Flynn not the answer at QB for LSU
LEXINGTON, Ky. - It's hard to imagine a more picturesque weekend in Lexington.
Less than 24 hours after the Billy Gillispie Era officially began at Kentucky with Big Blue Madness, Wildcats fans were dancing on the field at Commonwealth Stadium after their "other" team had just disposed of the No. 1 LSU Tigers.
The game came down to one final play.
LSU running back Charles Scott was stuffed by Braxton Kelley on a fourth-and-two in triple overtime and with that play, yet another highly ranked team went down this season. This one wasn't quite as shocking as USC's loss to Stanford or Appalachian State's victory over Michigan, but it was a monumental upset nonetheless.
The Tigers looked primed to run their record to 7-0 and take the top spot in the first BCS standings of the season, which will be released on Sunday. They led 27-14 late in the third quarter, and there was no way the nation's stingiest defense was going to allow a Kentucky team that didn't register a single point when the two teams met a year ago in Baton Rouge to come back.
Wrong.
Kentucky clawed back into the game and forced overtime after an Andre Woodson touchdown pass with 1:13 left in the third quarter and a pair of fourth-quarter Lones Seiber field goals.
That's when the fun began.
Derrick Locke gave No. 17 Kentucky its first lead since the Wildcats scored the first touchdown of the game when he scored from a yard out in overtime. However, LSU needed just four plays to force a second overtime.
The teams traded field goals in the second OT and Woodson gave Kentucky a 43-37 advantage on a touchdown pass to Steve Johnson in the third extra frame.
That put the pressure on the Tigers.
It was LSU's turn and the ball never made its way off the ground. Four straight runs. The first three courtesy of last week's hero, Jacob Hester. The final one virtually ending the Tigers chances of winning the national title.
"You never know what will happen," LSU linebacker Darry Beckwith said. "We are still in it. A one-loss team can still make it to the national championship."
But it's highly unlikely that this team won't suffer another setback with Matt Flynn at the helm.
LSU coach Les Miles had little to no faith in his senior quarterback when the game was on the line — and it was justified. Matt Flynn, who has been a backup his entire career (including an understudy to JaMarcus Russell for the past two years), just isn't able to stretch the field.
Matt Flynn won't take this team to the promised land.
He finished 17-of-35 for 130 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Backup Ryan Perrilloux barely played and threw just two passes all day, completing one for 12 yards.
"If we hit a couple of those things that were open," Miles said after the loss. "But we missed."
Sure, the Kentucky defense did an admirable job and put pressure on Matt Flynn. But it didn't matter. Matt Flynn wasn't going to get it done even if the Wildcats defense had to yell out, "One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi!" before crossing the line of scrimmage.
Miles needs to turn to The Future now. Perrilloux may not be quite ready, but he's got loads of potential — and three years left in Baton Rouge. And because Matt Flynn just didn't do enough to move the LSU offense.
The game was a contrast of styles: One of the most potent offenses against the most dominating defense in the entire country. Neither unit quite lived up to expectations and, in fact, it was the Kentucky defense which shined the brightest.
Kentucky needed three overtimes to notch its first win over a No. 1 team in 43 years, but the Wildcats actually surpassed their 42.7 points-per-game average entering the game. LSU came into the contest allowing just 9.33 points and less than 200 yards of total offense.
LSU had won 13 straight games after arguably the most dramatic comeback win in school history against Florida last week.
"Having beat LSU, I go home with my head held high for the rest of my life because it's the last time I play them and we beat them in triple overtime," said Kentucky receiver Dicky Lyons Jr., who made a pair of key catches in the third overtime. "It doesn't get much better than that."
"This is one game," Brooks added. "Is it huge? You bet it's huge."
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