Question: Take-a-Knee by LSU. Class Act or Insult?

[fralo4tide]

It is normally recognized that taking a knee in blowout wins is showing respect to your opponent.

How do you feel about the one LSU pulled yesterday? They took 4 knees at the 5-minute mark (?) and turned the ball over on downs. While I don't think LSU meant anything by it, I can see how some may have perceived it as such, and doubtless some have. I think the announcers were talking about it, but can't remember what their take on it was.

At the very least, it certainly wasn't very pleasant for Ole Miss to witness that happening against their team with 5 minutes remaining. I don't know that I've ever seen this before. Last year, when Bama was pummeling the Spartans, I can remember the announcers saying after Lacy scored the right-up-the-gut run with much to go in the 4th quarter...

"Well, they can't take a knee."

What say ye? Do you think LSU did right or wrong in this?

 

[OreBama]

I thought was an insult and very funny. Very well played by the Mad Hatter.

 

[skipster63]

Miles would have been criticized whether he took a knee or not. So it is a moot point. About the only way to avoid criticism is to put in the 6th string and just run the ball. But even then the score itself would bring criticism. It just comes with the territory. I saw Coach Saban mouth the words "I'm sorry" to Nutt after the Alabama game. I mean....what are you going to do? Might as well take a knee.

 

[2bseen]

It was going to look bad either way. So which was the least insult I think take a knee.

 

[CullmanTide]

I guess it depends on how you look at it. I thought with that much time left it was a slap in the face but Ole Miss gets slapped around pretty regular and should be used to it.

 

[Black Warrior]

So what was the alternative? Keep running the ball and either get someone injured that couldn't play against Arkansas, or be accused of running up the score? It was a lose, lose situation. Myles did the right thing IMHO.

 

[Bama Reb]

So what was the alternative? Keep running the ball and either get someone injured that couldn't play against Arkansas, or be accused of running up the score? It was a lose, lose situation. Myles did the right thing IMHO.

I agree completely. There was no reason to run the score up any more than they already had. When your opponent does that to you, you know that you are no match for them.
That said, I think there's a correction to be made.

Alabama is the only team that can run up the score by running it up the middle.

Add LSU, against Ole Miss.

I watched a few minutes of that game and it was like the Tide playing against a high school team. Ole Miss was no match for LSU and it looked exactly like the thrashing it was.
They have one more coming at the hands of MSU. After that, Nutt can retire without much worry of being sought out by other schools. He's done.

 

[skipster63]

When you are as bad as Ole Miss, you can't really complain.

I started to make that point but didn't. That's funny. I guess you could say it is deserving of any team in the SEC that lets themselves get that bad. And Ole Miss is sooo bad that it makes any coach of a good team like LSU or Bama look bad. Remember when Bama ran up the middle on Michigan St and Saban mouthed something like "somebody just tacklet the guy". Well......it gets to a point when you are playing a team that bad that anything you do looks bad. Good grief......even Vanderbilt and Kentucky who are usually the doormats of the SEC are at least respectable now. Ole Miss can only look in the mirrror on this one.

 

[Rachel_In_Red]

I thought it was a little too soon for the victory formation. Too much mercy can be even more embarrassing, I think. But I don't think it was an intended insult any way you look at it.

 

[BAMAFAN IN NY]

Ole Miss is an insult to the SEC

 

[SimplyTide]

Rece said that it was probably a result of the QB changing the play at the LOS on the play before. Apparently they had called a run up the middle, but the QB made a read on the defense and changed to play to a sweep, which took the ball all the way down to the 5 yard line. It was probably as much a punishment to the players for doing the wrong thing as it was anything else.

At any rate, immediately after the game Les explained his actions. They were clearly not meant to be an insult. He cannot control others who decide to see insult where none is intended.

 

[bamabryan]

I honestly didn't read anything into it. I think Miles was trying to prevent his team from scoring again.

 

[GMacFan]

It was insulting, but not as insulting as the 53 points LSU put on them. Ole Miss just needs to go. They need to pack their bags and go. Not to the ACC. Not to Conference USA. Not the FCS. They just need to take up another hobby completely. Gardening or something. Not football.

 

[gmart74]

So what was the alternative? Keep running the ball and either get someone injured that couldn't play against Arkansas,

i agree with you. however i would nitpick with one point. if you give the ball up on downs, then you risk getting members of your defense hurt when the other team's offense comes out. they may be frustrated into chop blocking or maybe players get randomly injured. one way or another your players are exposed to danger even though the game is basically over.

 

[lafella]

Class Act and maybe a little show of respect to an SEC coach that's been around for awhile making his exit from the SEC coaching circle.

 

[bamacon]

The biggest insult is calling that Ole Miss squad an SEC team.

 

[bamacon]

I remember a high school game where we were blowing out the other team. Our coach started running the last string fullback on a simple draw up the middle every single offensive play and we still kept scoring because they were just horrible tacklers. The opposing coach was smart A after the game "thanking" the coach for running up the score on his team. Our coach lost it and told him a thing or two about fundamentals and then some on class.

 

[BamaFossil]

Class act. No insult intended and if Ole Miss perceived it as such, that's their problem.

 

[IH8Orange]

I don't think that he meant it as an insult. Nutt is a lame duck coach and his team has taken some pretty bad abuse this season, so I assume that Miles just didn't see any reason to add to their misery. It's kind of a bad position for Miles just because some people will take it as an insult, but it shouldn't be taken that way. I've seen pretty good teams get down and once the momentum swings hard against them, they're utterly helpless (see Michigan State last year against us). Continuing to pile on points when the issue is no longer in doubt is what flash-in-the-pan novelty teams like Houston now or Texas Tech and Hawaii a few years ago do because the usual state of affairs are them taking in on the chin and they know that they'll likely never have the chance again to do the humiliating. Teams that are accustomed to winning don't have to humiliate their opponents to enjoy the victory.

 

[BillDee]

I don't believe Les Miles would intentionally insult or humiliate an opponent. I'm going with "class act".