EDITOR’S NOTE: The LSU fans have voted and the Top 5 Night Games in Tiger Stadium history have been decided! The No. 4 game according to LSUsports.net’s fan poll was LSU’s 38-31 overtime win over Tennessee on Sept. 30, 2000.
VOL-BUSTERS
Re-energized Tigers take No. 11 Tennessee to task with overtime victory
By Derrick Goold
Times-Picayune
Published Sunday, October 1, 2000
BATON ROUGE — All is forgiven. Channeling last week’s embarrassment into this week’s empowerment, quarterback Rohan Davey and LSU upended 11th-ranked Tennessee on the first play of the first overtime in Tiger Stadium history.
Pushed to overtime when Tennessee blocked a potential winning field-goal attempt, this week’s Tigers did not wilt like they did against Alabama-Birmingham. Instead, Davey rifled a daring 25-yard touchdown pass to Robert Royal for a 38-31 victory Saturday night in front of a state-record 91,682 fans.
Making his first start since September 1999, Davey hobbled on a twisted right ankle and favored his healing left knee but again rallied the Tigers (3-2, 1-1 SEC) for a victory against a nationally ranked team. Davey completed 22 of 34 passes for a career-high 318 yards and four touchdowns.
Mired in a quarterback derby with Josh Booty, who started the first four games this season, Davey seized control and showed no signs of relinquishing it. Saturday night echoed his off-the-bench performance in the upset of Arkansas last season.
“Rohan,” said cornerback Fred Booker, “he got the team going.”
“He delivered in the clutch when he needed to,” Coach Nick Saban said. “And we needed that.”
Tennessee (2-2, 0-2) had the upper hand in overtime as it won the toss and elected to defend. But as soon as the Volunteers lined up, Davey delivered the Death Valley blow with the quick strike to Royal.
Having just rallied from a 16-point deficit in the final 13:43, Tennessee seemed primed. Quarterback A.J. Suggs completed 37 of 59 passes for three touchdowns and 319 yards. Tennessee also had durable tailback Travis Henry, who was hemmed in by LSU linebacker Trev Faulk and others for 89 yards rushing.
Suggs’ final two passes were both to the end zone, and both were batted away by LSU defensive back Damien James to preserve the victory.
“I don’t want to sound facetious, but this is a great win,” Saban said. “This is a great win for where we want to be. It says something about the parity of college football. It says something about what we’re capable of.”
With 2.1 seconds remaining in regulation, LSU kicker John Corbello, who made a career-high 47-yard field goal in the first quarter, drilled the potential game-winner into Tad Golden’s outstretched hand. Golden’s block sent the game into overtime — the first ever at Tiger Stadium.
Tennessee tied it at 31 with a touchdown and two-point conversion with
90 seconds remaining in the game.
Suggs converted a fourth-and-four situation with a 4-yard pass to Cedrick Wilson. Cornerback Fred Booker hammered Wilson after the catch, but the receiver reached and eked out the first down. Eight plays and a third-down conversion later, Suggs floated a pass to Wilson, who caught it over Demetrius Hookfin for a 16-yard touchdown. Suggs found Eric Parker for the two-point conversion.
Suggs’ 7-for-11 passing fueled the drive that capped a 16-point, fourth-quarter rally for the Volunteers.
“This goes to show how much of a factor that emotion plays in this game that we call football,” Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer said. “This team had their pride hurt last week when they lost their homecoming game to a team that shouldn’t have beat them…. It’s not like we didn’t see them coming.”