ATHENS, Ga. — In the past three seasons, LSU and Georgia have emerged as the two elite programs in the Southeastern Conference, winning a combined four bowl games, three SEC Championships and one national title.
In 2003, the two foes induced in two battles and their recent history continues Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CDT when the 13th-ranked LSU Tigers look to accomplish something no other football team in school history has done, beat a top-three ranked opponent on the road. To achieve that feat, they will have to do it in front of a crowd of 92,000 plus at Sanford Stadium, in a rematch of last year’s SEC Championship Game.
The contest will be broadcast nationally on CBS. It can also be picked up on affiliates of the LSU Sports Network and Sirius Satellite Radio. Fans in attendance can also catch the LSU broadcast in Athens on 87.9 FM or 89.7 FM. As always, streaming audio can be heard live at www.LSUsports.net.
The Tigers (3-1, 1-1) are coming off a convincing 51-0 shutout over Mississippi State last weekend, while the Bulldogs (3-0, 1-0) have had two weeks to prepare for the contest as they were idle last Saturday. Georgia defeated Marshall, 13-3, on Sept. 18.
LSU holds a 14-9-1 advantage in the series that dates back to 1928, but Georgia has won the last two contests in Athens.
The last time the Tigers played “Between the Hedges”, LSU fell a two-point conversion short of upsetting the SEC Eastern Division foe on Oct. 2, 1999. Quarterback Josh Booty connected with Reggie Robinson on a 39-yard touchdown strike and but then failed on the two point conversion opportunity, which gave the Bulldogs a 23-22 thrilling win.
After a spirited and confident week of practice, LSU will look to capture their first road victory of the season in only their second attempt. Auburn dealt the Tigers their only loss, a 10-9 setback on Sept. 18.
“I think that we have to prove that we can go on the road and have the mental and physical kind of focus that you need to have for 60 minutes in the game,” Saban said. “We have to have the kind of resiliency to play well on the road and overcome a lot of adversity from a good football team.”
Saban added that the Tigers will be relatively injury free when they take the field. Wide receiver Skyler Green, who has been nursing an ankle injury he suffered in the season opener versus Oregon State, has made considerable progress with the setback and should be ready to go on Saturday.
“Skyler’s doing well,” Saban said. “This is by far the best he’s done. He’s done things with a lot more consistency and it doesn’t seem like he’s limping. He’s made a lot of progress and hopefully he’s getting the same kind of confidence in himself and his ankle that we see in him.”
Green rocked the Tiger Stadium crowd in the regular season meeting between the two last year, corralling Matt Mauck’s 34-yard heave with 1:22 left to propel LSU past the Bulldogs on Sept. 20, 17-10.
The Tigers completed the sweep nearly three months later, overwhelming Georgia to win their second SEC Championship in the past two seasons, 31-14, on Dec. 6 in Atlanta.
In its 51-0 lopsided defeat of Mississippi State last weekend, LSU saw the reemergence of the running game, thanks in large part to sophomore Alley Broussard who pounded out three touchdowns — all in the first half.
Justin Vincent leads the Tigers on the ground with 55.8 yards per game, followed by Broussard’s 43 yards per a contest.
LSU will continue to use a two-quarterback system on Saturday. Both Marcus Randall and JaMarcus Russell were equally outstanding last weekend, leading the Tigers to points on nearly every sustained drive.
Randall completed all seven of his passes and directed LSU to scores on three out of its first four possessions. Russell spelled Randall in the second quarter and finished 9-of-12 for 137 yards and one touchdown.
Russell leads the Tigers in passing yards per game with 139 and five touchdowns, with nearly all of those to sophomore wide out Dwayne Bowe.
Bowe hauled in a career-best six receptions against Mississippi State and his four touchdowns on the season are tied for league-high honors with Troy Williamson of South Carolina. Bowe also ranks second in the SEC in yards per game with 71 per contest.
While the offensive side of the ball continues to progress, the LSU defense has once again established itself as one of the elite units in the nation. The Tigers are tops in the SEC and fifth in the nation in total defense, yielding just 236 yards per game. On the ground, LSU ranks first in the league and No. 10 in the nation, allowing a minimal 77.6 yards per contest.
Senior linebacker Lionel Turner leads the team in tackles with 36, followed by LaRon Landry who has 30 to his credit. A total of six LSU defensive backs have made interceptions on the season, including senior cornerback Corey Webster who pulled in the 15th pick of his career against Mississippi State.
Webster added two tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery to receive SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors for the third time in his career.
Georgia head coach Mark Richt will welcome back two key players for the contest, freshman running back Danny Ware and middle linebacker Odell Thurman.
Ware suffered a bruised lung in the Bulldogs 20-16 comeback win over South Carolina. In his debut, the freshman sensation scampered for 135 yards and three touchdowns versus Georgia Southern on Sept. 4.
Thurman, an All-SEC selection in 2003, returns after serving a three-game suspension for violation of team rules.
The Georgia defense is also led by junior safety Thomas Davis, who anchors a secondary ranked No. 1 in the SEC against the pass this season. Senior All-American David Pollack continues to be a constant threat on the defensive line as he aims to join Herschel Walker as the only Bulldog to earn First-Team All-America honors three years in a row.
“Defensively, as always, they are very physical and aggressive,” said Saban. “They’ve got very good players that play hard, they run well. They’ve got guys like (David) Pollack who is a real playmaker, always has been, and he always seems to come up with a big play at the right time for them.
Even though the Georgia defense has made its mark the last three seasons, the third-ranked Bulldogs have revolved around David Greene, who returns to face the Tigers for the third time in his career. Greene has thrown for 583 yards and three touchdowns on the season and is just one victory shy of becoming the all-time winningest quarterback in school history.
“He’s a very experienced, good quarterback who does a great job of throwing the ball, is smart in terms of what plays he gets them in and out of, executes extremely well for them and doesn’t make a lot of mistakes,” said Saban.