As the final seconds ticked off the clock Saturday night in Baton Rouge and thousands of drunken, potty-mouthed pagans made their way to the exits, one thing was clear.

LSU played one heck of a game, taking advantage of the week off to heal and prepare for another epic showdown with ‘Bama. But that wasn’t it.

“Simple” Zach Mettenberger did his best Stephen Garcia impression, playing the game of his life (at least for one game). But that wasn’t it.

Les Miles’ gambling ways have returned, even though every one of them backfired. But that wasn’t it.

What was clear was, order has been restored in the SEC West, and LSU ain’t the top banana their rabid, touched fanbase thinks they are–even though their banana-like uni’s make them look the part.

With the win Alabama head coach Nick Saban established himself as the alpha male in the LSU-Alabama rivalry once again. While at Bama, Nick is now 4-3 against his old school. Though I invite you to take into consideration that Saban’s first loss to Les came in his first year at Bama and Miles’ fourth at LSU. 2007 was hardly a Nick Saban-stamped team, and Miles ’07 team won it all.

For years LSU fans have been trying to convince themselves that Les Miles is just as good as Nick Saban. After all, he won a title.

But the comparison has been hard to watch. It’s like the guy whose hot wife leaves him for greener pastures. He remarries a pretty but slightly less-than-hot replacement, then wakes up to find his smokin’ ex has moved in with her new beau two doors down. The rest of his life he tries to convince himself that what he has now is just as good. But everyone knows the truth.

Well Saturday night, LSU fans met the truth yet again. The atmosphere was frenzied. The scene was perfect. The sky was dark. And the momentum was suffocating.

But at the perfect time, Nick Saban and company dialed up the perfect play to sink a crimson fleur-de-lis deep into the heart of every painted up, liquored up LSU fan in Tiger Stadium.

Don’t get me wrong. LSU’s defense was unreal. And their offense played out of their minds most of the night.

But at the end of both halves, Miles dialed his defense back, opting for a partial version of the prevent. Two fateful plays would ultimately determine the game’s outcome.

The first, a five wide, empty backfield set for Bama, leaving the middle of the field as open and free as a hillside in the Sound Of Music. There wasn’t a yellow hat anywhere near to prevent the somewhat gimpy AJ McCarron from walking to paydirt.

The second a called blitz dialed up at precisely the wrong time.

There is no better time for a running back screen than when the defense blitzes. By the time the back has the ball in his hands, the linebackers are behind him and it’s a numbers game to the finish.

And on this night, when Miles chose to gamble, he lost every time.

Miles’ decisions throughout the night were telling. He felt he had to gamble to win. Saban’s decisions were equally telling. Stay the course and the outcome will take care of itself.

Had TJ Yeldon not fumbled late in the third quarter, the destined 21-10 lead would have likely ended the county fair-like charade LSU had managed to manufacture most of the night.

Instead, the fumble threw gas on the fire, sending “the place opponents’ dreams come to die” into overdrive.

But in the end, it was the ex living two doors down that proved yet again that as much as you try to talk yourself into it, you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.

What LSU has is a grass eating, ear picking, riddle-spouting goof who is at the helm of a mighty program that will never win another championship while he is there.

What Alabama has is Nick Freaking Saban. And what it will likely have in a little over 60 days is another date to bring home yet another crystal trophy.

Alabama 21
LSWho 17

Two wins out of three in the last 363 days…both coming inside the parishes of Louisiana.

One program, led by the greatest coach of our time continues to dominate the landscape of college football, while the other…like its fans…continues to play dress up.


(Follow me on Twitter for Bama news, commentary and smack.)

71 thoughts on “Tide victory in Baton Rouge tells the truth about Saban v. Miles”

  1. I couldn’t agree more, but I want The Truth AKA The FLASH to show his pathetic ass here and take ownership for all the stupid shit he’s posted under both “aliases” here over the last 365 days. BE A MAN, THE TRUTH AKA THE FLASH!!!

    1. RC-Got to agree with you.Truth/Flash will will just change and be back.As ITK said we have to be on our best game with Texas A&M. They are hot right now.RTR

      1. DES, I’ve never ducked you are RC. Last year ya’ll said I would never show back up here, yet I did. You were wrong last year and you are wrong again this year.

        RC see my comments to you in the previous article, no need to repeat them here.

        I take ownership for everything I said here over the last year. Unlike you RC and other gumps here who all predicted a blowout win for bama against LSU, I never made a prediction about the game Saturday night. I did say LSU had a chance against bama on a Saturday night in Tiger Stadium; why don’t let me and others hear you take ownership to your comments to me when I suggested that LSU had a chance in that game. How about you and the other gumps taking ownership to your predictions of a blowout by bama?

