SEATTLE, Wash. — The No. 9 LSU Fighting Tigers are a long way from Tiger Stadium for their first football game of the 2009 season, here in the Pacific Northwest to face the University of Washington.
The distance from Baton Rouge to Seattle, approximately 2,550 miles, is the longest distance LSU has ever traveled for a football game in its long and storied history. A crowd of over 72,000 is expected at Husky Stadium overlooking Lake Washington for a game that will not kickoff until 9:36 p.m. CDT on ESPN with Mark Jones and Bob Davie on the call.
Jim Hawthorne, Doug Moreau and Jordy Hultberg are all back for the call on the affiliates of the LSU Sports Radio Network (Eagle 98.1 FM in Baton Rouge) with host Kevin Ford on the pregame show beginning at 7:30 p.m. The radio broadcast will also be available on both Sirius and XM Satellite Radio. The game will also be available in the Geaux Zone at LSUsports.net. CST will air a delayed telecast of the game on Sunday night at 7 p.m. with Lyn Rollins and Greg Bowser on that broadcast.
The 7:36 p.m. PDT kickoff will be the latest for a home game in Husky history.
For Les Miles this will be his fifth season at LSU with the Tigers coming off an 8-5 season a year ago that concluded with a resounding 38-3 bowl win over Georgia Tech. Miles is 70-32 in his ninth year as head coach and 42-11 in his first four years at LSU. Miles’ Tigers have battled through fall practice with renewed vigor and appear ready to finally play a game.
LSU GameDay Info
LSU at Washington
Saturday, Sept. 5
9:30 p.m. PDT (7:30 p.m. CDT)
ESPN
98.1 FM in Baton Rouge
Geaux Zone Live Audio
XM 200
Kickoff: 7:36 p.m. PT
Forecast: Showers
High: 67?
Low: 55?
GameTime: 60?
Rain: 40% chance
Humidity: 73%
Wind: SSW 10 mph
Forecast
Sunset: 7:41 p.m. PT
Driving Directions (Baton Rouge to Seattle, Wash.)
Washington’s GameDay Information Sheet (.pdf), includes stadium policies, parking, and other details about Husky Stadium.
“I can tell you that our guys are looking forward to playing a game,” said Miles. “We’ve been going against each other so regularly that the plays that are being made just aren’t being celebrated as much as they would if you were playing an opponent, so we’re very much looking forward to starting the season. We look forward to going to Seattle.
“What we need to do is play like we play and play like LSU has played in the past and the style of play that we’re accustomed to. Offensively, we want to play run and pass with balance, play efficiently, don’t turn the ball over and go down the field. Defensively, we have to be fast to the ball, play with great enthusiasm, make big plays and get takeaways. On special teams, we need to execute, and that’s the goal. That’s what we need to accomplish to start the season, and that’s what we need to accomplish from Week 1 on out.”
Washington fans are looking forward to the dawn of the Steve Sarkisian era as the Huskies look to end a 14-game losing streak that dates back to the end of the 2007 season. The first-year Washington coach comes to the Seattle school having made a name for himself as a quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator at USC. He was at USC from 2001-03 before spending one year with the Oakland Raiders as the quarterbacks coach before returning to USC in 2005. In his last six years at USC, the Trojans played in a BCS bowl, including the last four Rose Bowls.
“This Washington team has great tradition,” said Miles. “Don James ran a program that is a storied program on the west coast that everyone has enjoyed for years. I can tell you that when I was at another school we played them in several Rose Bowls. I understand the abilities that Washington has to recruit and the style of athletes that we’ll play.
“Washington did not have success last year, but that was last year. If you look at a team that returns eight starters on offense and defense, the truth is that they have talent, they had a great recruiting class, their quarterback (Jake Locker) is back healthy and the likelihood is that they will be a much improved Pac-10 team. We will have to play well and execute to do what we want to do on the west coast. “
LSU is only the third SEC team ever to visit Husky Stadium, joining Alabama and Mississippi State. LSU and Washington have faced each other only once on Sept. 24, 1983. The ninth-ranked Huskies came into Baton Rouge 2-0 but left with a 40-14 loss to LSU, netting just 28 rushing yards in the game before a then record crowd of 82,390.
The Tigers made a brief appearance at Husky Stadium on Friday after flying to Seattle on Thursday night. Coach Miles then took the team to the Virginia Mason Athletic Center where the team went through its normal Friday pre-game workout. The VMAC is the practice home of the NFL Seattle Seahawks. Following that the Tigers took in one of the grand sites of Seattle, the famed space needle.
In his final comments before the game, prior to the team’s walkthrough Miles said, “We are excited to finally play. We’ve had good preparation for this game and I like our game plan. There’s nothing like playing that first game to open a season. Washington is a traditional Pac 10 powerhouse. They have a new coach who has brought back the excitement to their program.”
LSU will not be alone in Seattle as all 8,000 tickets LSU was given were gobbled up and possibly as many as 2,000 more were able to get their hands on tickets through the University of Washington and other sources.
“I also look forward to seeing our fans travel to Washington,” said Miles. “It’s a heart-felt feeling when you represent LSU and you travel and you see your LSU fans there. I look forward to seeing our (fans) dressed in gold. The good fortune of our opponent is that their color scheme is the same or very similar, so we would like you to stand out in gold.”
The Tigers will return from Washington on Sunday evening and begin preparation for the home and Southeastern Conference opener that is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 12, against Vanderbilt. That will be the first of two consecutive home Saturdays for LSU.