by Michael Bonnette, Associate AD/Sports Information Director
BATON ROUGE -- Finishing the season strong and securing a bid to a prestigious bowl game has been the theme around the LSU football complex this week, and with that in mind, the ninth-ranked Tigers host in-state rival Louisiana Tech in Tiger Stadium on Saturday.
Kickoff between the Tigers and the Bulldogs is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. The game will be televised to a national audience on ESPNU. The game will serve as Homecoming for the Tigers.
LSU, which dropped a hard-fought 24-15 decision to then-No. 3 Alabama last week, goes into the contest with a 7-2 overall mark. The Bulldogs, who are coached by former LSU assistant coach Derek Dooley, have lost three straight and stand at 3-6 overall. Tech is coming off a 45-35 loss to Boise State last week in Ruston.
LSU is 17-1 all-time against the Bulldogs, which includes a 58-10 win over Tech in the last meeting between the teams in 2007.
The Tigers go into the final three games of the season with a shot at becoming just the sixth team in school history to win 10 games during the regular season. In order to get to double-digit victories, the Tigers must run the table in games against Louisiana Tech, Ole Miss and Arkansas. A 10-win regular season would likely result into a top five national ranking for the Tigers going into bowl season.
“There’s is still a want to be a good, quality team,” Miles said of his squad this week. “In the history of LSU if you would say that we had the opportunity to be ranked in the top five in the country four out of the last five years that would be a pretty strong showing.
“I think if we take care of our opponent’s one at a time we might approach that. Let’s go see if we can be a great team. I think our team wants that.”
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GameDay Info LSU vs. Louisiana Tech GameDay Forecast Times of Interest 9 a.m. 11:30 a.m. Noon 1:30 p.m. 3 p.m. 3:15 p.m. 3:30 p.m. 3:55 p.m. 4 p.m.
4:10 p.m. 5:35 p.m. 5:43 p.m. 5:39 p.m. 5:47 p.m. 5:50 p.m. 5:54 p.m. 6:01 p.m. 6:01:45 p.m. 6:05 p.m.
First Timeout of First Quarter Second Timeout of First Quarter First Quarter Halftime First Timeout of Third Quarter Guest Captains |
If this week’s practice has been any indication, then the Tigers have appeared to have put the Alabama loss behind them.
“We practiced hard this week with good focus and attention to detail,” Miles said. “I’ve seen this group of men handle disappointment before. The way we have practiced this week shows me that they’ve done a good job of turning their attention to this week’s opponent. I think they are excited about the chance to get back on the field and play another game, especially in front of our fans in Tiger Stadium.”
The Tigers will face a Tech squad without their starting running back in Charles Scott, who suffered a season-ending injury last week against Alabama. Scott will be replaced in the backfield by Keiland Williams, Stevan Ridley along with Russell Shepard and Trindon Holiday.
LSU starting quarterback Jordan Jefferson missed practice early this week and could return to action on Saturday against the Bulldogs. Jefferson was injured in the third quarter against the Crimson Tide and didn’t return to the game. Jefferson has started all nine games for the Tigers this year and he’s thrown for 1,535 yards, 12 touchdowns and just four interceptions.
Backup quarterback Jarrett Lee filled in for Jefferson last week and could be in line for playing time on Saturday. Lee, who started eight games a year ago for the Tigers, has thrown for 92 yards and one score this year. He completed 4-of-10 passes for 44 yards and an interception last week in what was his most extensive action of the season.
With Scott out of the lineup, LSU’s most explosive players on offense are receivers Brandon LaFell and Terrance Toliver. The duo has combined to catch more passes (83) than any other receiving combination in the SEC. Tolliver leads the squad with 42 catches for 527 yards and three scores, while LaFell has 41 receptions for 506 yards and eight touchdowns.
Defensively, the Tigers continue to field one of the top units in the league as LSU is allowing 13.4 points and 310.7 yards per game. The LSU defense hasn’t yielded a first quarter touchdown since the Mississippi State contest, five games ago. In its last five games combined, LSU has given up a total of only 13 first half points (10 by Florida, 3 by Alabama, 0 by Georgia, Auburn and Tulane).
LSU’s linebacker corps – Kelvin Sheppard, Perry Riley, Harry Coleman and Jacob Cutrera – continues to lead the Tiger defense. Sheppard leads the team and ranks third in the SEC in tackles with 78, including 7.5 for losses. Riley is second on the team with 63 tackles, followed by Coleman with 55 and Cutrera with 45.
LSU’s secondary, led by cornerback Patrick Peterson and safety Chad Jones, has also played well this year, as the Tigers are allowing just 189 yards passing per game. LSU is among the league leaders in interceptions with 12 and the Tigers have intercepted at least one pass in 11 straight games.
Against Tech, LSU will face a squad that is led by running backs Daniel Porter and Phillip Livas. Porter has rushed for 732 yards and eight touchdowns, while Livas has accounted for 207 rushing yards as well as averaging 24.8 yards on punt returns and 29.2 yards on kickoff returns. Livas has returned both a kickoff and a punt for a touchdown this year.
“If you watch how they play week-in and week-out, you have great respect for them,” Miles said of Tech. “They have a very talented running back in Daniel Porter and a very dangerous kick returner in Phillip Livas. Their defense has a great scheme with the ability to stunt and blitz you. They are going to play hard on every snap so we better be ready.”
LSU Notebook
- LSU coach Les Miles will go after his 50th win as head coach of the Tigers on Saturday vs. Louisiana Tech.
- LSU holds the nation’s longest non-conference winning streak at 22 straight games. LSU hasn’t lost a non-conference game since a 30-25 defeat to Iowa in the Capital One Bowl to cap the 2004 season.
- LSU has also won 27 consecutive non-conference games in Tiger Stadium, a stretch that goes back to the 2002 season when the Tigers dropped a 13-10 decision to UAB.
- LSU has won 24 consecutive games over teams from Louisiana. The last time LSU lost to a team from Louisiana came in 1982 when the Green Wave beat the Tigers, 31-28, in Tiger Stadium.
- LSU has won 34 of its last 35 Saturday night games in Tiger Stadium.
- Since the 2002 season, LSU is 50-12 in games which they were ranked in the Top 10.
- LSU will have a different starter at running back for the first time since the start of the 2008 season due to the injury to Charles Scott. Scott had started 22 straight games at running back for the Tigers.
