Jan. 3
Sugar Bowl
LSU 41 ... Notre Dame 14
LSU rolled up 577 yards of total offense and scored 27
unanswered points on the way to a blowout. The Tigers got up 14-0 in the first
quarter on a three-yard touchdown run from Keiland Williams and an 11-yard
scoring grab from Dwayne Bowe, but Notre Dame got back in it with a perfectly
thrown 24-yard pass to David Grimes and a ten-yard pitch to Jeff Samardzija. The
Tigers answered by going 82 yards in five plays ending the first half with a
five-yard JaMarcus Russell run, and the rout was on. After two long drives
finished with Colt David field goals, the Tigers put it away on a 58-yard pass
to Brandon LaFell. Williams scored on a 20-yard run to finish off the Irish.
Player of the game ... LSU QB JaMarcus Russell completed 21 of 34 passes
for 332 yards and two touchdowns and an interception and ran for 16 yards and a
score
Stat Leaders: LSU - Passing: JaMarcus Russell, 21-34, 332
yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing:
Keiland Williams,
14-107, 2 TD Receiving:
Early Doucet, 8-115
Notre Dame - Passing: Brady Quinn, 15-35, 148 yds, 2 TD, 2
INT
Rushing: Darius Walker, 22-128 Receiving:
Jeff Samardzija, 8-59, 1 TD
Notes & Thoughts ...
Quarter by quarter
game notes ...
LSU seemed like it could turn it on at any time
and put the game away. The Notre Dame defense did nothing special against
anything the Tigers wanted to do, and JaMarcus Russell was nothing short of
extraordinary. ... Brady Quinn wasn't anything special only completing 15 of 35
passes even though the Tigers didn't blitz as often as expected. ... 31 first
downs, 245 rushing yards, and 332 passing yards for LSU. Notre Dame's defense
still has a long way to go and still hasn't improved to a near-elite level since
the 2006 Fiesta Bowl. ... Where were the deep balls to Jeff Samardzija and Rhema
McKnight? Where was the running from Darius Walker in the second half? ...
Russell's decision has been made; he has to go off to the NFL now. His stock
will never be higher.
|
2006
Schedule
CFN
Prediction:
10-2
2006 Record:
11-2
Preview
2006 predicted
wins
|
| 9/2 |
UL Lafayette W 45-3 |
| 9/9 |
Arizona
W 45-3 |
| 9/16 |
at Auburn L 7-3 |
| 9/23 |
Tulane
W 49-7 |
|
9/30 |
Miss State
W 48-17 |
| 10/7 |
at Florida
L 23-10 |
| 10/14 |
Kentucky
W 49-0 |
| 10/21 |
Fresno State
W 38-6 |
| 11/4 |
at Tennessee W 28-24 |
| 11/11 |
Alabama
W 28-14 |
| 11/18 |
Ole Miss
W 23-20 OT |
| 11/25 |
at Arkansas
W 31-26 |
| 1/3 |
Sugar Bowl
Notre Dame W 41-14 |
|
|
2005
Schedule
CFN
Prediction:
10-1
2005 Record: 11-2
Preview
2005 predicted
wins
|
| 9/10 |
at
Arizona St
W 35-31 |
| 9/24 |
Tennessee
L 30-27 OT |
| 10/1 |
at Miss State
W 37-7 |
| 10/8 |
at Vanderbilt
W 34-6 |
| 10/15 |
Florida
W 21-17 |
| 10/22 |
Auburn
W 20-17 OT |
|
10/29 |
North Texas
W 56-3 |
| 11/5 |
Appalachian St
W 24-0 |
| 11/12 |
at
Alabama W 16-13 OT |
| 11/19 |
at Ole Miss
W 40-7 |
| 11/26 |
Arkansas
W 19-17 |
| 12/3 |
SEC Championship
Georgia L 34-14 |
| 12/30 |
Peach Bowl
Miami W 40-3 |
|
Nov. 24
LSU 31 ... Arkansas 26
In a wild fourth quarter stretch, LSU increased its lead to
24-12 on a seven-yard touchdown catch from Early Doucet only to see Darren
McFadden take the next play from scrimmage 80 yards for a score. Just when it
seemed like Arkansas had all the momentum, Trindon Holliday returned the ensuing
kickoff for a score. Arkansas was able to get within six on a Felix Jones
five-yard touchdown run, but failed on its final drive when Casey Dick misfired
on four straight passes. Arkansas ran for 298 yards and three touchdowns along
with a 21-yard Marcus Monk touchdown catch, but the lack of a consistent passing
game proved to be the downfall. JaMarcus Russell threw two touchdown passes for
the Tigers highlighted by a 47-yard play to Craig Davis in the second quarter.
