BATON ROUGE — LSU finally returns home to Tiger Stadium on Saturday as the eighth-ranked Tigers host 11th-ranked Florida in the key match-up in the Southeastern Conference this week.
The Florida game will serve as only the second home contest of the year for the Tigers. It also marks the first Saturday game of the year for the Tigers as LSU’s only other home contest was moved to a Monday night due to Hurricane Rita.
Kickoff between the Tigers (3-1, 2-1 in SEC) and the Gators (5-1, 3-1 in SEC) is slated for 2:40 p.m. The game will be televised to a national audience by CBS. In addition, the game can be heard on the LSU Sports Radio Network as well on the Internet in the Geaux Zone at www.LSUsports.net.
Temp.
83?
Condition:
Sunny
Rain Chance:
0%
Humidity:
34%
Wind:
NNE 8 mph
Sunset:
6:33 p.m. CT
“We’ve had a good week of preparation and we’re excited to finally be playing a Saturday game in Tiger Stadium,” LSU coach Les Miles said. “Florida has a very talented team on both sides of the football as well as in special teams. They’re good up front on defense and they do a good job of mixing the run with the pass on offense.
“We look forward to the challenge and having the opportunity of playing them at home in Tiger Stadium.”
The Tigers bring the league’s second-best scoring attack (33.2 points per game) into the Florida game, which is led by quarterback JaMarcus Russell and running back Joseph Addai. Russell, this week’s SEC Player of the Week, has connected on 72 of 113 passes for 881 yards, five touchdowns and just two interceptions. He’s completed at least 20 passes in LSU’s past two games, something that hasn’t been done in Baton Rouge since Rohan Davey did it in 2001.
“I think JaMarcus is really evolving as our quarterback,” Miles said. “He is doing a strong job there. We just have to play an improved game in all phases, including on offense.”
When the Tigers are throwing the ball, senior Skyler Green and sophomore Early Doucet have been the favorite targets for Russell. Green leads the Tigers with 17 catches for 142 yards, while Doucet has 14 catches for a team-best 227 yards.
Kickoff:
2:30 p.m. CDT
Internet:
Geaux Zone
Television:
CBS
Radio:
LSU Sports Radio Network
Teams:
#11 LSU (3-1, 2-1 SEC)
Florida (5-1, 3-1 SEC)
Series:
UF leads 27-21-3
When the Tigers opt for the run, Addai has been the answer, rushing for an average of 95.2 yards per game. Addai, who went over the 2,000-yard mark for his career last week, has rushed for 381 yards and five touchdowns for the Tigers in 2005.
One area of emphasis on offense going into the Florida game for the Tigers has to be cutting down on the number of turnovers and penalties. Last week in a 34-6 win over Vanderbilt, the Tigers turned the ball over three times, while committing a season-high 14 penalties.
“We addressed both issues in practice this week,” Miles said. “We feel like ball security is going well. It’s a concern every time you take the field and I think our team understands that. Penalties are being coached stronger, and we have talked about it. I think the proof will come Saturday afternoon.”
Defensively, the Tigers have been nothing short of remarkable the last two weeks, allowing a total of 13 points and just 367 yards in wins over Mississippi State and Vanderbilt. The Tigers have also recorded 13 sacks over that two-game span to go along with scoring a touchdown and recording a safety.
“The defense is continually improving,” Miles said. “What they did in the third game shows that the defense is coming up to speed. You see less busts and people understand where they’re supposed to be. They have good confidence in what we’re doing.”
The Tiger defense will be challenged by Florida’s spread-option attack on Saturday, one that features all-conference quarterback Chris Leak. In six games this year, Leak has accounted for 247 yards of offense per game, a figure that ranks third in the SEC.
“Chris Leak is a tremendous quarterback,” Miles said of the junior signal-caller. “He makes good decisions with the ball and he’s not afraid to pull it down and run.”
A year ago, the Tigers rallied from an early 14-0 first quarter deficit to beat the Gators, 24-21 in Gainesville. However, in their last trip to Baton Rouge, the Gators left with a 19-7 victory, which marked the only setback for LSU during its national championship season in 2003.
The Florida contest is the first of four straight for the Tigers in Baton Rouge as LSU hosts Auburn on Oct. 22, followed by North Texas on Oct. 29 and Appalachian State on Nov. 5.
