28Oct

Jayden Daniels’ Hail Mary pass reminded me (and many others) of LSU’s Bluegrass Miracle

From Wikipedia: The Bluegrass Miracle was a 74-yard game-winning touchdown pass by the No. 16 LSU Tigers with no time left on the clock against the Kentucky Wildcats on November 9, 2002, at Commonwealth Stadium in Lexington, Kentucky. The ball was tipped by a Kentucky player before being caught at the 15-yard line by Devery Henderson of LSU, who ran it in for the score. Background Kentucky, the home team, was the underdog to the defending SEC champion Tigers. LSU was ahead by as many as 14 points at one point and led 24–14 after a field goal with 13:58 left in the fourth quarter, but Kentucky came back with a 13–3 run to tie it at 27. However, a Kentucky player called the Wildcats' last timeout on first down from the LSU 11 with 15 seconds left on the clock, and rather than risking a turnover or a tackle within the field of play that would leave the clock running and the Wildcats unable to line up to spike the football, head coach Guy Morriss opted to send kicker Taylor Begley out to kick a 29-yard field goal, giving the Wildcats a 30–27 lead with 11 seconds left on the clock. LSU got the ball back, but the ensuing kickoff pinned the team at its own 9-yard line. On the first play of the series, the Tigers quickly got the ball to their own 26-yard line on a pass from quarterback Marcus Randall to wide receiver Michael Clayton. An LSU timeout stopped the clock with 2 seconds left, and set up a desperation Hail Mary pass. The chances for success were considered slim because Randall's arm was not strong enough to reach the opponent's end zone from 70+ yards away. Kentucky players were so confident that they had won the game that they gave Morriss a Gatorade bath before the final play had taken place.

The way the football game in suburban D.C. ended yesterday brought back memories of a game 22 years ago in Lexington, Kentucky.

20Oct

People ask me if I miss it. I think they are surprised when I say no

Baton Rouge, LA - February 2023: Tiger Stadium, home of LSU Football on the Louisiana State University Campus.

Almost 100,000 people yelling, there to watch modern gladiators. I was there to witness and tell the story. People wonder if I miss it.

13Oct

Cannon’s return has echoes every October. Even so, it is often underappreciated

One of Saturday’s college football games took me down memory lane and reminded me of how much context matters when it comes to great plays.

08Sep

It was not a fever dream after all, the counting was off by one

Last night I heard an announcer refer to this as “LSU’s 100th season in Tiger Stadium.” It’s the 101st.

29Aug

USC-LSU 1979 football game an impossible act for Sunday’s season opener to follow

LSU and USC meet in football for the third time Sunday in Las Vegas and on ABC. They face a high bar 45 years after their instant classic.

04Dec

My inner Marla Hooch steps to the plate, long after a plot twist nobody saw coming

A co-worker’s story timed for the 30th anniversary of “A League of Their Own” inspired me to tell a story I’ve kept to myself till now.

20Oct

That time I wrote a column by hand and it seemed to write itself

A 2005 column I wrote came from a part of my brain not normally accessed when I typed my thoughts on a laptop.

18Oct

The one where I leisurely take you down a deep rabbit hole about writing on a tight deadline

A tweet and a song last night sent me down memory lane about writing on an unforgiving deadline, and the things our brains do to try to help.

30May

There used to be a ballpark right here, Chicago edition

Thirty years ago, we drove a long way to see a baseball game in Chicago and ended up seeing two.

25Oct

Who did better, Nick Saban or Les Miles? Donald Trump or Barack Obama? Why context matters

Context matters. To demonstrate that, I look at charts showing side-by-side comparisons of two presidents and two football coaches.

CarlyJDubois.com

Tag: LSU

Jayden Daniels’ Hail Mary pass reminded me (and many others) of LSU’s Bluegrass Miracle

People ask me if I miss it. I think they are surprised when I say no

Cannon’s return has echoes every October. Even so, it is often underappreciated

It was not a fever dream after all, the counting was off by one

USC-LSU 1979 football game an impossible act for Sunday’s season opener to follow

My inner Marla Hooch steps to the plate, long after a plot twist nobody saw coming

That time I wrote a column by hand and it seemed to write itself

The one where I leisurely take you down a deep rabbit hole about writing on a tight deadline

There used to be a ballpark right here, Chicago edition