LSU
Tiger Sports Weekly
LSU Wins Despite Turnovers
Les Miles snarled. Jimbo Fisher all but blushed. Both
LSU football coaches, the reputed offensive-minded head
coach and his offensive coordinator, were on the same
page about the many self-inflicted wounds the Tigers
overcame Saturday in a 21-17 victory over Florida. Miles
opened his postgame news conference by crediting LSUs
defense for the victory, calling it the one area on the team
most responsible for winning the game. He praised Joseph
Addai for his career-high 32 carries, 156 rushing yards
and a touchdown. He credited punter Chris Jackson for
another outstanding game, and he all but tipped his cap to
wide receiver Bennie Brazell, whose 43-yard touchdown
reception on LSUs first possession began the afternoon
with the stuff of sunny optimism. It was the first of two firstquarter touchdown throws by quarterback JaMarcus Russell,
whose 27-yard scoring pass to Dwayne Bowe gave the
Tigers a 14-0 advantage. Russell completed 14 of 22 passes
for 236 yards on the day.
Despite those and other highlights, including Miles
first victory in Tiger Stadium and a three-game Southeastern
Conference winning streak, Miles made no secret about
where his attention will be this week -- on the same
problems he pledged to correct last week. Turnovers and
penalties. Penalties and turnovers. In a matchup of the SECs
two most penalized teams, the Tigers seemed determined
to maintain their
status as the leader
in the clubhouse.
Officials
flagged
LSU 11 times for
84 yards, adding
heft to a season of
evidence suggesting
the Tigers offense is
its own reset button,
negating gains and
prompting
many
do-overs.
Make
that a reset button LSUs Bennie Brazell catches the ball
over Floridas Jarvis Herring on a 43-yard
with a companion
pass on Saturday.
setback
button.
LSU committed five turnovers, losing its three fumbles and
throwing two interceptions.
We have to quit, Fisher said of the mistakes committed
by his offense. We have to take a look in the mirror and
figure out how important it is to us to do things right all the
time. Its not effort. Theyre not doing it on purpose. Three
giveaways set up Floridas three scoring drives, which were
gift-wrapped so neatly they happened with the swiftness of
the days of coach Spurriers Gators.
Mike the Tiger
In 1934, a decision had been made that would forever
change life on the LSU campus. Athletic Director trainer
Chellis Mike Chambers, Athletic Director T.P. Heard,
swimming pool manager and intramural swimming coach
William G. Hickey Higginbotham, and LSU law student Ed
Laborde decided to bring a real tiger to LSU. They raised
$750, collecting twenty-five cents from each student, and
purchased a two-hundred-pound, one-year old tiger from
the Little Rock Zoo.
Born on October 10, 1935, and like his father, originally
named Sheik, his name was changed to Mike in honor of
Chambers, the man most responsible for
Mike IV and MikeVI
bringing him to LSU.
Interestingly, Mike I must have remembered his original
name because even years later Hickey Higginbotham
could get him to roar just by calling Sheik. It was early
on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 1936 when the first mascot was
welcomed on campus.
Great Moments
2000
In 2000, the goal posts came
down after the Tigers beat
Tennessee 38-31 in overtime
after the Tigers held the Vols
scoreless in overtime for the
victory. The goal posts came
down again in the final home
game as the Tigers beat
Alabama, for the first time in Tiger
Stadium since 1969.
2001
In 2001, the Tigers clinched
a berth in its first SEC
Championship Game with a
27-14 victory over Auburn in the
season finale in Tiger Stadium.
After the contest, thousands
of Tiger fans spilled onto the
stadium floor to celebrate the
victory.
2001
The goal posts came down for the
first time in 1997 when the Tigers
upended No. 1-ranked Florida
before a national television
audience -- a scene that was
replayed countless times in
college football highlight shows.
1959
And of course there was
Halloween night 1959, when
Billy Cannon made his famous
89-yard punt return to lead No. 1
LSU past No. 3 Ole Miss. Legend
has it that families living near the
campus lakes came running out
of their homes in fear of the noise
erupting around them.
Named for LSUs mascot, the stadium is sometimes called Death Valley by losing opponent
football teams. The original seating capacity was 12,000 in 1926 and the total capacity now is
91,600.
Death Valley - Theres No Place Like Home
Its Saturday Night in Death Valley and here come your Fighting Tigers
of LSU.
Hearing those words from public
address announcer Dan Borne as the
Tigers enter the stadium brings chills to
even the casual LSU football fan and
sends shivers to those on the opposing
sidelines. Seven nights a year, Tiger
Stadium becomes the sixth largest city
in the state of Louisiana as over 92,000
fans pack the cathedral of college football to watch the Tigers play.
For LSU fans, theres nothing
better than spending a night in Tiger
Stadium. For opponents, however, its
another story as Tiger Stadium is an
intimidating venue that has been called
one of the most dreaded road playing
sites in all of college football. Seating over 91,000 fans and nicknamed
Death Valley, poll after poll have
proclaimed Tiger Stadium as one of the
greatest sites anywhere for a college
football game.
Perhaps the most famous moment
in Death Valley history took place on
The Night The Tigers Moved the
Earth, October 8, 1988. When Tiger
quarterback Tommy Hodson threw to
Eddie Fuller for a winning touchdown
against Auburn, the explosion of the
crowd was so thunderous that it caused
an earth tremor that registered on a
seismograph meter in LSUs Geology
Department across campus.
And of course there was Halloween night 1959, when Billy Cannon
made his famous 89-yard punt return to
lead No. 1 LSU past No. 3 Ole Miss.
Legend has it that families living near
the campus lakes came running out of
their homes in fear of the noise erupting around them.
The goal posts came down for the
first time in 1997 when the Tigers upended No. 1-ranked Florida before a
national television audience -- a scene
that was replayed countless times in
college football highlight shows.
In 2001, the Tigers clinched a berth
in its first SEC Championship Game
with a 27-14 victory over Auburn in
the season finale in Tiger Stadium. After the contest, thousands of Tiger fans
spilled onto the stadium floor to celebrate the victory.
These moments, among many others, have drawn national attention to
the LSU Tigers. In fact, many sports
analysts project that LSU will be the
top team for many years to come.