200 --> 0:04:15.080 may be cliche and overdone at this point, Joe Burrow 0:04:15.200 --> 0:04:15.640 was the man. 0:04:16.160 --> 0:04:18.880 Well, to be fair to the game itself, he was 0:04:19.000 --> 0:04:21.599 you said, unflappable, but he was flapped early. 0:04:21.760 --> 0:04:24.800 Early he was first first, like three drives, he was, 0:04:24.839 --> 0:04:26.600 and then after that not so much. 0:04:26.640 --> 0:04:31.200 Right and Clemson looked strong and more composed on offense early. 0:04:31.279 --> 0:04:34.560 They sort of generate bigger plays and are able to 0:04:34.560 --> 0:04:37.119 string together first downs a little bit more easily, spread 0:04:37.160 --> 0:04:40.080 the ball around. Trevor Lawrence certainly looks more comfortable. Joe 0:04:40.080 --> 0:04:43.040 Burrow talked about how Brent Venables and the Clemson defense 0:04:43.320 --> 0:04:45.920 were coming at him from mystery angles. You know, they 0:04:45.920 --> 0:04:48.799 were playing their three down linemen sort of bunched together 0:04:48.880 --> 0:04:50.360 near the middle of the line, and then they were 0:04:50.400 --> 0:04:54.000 sending guys delayed guys and twists and whatever. And Joe 0:04:54.000 --> 0:04:57.080 Burrow had a legitimately difficult time and the one play 0:04:57.120 --> 0:04:59.479 he did make was called back for an offensive lineman 0:04:59.480 --> 0:05:03.520 illegally downfield, because how could you assume that Joe Burrow 0:05:03.880 --> 0:05:06.520 was going to be tackled in the backfield after spending 0:05:06.560 --> 0:05:08.839 that much time with the ball scrambling for his life. 0:05:09.240 --> 0:05:13.880 But Clemson looked like the better prepared team to win 0:05:14.000 --> 0:05:17.320 this game for the first quarter and beyond as they 0:05:17.320 --> 0:05:20.200 were looking at the LSU defense and figuring out ways 0:05:20.240 --> 0:05:24.480 to move the ball. And then the second quarter, right, 0:05:24.560 --> 0:05:27.120 it was like the first twenty minutes of this game, 0:05:27.160 --> 0:05:31.919 the first third was all coming up Clemson. But after 0:05:31.960 --> 0:05:35.719 that point LSU figured it out on offense, and as 0:05:35.720 --> 0:05:38.280 you get to the back half of the game, LS 0:05:38.320 --> 0:05:41.760 you shut down Clemson's offense completely shut it down for 0:05:41.760 --> 0:05:44.440 the last twenty five minutes of the game, and the 0:05:44.800 --> 0:05:48.200 attention is rightfully going to go to at Oorzan and 0:05:48.320 --> 0:05:51.640 Joe Brady. Dave Randa not as much, I guess, Dave Randa, 0:05:51.720 --> 0:05:53.920 but you know they, like you mentioned, the offensive line 0:05:53.960 --> 0:05:57.520 coming together, these incredible receivers, Tis Marshall and Jamar Chase 0:05:57.560 --> 0:06:00.000 goes for over two hundred justin Jefferson. Another great game. 0:06:00.080 --> 0:06:04.239 Fad moss Key catches, Clyde Edwards, Hilaire kept getting it done. 0:06:05.040 --> 0:06:08.040 The LSU defense. After they go down seventeen to seven, 0:06:08.560 --> 0:06:11.360 I think LSU goes on a thirty five to eight 0:06:11.480 --> 0:06:14.760 run the second half where you get the Joe Burrow touchdown. 0:06:14.760 --> 0:06:16.920 He runs out of bounds and he throws the touchdown 0:06:16.920 --> 0:06:18.560 pass right before the half. They get the ball at 0:06:18.560 --> 0:06:22.120 halftime and get shut down. But it was the LSU 0:06:22.240 --> 0:06:26.080 defense that was anywhere Trevor Lawrence and the Clemson offense 0:06:26.160 --> 0:06:29.000 wanted to be. It was hands in passing lanes, it 0:06:29.040 --> 0:06:31.880 was making him uncomfortable, it was making it was showing 0:06:32.000 --> 0:06:36.520 no open lane for anything Clemson that ultimately, as much 0:06:36.600 --> 0:06:40.960 as the LSU offense scored the points and brought lightning 0:06:41.160 --> 0:06:44.400 to the National Championship Game, it was really the LSU 0:06:44.480 --> 0:06:49.840 defense that ultimately stamped the ticket for LSU as national champions. 