        Everything I spoke before this game proved to be The Truth! Unlike you gumps I never predicted an outcome or a score of that game. One day RC maybe you will be smart enough to comprehend what I write here.

        1. I will say it would take a brilliant English teacher to read your reply once and understand it despite all the grammatical and spelling errors. Is this English? RACIST

        2. That’s right, Tooth – you never made a prediction. All you did was come on here and poor-mouth the other posters for supporting their team. You never said anything about your team, even when I challenged you to do it. You are a crappy fan, a crappy supporter of a class team, and probably a crappy person to have as a classmate/workmate/teammate. You can’t commit to anything – all you do is run that mouth. I wish you’d go back to calling yourself the Flash, cause that’s all you are: a flash in the pan.
          And – if you bothered to read any further than your own barely readable comments – you’d have seen that this Gump came on here and gave LSU their due, and took my licks for calling for a monumental blowout by the Tide. Mett and the OL played the game of their lives (I don’t expect them to do it again), and, as per usual, CLM blew the game for them by making some asinine calls, especially in that last drive. Glad we’ve got Saban and LSWhoo has Miles.

          1. Your are right I never made a prediction about the game, but I said plenty about my team. I said we had a chance, and we did. I said Saturday night in Tiger Stadium would make a difference and it did. You’re right I didn’t go out and make a bold prediction so that I could look like an ass like after the game like you did petie with you assinie prediction of a blow out. I knew the game would be close but I didn’t know who would win and by how much, nobody did,even though you gumps think you know everything and think you are going to blow everybody out. And you prove that last comment by your prediction petie.

            CLM blew the game by making some asinine calls just like Saban blew it last year by making some asinine calls. Bama was favored by as many as 10 points, In hindsight, CLM may have made some bad calls but he also made some great calls to have his team within two minutes of beating that heavily favored team.

          2. Tooth, you looked like an ass before the game. You were hoping it was a close game. You were lucky Bama fumbled the ball instead of going up 21-10 in the 3rd. You had no idea what was going to happen, just like no one else did. Your team still lost, and in another humiliating way. Keep celebrating your ‘victory’ or what passes for it now that Saban has LSUs number. Maybe your team will get ‘2nd in the SEC WEST’ rings for this season if you guys are lucky.

          1. Puss reply, Tooth. And, yes, CLM made some terrible calls in the game, especially in the 4th when he had it won. Too bad Bama isn’t LSU.

            Bama won the BCSNCG because they knew they had beaten LSU in all but the scoreboard in the 11/5 game. All they had to do was fix a few mistakes and problems, and CNS had over a month to put that plan into place. LSU had no chance to win on 11/9. I’m glad we don’t have to face them again this year – CLM has shown, when he tries, that he can put a game plan together. Unfortunately, he doesn’t know a damn about keeping to his plan. If LSU stays with the plan that got them to the 4th quarter, they win that game last Saturday. Of course, if AJ puts the ball in Yeldon’s gut instead of his elbow, there’s no fumble and Bama goes up 21-3 at the half, and LSU doesn’t recover from that. But, if my aunt had balls, she’d be my uncle. Bama still pulled it out at the end, and put the LSU nation on its knees again.
            Thanks, Les!

  2. Great read ITK!!! and as the Coach always says, we celebrate the one day and then its on to the next opponant. With all that said…. I have to say that that was one great game!! My old heart just can’t stand these close games anymore!! It was even hard when ‘Bear’ was roaming the sidelines!! but I am so proud of the guys doing what they are supposed to do to bring home a win. Now I normally don’t jump the gun and predict what will happen in the future but I would like your thoughts on who do you think the Tide will play for the for the Championship should the Tide get that far?….. Thanks

    1. If they get by a hot Texas A&M team this Saturday afternoon, then yes. I can’t imagine a scenario where Western Carolina, Auburn or Georgia has the mustard to beat them. This Saturday is it.

      If they go I think the nation wants to see Oregon and Alabama. Notre Dame is the football purists’ choice, but from a sheer “worlds collide” type of football game, Bama-Oregon would have a massive national appeal. Bama would have the better chance of beating Notre Dame or Kansas State, as the Ducks could impose some problems. Not problems that can’t be overcome, but more issues than the other two teams.

  3. In my 50+ years as a BAMA fan this game will go into my never forget file. I love the TIDE!!!
    RTR

  4. That game was exactly what I wrote I was afraid of in one of the other stories here last week. LSU played with crazy passion, taking huge risks and playing the best football I’ve seen them play since the SEC title game last year.

    Would ignoring the late hit have made a difference?

