Baton Rouge Turns Out For LSU Parade

It's pretty cold, but it's pretty sweet, too.
About 25,000 fans braved chilly temps tday to celebrate LSU's national football championship.
"I got chills when I was carrying that flag," star defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey said after the 75-minute event Saturday afternoon in Tiger Stadium. "Today was a day of closure for my four years at LSU. It has been unbelievable."
Dorsey hadn't had a bad year.
Dorsey won the Outland Trophy (interior lineman), the Lombardi Award (outstanding lineman), the Bronko Nagurski Trophy (defensive player), and the Lott Trophy (on-field performance and personal character).
He was the last player introduced at the party to celebrate the Tigers' 38-24 victory over Ohio St. on Jan. 7. All but three members of the 2007 team - Jacob Hester, Chevis Jackson and Andrew Decker - were there.

“To come out here in the cold, it says a lot as a whole,” LSU defensive end Kirston Pittman said. “I don’t think I would have come out here in this cold weather, but it shows the love of the people of LSU and how much they appreciate us — and how much we really appreciate them.”
The 2007 national championship flag was raised at the end of the ceremony. National championship trophies from four organizations were presented to LSU coach Les Miles and team captains Dorsey, Patrick Fisher, Matt Flynn and Craig Steltz.
The four trophies were the MacArthur Bowl National Championship, the Football Writers Trophy, The Associated Press Trophy and the BCS National Championship Trophy.
Southeastern Conference commissioner and BCS co-ordinator Mike Slive made the presentation for the BCS trophy and his league's championship trophy.
"This is the third time I've had the privilege of sharing the podium with these great athletes and these great coaches," Slive told the crowd. "I can tell you there is a special aura about them. They have earned your respect and your admiration as they have mine."
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Kip Holden also appeared at the event.

YEY! LSU WINS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!!!

After falling behind 10-0 early in the first quarter, LSU scored 24 consecutive points to lead by two touchdowns at the half. Ohio State never quit, but the Buckeyes couldn't really threaten the lead against LSU's vaunted defense. The Tigers turned up the heat on Ohio State quarterback Todd Boeckman and forced him to hurry too many throws. The Tigers also did a good job of containing Beanie Wells after the tailback ran for 119 yards in the first half. Once Ohio State fell behind by three touchdowns early in the third quarter, the Buckeyes couldn't use Wells much to get them back into the game. LSU forced Ohio State into a couple of costly mistakes -- the Tigers blocked a field goal and intercepted a pass down the left sideline to set up touchdowns in the first half.
What didn't reserve safety Harry Coleman do for LSU's defense? In the first quarter, the sophomore from Baldwin, La., recovered a muffed punt return by LSU's Chad Jones at the Tigers' 16. In the second quarter, Coleman blitzed and hit Boeckman, forcing him to underthrow a pass down the left sideline. Cornerback Chevis Jackson intercepted the pass and returned it 34 yards to the Ohio State 24, setting up the touchdown that put LSU ahead 24-10 at the half. Coleman added another fumble recovery early in the fourth quarter, after linebacker Ali Highsmith drilled Boeckman on a fourth-down play. "To go to a national-championship game two years in a row and lose like this is incredible. It hurts tremendously," Ohio State running back Beanie Wells said.As much as they might have wanted to, the Buckeyes couldn't even escape the memory of the Gators here in New Orleans. By chance, Florida Coach Urban Meyer was one of the analysts on the Fox broadcast crew Monday night. At one point during the halftime show, Ohio State legend Eddie George, another one of the Fox commentators, turned to Meyer and said, "This feels like déjà vu all over again. Are we still in Arizona? This game has the same feel as last year."