Player of the game ... In a losing cause, Arkansas RB Darren McFadden ran
21 times for 182 yards and two touchdowns, completed two of two passes for 33
yards, and caught a pass for seven yards.
Stat Leaders: LSU - Passing: JaMarcus Russell, 14-22, 210
yds, 2 TD
Rushing:
Keiland Williams, 13-68, 1 TD Receiving: Dwayne Bowe,
5-68
Arkansas - Passing: Darren McFadden, 2-2, 33 yds
Rushing: Darren McFadden, 21-182, 2 TD Receiving: Robert
Johnson, 1-28
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
LSU might not be playing for the
SEC title, but it'll have to settle for the honor of being the SEC's most
respected team, at least for the moment, with six straight wins leaving open the
door for a possible at-large BCS bid. The run defense was ripped apart by Darren
McFadden and Felix Jones, but that's nothing to be ashamed of. The secondary,
when it had to, sniffed out everything the Hogs tried to do forcing Arkansas QB
Casey Dick to have an awful game. Of course, Trindon Williams stole the show
with his kickoff return for a score, now the coaching staff has to figure out
how to get the ball in his hands more in open space to utilize all his speed.
Nov. 18
LSU 23 ... Ole Miss 20 OT
LSU scored on a five-yard touchdown catch from Dwayne Bowe
with 14 seconds to play tie it at 20, but the the Colt David extra point attempt
was blocked forcing overtime. Brent Schaeffer was sacked and lost a fumble on
the Ole Miss overtime possession, and LSU took advantage as David nailed a
26-yard field goal for the win. Bowe started off the scoring with a 13-yard
catch, but Ole Miss reeled off 20 straight points on a 22-yard Bruce Hall catch,
a BenJarvus Green-Ellis one-yard run and two Joshua Shene field goals. The
fourth quarter was LSU's with JaMarcus Russell throwing a four-yard touchdown
pass to Early Doucet before going on a 58-yard, 11-play drive culminating in the
game-tying score. Patrick Willis made 12 tackles for the Rebels.
Player of the game ... LSU QB JaMarcus Russell completed 20 of 36 passes
for 223 yards and three touchdowns
Stat Leaders: LSU - Passing: JaMarcus Russell, 20-36, 223
yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Jacob Hester, 12-42 Receiving: Dwayne Bowe, 7-64, 2
TD
Ole Miss - Passing: Brent Schaeffer, 6-14, 72 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: BenJarvis Green-Ellis, 28-96, 1 TD Receiving:
Mike Wallace, 4-35
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
If JaMarcus
Russell is thinking about heading to the NFL early, and he certainly has the
skills to do so, he might want to think again after the close call against Ole
Miss. The Rebels did a great job of disguising their blitzes and generating
pressure from all angles, and Russell didn’t do a good enough job of sniffing
them out, While he came through in crunch time with the fourth quarter needed to
pull out the win, it was an uneven performance. The Tigers won’t be able to get
away with the Ole Miss effort against Arkansas next week.
Nov. 11
LSU 28 ... Alabama 14
LSU got a near-perfect day from QB JaMarcus Russell with three
touchdown passes along with a 38-yard Keiland Williams touchdown run to dispose
of the Tide. The Bama offense got a 29-yard Ken Darby touchdown run in the first
and a six-yard Nikita Stover scoring grab in the second, and then the LSU
defense took over bending, but not breaking in the second half. The Tigers
managed a 17-yard Jacob Hester touchdown catch in the third quarter to put it
away.
