What a wild trip it has been for the LSU Tiger faithful these past two years. The fans have gone from begging for a quarterback to getting one for the ages in Joe Burrow. The quarterback from the state of Ohio has already made an impact on south Louisiana and now has a shot to go into the history books as the greatest ever. Saturday’s complete butt whipping of Texas A&M was just the latest example of how deadly this quarterback and team can be. Buckle up, Purple and Gold, history awaits.
Believe it or not I was standing in Rendezvous Tavern listening to a couple of LSU faithful smack talk Burrow. No, obviously not this year but rather when it was announced that Burrow signed with LSU. It’s hard to believe but everyone wasn’t flipping out like Touchdown Jesus had descended upon the bayou and was going to lift it up to Football Heaven. Nope, the talk then was how if he wasn’t good enough to win the starting position at Ohio State why would LSU want him? Me, being my practical self (and quite handsome) just kept repeating that it didn’t matter — the kid was going to be an upgrade over the seemingly never-ending dismal quarterback play that LSU fans have had to endure.
I was right. Burrow came in and was rock solid showing an impressive amount of leadership and taking over the team. We always look towards a player’s stats to gauge their greatness but Burrow’s leadership, in my eyes, is undeniably what sets him a part. There’s absolutely no B.S. with this kid. He’s all team, all of the time.
Last year, Burrow went 10-3, led the team to a Fiesta Bowl victory but it just wasn’t enough. LSU would still play second fiddle to the likes of Alabama and Florida and Baton Rouge was like me looking at your pot of gumbo — they wanted more.
Enter Joe Brady and the rest is sort of history at this point. Under Coach Brady, Burrow’s passing game went into overdrive (against the Aggies, he tied the record for touchdown passes in a single season) and the Tigers haven’t lost. Hell, some weeks they’re barely breaking a sweat. The Tigers jumped all over Texas A&M in a 50-7 beat down. The scary part was it seemed like the offense didn’t play up to it’s potential.
If it all ended today, Burrow would be 22-3 as a starter with 60 touchdown passes and over 7,000 yards passing. His team has beaten Alabama, Auburn, Texas, Florida, Miami, Georgia and everyone else that has had the misfortune of lining up against them. Those are stats that very few players will ever obtain and the reason why Burrow will win the Heisman.
It ain’t over until it’s over though now is it? Every game is massive from here on out beginning with traveling to Atlanta to take on the Georgia Bulldogs. You have to expect that stadium to be decked out in red and the Bulldogs will need every bit of the home field advantage. Burrow and company will be up to the task and should head into the college football playoffs where they could, in a page ripped straight out of a Hollywood script, play Ohio State with everything on the line.
College football is fun.
Meanwhile in Uptown
Sometimes college football isn’t fun. Just ask Tulane, which has stumbled mightily down the stretch, finishing the season at 6-6 after a 37-20 loss to the SMU Mustangs.
Just over a month ago the Uptown faithful were contemplating an unimaginable visit to the Top 25 in what feels like a bad dream at this point. Much like the last Tulane baseball season, it seems the high hopes were just a product of scheduling and the last half of the season was too much for the Olive and Blue.
On the flip side, it wasn’t like Tulane was completely outmatched. Aside from a disastrous game versus Memphis the team gave everyone hell and that’s something to be proud of. Tulane took SMU (a team that was in the Top 25) into the deep water but lost a frustrating contest and now look at the odd scenario of being happy to get to go to a bowl but a loss makes this a losing season.
A bowl victory puts a nice shine on this campaign but it’s hard not to think about the season that could’ve been had Tulane showed a pulse in the Temple game and first quarter of the Navy matchup. I know it’s shoulda, coulda, woulda but when you root and pull for these kids it’s hard to not play that game. Either way, the Green Wave are going bowling for the second season straight and the coaches, team and fans should all be very proud of that accomplishment.
And like a fine wine with a steak dinner, every game should be accompanied by a beverage and song.
Beer Pairing: All Relation Brewery’s “Job Money” IPA
Playlist Recommendation: Faith No More – “Falling To Pieces”
Around the Way
One of the sports that I enjoy reading about is Tulane bowling. College bowling! For some reason that seems way cooler than the “usual” sports. Anyway, congrats to Tulane who has wrapped up their season ranked in the Top 15. The school should buy these crazy kids “Big Lebowski” sweaters in Olive and Blue. I know, I know. It’s another great idea by yours truly. Bowl Wave!