    Would the Honey Badger?

    Would Dee Hart?

    Les Miles isn’t Nick Saban. But I’d still say he’s one of the top coaches in the league. And more importantly, he’s such a good fit for LSU.

    Miles is aggressive, crazy, eccentric, and willing to take risks that are sometimes brilliant and, like we saw Saturday night, sometimes his demise. But that fits LSU’s culture. It defines their program.

    Alabama, well, Saban said it himself—-Alabama doesn’t want to win 10 games a year, they want to win championships. That’s Alabama’s culture. Nick Saban and Les Miles are the most perfect coaching personalities for their programs.

    Saban and the entire Alabama football team won the football game. Nick Saban, however, didn’t put the game at risk. The team made mistakes that Saban didn’t have control over which put the game at risk. And they were fundamentals mistakes—–the kind that should never happen (and, like Shelley after the regular season LSU game last year, probably won’t happen again the rest of the season).

    I don’t think it can be overstated how hard that game was. LSU wanted the game emotionally more than we can possibly relate to.
    Plus they practiced one day a week through the entire summer solely for that game we saw Saturday.
    And they had the bye-week to rest and prepare.
    Then they threw every trick in the book at Alabama.
    And don’t forget to add in a record-breaking attendance of fans that were so committed to being a part of that football game that they deserve credit themselves.
    LSU played what I think is the best football their 2012 team can play. Mettenberger was on fire, albeit too many of his passes were thrown too high and too far.

    Then again, AJ McCarron did the same thing himself, missing three giant open field opportunities to KB and Cooper.

    I think the bottom line is Les Miles alone had the opportunity to win the football game. Make no mistake, it was absolutely in their grasp.

    But Miles made coaching mistakes that Saban simply didn’t. Miles made choices that define the danger and excitement of LSU football.

    He just didn’t make the choices of a championship winner.

    Les Miles isn’t going away, and neither is LSU. Is it a rivalry? Maybe. Maybe not. I say absolutely, but one thing you can count on is Les Miles will be focusing on the game in Tuscaloosa next year, and he’ll practice all summer long for the chance to beat Alabama. He’ll probably get the bye-week again, too. It will be another guaranteed amazing football game.

    And you can also bet Alabama will be ready. Roll Tide.

    1. Good post conduit, nice to see a level headed intelligent bama fan post over here.

      I think you are right, Miles took chances he didn’t have to be

    2. To finish my thought before accidently hitting the submit button.

      I think you are right Conduit, Miles took chances he didn’t have to, because in the end his team was good enough to beat bama without those chances and they probably did cost LSU the game, just as the missed long field goals that should have never been attempted by Saban last year or the half back pass cost bama the win last year.

      I also think revenge was a factor in how the game was played, as it was for Alabama in the Championship game last year. Anybody that thinks it wasn’t in either of the games is just stupid or doesn’t understand sports.

      Last year bama was favorite at home and they lost the game. This year bama was a 8 to 10 point favorite to win in Baton Rouge and escaped with a 4 point win.

      1. “ESCAPED??!!” YOU WERE RANKED #5 IN THE COUNTRY??? TAKE SOME PRIDE IN YOUR TEAM YOU STUPID BACKWARDS MUD DOG!!!

        1. I have plenty of pride in my team as you know by all of my post here you dumb ugly duckling. Bama was a 10 point favorite by the professionals and a 25 point favorite by must gumps like you. Yes bama escaped with a 4 point win in the last 60 seconds of that game. Deal with you racist. If the shoe fits you wear it!

          1. It was STILL A LOSS FOR LSU. So be proud. LSU peaked last season. Saban is still going strong. Go back to you LSU friends, and keep celebrating your moral victory that you are so proud of.

          2. So, since Bama didn’t beat the spread – they just won the game – it’s a moral victory for LSU? That’s just great, Tooth! Maybe ya’ll can go find some trees in Baton Rouge to roll with toilet paper over this great moral victory!

      2. I would say ‘forcibly took’ a 4 point lead at the end. Bama didn’t get embarrassed like your team did on Jan. 9th. ALL the pressure was on Les and LSU to win. LSUs fans wanted this win. LSUs players have spent months wanting this win. In the end, all the cheering and loudness of the LSU home field advantage, the revenge talk, and Les Miles coaching his best game of the season was not enough.

        1. LOL bama was a 10 point favorite and 99percent of every sports personality picked bama to win, but the pressure wan on LES and LSU to win! You stupid gump.

          1. And Bama still won! I hoped it was another blowout, but I would have been happy with 3-0 win. But snatching it away from LSU at the end was different from the last beat down, but just as satisfying!