0:06:49.839 --> 0:06:53.440 To me, you know, we start this discussion rightfully talking 0:06:53.440 --> 0:06:56.440 about Joe Burrow, the Heisman Trophy winner, of course, incredible 0:06:56.560 --> 0:07:00.719 individual season. Again, I emphasize all the story of this 0:07:00.839 --> 0:07:06.040 game to me was that LSU defense, because clearly opposite them, 0:07:06.560 --> 0:07:10.000 this Clemson offense had enough firepower to contend with just 0:07:10.040 --> 0:07:12.320 about anybody Dan. The fact that they were able to 0:07:12.360 --> 0:07:15.080 shut them down in the manner that they did was 0:07:15.600 --> 0:07:18.600 truly impressive. So I start with Burrow, I think I 0:07:18.920 --> 0:07:22.520 end and I'm most impressed by the LSU defense in 0:07:22.560 --> 0:07:23.400 the effort they put in. 0:07:24.240 --> 0:07:27.320 Yeah, and it's an LSU defense. And we talked about 0:07:27.320 --> 0:07:29.800 the Ali Oup quality of you know, putting a defense 0:07:29.840 --> 0:07:31.640 on the field a lot if the offense is playing 0:07:31.680 --> 0:07:34.600 really well or really poorly. They were scoring, LSU was 0:07:34.640 --> 0:07:37.680 scoring quickly. LSU was moving the ball downfield, I mean 0:07:37.760 --> 0:07:40.880 largely Joe Burrow to his receivers, namely Justin Jefferson and 0:07:40.920 --> 0:07:45.920 Jamar Chase and Teris Marshall. The LSU defense got off 0:07:45.960 --> 0:07:48.160 the field. I mean, you'd look at what Clemson was 0:07:48.240 --> 0:07:50.120 able or really not able to do in the second half. 0:07:50.160 --> 0:07:52.880 They score that touchdown early on on their first possession 0:07:52.880 --> 0:07:55.640 in the second half. But then it's punt four plays, 0:07:56.000 --> 0:08:00.480 punt four plays, punt three plays, punt five plays for 0:08:00.560 --> 0:08:03.280 six yards and then Trevor Lawrence fumbles on their final 0:08:03.320 --> 0:08:05.760 possession or I guess they got twenty or thirty yards. 0:08:05.800 --> 0:08:09.720 But it was such a complete performance, and you know, 0:08:09.760 --> 0:08:12.120 you can look back at the sliding doors and all 0:08:12.160 --> 0:08:14.560 of the events that led to you know, ed Orgeran 0:08:14.640 --> 0:08:18.040 getting the job, and Joe Oliva and holding onto less miles, 0:08:18.080 --> 0:08:22.400 and you know Tom Herman being involved, Jimbo Fisher being involved, 0:08:22.480 --> 0:08:26.160 and the foresight allegedly because this is what I want 0:08:26.200 --> 0:08:29.040 to get into next of Joe Burrow coming to LSU 0:08:29.120 --> 0:08:33.080 or and seeing something in Joe Burrow. But LSU got 0:08:33.120 --> 0:08:37.520 to this point because of desperation. Now they got their 0:08:37.679 --> 0:08:40.640 twenty nineteen season, was we have to figure out something 0:08:40.640 --> 0:08:42.240 on offense. We have to figure out something where we 0:08:42.240 --> 0:08:44.400 don't count on the offensive line after what they showed 0:08:44.440 --> 0:08:46.520 in twenty eighteen. We have to figure something out at 0:08:46.600 --> 0:08:50.800 quarterback and maybe this three star Ohio State backup is 0:08:50.840 --> 0:08:54.400 the answer. We need something, We need a spark for 0:08:54.480 --> 0:08:58.800 this offense. We need anything, and what I want to 0:08:58.800 --> 0:09:01.719 get into with what it isn't and we can talk 0:09:01.720 --> 0:09:04.319 about Clemson, we can talk about LSU somemore because I mean, 0:09:04.400 --> 0:09:07.120 six hundred plus yards forty two points and getting their 0:09:07.120 --> 0:09:09.880 act together after that first quarter was nothing short of incredible. 