BATON ROUGE — LSU’s bowl preparations for the BCS National Championship Game against Ohio State hit high gear on Thursday as the second-ranked Tigers practiced in full pads for just over two hours here indoors at the Charles McClendon Practice Facility.
The Tigers will meet the top-ranked Buckeyes on Jan. 7 in the Louisiana Superdome for the BCS national title. Kickoff for the contest is scheduled for 7 p.m. The game will be televised nationally by FOX.
Thursday’s workout was the first full speed practice for the Tigers since breaking for Christmas on Dec. 22. The Tigers, who reported back to campus on Wednesday afternoon, held a light workout yesterday before putting on the pads for Thursday’s workout.
“We got them back (Wednesday) afternoon and had a nice, light go ? no more than an hour,” LSU coach Les Miles said. “We threw the ball and got some special teams work and got in a quick run.
“Today was a nice, long practice in pads ? a work day. Tomorrow will be very similar. Then (Saturday) we will be in pads as well but a little bit lighter, a little bit more specific to situation. We’ll go into the weekend with the idea that it will be a normal weekend for us to play a game, and we will take some time off. I like how practice went. It appears that everybody is healthy. I like where we are headed.”
Miles said that quarterback Matt Flynn and running backs Keiland Williams and Trindon Holliday all practiced. All three were either limited or missed SEC Championship Game with various injuries.
“All three went through the entire practice and played well,” Miles said. “(Matt) threw several balls today that were thrown as well as any balls he has ever thrown.”
The Tigers are preparing to face an Ohio State team that has posted an 11-1 overall mark and has the best defense in the nation in terms of yards and points allowed. As a unit, Ohio State’s defense is allowing 10.7 points and 225 yards per contest.
“They are a very talented team and they are very well-coached,” Miles said of the Buckeyes. “We are expecting a real quality, competitive game.”
Two players that the Tiger offense will look at to make a difference against the Buckeyes are running back Jacob Hester and wide receiver Early Doucet. Hester has rushed for 1,017 yards and 11 touchdowns, while Doucet has caught 50 passes for 474 yards and five scores.
“Early and Jacob mean so much to this team,” Miles said. “Jacob is tremendously competitive, and he’s a guy who has an eye for making a play. Whether it’s a block, carry, reception or special teams play, he has been in the middle of it.
“Early gives us great leadership with tremendous ability. I can tell you that we are looking forward to having both of these guys on the field for this game.”
The Tigers will practice here on campus through Jan. 2 before reporting to New Orleans on the afternoon of Jan. 2. The Tigers, who will have all of their workouts in New Orleans held at the Louisiana Superdome, will workout in the Big Easy for the first time on Jan. 3.