by Chris Macaluso
LSUsports.net
LSU football coach Nick Saban and his team are preparing themselves for the last in what has been a long line of challenges this season.
The Tigers have already passed the challenges of overcoming two straight losing seasons with their 7-4 regular season record, breaking a long, road SEC losing streak with a 20-9 win over Ole Miss Nov. 11, winning four conference games in a row against Kentucky, Mississippi State, Alabama and Ole Miss, winning two overtime games over Tennessee and Mississippi State and beating Alabama at home for the first time since 1969.
But Saban and the Tigers are no longer playing for a SEC crown or a winning streak, they’re playing for respect. And, according to Saban, the best way to earn that respect is by beating 15th-ranked Georgia Tech Dec. 29 in the Peach Bowl.
“We want our team to have the mind set of ‘let’s not just go to the game to have fun.'” Saban said. “We want them to believe that they can overcome the challenge of playing in a bowl game. It is something that they have to prove as a team, if they are mature enough to handle these things and still play well.”
Saban said very few of his players have post-season experience since the last bowl game LSU participated in was a 27-9 win over Notre Dame in the 1997 Independence Bowl. Adding to the pressure for LSU is the fact the game is being played in Atlanta, making it essentially a home game for the 9-2 Yellow Jackets.
LSU should have at least one section of the Georgia Dome cheering for it as Tiger fans purchased 21,000 tickets to the game in less than one week. Saban said that support is appreciated but he still expects it to be a hostile environment come game time.
“They (LSU fans) responded with a bang,” he said. “We certainly appreciate that. Our players appreciate that. Now it?s time to for our players to take the challenge to prove that we belong on the national scene at this time of the year.”
Georgia Tech is an early eight-point favorite over LSU after winning seven-straight games to end the season. The only two losses by the Yellow Jackets came on Sept. 9, 26-21 to No.2 ranked Florida State and in overtime Oct. 30, 30-23 to North Carolina State.
Georgia Tech quarterback George Godsey leads a potent offense which averaged 33.8 points per game during the regular season compared to 26.5 ppg for LSU.
Godsey completed 63.6 percent of his passes during the regular season, averaging 264.2 yards per game. Twenty-three of his 222 passes completed this season were touchdowns and just six passes were intercepted. The Yellow Jackets also had a strong rushing attack as sophomore tailback Joe Burns averaged 82.5 yards per game and scored 12 touchdowns.
Redshirt freshman LaBrandon Toefield was LSU’s leading rusher, averaging 68.2 yards per game and scoring just five touchdowns. Toefield missed the Tigers’ season-ending 14-3 loss to Arkansas and most of the Ole Miss game with a sprained knee.
Saban said he expects the Yellow Jacket offense to be as formidable an opponent as any LSU has faced all season.
“On offense, they have very talented skill guys on the outside who make a lot of big plays,” he said. “The quarterback does an outstanding job of executing their offense and they have a pretty good runner. They have good balance on offense.”
Georgia Tech may add a wrinkle or two to their offense at some point during preparation for the game, Saban said, but he does not expect the Yellow Jackets to deviate much from the game plan that won them nine games this season.
Saban also said he does not expect to drastically change his team’s approach on either side of the ball. LSU will practice in its indoor practice facility through Thurs. Dec 21 to simulate the artificial surface of the Georgia Dome.
LSU will leave for Atlanta Dec. 24 and practice during the week leading up to the Dec. 29 game.
“This bowl game is going to set the stage for the future in terms of having a great football team,” Saban said. “We want this game to be a building block for our players. We want this game to better prepare them for playing in an SEC Championship game in the future or a New Year’s Day bowl game or possibly a BCS game.”