Source: Written By: Ryan Hickey - Worldwide Sports Radio Network/ "The Morning Boys" / WWSRN
https://worldwidesportsradio.com/which-tiger-will-earn-their-stripes
NEW YORK, N.Y.- It’s almost here. After what feels like forever and a day since the College Football Playoff semifinal games took place, the national championship is right around the corner. The best matchup we’ve seen both on paper and on the field is set to take place in New Orleans as the top ranked LSU Tigers takes on on the defending champions and third ranked Clemson Tigers.
So which team has the edge going in? Both have identical 14-0 records and have star power all over the field. Below are three keys for each team on how they can leave New Orleans hoisting the championship trophy.
Three Keys To A LSU Win:
Touchdowns, Not Field Goals: Watching the Fiesta Bowl easily hammers home this point. Ohio State moved the ball up and down the field against Clemson, but continuously settled for field goals, which kept Clemson around. LSU has to score touchdowns once they get inside the 20, which hasn’t been a problem for them this season. LSU has been deadly in the red zone, owning the most efficient red zone offense in the country, scoring at a 97% clip. The Tigers have entered the red zone 70 times, scoring a touchdown 55 times. This is a trend that must continue, especially considering that LSU has already faced three teams with a better red zone defense than Clemson, which is tied for 16th in the country. Red zone efficiency will be a huge key to this game and is a category that favors LSU.
Defensive Confidence: Throughout the year, the Tigers defense has been a question mark and left many, including myself, believing that the defense was holding them back from being a championship level team. Things have changed as LSU has shored up their defense. A big reason for that has been availability, as safety Grant Delpit recovered from an ankle injury, K’Lavon Chaisson is back to 100% and Michael Divinity Jr. will return from suspension to suit up for the Tigers. The narrative has changed dramatically as since the Ole Miss game, where significant doubts that the defense would hold LSU back from winning a national title, the Tigers have allowed just 270.2 yards per game and 14.2 points per game. The Tigers aced their biggest test of the season, holding a potent Oklahoma offense to 200 fewer yards and almost two touchdowns less than their per-game average. The defense is playing with an extreme confidence that will carry into Monday’s game.
Feed Clyde Edwards-Helaire: The “do it all” back has been virtually unstoppable this season. The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman wrote a great article this week, asking coaches who faced LSU this season how their offense has been so unstoppable. Aside from Burrow, the coaches highlighted Edwards-Helaire as who gives defenses the most problems. The junior running back has rushed for 1,304 yards while adding 50 catches for 399 yards and 17 total touchdowns. Edward-Helaire is a matchup nightmare as he’s a bruiser between the tackles, can speed past linebackers in coverage, run over the cornerbacks who try to tackle him and juke past the safeties that try to corral him. The premier running back should be close to full health after injuring his hamstring in practice leading up to the semifinal game against Oklahoma. If he’s in the mix early and often, it could be a frustrating night for Clemson.
Three Keys To A Clemson Win:
Complete Effort: While LSU has played both elite offenses and defenses at different points this season, they have yet to face a team that has both an elite offense and defense. Clemson poses that challenge as their defense is tied for first in the nation in yards per play allowed while the Clemson offense is third in total offense. This balance can put pressure on LSU like they’ve never experienced this season. The best defense against Burrow this season has been offense. While not their specialty, long drives by Clemson can not only can keep the potent LSU offense off the field, but wear down their defense to open up some big plays in the second half. While LSU is more battle tested this season, Clemson has the advantage coming out of that Ohio State game of knowing what it takes to win a game in which all three phases are needed to perform at their highest level.
Flex Offensive Firepower: Did we all forget that this is the same Clemson offense that shredded Notre Dame and Alabama for a combined 1,020 yards and 74 points in the two Playoff games last year? For all of the hype and attention Burrow and this LSU offense has received, let’s not sleep on this juggernaut of an offense that resides in South Carolina. The Tigers rank third in the country in total yards, fourth in scoring offense and 11th in rushing offense. They have superstars at every level offensively as Trevor Lawrence is the presumed number one pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Travis Etienne leads the nation at eight yards per carry while both Tee Higgins and Justyn Ross are legitimate No. 1 receivers. LSU has only faced one offense similar to Clemson’s in Alabama and allowed 41 points. LSU has elite offensive talent, but Clemson has a real chance to give the Tigers a taste of their own medicine and put on an offensive explosion in the Superdome.
Ride The Underdog Wave: Speaking of the Superdome, this national championship game will have a totally different feel than most because of its close proximity to LSU’s campus. Located just over an hour away, New Orleans will be flooded with fans clad in purple and gold. No coach has worked the underdog role more than Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney. Dabo lives to be the underdog and has “Little Ol’ Clemson” playing their best when they have a chip on their shoulder. Already underdogs in terms of the betting line and essentially playing a road game in New Orleans, Dabo gets to fire up the disrespect card one last time this season.
So Who Gets It Done?