Player of the game ... LSU QB JaMarcus Russell completed 18 of 21 passes
fro 207 yards and three touchdowns and ran seven times for 36 yards
Stat Leaders: LSU - Passing: JaMarcus Russell, 18-21, 207
yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Keiland Williams, 9-79, 1 TD Receiving: Early
Doucet, 7-101, 1 TD
Alabama - Passing: John Parker Wilson, 22-35, 291 yds, 2
TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Ken Darby, 13-36 Receiving: D.J. Hall, 8-142
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
LSU continues to be amazing at home with JaMarcus
Russell impressing more and more week after week. Alabama threw everything it
had at the big Tigers star, but to no avail. Russell is moving better in the
pocket and is scrambling more effectively. The SEC title might be out of reach
with Arkansas just needing to beat Mississippi State next week to be win the
West, but if the Tigers can dispose of Ole Miss and then win impressively over
the Hogs, they have a shot to be in the BCS. The run defense is playing well
enough to pull off the wins, while Keiland Williams is starting to provide a bit
more pop to the ground game.
Nov. 4
LSU 28 ... Tennessee 24
JaMarcus Russell connected with Early Doucet for a four-yard
touchdown pass with nine seconds to play to cap a 15-play, 80-yard drive that
took up 7:14. Tennessee appeared to have all the momentum after Jonathan
Crompton, who stepped in for an injured and ineffective Erik Ainge, connected
with Robert Meachem for a 54-yard touchdown pass to take the lead. Russell and
Doucet hooked up for an eight-yard play on fourth and eight to keep the final
drive alive, and then again for an 11-yard play to get in scoring range before
two runs led to the final score. LSU turned it over four times with three
Russell interceptions including a 31-yard interception return for a score from
Demetrice Morley early in the second half. Crompton and Meachem connected from
37 yards out in the second quarter for Tennessee's other touchdown, while
Russell threw touchdown passes to Craig Davis from 23 yards out to start the
scoring and to Dwayne Bowe from five yards away in the third.
Player of the game ... LSU QB JaMarcus Russell
completed 24 of 36 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns with three
interceptions and ran seven times for 71 yards
Stat Leaders: LSU - Passing: JaMarcus
Russell, 24-36, 247 yds, 3 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: JaMarcus Russell, 7-71, Receiving:
Early Doucet, 8-73, 1 TD
Tennessee - Passing: Jonathan Crompton,
11-24, 183 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Arian Foster, 10-44. Receiving: Robert
Meachem, 5-121, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Where'd
LSU get a running game from? Thanks to one big run from JaMarcus Russell, and a
good job done spreading the carries around, the Tigers were good at keeping
Tennessee off balance. Most impressively in a hostile environment, Russell and
the offense answered after two potential back-breaking plays with a ten-play,
77-yard touchdown drive after the Demetrice Morley interception return for a
touchdown and the 15-play game-winning drive after Robert Meachem made a
brilliant 54-yard touchdown catch. While the SEC title might be out of reach,
the Tigers can still make things extremely interesting in the Big 12 race by
winning out.
Oct. 21
LSU 38 ... Fresno State 6
LSU waited out the rain and had no problems with Fresno State
with Craig Davis returning a punt 77 yards for a score and catching a 30-yard
touchdown pass and JaMarcus Russell throwing two touchdown passes. Fresno State
managed two Clint Stitser field goals, but only gained 211 yards of total
offense. Trindon Holliday started off the Tiger scoring with a 38-yard touchdown
run and Alley Broussard ran for a 21-yard score.
Player of the game ... LSU QB JaMarcus Russell
completed 15 of 19 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: LSU - Passing: JaMarcus
Russell, 15-19, 210 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Alley Broussard, 5-67, 1 TD, Receiving:
Dwayne Bowe, 4-106, 1 TD
Fresno State - Passing: Sean Norton,
13-20, 134 yds
Rushing: Dwayne Wright, 15-42. Receiving: Dwayne
Wright, 5-55
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... LSU once
again showed it can blow out bad teams at home having no problem disposing of
Fresno State .... no one is noticing. The team needs to beat someone decent, and
now it gets two weeks off to prepare for Tennessee with plenty of time to focus
and prepare for a must-win to keep any SEC title hopes alive. The biggest plus
out of the win over the Bulldogs was the running game that rumbled for 184 yards
to provide a little bit of balance. The defense dominated on third downs.