Too easy. No. 2 LSU danced, dodged and darted its way into the end zone Monday night, turning the BCS national championship game into a horrible replay for No. 1 Ohio State. It was over early, with Matt Flynn throwing four touchdown passes in a 38-24 win.
Playing at their home-away-from-home in the Big Easy, the Tigers (12-2) became the first two-loss team to play for the title.
Shouts of "SEC! SEC!" bounced around the Superdome as the Tigers won their second BCS crown in five seasons. They are the first school to win a second title since BCS rankings began with the 1998 season.
"My team is the No. 1 team in the land," said All-American defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, who passed up the NFL draft to return for his senior season.
And in a season of surprises, this was hardly an upset: Ohio State once again fell apart in college football's biggest game. A year after the Buckeyes were routed by Tim Tebow and Florida 41-14 in the Arizona desert, they barely did better.
"We just didn't do the things you need to do to win a ballgame of this nature. We're very aware that LSU's a deserving champion," Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said.
Jacob Hester bulled for a short touchdown, Early Doucet wiggled loose for a touchdown and Dorsey led a unit that outplayed the top-ranked defense in the nation.
Ohio State (11-2) had little to celebrate after Chris "Beanie" Wells broke loose for a 65-yard TD run on the fourth play of the game.
Yet while LSU coach Les Miles got to hoist the $30,000 crystal trophy, certainly many fans around the country were peering into their crystal balls, wondering if someone else was worthy of the title. Southern California, Georgia, West Virginia, Kansas and Missouri all put on impressive shows in bowl games, and will be among the favorites in 2008.
The final Associated Press poll was to be released early Tuesday.
LSU, whose two losses both came in triple overtime, became just the fourth favorite to win in 10 BCS championship games. The Tigers added to the crown they won in 2003 — their other title came in 1958.
Miles probably got a little extra satisfaction, too. Though he turned down a chance to return home to Michigan, he did something his alma mater hasn't done recently — beat the Buckeyes.
The loss left Ohio State at 0-9 overall in bowl games against teams from the Southeastern Conference. The SEC delights in whipping Big Ten teams in what's become a rivalry that steams up fans on both sides.
The Tigers rallied from an early 10-0 deficit, taking a 24-10 halftime lead that held up. Two big plays on special teams kept them ahead — they blocked a field goal, and later took advantage of a roughing-the-kicker penalty.

5 Reasons Why LSU Beat Ohio State

It was a close game, for about 1 quarter, but LSU made more plays than Ohio State. Check the top 5 reasons why LSU beat the Buckeyes.

1. TEAM SPEED SHMEED: "You can't tell me it's a speed thing; I'm stubborn about that," OSU linebacker James Laurinaitis said. "If it was a speed thing we would have been getting caught from behind. They out-physicaled us and that's why we lost the game." I agree totally, there was no difference in team speed. LB James Laurinaitis, DE Vernon Gholston and CB Malcolm Jenkins for the Buckeyes were just as fast as Jacob Hester, Early Doucet and Brandon LaFell. But at the skill positions, (Hartline?) LSU had a fiesty, violent edge. It's not just speed, it's violent speed. That running-at-you-at-full-tilt-to-hit-you-in-the-mouth speed, that's what LSU had. The Big Ten, certainly the elite programs like OSU and Michigan, have more than a little bit of the same speed that dominates the SEC (Did you see what Michigan did the Florida?). Ohio State has learned its lesson from last year and will try to spread LSU out, and not let them pursue plays from in front of them. OSU has been practicing the fame "Tiger Drill" to prepare for the tiring ordeal the game will become in the 4th quarter. Boeckman does have two athletic, speedy wideouts in Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline who have great hands and know how to get open.


2. QUARTERBACK PLAY (OR LACK OF): Todd Boeckman is a big, lanky quarterback at 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds, but hew wasn't nearly mobile enough to withstand the athletic heat that LSU put on him. By the time LSU's Ali Highsmith clotheslined Boeckman and the ball squirted out the rout was on. Boeckman joins a distinguished list of quarterbacks, Sean Glennon, Tim Tebow, John Parker Wilson, that have been hit really hard by the Purple and Gold defensive line. Flynn, who didn't play in the SEC Championship Game because of a strained shoulder, completed 19 of 27 passes for 174 yards with four touchdowns and one interception.