0:09:10.200 --> 0:09:14.439 But I think what sort of gets lost because we're inundated. 0:09:14.440 --> 0:09:16.920 Everybody's trying to come up with a different angle, everybody's 0:09:16.920 --> 0:09:19.440 trying to come up with a different feel good story. 0:09:20.679 --> 0:09:24.560 Edrogron gets positioned as he's the local guy who went 0:09:24.600 --> 0:09:27.880 through some stuff and you know, USC didn't hire him 0:09:27.920 --> 0:09:30.120 and he had a bad tenured old miss and he's 0:09:30.120 --> 0:09:32.480 coming back home to LSU and he's just this down 0:09:32.480 --> 0:09:37.560 home guy. Edorrigron is a full on great coach. And 0:09:37.600 --> 0:09:40.280 I think that's that everybody thinks that he's almost like 0:09:40.360 --> 0:09:44.120 the I don't I couldn't recall his name, the voiceover 0:09:44.160 --> 0:09:46.000 guy who is homeless on the side of the road, 0:09:46.120 --> 0:09:48.840 Oh right, that I want to say, yeah, yeah, we 0:09:49.120 --> 0:09:52.240 like And you know, it's like, oh, this Joe Brady kid. Finally, 0:09:52.559 --> 0:09:55.440 like Joe Brady won an essay contest to become the 0:09:55.600 --> 0:10:00.600 LSU pass a game coordinator. These are full on great coaches. 0:10:00.640 --> 0:10:03.560 These are full on great players. Joe Burrow just happened 0:10:03.600 --> 0:10:06.160 to be a backup, probably at the wrong school or 0:10:06.160 --> 0:10:09.599 for the wrong system, whatever. But this isn't like a 0:10:10.040 --> 0:10:15.840 scrappy feel good thing. This is incredible coaching, an incredible infrastructure, 0:10:15.880 --> 0:10:19.760 an incredible talent coming together. And so to me, what 0:10:20.000 --> 0:10:24.160 LSU's twenty nineteen isn't is like a bad News Bears thing. 0:10:25.240 --> 0:10:29.000 Their game against Clemson proved was this is just college 0:10:29.080 --> 0:10:33.160 football excellence, and it's all time excellence. For all of 0:10:33.200 --> 0:10:36.720 the reasons why excellent teams have come together in years past, 0:10:37.040 --> 0:10:41.120 it's just new in this decade for LSU to do 0:10:41.240 --> 0:10:44.960 what they did. And Clemson's a great team, and what 0:10:45.120 --> 0:10:47.360 LSU was able to do in the second and third 0:10:47.480 --> 0:10:52.720 quarter and just trample them was nothing new for this 0:10:52.880 --> 0:10:58.280 team this year. But nevertheless, an incredible watch. 0:10:58.320 --> 0:11:00.760 An incredible watch, and to your point, Ed ors run 0:11:00.880 --> 0:11:04.160 ed Orgron's run in college football circles for a long time. 0:11:04.320 --> 0:11:07.320 Of course, was coach at ol Miss. He saw during 0:11:07.360 --> 0:11:10.400 the broadcast they showed all of his stops around the 0:11:10.400 --> 0:11:13.679 state of Louisiana, had a brief runt at USC ed 0:11:13.760 --> 0:11:16.960 orgs Heron's never been short on motivation and there's never 0:11:17.000 --> 0:11:19.840 been any doubt about the fact that he's an elite recruiter. 0:11:20.520 --> 0:11:22.320 The guy knows how to get you amped up to 0:11:22.360 --> 0:11:26.080 play for him. But what was lacking, and specifically lacking 0:11:26.080 --> 0:11:29.240 at LSU even before he got there, was this infrastructure 0:11:29.280 --> 0:11:32.720 on offense trying to figure out a new twist, some 0:11:32.840 --> 0:11:35.360 way to liven it up. And so when we all 0:11:35.440 --> 0:11:38.160 heard that going into the year that this was the 0:11:38.240 --> 0:11:40.080 year they had figured it out or they were trying 0:11:40.120 --> 0:11:42.600 to figure it out, they were trying something new, I 0:11:42.640 --> 0:11:46.320 think it was met rightfully with some skepticism