Oct. 14
LSU 49 ... Kentucky 0
LSU rolled over Kentucky with 278 passing yards and 268 on the
ground with JaMarcus Russell and Matt Flynn each throwing two touchdown passes
and Jacob Hester running for two first half scores. Russell connected with
Dwayne Bowe on first half scoring passes from seven and 48 yards out on the way
to a 28-0 first half lead, and then Bowe caught an eight-yard touchdown pass
from Matt Flynn in the third. Kentucky only gained 227 yards of total offense.
Player of the game ... LSU WR Dwayne Bowe caught six
passes for 111 yards and three touchdowns
Stat Leaders: LSU - Passing: JaMarcus
Russell, 15-18, 226 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Charles Scott, 9-56, Receiving:
Dwayne Bowe, 6-111, 3 TD
Kentucky - Passing: Andre Woodson, 14-37,
151 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Curtis Pulley, 5-32. Receiving: Keenan
Burton, 7-62
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... LSU is
scary-good at home, but then again, it hasn't played any of the big boys. It's a
shame there isn't anyone of note outside of Alabama coming into Death Valley.
JaMarcus Russell plays at another level at home, while the defense was stifling
against Kentucky this week. The real excitement is over 268 yards from a running
game that's been spotty at best all year. Expect even more of a slaughter
against Fresno State.
Oct. 7
Florida 23 ... LSU 10
Florida overcame a 7-0 deficit with 23 straight points
highlighted by a funky one-yard jump pass from Tim Tebow to Tate Casey with :22
left in the first half. Tebow ran for a one-yard score and threw a 35-yard
touchdown pass to Louis Murphy for the offensive points, and then the defense
and special teams came through as LSU combusted. Early Doucet fumbled the second
half kickoff on the three and got dropped for a safety, there was a fumbled snap
on the one-yard line, had a punt blocked and fumbled a punt. The Tigers only
managed a 45-yard Colt David field goal in the second half.
Player of the game ... Florida QB Tim Tebow completed
two of two passes for 36 yards and two touchdowns and ran nine times for 35
yards and a score
Stat Leaders: LSU - Passing: JaMarcus
Russell, 24-41, 228 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Jacob Hester, 9-43, Receiving:
Craig Davis, 8-85
Florida - Passing: Chris Leak, 17-26, 155
yds, 1 INT
Rushing:
Kesthan Moore, 10-36. Receiving:
Andre Caldwell, 5-38
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... LSU
should be happy it only got blasted 23-10 by Florida. The Tigers didn't play
like a polished team with mistakes in just about every phase. With no running
game to speak off, it was up to JaMarcus Russell to press a bit against the
jacked up Gator D, and he threw three picks, lost a fumble, and should've been
intercepted two other times. LSU is now 0-2 against good teams, but it isn't out
of the SEC title hunt thanks to Auburn's loss to Arkansas. There's no margin for
error the rest of the way if the Tigers have BCS hopes.
Sept. 30
LSU 48 ... Mississippi State 17
Only a midgame lightning storm could stall the LSU offense
that rolled at will scoring the first 35 points of the game highlighted by two
Charles Scott touchdown runs and a 37-yard touchdown pass to Early Doucet.
Mississippi State was able to get a 32-yard Adam Carlson field goal at the end
of the first half and a 34-yard interception return for a touchdown from Derek
Pegues. LSU kept motoring in the fourth with short scoring runs by Jacob Hester
and Alley Broussard around a 46-yard touchdown catch from MSU's Tony Burks.