3. BUCKEYES DEFENSE DIDN'T SHOW UP: The Buckeyes were No. 1 in the nation against the pass with 148.17 yards allowed, but Flynn carved them up for 4 touchdowns and 174 pretty much in 2 quarters (2nd & 3rd) with an assortment of awkward throws and laser-sharp daggers. The OSU defense seemingly was content to let him throw, playing the run more heavily than it should. As good as the Buckeyes front four is, the LSU secondary, even without All-American safety Craig Steltz (stinger) made its presence felt to turn the game around, especially when Harry Coleman blitzed and hit Boeckman, forcing him to underthrow a pass down the left sideline. Cornerback Chevis Jackson intercepted the pass and returned it 34 yards to the Ohio State 24, and the Tigers were in business.

4. HOMEFIELD ADVANTAGE: To say the scales were tipped in LSU's favor is an understatement. The LSU campus is only 80 miles away in Baton Rouge. "We know the dome," LSU running back Jacob Hester said. "We're in the same hotel. We know the city. Half the team is from New Orleans, and the other half has been here so many times they know where everything is." The crowd was loud a(but curiously quiet after Beanie Wells' touchdown run). OSU just couldn't keep the hush in effect as their lead turned into a deficit as the Tigers reeled off 31 straight points.

5. BUCKEYES OFFENSE DIDN'T HAVE CONSISTENCY: A comedy of weird errors by the Buckeyes, including five personal fouls and three turnovers, enabled LSU to erase a 10-0 deficit and roll to a 31-17 lead before a garbage TD made the score look respectable. The Buckeyes were'nt able to establish consistency: OSU's Chris "Beanie Wells turned in the half of a lifetime after he steam 64 yards up LSU's gut on the game's second play from scrimmage. The problem was, sooner or later, OSU had to pass the ball. LSU, an absurdly deep team, had the consistency it usually had all season: start off slow, take a blow then release a barrage of players and formations at the oppenent to shatter their will. They have six running backs, two quarterbacks and defensive playmakers waiting in the wings. LSU had been especially adept at

murdering quarterbacks and it happened Monday night all over again.