because we've 0:11:46.360 --> 0:11:51.000 heard that act before and it hadn't materialized. And to 0:11:51.080 --> 0:11:53.640 your point, Dan, there's a lot to be said for 0:11:53.679 --> 0:11:56.720 a coach going out making a key decision and having 0:11:56.800 --> 0:11:59.319 it work. Look at Daboswiney on the other side of 0:11:59.360 --> 0:12:01.959 the field. We've had guests on this show time and 0:12:02.000 --> 0:12:04.840 again talk about how when Dabo took over at Clemson, 0:12:05.400 --> 0:12:08.240 his first choice was to go out and hire assistant 0:12:08.320 --> 0:12:11.040 coaches who he knew were going to be very good, 0:12:11.120 --> 0:12:13.760 who could carry some of the weight for him as 0:12:13.800 --> 0:12:16.720 a first time head coach. That was a decision that 0:12:16.800 --> 0:12:21.439 in the long term has paid handsomely. Multiple hundreds of 0:12:21.520 --> 0:12:25.040 times over for that Clemson football program and the legacy 0:12:25.080 --> 0:12:28.000 that Dabosweeney's going to leave behind. I don't know what 0:12:28.040 --> 0:12:30.480 the eventual story is going to be for Ed Orgeron, 0:12:30.960 --> 0:12:34.400 but the fact that he made this decision, now, as 0:12:34.400 --> 0:12:36.679 you said, maybe a bit out of desperation to try 0:12:36.720 --> 0:12:39.640 and retool this offense, the way that it worked out, 0:12:39.960 --> 0:12:42.600 the way that it was cobbled together and built around 0:12:42.640 --> 0:12:45.679 this personnel grouping that he had, was nothing short of 0:12:45.720 --> 0:12:48.560 a great coaching decision. So all due credit to him 0:12:48.840 --> 0:12:51.960 and what he put forth in twenty nineteen because, as 0:12:52.000 --> 0:12:54.479 many have said, and I'm sure we'll debate in the offseason, 0:12:54.960 --> 0:12:57.920 clearly one of the best offensive performances in the history 0:12:57.920 --> 0:12:58.720 of college football. 0:12:59.400 --> 0:13:01.640 Yeah, a lot of know what you are, know what 0:13:01.679 --> 0:13:03.560 you aren't, and lsu knew that they were not in 0:13:03.600 --> 0:13:05.719 a good place offensively. They tried this a few years 0:13:05.760 --> 0:13:08.920 ago with Matt Canada to modernize and it didn't work. 0:13:08.960 --> 0:13:13.000 For personality reasons, for on field reasons, consistency reasons. It 0:13:13.040 --> 0:13:16.160 didn't work. So it's not just the idea of we 0:13:16.280 --> 0:13:19.520 need to change, we need to evolve. I'm checking my 0:13:19.559 --> 0:13:21.120 ego at the door. You also have to find the 0:13:21.200 --> 0:13:24.520 right guy. You also have to be incredibly lucky, and 0:13:24.840 --> 0:13:28.360 everybody that succeeds has some sort of luck at some point. 0:13:28.760 --> 0:13:30.760 I will also add, and people have pointed to the 0:13:31.040 --> 0:13:34.520 Clemson template, the Dabo template of hiring great assistance and 0:13:34.559 --> 0:13:37.920 taking less money up front. It also helps when you 0:13:38.080 --> 0:13:41.680 have a school behind you, an athletic department behind you, 0:13:42.000 --> 0:13:44.520 that has a ton of money that they're willing to 0:13:44.679 --> 0:13:49.640 spend on modernizing, on hiring and retaining coaches. Which I 0:13:49.640 --> 0:13:51.880 don't know how much Dave Randa made this year, but 0:13:51.960 --> 0:13:55.079 it's not two hundred thousand dollars. No, it's not seven 0:13:55.160 --> 0:13:58.319 hundred thousand dollars. It's closer to two million dollars. So 0:13:58.800 --> 0:14:03.160 this is it's an incredible story. But I think because 0:14:03.160 --> 0:14:06.079 of the personality involved specifically, we tend to look at 0:14:06.080 --> 0:14:08.319 things in a very binary way. Either they're like the 0:14:08.440 --> 0:14:11.160 ruthless killer Nick