Player of the game ... LSU QB JaMarcus Russell
completed 18 of 20 passes for 330 yards and three touchdowns
Stat Leaders: LSU - Passing: JaMarcus
Russell, 18-20, 330 yds, 3 TD
Rushing:
Jacob Hester, 8-49, 1 TD Receiving:
Craig Davis, 6-101, 1 TD
Mississippi State - Passing: Omarr
Conner, 15-28, 212 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Anthony Dixon, 8-20 Receiving: Lance
Long, 5-37
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
No one thumps a bad team like LSU. The Tigers blew away
Mississippi State thanks to a brilliant day from JaMarcus Russell, and now it's
time to beat someone good. The concern has to be with the running game that only
managed 108 yards. The Bulldogs have a good run defense, but LSU still should've
been able to pound the ball a bit more effectively. When the outcome was still
in question, the defense swarmed and was fantastic at forcing the MSU offense
off the field. Florida's not going to put up big points on this group, so if
Russell and the offense can hit on a couple of big plays, LSU will come away
with the win.
Sept. 23
LSU 49 ... Tulane 7
LSU scored 14 points in each of the first thee quarters
highlighted by three Early Doucet touchdowns in the first half and two Charles
Scott scoring runs. The game was well in hand with the LSU backups came in with
Matt Flynn and Jacob Hester each running for short scores. Tulane finally got on
the board late in the fourth on a one-yard Anthony Scelfo run.
Player of the game ... LSU WR Early Doucet caught four
passes for 36 yards and two touchdowns and ran once for 17 yards and a score
Stat Leaders: LSU - Passing: JaMarcus
Russell, 17-23, 198 yds, 2 TD
Rushing:
Charles Scott, 15-101, 2 TD Receiving:
Craig Davis, 6-86
Tulane - Passing: Scott Elliott, 4-13, 48
yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Ray Boudreaux, 6-47 Receiving:
Preston Brown, 3-9
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... LSU got
over the Auburn heartbreak in a big hurry with a dominating performance against
Tulane. The Tigers have been fantastic at home so far and should easily get to
4-1 next week against Mississippi State before the showdown at Florida. JaMarcus
Russell has taken his game to another level, and if he keeps playing like this,
LSU will beat the Gators. The running game was fine thanks to some big runs from
Charles Scott, but the overall consistency still isn't there. That means it's
Russell or bust on offense against the big boys.
Sept. 16
Auburn 7 ... LSU 3
Auburn survived a tough, hard-hitting battle holding on twice
with a controversial late deflection by Eric Brock to stop one drive, after the
officials picked up the flag after calling pass interference, and a big hit on
Craig Davis on the six-yard-line as time ran out. Auburn got a one-yard Brandon
Cox quarterback sneak for a touchdown in the third quarter to cap off a 12-play,
75-yard drive. LSU got its only score on a 42-yard Colt David field goal as time
ran out at the end of the first half. Auburn only gained 182 yards of total
offense, LSU gained 309.
Player of the game ... Auburn DB Eric Block made four
tackles and broke up one pass to stop LSU's final two drives.
Stat Leaders: LSU - Passing: JaMarcus
Russell, 20-35, 267 yds
Rushing:
Justin Vincent, 6-16 Receiving:
Craig Davis, 7-94
Auburn - Passing: Brandon Cox, 11-20, 110
yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Kenny Irons, 25-70 Receiving:
Courtney Taylor, 3-22
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
How can an official pick up a flag on a pass interference penalty? How
can JaMarcus Russell not throw the ball into the end zone on the game's final
play? Tiger fans are going to be ticked off over the way the loss to Auburn
ended, but both calls were good ones. One quick move from Craig Davis at the
six, and LSU wins the game on a classic final play. LSU has to take heart that
it could move the ball a little bit with Russell coming up with a great game
under extreme pressure. The running game, which hasn't been there all season,
proved to be a liability. That has to change against Tulane and Mississippi
State before facing Florida.
Sept. 9
LSU 45 ... Arizona 3
The LSU defense dominated Arizona from the start allowing a
mere 152 total yards of offense and 35 rushing yards while coming up with three
interceptions. Jonathan Zenon started off the scoring with a 41-yard
interception return, and then the Tiger offense got involved less than two
minutes later with the first of Jacob Hester's two touchdowns on a five-yard
catch. Hester would later run for a 28-yard score. Alley Broussard ran for a
17-yard score on the way to a 24-0 halftime lead, and the rout was on. The
Wildcats got their only points on a 33-yard field goal with just over a minute
to play.
