FROM THE REAL ART SPORTS DESK
TEXAS WINS, AT LAST, AGAINST A SHIT TEAM; LSU GOES TO 10-1

From the AP via ESPN:

Texas tops Florida Atlantic to end four-game skid

AUSTIN, Texas -- Garrett Gilbert threw two long touchdown passes and Emmanuel Acho had a 57-yard interception return for a score as Texas snapped a four-game losing skid with a 51-17 win over Florida Atlantic on Saturday.

More here.

Again from the AP via ESPN:

LSU needs late rally to hold off Mississippi's upset bid

Jefferson passed for a career-high 254 yards, threw for one touchdown and ran for another, and fifth-ranked LSU beat Mississippi for the first time in three meetings 43-36 on Saturday.

LSU (10-1, 6-1 SEC) trailed 36-35 with 4:57 left when Patrick Peterson returned a kickoff 34 yards to midfield, setting up a game-winning drive that ended with Stevan Ridley's third touchdown rushing.

More here.

Well, this is the rare good football weekend for me this season. Okay, the Houston Texans lost to the Jets on a last minute TD pass, but I'm not big on the pros. Not since the Oilers dissolved into...some other team some other place. But enough of that. The Saints won. Texas won, albeit against a shitty Sun Belt team, but after four losses in a row, any win would have sufficed. LSU won. Good weekend.

I've been wondering tonight what makes a football team come together and win. Texas and LSU have what are probably similar levels of talent. Both teams send a lot of players to the NFL; both get great recruiting classes. For some years I've thought that Mack Brown is a much better coach than Les Miles, but each of them has a national championship under his belt, and Brown's team this year is playing far worse than any LSU squad Miles has coached. So, when comparing the two teams, you can't automatically declare that it's about talent or coaching. I mean, talent and coaching play big roles, to be sure, but when trying to figure out why LSU is playing great this year, and Texas is playing worse than I've ever seen, and I watched most of Fred Akers' final season in Memorial Stadium back in 1986, so I know what a shit Texas team looks like, it's very likely not talent or coaching that's the culprit.

So what's the deal? How can Les Miles' chronically sloppy Tigers be 10-1 while Mac Brown's usually tight and professional Longhorns are struggling simply to get the six wins you need for bowl eligibility? I suspect that psychology plays some role here, and group dynamics, all that therapy shit, but to be honest, I haven't a clue.

Anyway, die Aggies, die.

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