Preseason ranked No. 2, open on Thursday, got a new Mike, beat the Hokies by 41, cruise past the Visor, get past the Wave, No. 1 again, fourth-down heroics, the Mad Hatter, SI cover, 3 OT’s at UK, Flynn-to-Byrd (wow!), Jones sacks Bama, Holliday runs past the Rebels, another 3-OT loss to the Hogs, Les Miles IS the LSU Coach that beat the Vols … and the upsets that put the Tigers in the BCS Title Game.
What a season. Take a detailed look below:
2007 LSU Football Timeline
Friday, August 3
LSU officially opens fall camp as head coach Les Miles welcomes 105 players to campus. “Camp is finally here and we’re excited to get started,” Miles says. “We welcome back to campus a pretty talented team. These guys are ambitious and know there is a great season ahead of us. It all starts today and we look forward to it.”
Miles and the Tigers learn that they are ranked No. 2 in the nation in the preseason USA Today Coaches Poll. It’s the highest preseason ranking for the Tigers since the inception of the coaches poll in 1982.
Wednesday, August 8
The Tigers engage in their first full-squad workout at the Charles McClendon Practice Facilty.
“The first practice was excellent,” Miles says. “Don’t get me wrong, we aren’t perfect by any means. They showed a lot of enthusiasm and we had a lot of fun, which is the way practice should be.”
Saturday, August 11
Matt Flynn‘s 34-yard touchdown pass to Early Doucet, Stevan Ridley‘s 64 yards rushing and Kirston Pittman‘s three sacks highlight LSU’s first scrimmage of fall camp in Tiger Stadium.
“We had a good workout,” Miles says following the scrimmage. “It’s what we needed at this point. We need the heat, and we need to be in the stadium. Considering it was the first ?go’ and a scrimmage of length, I think the team responded very well.”
Sunday, August 12
LSU participates in its annual Media Day activities at the Football Operations Center. Miles, defensive coordinator Bo Pelini and first-year offensive coordinator Gary Crowton engage in Q-and-A sessions before the media meet with the Fighting Tiger players.
“I love this group of guys,” Pelini says of his defense. “Most of the defensive staff has been together for three years and we are all on the same page.”
“(Quarterback) Matt (Flynn) has been such a pleasure to coach,” Crowton says. “He’s intelligent and has a great work ethic. He has leadership quality and is easy to coach. When I came in as a new guy and coming into a program that has had a lot of success with the coordinator before me, he accepted me very well and listened to me.”
Tuesday, August 14
LSU announces it has sold a school-record 68,230 season tickets, surpassing the previous mark of 67,700 set during the 2006 season.
Saturday, August 18
Quarterback Matt Flynn tosses a pair of touchdown passes, including a 20-yarder to Early Doucet, and defensive end Tyson Jackson records a pair of sacks to highlight play on both sides of the ball as second-ranked LSU goes through its final scrimmage of preseason camp in Tiger Stadium.
The Tigers now officially turn their attention to the season-opening contest August 30 at Mississippi State.
“It was a long scrimmage, but it was just what we needed,” Miles says. “You always look back on your entire camp and see how things have gone. The team is working hard. We are not where we need to be to play a game, but we can see what needs to be fixed.”
The Associated Press releases its preseason poll, ranking LSU No. 2 behind Southern California. Half of the Southeastern Conference’s 12 teams appear in the Top 25.
Thursday, August 30
It takes the second-ranked Tigers a quarter to find their rhythm before No.2 LSU marches over Mississippi State, 45-0, in the college football season opener in Starkville. The vaunted Tigers defense reels in six interceptions and a fumble recovery, while the offense under fifth-year senior Matt Flynn converts the turnovers into 38 points. LSU builds a 17-0 halftime lead and never looks back in front of 50,112 fans at Davis Wade Stadium and a national ESPN television audience.
“Defensively we were dominant and had seven turnovers,” Miles says, “and on offense we were perfect with no turnovers. If we look back on this year and we continue that strong play and it becomes a characteristic of our team, it will certainly reflect a very successful campaign.”