Player of the game ... LSU LB Darry Beckwith led the
team with nine tackles and 1.5 sacks.
Stat Leaders: Arizona - Passing: Adam
Austin, 8-19, 67 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Chris Jennings, 8-53. Receiving:
Syndric Steptoe, 4-26
LSU - Passing: JaMarcus Russell, 13-20,
196 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Charles Scott, 4-47, 1 TD Receiving:
Jacob Hester, 6-53, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... It's hard
to argue with two straight 45-3 wins. Arizona was supposed to come into Death
Valley and give the Tigers a run. Nyuh uh. LSU's defense was all over the field
with too much speed in the back seven for the Wildcat passing game and too much
still on offense. JaMarcus Russell has been tremendous to start the year, but
that's partially because he's getting ten days to throw. He's not going to have
the same amount of time to work against Auburn next week and he'll need a bit
more of a running game to help move the attack.
Sept. 2
LSU 45 ... UL Lafayette 3
LSU wasn't always perfect early, but the passing game clicked
without a problem as JaMarcus Russell threw three touchdowns passes and Jonathan
Zenon returned an interception 20 yards for a score. UL Lafayette got a 41-yard
Drew Edmiston field goal to make it 14-3 in the second quarter, but the Tigers
scored 31 unanswered points highlighted by a 28-yard touchdown grab from Dwayne
Bowe.
Player of the game ... LSU QB JaMarcus Russell
completed 13 of 17 passes for 253 yards and three touchdowns.
Stat Leaders: UL Lafayette - Passing:
Jerry Babb, 7-17, 63 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Tyrell Fenroy, 12-52. Receiving:
Derrick Smith, 2-23
LSU - Passing: JaMarcus Russell, 13-17,
253 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Alley Broussard, 8-46, 1 TD Receiving:
Dwayne Bowe, 4-88, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... The lack
of a running game in the first half against UL Lafayette was a bit disturbing,
but things started to kick in after Alley Broussard started to do his thing.
JaMarcus Russell looked in midseason form as he and the quarterbacks averaged a
whopping 13 yards per pass attempt. Things get progressively harder playing
Arizona next week before the showdown at Auburn, but this was a good scrimmage
to get several backups some meaningful work.
2006 LSU Preview
-
LSU
Preview |
Offense |
Defense |
Depth
Chart |
Further Analysis
2005 should've been the year.
New head coach Les Miles wasn't everyone's favorite choice to
take over for Nick Saban, but
he inherited a heater of a hand with as much next-level talent and
athleticism as anyone in the nation. While the Tigers were able to
survive Auburn, Florida, and road trips to Arizona State and
Alabama, it couldn't deal with a big hurricane.
Was it a case of being mentally and physically cashed in the overtime collapse
against Tennessee after having to move the Arizona State game to
Tempe? Maybe. After all, many of the players had to deal with the Katrina
aftermath.
Was the team running on empty at the end of last year in
the SEC title game after dealing with a full season of tough battles
as well as the daily world of hurricane problems? That's not giving
Georgia enough credit, but the outside factors couldn't have helped.
Now the tremendously loaded team has on-field issues to face. If the
Tigers couldn't win it all last year when it had defensive tackles
Claude Wroten and Kyle Williams, offensive linemen Andrew Whitworth,
Rudy Niswanger and Nate Livings, first-round draft pick running back
Joseph Addai, star end Melvin Oliver, and leading tackler Cameron
Vaughn, how is it going to win it all this year? Truth is, it's not.
Name anyone outside of the Pittsburgh Steelers that could survive
road trips to Auburn, Florida, Tennessee and a much, much improved
Arkansas team. LSU could be one of the three best teams in America,
split the road games, and finish the regular season 10-2 and playing
in the Cotton Bowl.
Does that mean it'll be
acceptable to shoot for anything less than an SEC title and, if the
world breaks the right way, a 2003-like campaign where the Tigers lose
one game and get the benefit of the doubt from the BCS? That's not that
far-fetched, but it would likely require everyone else losing at least
once and for the team to be far more consistent.
