BATON ROUGE – LSU will play its first day game in Tiger Stadium in over a year on Saturday as the 10th-ranked and undefeated Tigers host Southeastern Conference rival Tennessee at 2:30 p.m. in a sold out Tiger Stadium.
The game will be televised nationally on CBS and will feature the 4-0 Tigers against the 2-2 Vols. It’s the first meeting between the teams since the 2007 SEC Championship Game when the Tigers used a 21-14 victory to propel them into the BCS National Championship contest.
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LSU goes into the game coming off a 20-14 win over then-No. 21 West Virginia last week. The Tigers limited the Mountaineers to just 177 yards of offense a week ago. Tennessee beat UAB, 32-29, in double-overtime a week ago. The Vols’ have losses to a pair of top 10-ranked foes in Oregon and Florida.
“Tennessee is a very physical team with good speed,” LSU coach Les Miles said. “They are a very capable team and they’ve been ahead in every game that they’ve played this year. We understand our work is going to be cut out for us. It is going to be a great test for us and our team needs to understand that. I look forward to the challenge and enjoy the fact that we are undefeated, and I want to stay that way.”
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Saturday’s game will be the first afternoon contest in Tiger Stadium since November of 2008 when the Tigers dropped a 31-13 decision to Ole Miss. All seven of LSU’s home games last year came at night with the Tigers winning six of them.
“There’s nothing like Tiger Stadium and we are looking forward to playing in front of a great crowd in Death Valley,” LSU coach Les Miles said. “We’ve had a really good week of practice. We’ve made progress in all three phases of the game this week during practice and I’m looking forward to seeing how it pays off on Saturday.”
One area that the Tigers need to get more consistent play is that of the quarterback position. The Tigers have struggled to throw the ball at times this year and are averaging 110.0 yards passing a game. Jordan Jefferson, who is 13-5 as a starter, including a 7-1 record in Tiger Stadium, has connected on 43-of-79 passes for 419 yards and two touchdowns this year. His backup, Jarrett Lee, has seen limited action, completing the only two passes he’s thrown for 21 yards.
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GameDay Info LSU vs. Tennessee | GameDay Central GameDay Forecast Times of Interest 8 a.m. Buy and Print Tickets Online 9 a.m. 11:30 a.m. Club-Level and Suites open at Tiger Stadium 11:45 a.m.
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“We have to get better play at quarterback,” Miles said. “I’ve been encouraged by the way both Jordan and Jarrett have practiced this week. Both players threw the ball well this week and did a nice job of running the offense.
“Jordan and Jarrett work really well together and they are both rooting for one another. Both guys want this team to have success and are willing to do whatever they need to make that happen.”
One area on offense that has flourished is that of the running game, in particular Stevan Ridley, who ranks third in the SEC in with 108 yards on the ground per game. Ridley has two 100-hundred yard games this year and he’s averaging 5.8 yards per carry. Ridley will be joined in the backfield on Saturday by Richard Murphy, who back after missing the past two weeks with a hamstring injury.
When the Tigers turn to the air, Jefferson’s top target has been that of Rueben Randle, who leads the team with 14 receptions for 173 yards and a score. Terrence Toliver is second on the squad with 11 catches for 96 yards, while Russell Shepard has seven receptions for 52 yards and one touchdown.
LSU brings the best overall defensive unit in the SEC into the Tennessee game as the Tigers are first in the league in total defense (254.0 yards per game) and rushing defense (74.8 yards per game) and they are second in scoring defense (12.0 points per game). LSU hasn’t allowed a point in the first quarter this year and the Tigers haven’t given up a first quarter TD in a regular-season game since the Mississippi State contest last year – 12 games ago.
“The defense continues to play well and they are fun to watch,” Miles said. “The key is for us to keep improving on the defensive side of the ball and for the young guys to continue to contribute. We are getting great effort from a bunch of different players on defense. I think Kelvin Sheppard is off to a fast start and he’s really done a nice job of taking a leadership role with the young guys on the defense.”
Sheppard leads the Tigers and ranks among the best in the SEC with 38 tackles, including 3.5 for losses. Linebacker Ryan Baker, despite missing the first game of the year, is second on the team with 24 tackles, while defensive tackle Drake Nevis has 21 tackles, 6.0 tackles for losses and 3.5 sacks. Nevis has twice been named the SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week.
Special teams play continues to be a strength for LSU as the Tigers have scored two touchdowns on punt returns, blocked a field goal and forced a fumble on a kickoff through the first four games. Patrick Peterson has been outstanding as a return man, leading the league and ranking No. 2 in the nation with a 28.1 punt return average. Peterson, who has returned a pair of punts for TDs, has twice been named the SEC Special Teams Player of the Week. Peterson is averaging 28.7 yards every time he touches the football – 253 yards on nine punt returns, 190 yards on six kickoff returns and 46 yards on two interception returns.
Kicker Josh Jasper leads the SEC in field goals (9), field goal percentage (90.0) and points by a kicker (38). He brings a streak of nine straight field goals into the Tennessee game.
“We put a premium on special teams play and it’s something that we work very hard on every day in practice,” Miles said. “We want our special teams play to have an effect on the game each week. Our players take tremendous pride in kickoff and punt coverage. They all want to run down the field and make a big play.”
Against the Vols, the Tigers will face a Tennessee team coached by former LSU assistant Derek Dooley. Dooley, who spent five years with the Tigers from 2000-04, is in his first year at Tennessee after coaching for three years at Louisiana Tech. Dooley, the son of legendary coach Vince Dooley, is 19-22 overall, which includes an 0-2 record in games against LSU.
“We are familiar with Derek having played him twice while he was the head coach at Louisiana Tech,” Miles said. “We have great respect for what he’s been able to do in a short time as a head coach. His guys are always well prepared, and they will be ready to play.”
LSU Football Notebook
- LSU is 20-2 under Miles when having a player rush for 100 yards
- LSU is 33-0 when rushing for 100 yards as a team and holding the opponent to fewer than 100 yards
- LSU is 32-6 in Tiger Stadium under Miles, which includes a 5-4 record in day games.
- LSU hasn’t allowed a first quarter TD in 12 regular season games, the longest such streak since going 14 games without allowing a first quarter TD in 1971-72.
- LSU has trailed for only 18 seconds this year.
- Miles has two wins over Tennessee during his LSU career. On Saturday, Miles will attempt to become the first coach in LSU history to beat the Vols three times. In its history, LSU is 7-20-3 against Tennessee.