            And you swear by what the sports personalities say, especially when it favors LSU. You have posted every link you can find here to use as ‘evidence’ to prove your point. You are just another hypocritical neurotic LSU fan.

            In your logic, since Bama didn’t win by 10, that was a win for LSU. The pressure was on LSU and Miles to win, for sure. Why did Miles call all kind of desperate trick plays if he didn’t feel the pressure to win? And you call me stupid.

      3. Tooth – you wouldn’t know an intelligent, level-headed post if it was hitting you in the mouth while you were passed out in front of the Krystal in NOLA!

  5. Alabama verses:

    The LORD is my shepherd;
    I shall not want.

    He maketh me to lie down in green football fields;

    He leadeth me beside the ragin Cajuns.

    He restoreth my BCS ranking;

    He leadeth me in the points of righteousness for BCS sake.

    Yea, though I walk into the LSU valley of death,
    I will fear no Mad Hatter; for thou art with Saban.

    Thy football and Alabama’s staff they comfort me.

    Thou preparest a challenge before me in the presence of mine LSU enemies;

    Thou anointest the scoreboard with the most points.

    My tears of joy runneth over.

    Surely goodness and BCS Championships shall follow me all the days of Saban’s life;

    And I will dwell in the house of Alabama football forever.

    Amen.

    Ezekiel 20:29 – Then I said unto them, What is the high place whereunto ye go? And the name thereof is called Bamah unto this day.

  6. LSWho threw the kitchen sink at Bama, Bama took a wizz in it and pulled their heart out !!! RTR

    Look for a big LSU let down this week.

      1. Did bama have a big let down last year after loosing to LSU?

        I would be more worried about bama concetrating on A&M after that game. I think LSU will be able to handle a let down against State better than bama will if they have a let down against A&M. State proved when they played both bama and A&M that that they were living on fools gold at 7-0 because they had not played anyone up to that point. On the other hand A&M has only lost two close games to two top 7 ranked SEC teams.

        1. Except Bama didn’t get embarrassed by LSU in the national championship game and fume over it for 10 months. You can tell LSU put its heart and soul into this one game. Bama, on the other hand, has things to build on, and a close game like that may just be what it takes to get Bama motivated for the rest of the season.

          But Bama definitely is playing a tougher opponent this week than LSU is. LSU was lucky to win the A&M game. But if Florida and LSU can disrupt them, I would think Bama could as well. But all your sore ass can do is root for A&M now.

          And Tooth, last year is last year. LSU this year is not Bama last year. They already had a loss before Bama. To make that comparison is stupid. LSU won’t have a letdown because Bama didn’t last year.

        2. I got it now RC, it’s LOSING, like in how bama was LOSING to The Aggies all game today! Thanks for the lesson.

      2. I guess my comments to you ITK about your comment that LSU would struggle to put lowly MSU away look like nothing but The Truth now, don’t they ITK?

  7. Just think, after January 9th, they had circled the date on the schedule. Every workout, every rep, every ounce of motivation for the Bama game. Everywhere in Baton Rouge were reminders of that humiliating night. I am sure that game has been replayed in the minds of those guys for months. Football season couldn’t get here fast enough. Revenge has definitely been the motivation for the season. Then the day came, and the sun went down. After a shaky start and trick plays that backfired, LSU got a needed break on a fumble inside the red zone. With the home crowd frenzied, they marched down the field, had Bamas vaunted defense sucking wind and on their heels. The fans got even louder, and LSU takes the lead. Right away the QB begins taunting the visitors. The defense forced Bama’s offense into multiple 3 and outs, and Bama’s defense was gassed, but put up a stop to force a FG try that missed. The ‘F— You Saban chants’ begin, a victory was all but insured at this point. In the span of 43 seconds, Bama gets up off the mat and lands a knockout punch.

    All the sweat, tears and blood given for this game, this environment, and for redemption was left as a debt unpaid. This one will hurt for a long time. Roll Tide!

  8. The commentators were speculating about how exausted the defense looked because no team had ever run that many plays against them and 86 or 87 is what Oregon averages. Personally they didn’t look all that tired to me. I thought the errors were from all the new stuff LSU was doing and the lack of good communication from the God awful noise. Without being abke to recognize the play they were having to see what was happening and then react which made them a step or two slower. Where I disagree about Oregons or A&M’s number of plays is that it will never happen. They would have to have defences as good as LSU to make Bama go 3 and out over and over again to get the opportunity to run that many plays. It just isn’t going to happen. Actually Bama shoul be able to control the ball and shorten the game so that they can’t run more than maybe 60 plays just like Ole Miss. I’m just hoping that there won’t be anymore of that shoddy coverage for whatever reason cause Johnny Football is not to be fooled around with. Did ya’ll realize that Bama was 90 seconds away from being responsible for costing the SEC a shot at a 7 th straight Natty? Just that fucking close. And our responsibility is not done yet. There will be no 1 loss SEC team in the Natty if any 2 of those other 3 go undefeated. If we lose to A&M the SEC is fucked. If we lose to Georgia the SEC is fucked. There is no room for error – we have to win out and now our pass defense has me nervous.