The storybook season for Joe Burrow and LSU is leading me to believe more and more that Monday night in New Orleans will be a coronation for the Tigers. I mean even Hollywood couldn’t even write this script of an Ohio kid transferring in and after a decent first year teams up with a young passing game coordinator to produce the single greatest college football season we’ve ever seen from a player and possibly even a team if they can finish the job.
What’s made me a believer isn’t Burrow or passing coordinator Joe Brady, but the LSU defense steadily improving and peaking at the right time. This combination of a historic offense coupled with a confident defense is enough for me to drink the kool-aid and believe that LSU will get it done Monday night.
Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly was as productive as any linebacker in the history of college football from the time he arrived in Chestnut Hill. The 2011 ACC Defensive Player of The Year was also a two-time consensus first-team All-American. His 532 career tackles is an ACC record and Kuechly twice led the nation in total tackles in 2010 and 2011. Enjoy the jaw-dropping highlights of one of the ACC's all-time legends, Luke Kuechly, an ACC Icon! [Videos Below]
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Make note of the comparison of supine ball squeezes ( we actually use a Pilates Ring which I think is better) and of course another European super exercise, the Copenhagen Adductor. ( this one will go down in history with Nordic Leg Curls, Bulgarian Lunges and Romanian Deadlifts). Read the full article with video....
DICK'S Sporting Goods was founded in 1948 when an 18-year-old Dick
Stack was working at an Army surplus store in Binghamton, New York. An
avid fisherman, Dick was approached by the store owner to come up with a
list of products needed to get into the fishing tackle business. After
Dick presented his suggestions, the owner told him he was a dumb kid and
had no idea what he was doing. Dick was upset and promptly quit. He
went to his grandmother's house where he spent a lot of time as a kid
and told her what had happened. Dick's grandmother asked how much it would cost to build
the store himself. Dick said it would cost $300. His grandmother then
went to the cookie jar where she kept her life savings and gave him $300
and told him "do it yourself." Dick used that money and his relentless
work ethic to open a bait-and-tackle shop in Binghamton. By 1958, he
expanded his product line to include much of what you'll find at DICK'S Sporting Goods today. Ed Stack, Dick's son, is the current CEO and Chairman of
DICK'S Sporting Goods. He and his siblings bought the store from their
father and are responsible for taking two stores and growing the chain
to over 675 stores. Dick's family continues to offer the finest quality
products at competitive prices, backed by the best service anywhere.
Like you, we have a real passion for sports. DICK'S Sporting Goods, Inc. is a leading omnichannel
sporting goods retailer offering an extensive assortment of authentic,
high-quality sports equipment, apparel, footwear and accessories.
Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Company also owns and
operates Golf Galaxy, Field & Stream, True Runner and Chelsea
Collective specialty stores.
ACC Featuring:
Eastern Michigan vs Syracuse College Basketball Condensed Game 2017
The Syracuse Orange beat the Eastern Michigan Eagles 62-47 in college basketball play.
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Pac 12 Featuring: Tres Tinkle and Stephen Thompson Jr. put up 23 and 24 points,
respectively, in Oregon State's 76-57 win over Colorado to open up
Pac-12 play Friday in Corvallis.
Featuring The American Huddle - Liberty Bowl Preview Memphis saw a seven-game winning streak snapped in the American Athletic
Conference Championship as the Tigers dropped a 62-55 thriller in
double overtime … Memphis has registered its second season with 10
regular-season wins in program history, and its first since 1938 … The
Tigers won 10 games in 2015, but picked up their 10th victory that
season in the Miami Beach Bowl … Memphis has been ranked in the national
polls for a program-record eight consecutive weeks after debuting in
the Oct. 15 Associated Press poll … Memphis is making its 11th bowl
appearance overall and its ninth in the last 15 years … The Tigers are
5-5 all-time in bowl games … The Tigers were the preseason favorite in
The American’s West Division and went on to win the outright divsional
crown … The Tigers’ only two losses this season are to UCF … The Tigers
will play in a bowl in four consecutive years for the first time in
program history … The Tigers’ senior class has produced 37 wins in the
last four seasons, the most in school history … Memphis has averaged
548.2 yards of offense and rank second nationally with 47.7 points per
game … QB Riley Ferguson has completed 278 of 441 passes for 3,971 yards
and a league-record 36 touchdowns against nine interceptions … WR
Anthony Miller, a consensus All-America selection, enters the game as
the holder of every major receiving record with the Tigers … Miller has
92 receptions for 1,407 yards and 17 touchdowns … RB Darrell Henderson
has rushed for a team-high 1,154 yards and nine touchdowns and is
averaging 8.9 yards per carry … RB Patrick Taylor has a team-high 13
rushing TDs and has gained 798 yards on 140 carries … The defense is led
by LB Genard Avery, who has 75 tackles to go with 6.5 sacks and a
league-leading 19.5 tackles for loss … Freshman CB T.J. Carter, The
American’s Rookie of the Year, has a team-high five interceptions … WR
Tony Pollard has scored four touchdowns on kickoff returns this season,
has six in his first two seasons, and is averaging 42.4 yards per return
in 2017, a mark that would break the NCAA single-season record (40.3
ypr by Kylen Towner of Western Kentucky last season).
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