By Eric Bankston
LSUsports.net
BATON ROUGE — The Thanksgiving day turkey should be carved and digested by the time the Tigers and Razorbacks kickoff in the battle for the “Golden Boot” trophy.
The tradition started back in 1996 when the triumphant Tigers left the field with the 24-karat gold trophy shaped like the state of Louisiana and our neighbor state to the north. The Tigers possessed the trophy for two consecutive years until Arkansas captured the “The Boot” last year with a 41-14 victory in Little Rock. Arkansas head coach Houston Nutt’s team has rebounded from a mediocre start to win five of their last six games.
According to Coach Nutt the Razorbacks are playing their best football to date, “It’s huge to beat teams ranked third and 12th back to back. It gives our team a lot of confidence. Who would have thought we could beat Tennessee? We spent so much energy and emotion in that game it was remarkable to come back so well against Mississippi State.”
The Tigers have nothing to lose and everything to gain under the direction of newly appointed interim head coach Hal Hunter. “This is a very unique opportunity for us because we have absolutely no pressure. The only pressure we have is the pressure we put on ourselves. The focus has to be on the players to give them something to build upon for next year,” Hunter said during Tuesdays weekly press luncheon.
The LSU Tigers (2-8, 0-7 SEC) dropped their eighth consecutive game after a 20-7 defeat to the Houston Cougars. The Houston offensive unit racked up 375 yards of total offense, while the Cougar defense toyed with the Tiger offense allowing 31 yards on the ground and snatching four interceptions. The Arkansas Razorbacks (7-3, 4-3 SEC) are now tied with the Ole Miss Rebels for third place in the Southeastern Conference Western Division after defeating the Mississippi State Bulldogs 14-9 in their home away from home, Little Rock. The Razorbacks are still in search of their first SEC road win of the season.
Coach Nutt noted that victory may be tough to come by in Tiger Stadium, “LSU has a big advantage. They’ve had a week off. They have a new coach which could rally the troops. It’s scary. Baton Rouge is a tough place to play. We haven’t been good on the road. We have to take care of the bumps and bruises, get a good game plan and go with it.” The victory against MSU extended the Razorbacks in-state victory streak to 13 consecutive games. The school record of 18 consecutive wins between 1963-1966 could be in serious jeopardy next year.
The series between LSU and Arkansas dates back to 1901. The schools have meet 44 times during this century with the Tigers maintaining a 27-15-2 lead in the series. The Razorbacks last win in “Death Valley” occurred on Nov. 27, 1993. Many supporters are speculating about the future of LSU football after the dismissal of LSU head coach Gerry DiNardo. What is certain is the fact that LSU has a young group of offensive stars and the future of LSU football looks bright in their hands. Sophomore split end Jerel Myers is without question the brightest of those stars. Myers set an SEC record for most catches by a freshman player, 59, with eight grabs against Houston. Myers has eclipsed the 100-yard mark in receiving yardage three times in his young career. On the year, he has grabbed 61 balls for 817 yards and two touchdowns.
Another young player contributing heavily in his true freshman year is tailback Domanick Davis. “Double D” set an LSU record for most kickoff returns in a single season by returning his 24th kick against Houston. In 10 games, Davis has 960 all-purpose yards with two touchdowns.
Quarterback Josh Booty continues to bring a competitive fire to his position. “Josh Booty is a good player. He’s just now coming into his own. He’s been in baseball, but it’s obvious he is back in a football mentality now,” Coach Nutt said. Since assuming the role as the number one man, Booty has completed 158-of-327 passes for 1787 yards with seven touchdowns and 19 interceptions.
The Tiger defense was led by a trio of playmakers who combined to make 51 tackles versus Houston. Senior inside linebacker Charles Smith led the team with 18 tackles, which gives the emotional leader of the group 89 stops for the year. Sophomore free safety Ryan Clark and true freshman drop linebacker Norman LeJeune combined to make 17 and 16 tackles. Clark leads the team in tackles (100), pass breakups (7), and forced fumbles (3). Since taking over for injured drop linebacker Lionel Thomas, LeJeune has recorded 50 tackles in only four games. Expect to see the return of Bubba Alexander, but not at LeJeune’s drop linebacker position. Alexander will see action at strong safety along with current starter Shane O’Toole.
The high powered Hog offense ranks second in the SEC and 21st nationally in scoring with an average of 31.6 points per game. The Arkansas offense averages 228.6 yards passing per game and most of that is fueled by the arm of senior All-SEC candidate Clint Stoerner. Stoerner owns virtually every Arkansas passing record with 7,170 yards passing and 56 touchdowns. He has not disappointed the Hog faithful in his senior campaign by completing 158-of-281 passes with 18 touchdowns and nine interceptions. LSU head coach Hunter summed up Stoerner’s heart, “He is a quarterback that is going to win or die trying.”
Much of Stoerner’s success can be attributed to the big play ability of senior All-America and All-SEC split end candidate Anthony Lucas. At 6’3′ and 199 pounds, he is the type of player that many scouts are drooling over at the next level. When Lucas catches the ball, he makes opposing defenses pay just ask Tennessee. His 20.9 yards per catch average is the best in SEC history. He owns Razorback records for receiving yards (2,802), catches (134), and touchdowns (23). In three games competing against LSU, Lucas has 11 catches for 196 yards and one touchdown.
The starter at tailback for the Razorbacks is still in question. True Freshman Cedric Cobbs opened the game at tailback against MSU in place of senior tailback Chrys Chukwuma. Coach Nutt spoke of the luxury of having two capable tailbacks, “Chris handled not starting well. He wants to play every down if he can. Both will play against LSU. I don’t know who will start. Chrys had a great game against LSU last year.” Cobbs leads the team in rushing with 639 yards on 107 carries. By averaging 6.0 yards per carry, he is tied with Tennessee’s Travis Henry for the best rushing average in the SEC.
The Arkansas defense ranks second in the SEC in total defense yielding 291.6 yards per game and seventh nationally. The philosophy is to play an attacking style defense with their corners manned up on the outside receivers. The strength of the unit is their depth along the defensive line. The unit remained fresh against a grueling MSU ground attack by rotating eight players on a four man front. Stud end Randy Garner leads all down lineman in tackles (46) and sacks (4.5). The top six tacklers on the roster play at linebacker or in the secondary.
The secondary features All-SEC candidates in free safety Kenoy Kennedy and cornerback David Barrett. Kennedy leads the team in tackles (91), pass breakups (8), and forced fumbles (3). Starting the season, he was 38 tackles shy of former Arkansas great Steve Atwater’s record for the most tackles by a secondary player with 229. The good fortune of avoiding injury allowed Kennedy to run his career tackle total to 283. Cornerback David Barrett is the man responsible with covering the opposing teams best receiver. He has thrived being manned up on his lonely island grabbing a team-high seven interceptions and breaking up seven passes.
Coach Hunter was asked what he has missed most during this roller coaster season, “We’ve missed that feeling you get in your gut after a big win. The greatest feeling in this business is being in the locker room the first five minutes after a big game. It would be great to get that feeling again.”