NEW ORLEANS — LSU continued to prepare for Sunday’s national championship game against Oklahoma with a typical ‘Monday’ workout here in the Louisiana Superdome on Tuesday.
After two days of following Oklahoma practices at the Dome, the Tigers will get the first practice session on Wednesday with an 11:45 a.m. workout.
Tuesday’s session, the third since the Tigers arrived in New Orleans, saw LSU continue to work on the game plan for Sunday’s contest. The Tigers also spent time working on special teams as well as doing individual and team drills. The Tigers capped the workout with a weightlifting session. Among those people in attendance at Tuesday’s workout were actor and LSU fan John Goodman, former NFL standout Terrell Buckley and former Georgia coach and ESPN analyst Jim Donnan.
According to senior defensive back Randall Gay, this week’s appearance in the national championship game is a culmination of four years of hard work and determination for the Tigers.
“When I first got here, we were coming off of a 3-8 season and Coach Saban basically told us if we worked hard enough, anything could happen,” Gay said. “He wanted us to be one of those teams that everybody in the nation knew. Right now, here we are and everyone knows who we are now.”
“In the SEC, every week we played against some great quarterbacks and great receivers like we will see Sunday. In practice, we see the same, so we get a pretty good feel of what we will see in the game, especially when we face our own offense. Matt Mauck can throw it just like Jason White. They have a Clayton, and we have a Clayton. They have great receivers, and we have great receivers. If we focus in practice this week and take care of what we will have to do, we will match up well with them.”
LSU linebacker Eric Alexander said that despite the potential distractions of New Orleans, the Tigers are focused on what needs to be done to prepare for Oklahoma.
“We are in an exciting city here in New Orleans, the city that never sleeps,” Alexander said. “Our coaches have done a great job of keeping us focused so far, and it has paid off in practice.”
Following Tuesday’s practice LSU coach Nick Saban met with members of the media for an hour to discuss Sunday’s contest against Oklahoma.
“I’d like to start by wishing everyone Happy Holidays,” Saban said. It’s a great time of the year, our players have had a great holiday, and they have certainly worked well since we got here in the first three days of practice. We feel good about the progress that we’ve made and the carryover we’ve had from the pre-Christmas practices in Baton Rouge.”
“We’re certainly playing a very challenging team in terms of what they do offensively and what kind of skill players they have. Any team that wins 12 football games and is rated number one has great team speed, plays great defense and plays great defense. Oklahoma certainly does not have many weaknesses. I think our team is the same in a lot of ways in terms of the speed we have, so this should be a great game.”
“There’s always some concern when you play in a bowl game, when you haven’t played for three or four weeks, about exactly how you’re going to come out and play. But our players are certainly prepared to play this game as if they’re going to be ready to go, so we’re certainly pleased with that part.”
On Wednesday, LSU offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher along with quarterback Matt Mauck, offensive lineman Stephen Peterman, wide receivers Michael Clayton and Skyler Green, and offensive tackle Rodney Reed will meet with the media following practice.