    1. Yeah I would agree with that, they didn’t really look so tired, but they seemed like they were playing slower. Especially Sunseri and Belue. LSU kept quick snapping, and it looked like Bamas D barely had time to get in position before the snap. I think this will be A&Ms strategy this week as well.

  9. I think that the knee and the back problems …. are catching up with A.J. – I agree with much of the analysis posted here…. I have had concern about how this team comes out after half time. I call it a focus problem., I think … the stats will show that we score next to nothing in the 3rd…… that was a dead ass ball club …. until……

    1. It’s not his knee as much as his back. AJ is playing in pain right now. A week off would do him good. Hopefully he can rest against Western Carolina.

  10. “State proved when they played both bama and A&M that that they were living on fools gold at 7-0 because they had not played anyone up to that point.”

    So what you are saying Truth, is Bama hasn’t really played anyone to this point so we will lose to A&M?

    1. LOL didn’t know bama was playing A&M in Tiger Stadium this week!! Thanks for sharing that Fat! LMAO

      1. Yeah I know, right? Bama has won at Tiger Stadium so much, it is easy to think that Bama owns it.

        1. Hey Brando bama seems to lose a game every year in Denny Bryant, maybe you should move all your games to Tiger Stadium! LMAO

  11. Despite all the crying that RACIST backwoods BIGOT, the TRUTH gives, Alabama beat LSU for the 2ND straight time 21-17…No moral victories in football:)

  12. Have you heard about the LSU fans wanting Saban to “come home”? I read about it on a LSU blog. The love fest with Les is over!!! LoL
    ROLL TIDE

    1. Hey befour, you can keep Saban, based on some of the comments from the bama fans tonight the love fest with Saban is pretty cold tonight. LMAO

  13. You are correct truth, bama really hasn’t played anyone this season. On to the next one. Kinda hurts to dominate the whole game then lose at the last second doesn’t it? Seems kinda familiar huh? Maybe you guys can get some “revenge” or “redemption” next year. Its lonely at the top. ROLL TIDE!

  14. You know, the toothbrush was invented in Louisiana. If it were invented anywhere else, it would now be known as a “teethbrush”.

  15. If I were Kevin Norwood, I’d name my 1st born daughter Leslie Louise in honor of that great State.

  16. Tiger Droppings has all but a couple posters fantasizing that in his heart Saban would prefer to be at LSU. That he was hoping LSU would call before he accepted the Bama job. That at Corndogville he could have been their Bear Bryant. It’s so pathetic to watch grown men whine like babies. It’s tragic the fantasies that jealousy and butt hurt gives to a whole fan base. They don’t like me too much on Tiger Droppings. The fuking Tooth (truth) hurts. LMFAO! RTR!

  17. And what really makes the victory from last year and this years hurt so much is the talent on the field LSU has, had and they come up short with just a SEC championship. Sad. But moral victories are better than championships in the great state of Lowsyana.That and shooting alligators. CHOOT EM AND ROLL TIDE!!!!!!! 🙁

    1. According to the recruiting rankings over the last four years, it was alabama that had the greater talent on the field both this year and last year. Based on bama’s superior talent hual that you gumps crow about every February and the far superior ability your head coach has compared to ours, bama should be blowing LSU out in every game that you play us. Yet that doesn’t seem to happen does it? Why is that overated talent on your side or underated coaching ability on our side?

  18. What the fuk are you running your cum hole about now Corndog? You lost. We beat your asses twice in 10 months and knocked your asses right out of National Title contention. Took it away from you. What kind of hollow, useless horseshit are you preaching now to try and convince yourself that fantasies can come true. Enjoy the Cap 1 Bowl and STFU! Dye those idiots on Droppings started a thread on how in his heart Saban really desires to be at LSWho. Their reasoning goes that his subconciece caused him to have the slip of tongue in his presser when he said. Bama is playing A&M in Tiger Stadium. Jesus, talk about desperation. Those fukers are the Kings of butt hurt. Tried to splain it nicely to ’em. Didn’t even cyss ir call ’em Corndogs. Got banned anyway. Bwaa Haww Haww! RTR!

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