The quarterback situation has to be settled and air-tight shut after
this fall. Matt Flynn and Ryan Perrilloux are more than capable of
leading LSU to an SEC title, but if JaMarcus Russell has to look over
his shoulder every time he tried to throw into triple coverage, the
offense won't run smoothly.
Running back is a question mark with the top two backs coming off of
torn ACLs, the lightning fast receiving corps has to make even more big
plays and live up to all of its talent, and the offensive line has to
deal with the loss of three stars while trying to get more push for the
running game.
The defense will be amazing as long as tackles Glen Dorsey, Charles
Alexander and Marlon Favorite do a spot on impersonation of Wroten and
Williams, and as long as the starting linebackers stay healthy. LaRon
Landry and Jessie Daniels are NFL safeties spending time in the college
ranks, and corner Chevis Jackson is an All-SEC playmaker waiting to
break out.
Yes, expectations are sky-high once again in Baton Rouge and Miles'
honeymoon period is officially over. This will be a team to keep an eye
on all season long, and it'll be even more interesting next year.
The
Schedule: It's a relative walk in the park outside of the road
games. LSU only plays four away from the friendly confines of Baton
Rouge, but they're doozies having to go to Auburn, Florida, Tennessee
and Arkansas. Barring a mini-miracle, or a meltdown against a fired up
team like Fresno State or Arizona, the only home date to worry about is
against Alabama. The four road games are all spread out with two home
games followed up by an away game up until the end.
Best
Offensive Player: Junior QB JaMarcus Russell. He'll make several bad
plays, won't be consistent, and won't run for any appreciable yards, but
he's fantastic in crunch time and has an arm that could throw a grape
through a brick wall. Backup quarterbacks Matt Flynn and Ryan Perrilloux
are good enough to win a national title with, but it's Russell who has
the combination of experience and talent.
Best
Defensive Player:
Senior FS LaRon Landry.
Shouldn't he be off being a multi-millionaire? The senior will be among
the nation's best defensive backs all season long and should be a first
round draft pick next year. He has the perfect combination of NFL size,
speed, and highlight reel hitting ability.
Key player
to a successful season: Junior RB Alley Broussard. LSU always has
running backs to spare, but things got dicey in a big hurry with
Broussard still trying to come back from a knee injury and Justin
Vincent tearing up his ACL in last year's Peach Bowl. Super-recruit
Keiland Williams
has all-world potential, but Broussard needs to be healthy and confident
in his mended knee for the offense to shine its brightest.
The season
will be a success if ... LSU wins the SEC West. It's not going to be easy, but after
playing for the title last year, anything less will be a major
disappointment. This is a national title team with a solid
schedule, but 10-2 in the regular season would be a big accomplishment.
Beating Florida and Tennessee on the road would be nice, and Arkansas
will be frothing at the mouth at the regular-season finale, but LSU
can't win the West if it doesn't come out alive on ...
Key game:
September 16th at Auburn. The LSU version of the Tigers won a 20-17
thriller last season and has to come out of the conference opener with a
win or face the daunting task of having to win in Gainesville and
Knoxville to have any hope of playing for the SEC title.
2005 Fun
Stats:
- Penalties: LSU 108 for 907 yards - Opponents 86 for 610 yards
- Field goals: LSU 14 of 24 - Opponents 13 of 25
- Fumbles: LSU 20, lost 13 - Opponents 21, lost 4
The Last Time LSU…
…played in a bowl game…2005 (Peach Bowl vs. Miami)
…missed a bowl game…1999
…pitched a shutout…2005 (Appalachian State)
…was shutout…2002 (Alabama)
…scored 50 points…2005 (North Texas)
…went undefeated…1958
…won a conference title…2003 (SEC)
…had a 3,000-yard passer…2001 (Rohan Davey)
…had a 1,000-yard rusher…2003 (Justin Vincent)
…had a 1,000-yard receiver…2003 (Michael Clayton)
…had a first-round draft choice…2006 (RB Joseph Addai)