Saban type or they're sort of aw 0:14:11.320 --> 0:14:14.320 shucks whatever type. And the fact of the matter is 0:14:14.480 --> 0:14:18.280 LSU specifically got lucky with Joe Burrow, but they did 0:14:18.320 --> 0:14:21.240 the right thing. LSU got lucky with Joe Brady and 0:14:21.320 --> 0:14:24.440 Steve Ensminger working together. I mean, I think Steve Ensminger 0:14:24.520 --> 0:14:28.120 is what twice Joe Brady's age, so there's a certain 0:14:28.160 --> 0:14:30.680 amount of luck. It's also really nice that LSU happens 0:14:30.720 --> 0:14:33.520 to be in maybe the most per capita talented high 0:14:33.520 --> 0:14:36.480 school recruiting state as Louisiana. I think has been written 0:14:36.520 --> 0:14:41.200 as I couldn't have been happier to watch LSU this 0:14:41.400 --> 0:14:46.080 season because their specific road was so different from Clemson's 0:14:46.120 --> 0:14:48.240 to get to this point in that I think it 0:14:48.320 --> 0:14:52.520 was what six ranked teams that they beat, and significant 0:14:52.560 --> 0:14:55.360 ranked teams Florida, Auburn, I mean, Texas I think finished 0:14:55.360 --> 0:14:58.400 in the top twenty five, but Georgia, Oklahoma, teams that 0:14:58.480 --> 0:15:01.680 do at least one thing in incredibly well, and so 0:15:02.840 --> 0:15:07.440 Clemson didn't necessarily have that. They couldn't control that. And 0:15:06.840 --> 0:15:09.480 I get kind of bored trying to put LSU in 0:15:09.520 --> 0:15:12.920 like an all time conversation because context is so different. Sure, 0:15:13.000 --> 0:15:15.480 I'd like to just appreciate LSU for what they did 0:15:15.480 --> 0:15:20.800 this season, which was just remarkable. But I came away 0:15:20.840 --> 0:15:25.720 from this game refreshed to watch a team really turn 0:15:25.760 --> 0:15:28.640 it around as quickly as they did, knowing the clear 0:15:28.680 --> 0:15:32.800 advantages that they had. But I just I love watching 0:15:32.920 --> 0:15:36.240 Clyde Edwards Hilaire. I loved watching Jamar Chase. I loved 0:15:36.720 --> 0:15:40.440 that the defense really came into its own later on 0:15:40.480 --> 0:15:43.040 in the season as you watch them against Oklahoma and Georgia. 0:15:43.880 --> 0:15:47.000 It was just it's an incredible story and it's something novel. 0:15:47.040 --> 0:15:49.640 It wasn't Clemson winning again, it wasn't Alabama winning. It 0:15:49.640 --> 0:15:52.280 wasn't Ohio State, even though Clemson goes through Ohio State. 0:15:52.680 --> 0:15:55.520 There was something. It was something we hadn't seen that 0:15:55.640 --> 0:15:59.720 level of offensive dominance paired with and LSU is very 0:15:59.720 --> 0:16:03.080 clear a blue blood, but within that context something that 0:16:03.240 --> 0:16:06.800 is just it's at least a little bit different, and 0:16:06.840 --> 0:16:07.320 I loved it. 0:16:07.600 --> 0:16:10.600 So as we talk about what LSU did on offense, 0:16:10.800 --> 0:16:15.400 and especially the performance they turned in again last twenty 0:16:15.400 --> 0:16:17.520 five minutes of the game, really where they shut down 0:16:17.560 --> 0:16:21.240 Clemson's let's look a little bit at some of the 0:16:21.240 --> 0:16:23.240 stats from this game. Not to be too heavy on 0:16:23.280 --> 0:16:26.280 the stats, but now you're good. Clemson held under four 0:16:26.320 --> 0:16:30.720 hundred yards, which you know, in most normal discussions about 0:16:30.760 --> 0:16:33.640 college football, under four hundred yards is like nothing really 0:16:33.680 --> 0:16:35.920 to write home about. But with this Clemson offense and 0:16:35.960 --> 0:16:39.800 all the weapons they have, particularly Trevor Lawrence. To hold 0:16:39.840 --> 0:16:42.200 them down to three ninety four in total yardage is 0:16:42.520 --> 0:16:46.680 pretty impressive. Trevor Lawrence. On the day we talk a 0:16:46.680 --> 0:16:51.280 little bit about Joe Burrow being flapped early. HM, Trevor 0:16:51.360 --> 0:16:55.720 Lawrence saw a lot of pressure, He saw some interesting coverages. 