LSU Football Notebook
Tigers Back Home In Tiger Stadium
After playing three of its first four games away from home, the Tigers return to Tigers Stadium for just the second time this season as LSU hosts Florida at 2:30 p.m. today. The Florida game will mark LSU’s first contest in Tiger Stadium since dropping a 30-27 overtime decision to Tennessee on Sept. 26, which was a Monday night. Today’s game marks the longest LSU has ever had to wait to play its first Saturday game of the year in Tiger Stadium. The last time LSU’s first Saturday game in Tiger Stadium came this late in the year was in 1934 when the Tigers’ home-opener was played on Oct. 6 against SMU. LSU tied the Mustangs, 14-14.
LSU vs. The SEC Eastern Division
LSU will face its third SEC Eastern Division foe in 2005 on Saturday against Florida. The Tigers are 1-1 against the SEC East this year, losing to Tennessee, 30-27, in overtime and beating Vanderbilt, 34-6. Since the 2000 season, LSU is 13-6 against opponents from the SEC Eastern Division, which includes a 5-3 mark in Tiger Stadium. A year ago, the Tigers were 2-1 against the SEC Eastern Division, marking the third consecutive season the Tigers have had a winning record against teams from the other side of the league. LSU coach Les Miles is 1-1 vs. the SEC Eastern Division.
JaMarcus Russell Is The SEC Offensive Player Of The Week
LSU QB JaMarcus Russell was named the SEC’s Offensive Player of the Week for his effort in the Tigers’ 34-6 win over Vanderbilt on Saturday. Russell tied a career-best with 21 completions on 32 attempts for a career-high 285 yards and a pair of scores in the contest. Russell engineered an LSU offense that racked up 479 yards (194 rushing, 285 passing) against the Commodores as the Tigers held the football for nearly 35 minutes in the contest. The SEC honor is the first of Russell’s career.
Sunshine State Tigers
LSU has eight players on its roster from the state of Florida. Florida natives are the LSU roster include: LB E.J. Kuale (Daytona Beach), Ricky Jean-Francois (Miami), Ali Highsmith (Miami), Terrell McGill (Miami), Dwayne Bowe (Miami), Xavier Carter (Palm Bay), Brian Johnson (Tallahassee), and Keron Gordon (Tampa).
Keeping Them Out Of The Endzone
LSU’s defense has allowed only 13 points over the past two games, holding Mississippi State to just 7 first quarter points, while limiting Vanderbilt to a pair of field goals in the 34-6 Tiger victory. By holding Mississippi State to 7 points and Vanderbilt to 6 points, it marks the first time since 2003 the Tigers held back-to-back SEC foes to 7 points or less in consecutive road games (Oct. 18 at South Carolina, 33-7 and Nov. 15 at Alabama, 27-3).
Bringing The Heat
After recording only 1 sack in the season-opener against Arizona State, LSU has now recorded 17 sacks in its last 3 games. Through four games, the Tigers have 18 sacks to their credit. The Tigers had 6 sacks against Vanderbilt, a week after LSU recorded 7 in its win over Mississippi State. DE Chase Pittman and DE Melvin Oliver lead the Tigers with 3 sacks each. In all, the Tigers have had 10 different players record a sack this year.
Tigers Have 13 Sacks Over 2-Game Span; Most In School History
LSU has now recorded 13 total sacks in the last two games, which marks the most in school history in consecutive games. The 13 sacks (7 vs. Miss. State and 6 vs. Vanderbilt) bettered the previous mark of 12 set in 1996 against Alabama and Ole Miss.