LSU Not Taking Buckeyes Lightly

Phone call from SEC coaches to LSU: "DON'T PHONE IT IN!"
LSU has come all the way up the mountain, at the cusp of a second national title in 5 years, and LSU knows that the league is depending on them.
As the season wore on, injuries to key players mounted and the gap between the Tigers and their opponents closed, especially during a string of matchups against other bowl-bound Southeastern Conference foes. There were narrow victories over Florida, Auburn and Alabama. There were triple-overtime losses to Kentucky and Arkansas. LSU also needed a second-half comeback in its 21-14 victory over Tennessee in the SEC championship game.
Top-ranked Ohio State is a six-point dog to LSU in the BCS Championship. Illinois is on the wrong end of a 14-point spread for its Rose Bowl date with USC. Florida is picked to beat Michigan in the Capital One Bowl, Tennessee over Wisconsin in the Outback, Boston College over Michigan State in the Champs Sports and Oklahoma State over Indiana in the Insight.
The Tigers (11-2) expect key players to be in much better shape by the time the BCS championship game against Ohio State (11-1) kicks off on Jan. 7.
"I know that the lineup shuffles a little bit that way at the end of the year where you've had to play week after week versus quality opponents and it takes its toll," LSU coach Les Miles said Monday, his team's first day at practice after a couple weeks off for final exams.
"There's no question that at some point in time, teams are more healthy and less healthy and it's a testimony to our football team that we win two games with our second-team quarterback. A number of times, our (starting) defensive line is on the sidelines watching and yet this football team finds a way to win," Miles said. "We'll certainly enjoy the rest. We'll certainly improve our health. We're looking forward to returning to freshness, if you will."
Not since 2002, when the Big Ten went 5-2 in a bowl season that included Ohio State’s win over Miami in the BCS Championship, has the conference finished above .500 in the postseason. Last year’s 2-5 mark, punctuated by Michigan’s blowout loss to USC in the Rose Bowl and Ohio State’s debacle against Florida in the BCS Championship, capped a three-year run of futility in which the league posted the worst bowl record of any BCS conference.
One of the most significant injuries involved All-American defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, who played the second half of the season with a sprained right knee. Dorsey was injured on an illegal chop-block against Auburn.
LSU was fortunate to have the next weekend off and Dorsey didn't miss a game, although he was not the same. His ability to explode into the backfield appeared diminished and his role appeared to shift to plugging holes in the line on running plays.
"Injuries do that," LSU defensive tackle Marlon Favorite said. "I'm sure he wanted to rush and push to his full extent, but due to his injury he couldn't, so in his mind he was thinking, 'I have to do what I can.' He did that well."
Dorsey finished as LSU's third-leading tackler with 64 stops, including six sacks and 11.5 tackles for losses. He won a trophy case-full of SEC and national awards.
Dorsey said LSU's defense is eager to send a message of how well it can play when key players are all fresh.
"We're real excited. Everybody started talking down on us when we started giving up points on defense," Dorsey said. "We tried not to listen to that because, I mean, nobody knows what's going on in our locker room. So for us to have an opportunity to be healthy, we can come out and do what we're supposed to do and do what we know how to do."
On offense, LSU's top wide receiver, Early Doucet, was sidelined for most of five games with a groin injury. Starting quarterback Matt Flynn missed an early season start with an ankle sprain and the SEC championship game with a shoulder injury.
Backup quarterback Ryan Perrilloux won both starts in Flynn's absence, but if Perrilloux plays against Ohio State, it will be more by design than necessity.
"A lot of our guys were nicked up. That's the fact of the matter and everyone knows that," said Favorite, who played through injuries to both ankles this season. "You give us time to rest and get back on our feet? This is my first time ever dealing with injuries like this and I feel better already."

Is this a Cheap Shot, or what?

5 Reasons Why LSU beat Auburn

LSU beat Auburn 30-24 last night in an exhilerating finish that made Death Valley quake like in 1988. Here are 5 honest, objective reasons why LSU won. I'm an LSU fan, but the reasons why are the reasons why. Let's begin:

1. THE OFFICIATING CREW: Let's be real here: This game is dramatically different if two easy calls are made by the refs. Both favored LSU. Midway through the fourth quarter, a Jacob Hester touchdown was allowed to stand after a lengthy review, even though a replay clearly showed LSU had only six men (seven is the minimum) on the line of scrimmage. Not only would the penalty have negated LSU's touchdown, but it would have backed them up 5 yards as well, putting in doubt a TD play. Again, with just under two minutes left, LSU running back Richard Murphy — trying to convert a 3rd and 3 — was tackled at Auburn's 38 and after hitting the ground he bounced forward at the 38 and a half yard line, right where the first down was. The spot was more than generous for Murphy, it was simply crazy. Yet, the SEC replay booth didn't deem the play fit to review and LSU was able to avoid a 4th and short. Would they have gotten it? Probably. But it's unfair not to give Auburn a chance to defend a 4th and short. Incredibly, on both calls, Auburn's Tommy Tuberville refused to challenge the calls, which brings us to the next reason why Auburn lost.

2. TUBERVILLE'S COYNESS: The man can coach, we all know that, but he coached an awfully coy game against LSU. Tuberville is a guy that has to win on his own terms, not by ways he can't stomach. An LSU kickoff return for TD? He couldn't stomach that. A knockdown, dragout grind-em-out running game by LSU? Tubby couldn't stomach losing like that, so he played the game always holding his spades instead of all-out. His refusal to kick deep on kickoffs gave LSU tremendous field position the entire game, including on their game-winning drive. Also, he defied reason by refusing to challenge not one, but TWO questionable decisions by the officials (the Hester touchdown and the Murphy spot). To compound matters, with LSU eating up the clock and inside of a minute he refused to call timeout to salvage any few remaining seconds he team would need if LSU converted.