0:16:56.080 --> 0:16:58.800 I heard some of his comments in the postgame presser, 0:16:59.440 --> 0:17:02.080 and yeah, they they had him guessing at a lot 0:17:02.120 --> 0:17:05.879 of spots in this game. Eighteen of thirty seven for 0:17:05.960 --> 0:17:09.360 two thirty four no touchdowns. He had that fumble late 0:17:09.359 --> 0:17:11.800 in the game when it was pretty much on ice 0:17:11.880 --> 0:17:14.479 at that point. The big number here, though, is one 0:17:14.520 --> 0:17:18.320 of eleven on third downs. Elis who really brought their 0:17:18.320 --> 0:17:22.600 a game on third downs, holding down Clemson and doing 0:17:22.680 --> 0:17:24.480 their part to try and give the ball back to 0:17:24.520 --> 0:17:26.160 the offense and extend that lead. 0:17:26.880 --> 0:17:28.800 Oh one hundred percent. And then third down is where 0:17:28.840 --> 0:17:31.880 they thrived last year against Alabama. We remember all those 0:17:31.920 --> 0:17:34.399 fifty to fifty throws to Justin Ross and t Higgins 0:17:34.440 --> 0:17:36.920 against Alabama, those out routes from you know, a true 0:17:36.920 --> 0:17:40.880 freshman quarterback. They really nailed the moments last year and 0:17:41.640 --> 0:17:44.280 there was just nothing. There was no oxygen on third 0:17:44.320 --> 0:17:47.000 down for Clemson at all. After they went up seventeen 0:17:47.040 --> 0:17:51.040 to seven. And that's LSU. That's confusion, and that is 0:17:51.080 --> 0:17:53.720 that is Dave Randa, and that is the those corners. 0:17:53.800 --> 0:17:57.320 Just it seemed like if Clemson were if Clemson was 0:17:57.359 --> 0:17:59.919 going to move the ball, it was going to be 0:18:00.200 --> 0:18:05.840 Trevor Lawrence fitting passes into impossible windows. And we've talked 0:18:05.840 --> 0:18:07.919 about this with national championships, We've talked about this with 0:18:07.960 --> 0:18:12.040 big games. If that's what you need for four quarters, 0:18:11.880 --> 0:18:15.160 it's going to be almost impossible if you can't generate 0:18:15.359 --> 0:18:19.120 anything easy, if you can't generate any you know, crossing route, 0:18:19.119 --> 0:18:22.360 if you can't generate Okay, Trevor Lawrence hits t Higgins 0:18:22.400 --> 0:18:27.040 for nineteen, he hits you know, justin Ross for eleven, 0:18:27.080 --> 0:18:29.199 and you know, just the guys are sitting in zones, 0:18:29.240 --> 0:18:32.000 the guys are making really nice double moves. If you're 0:18:32.000 --> 0:18:34.680 not able to get that downfield like you normally are 0:18:34.760 --> 0:18:39.080 against everybody else, it feels like there's a three percent 0:18:39.200 --> 0:18:42.080 chance that you can beat a team as talented as LSU. 0:18:42.280 --> 0:18:45.120 And that ultimately was I mean, you're right to mention 0:18:45.280 --> 0:18:49.359 the third downs, but I mean I remember watching you know, Oregon, Wisconsin, 0:18:49.400 --> 0:18:52.800 Wisconsin needed fourth down after fourth down after fourth down, 0:18:52.800 --> 0:18:54.760 and they did a really good job there. But when 0:18:54.760 --> 0:18:57.359 you need that, it's hard to separate. It's hard to 0:18:57.440 --> 0:18:58.520 hang with another good team. 0:18:58.600 --> 0:19:00.560 Yeah, got to stay ahead of the chains, got to 0:19:00.560 --> 0:19:02.439 stay ahead of the change, especially when you've got an 0:19:02.440 --> 0:19:05.760 offense like LSU's on the other side of the field 0:19:05.800 --> 0:19:09.080 that has so much just you know, so much weaponry. 