Margin Of Victory
In consecutive weeks, LSU has posted wins of 37-7 over Mississippi State and 34-6 over Vanderbilt giving the Tigers a margin of victory of 58 points in those two road games. The 58-point margin of victory in consecutive road games is the most by an LSU team since 1997 when the Tigers won at Kentucky, 63-28, and then followed that with a 27-0 win over Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
This Day vs. Night Thing In Tiger Stadium
Myth has it that LSU plays better at night in Tiger Stadium than they do during the day. The facts show that since 1960, LSU is 191-59-3 (.767) at night under the lights compared to a 16-22-3 (.427) mark in Tiger Stadium during the day. Since 2000, LSU is 30-6 overall at home. Since the 2000 season, LSU is 25-4 (.862) at night in Tiger Stadium and they are 5-2 (.714) at home during the day over that same span. Prior to 2000, LSU had only won 11 games at home during the day in 34 tries. From 1960 to 1999, LSU posted an 11-20-3 (.368) record at home during the day. The following is a breakdown of LSU’s night record, day record and overall record in Tiger Stadium since 1960:
Decade
Night Record
Day Record
OverallRecord
1960-69
47-9-2
2-2-1
49-11-3
1970-79
51-12-1
1-2
52-14-1
1980-89
37-15
4-6-2
41-21-2
1990-99
31-19
4-10
35-29
2000-05
25-4
5-2
30-6
TOTALS
191-59-3
16-22-3
207-81-6
Russell First LSU QB With 20 or More Completions In Back-To-Back Games Since 2001
With 21 completions in consecutive games against Mississippi State and Vanderbilt, LSU QB JaMarcus Russell became the first Tiger signal-caller to have at least 20 completions in back-to-back games since 2001. In 2001, LSU QB Rohan Davey completed 35 of 44 passes against Alabama and then followed that by connected on 26 of 37 attempts vs. Middle Tennessee. In addition, Russell’s 285 yards passing vs. Vanderbilt was the most by an LSU quarterback in a conference games since 2001 when Rohan Davey passed for 359 yards against Arkansas on Nov. 23. With 20 completions against Florida, Russell will become the first LSU QB since Tommy Hodson in 1987 to complete 20 or more passes in three straight games. In 1987, Hodson completed 25 passes vs. Ohio State on Sept. 26, followed by 21 completions vs. Florida on Oct. 3 and 21 against Georgia on Oct. 10.
Whitworth Has Started 43 Straight; Ranks As Second-Longest Streak In SEC
LSU senior OT Andrew Whitworth has started 43 straight games on the offensive line for the Tigers. Whitworth’s current streak of 43 consecutive starts ranks second in the SEC, just one game back of Florida center Mike Degory, who has started 44 straight games. Whitworth has a chance to become the only player in LSU history to start and play in 50 games in a career.
Tiger Defense Scores Again
For the second time this year, the Tiger defense puts points on the board as the LSU “D” recorded a first quarter safety against Vanderbilt and then followed that with a fourth quarter touchdown against the Commodores. In the first quarter, LSU DE Chase Pittman sacked Vanderbilt quarterback Jay Cutler in the endzone for a safety, giving the Tigers a 9-0 lead. Then, in the fourth quarter LB Ali Highsmith picked up a fumble and raced 22-yards for a TD to cap the scoring for the Tigers. LSU’s defense has now accounted for 2 touchdowns and a safety this year. LSU’s other defensive TD came against Tennessee when LB Kenny Hollis intercepted an Erik Ainge pass and returned it 3-yards for a score.
Defense Turns In Back-To-Back Big Games
Bo Pelini‘s defense turned in another gem on Saturday as the Tigers held the SEC’s No. 1 rated passing offense and the league’s No. 2 ranked offensive unit to just 6 points and only 138 yards of offense. Had it not been for a 40-yard run on the final play of the game, the Commodores would have ended up with just 98 yards of offense. Nevertheless, Vanderbilt still managed just 25 yards rushing on 26 attempts and preseason All-SEC quarterback Jay Cutler managed to connect on 11 of 32 passes for 113 yards and a pair of interceptions. The following is a look at the numbers the LSU defense has put up over the past two weeks in consecutive wins over Mississippi State and Vanderbilt:
Game
Points Allowed
Total Yds.
Rush Yds.
Pass Yds.
Sacks
Miss. State
7
229
56
173
7
Vanderbilt
6
138
25
113
6
Totals
13
367
81
286
13
Defense Has Held Opponents Out Of Endzone For 7 Straight Quarters
LSU’s defense will carry a streak of 7 straight quarters without allowing a TD into Saturday’s game against Florida. The only TD LSU’s defense has allowed over the past two games came in the opening minutes of the Mississippi State game when a blown coverage led to a 66-yard scoring pass for the Bulldogs. Since that play, LSU has shut down the opposition, allowing only a pair of field goals to Vanderbilt last week.
LSU Defense Ranks First In SEC And Second In Nation Against The Run
LSU continued its climb up the national charts in rushing defense on Saturday as the Tigers limited Vanderbilt to only 25 yards on 26 attempts. LSU is now first in the league and second in the nation in rush defense, allowing only 62.5 yards per game. LSU has held all four of its opponents to fewer than 100-yards rushing this year. Arizona State has the most rushing yards against the Tigers this season with 99 yards in the season-opener. Since then, LSU has held Tennessee to 70 yards, Mississippi State to 56 and Vanderbilt to 25. LSU hasn’t allowed a team to rush for more than 100 yards in a game since the Ole Miss contest a year ago. That’s a streak that spans 6 games, including all 4 contests this year.