3. THE RETURN OF DOUCET: Early Doucet, back for extended duty for the first time in six games, had 1 catch in the first half for zero yards. LSU's passing game looked accordingly, too. Brandon LeFell continued to lefail. Demetrius Byrd dropped key passes until the last 20 minutes of the game. But Doucet turned it up in the second half. He led all receivers in the game with seven catches for 93 yardss. A 33-yard pass from Flynn to Doucet in triple coverage for a first down at the Auburn 34-yard line sparked LSU’s first comeback and established momentum for the Tigers receivers.

4. DEMETRIUS BYRD: The LSU receiver feasted on Auburn's DBs in the second half with big catches from Matt Flynn. He finished with 89 yards on just 3 catches, including a 58-yarder in the 3rd quater. Of the last catch of the game, Flynn said he noticed a tendency. “I saw on some of the previous plays from that formation that (Auburn) was leaving their DBs on us one-on-one,” Flynn said. “Byrd has great speed — an extra gear — so I just threw the ball up there, and he wrapped up around the DB and made a great catch.”

5. AUBURN'S RUNNING GAME GOES AWOL: Auburn's tailbacks Brad Lester and Ben Tate had been hurting LSU in the first half, especially Lester, but they couldn't break though the line in the second half. That significantly weakened the Tigers' attack. Three of the team's first four second-half drives went nowhere. Lester gouged LSU for 68 yards on 16 attempts, often times turning and twisting for extra yardage after being hit; the flow of the game dictated that they pound Lester into the LSU line but they never did, instead settling for Brandon Cox throws that were off the mark. That allowed LSU to get back in the game and outscore Auburn 23 to 7 after Auburn took a 24-14 lead.

Against Florida, Dorsey will have huge game

Expect a big game for Glenn Dorsey.
The 6-foot-2, 303-pound defensive tackle for the No.-1 LSU Tigers knows the Florida game was the One That Got Away last year. He expects double-teams, but he doesn't expect to be stopped.
"It's not really a big deal to me," Dorsey said last week. "OK, so maybe I can't make as many plays [being double-teamed], but I'm still going to work my technique and I'm still going to make my play. I don't care if I'm getting double-teamed or not."
The Florida Gators have seen the tape.
"He's just a physical guy," Florida center Drew Miller said. "It seems like he attacks an offensive lineman and tries to drive them back and make a play. He's very big and athletic, and we'll have to try to do some things this week to stop him."
But why will this be a big game for Dorsey?
Two words: Gator injuries.
The Gators, who already have lost offensive tackle Phil Trautwein (foot) for the season, will try to contain Dorsey with starting guard Maurkice Pouncey (ankle) and backup Maurice Hurt (neck) recovering from injuries.
The athletic Dorsey will be seen jumping over blockers, bull-rushing them and collaring the others. Watch.
SEC coaches have seen it before.
Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville experienced the emergence of Dorsey first hand.
"The Auburn-LSU game last year, that was the first game where everybody realized how dominant Glenn Dorsey was as a player," Tuberville said. "We did everything possible to block him with one, two, offensive linemen, a tight end at times, a running back."
Tuberville grew to respect Dorsey during that altercation so much he now compares him to one of the NFL's best.
"He's just a great player in a long line of good defensive tackles I've seen come out over the years," Tuberville said. "He kind of reminded me a lot about Warren Sapp, the kid I coached at the University of Miami. He plays low to the ground. He's quick off the line of scrimmage, always going north and south.
"He'll be one of the better players in the country. He'll be up for a lot of awards. I'm sure he's not really worried about that. He's worried about playing as a team. He's a guy that everybody's going to have to deal with this year going into when you play LSU. He's the first guy, when you turn on the film, you'll notice him."
Florida will feel him this weekend.