0:19:09.480 --> 0:19:11.600 It's tough to get tend with that if you can't convert. 0:19:12.040 --> 0:19:14.399 I keep coming back to those last twenty five minutes, 0:19:14.440 --> 0:19:18.240 but the reason I do so Clemson held to sixty 0:19:18.280 --> 0:19:20.960 five total yards in their last five drives of the 0:19:20.960 --> 0:19:23.359 football game, and it's just tough to get back in 0:19:23.359 --> 0:19:25.520 a game. It's tough to do much of anything when 0:19:25.520 --> 0:19:28.639 you're under take from you, i know, under literally one 0:19:28.680 --> 0:19:31.560 hundred yards of total offense in five possessions. 0:19:32.080 --> 0:19:34.040 Who are the best two teams in the country now 0:19:34.040 --> 0:19:36.760 that we've seen everything play out as thoroughly as we 0:19:36.840 --> 0:19:37.520 possibly can. 0:19:38.240 --> 0:19:42.320 Well, clearly LSU and it's yeah, it's a question of 0:19:42.400 --> 0:19:47.400 like a question of number two. You know, I still 0:19:47.560 --> 0:19:50.560 am partial to Clemson here. I think we got the 0:19:50.600 --> 0:19:55.159 best two teams maybe with two A or two B 0:19:55.400 --> 0:19:58.480 being Ohio State because that game was so close. But 0:19:59.240 --> 0:20:02.840 in the end, I think Clemson with what they do 0:20:02.960 --> 0:20:06.600 on defense, and you know, never mind what happened in 0:20:06.600 --> 0:20:09.680 this football game with Joe Burrow shredding them, but what 0:20:09.760 --> 0:20:13.600 Clemson has done on defense, moving from what we saw 0:20:13.640 --> 0:20:16.840 a season ago when they won the national championship, having 0:20:16.920 --> 0:20:21.840 that incredible front four, moving to this crazy system where 0:20:21.880 --> 0:20:24.120 they move Isaiah Simmons all over the field. They being 0:20:24.200 --> 0:20:28.479 pressure from linebackers as opposed to their front four in 0:20:28.520 --> 0:20:30.240 a manner that's a little bit different from what we 0:20:30.280 --> 0:20:33.040 saw a year ago. Their ability to adapt and still 0:20:33.080 --> 0:20:35.399 play at a very high level defensively, to me, is 0:20:35.440 --> 0:20:38.920 what puts them. Puts them just a nod over Ohio State. 0:20:39.240 --> 0:20:41.360 Aside of the fact that they actually won the football game. 0:20:41.400 --> 0:20:44.520 They're probably is still my number two. Where would you 0:20:44.520 --> 0:20:48.600 put into Alabama to Alabama? Ooh man, that. 0:20:48.880 --> 0:20:51.480 Might be my number two. Actually, that's the thing. They 0:20:51.520 --> 0:20:54.959 gave LSU more offensively. Now I know they weren't fully 0:20:55.359 --> 0:20:57.880 you know, it wasn't a one possession game consistently, even 0:20:57.880 --> 0:20:59.800 though it finished I think what they lost by five, 0:21:00.040 --> 0:21:03.840 they put forty one on LSU and that was in Tuscaloosa, 0:21:03.880 --> 0:21:07.560 So this is not a neutral site like Clemson got. 0:21:08.040 --> 0:21:12.280 I think with what Alabama has firepower wise, and I 0:21:12.280 --> 0:21:15.320 know they took a step back on defense. Again. We 0:21:15.600 --> 0:21:18.160 talked about this on our Instagram live before the show. 0:21:18.160 --> 0:21:20.320 If I had ten thousand dollars to bet on a 0:21:20.359 --> 0:21:25.520 team to beat LSU on a neutral field after having 0:21:25.600 --> 0:21:28.439 watched now what Clemson was or was not able to do. 0:21:28.520 --> 0:21:32.680 So this is you know, we're basically hYP hypothesizing there. 0:21:32.680 --> 0:21:33.200 It's the word. 0:21:34.080 --> 0:21:36.439 I guess Alabama and Ohio State as teams who have 0:21:36.560 --> 0:21:38.679 that talent that didn't get a shot against LSU. I 0:21:38.680 --> 0:21:41.320 think I would take Alabama over Ohio State to take 0:21:41.359 --> 0:21:42.000