The 2008 LSU Tigers: A Look Back

A blow by blow account of year four under Les Miles

Editor’s Note: When Les Miles addresses the media on Monday, it will mark the start of gameweek of a new football season for the LSU Tigers. As the famous quote reads, “Those who refuse to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.” So before you turn your focus directly to 2009, here’s one final look back at 2008.

by Matt Deville
Tiger Rag Senior Editor

(At left) Smiles were hard to come, especially later in the 2008 season, but here Les Miles cracks a sly grin near the end of LSU’s stunning 38-3 rout of Georgia Tech in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl. (Photo by Steve Franz/LSU)

It will be remembered as the season that “never quite was.”

Normal, that is.

The Tigers 2008 encore to their second national title in five seasons was one LSU fans will want to soon forget – if they haven’t already.

When LSU won the BCS National Championship back in 2003, the following season felt like one big hangover, complete with sour stomach, a pounding headache and no Tylenol in sight.

Those 2004 Tigers had loads of talent. Future first overall pick JaMarcus Russell was a part-time starter at quarterback. Also, other future first round picks Marcus Spears, Dwayne Bowe, Craig Davis and LaRon Landry were all listed on that roster.

But the 2004 season was never quite right.

A painful loss to eventually undefeated Auburn set the tone for what turned out to be a season shrouded in Ugh!

An ugly loss at Georgia ended the Tigers hopes of any type of repeat as champions – of the SEC or national variety. LSU did rebound to win six in a row, but Nick Saban’s departure coupled with a last-second meltdown against Iowa in the CapitalOne Bowl concluded a season many people weren’t happy to see come to an end.

Fast forward three seasons and the lo and behold, LSU was raising more crystal hardware claiming a second BCS title. Under coach les Miles, the Tigers became the first program to capture a pair of Tiffany’s footballs.

All was well in Tigerland with LSU perched atop the college football world.

The Tigers were losing a number of performers from LSU’s cast of characters from that magical team of 2007. All-Americans Glenn Dorsey and Craig Steltz were gone as was defensive coordinator Bo Pelini. But the biggest losses might have been in the offensive backfield in the form of leadership provided by running back Jacob Hester and quarterback Matt Flynn.

No one knew just how gaping those holes would be come 2008.

General consensus was the defense was loaded with talent, including a sickeningly deep defensive line. Bradley Dale Peveto and Doug Mallory (now co-defensive coordinators) had worked under Pelini and could carry the torch without as much as a flicker.

Sure quarterback-in-waiting Ryan Perrilloux had had his off the field issues, but the mischievous sophomore seemed to have learned his lesson and was walking the straight and narrow.

Or so everyone thought.

—

The Perrilloux Saga, Dismissal and Cautious Optimism

No sooner had the Tigers returned from their championship triumph in the Big Easy than Perrilloux made headlines – again for the wrong reason. Missed classes, an incident at a Baton Rouge area restaurant; Miles had no other choice than to suspend Perrilloux again, the fourth such reprimand since he had arrived at LSU in the summer of 2005.

(At left) Ryan Perrilloux’s dismissal set a gloomy tone for the 2008 season. (Photo by Steve Franz/LSU)

For whatever reason, by the first week of May 2008, Miles’ hand was forced. On May 2, LSU Sports Information released the following statement regarding Perrilloux’s status:

“Ryan was given every opportunity to be a part of this football team,” Miles said. “In the end, he didn’t fulfill his obligation as an LSU student-athlete. We hope that a new beginning will benefit him. I wish Ryan and his family nothing but the best in any of his future endeavors.”

Miles knew what Perrilloux’s dismissal meant for LSU.

The fanbase was split on his decision, a choice that would adversely affect the outcome 2008 season. Some fans praised Miles for extracting the cancer from the LSU program; others opposed the ruling in fear of the repercussions come September.

With Perrilloux out of the picture, the reigns of the LSU offense were handed over to three inexperienced quarterbacks: sophomore Andrew Hatch, redshirt freshman Jarrett Lee and true freshman (and 17-year-old) Jordan Jefferson.

The race was tight between Hatch and Lee throughout Fall Camp. Jefferson was viewed as talented, but he wasn’t ready to be thrown into the fire just yet.

But it didn’t matter. LSU had enough playmakers on offense: a veteran offensive line, great running backs, talented wide receivers that could make things happen. Plus, the Tiger defense was expected to be one of the best in the nation.

Everyone approached the 2008 season with guarded optimism, it was surely doable. Plenty of teams had done more with less in the past.

By the season opener, Hatch had been named the starting quarterback. The former junior varsity quarterback for the Harvard Crimson would now be calling the shots for the defending BCS champions in the SEC.

Hatch seemed up to the task. And Lee would be a suitable alternative if things should go awry.

—

Gustav, Ike Hit; After Effects Leaves LSU Scrambling

The season opener arrived with Appalachian State coming to town. The only problem was the Mountaineers weren’t the only visitors heading into the capital city. Hurricane Gustav was bearing down on the Louisiana coast and it wasn’t certain if the storm would beat Appalachian State to Baton Rouge.

LSU made sure that wouldn’t be the case.

ESPN had hyped the Tigers-App State matchup as a “Clash of Champions” with the Mountaineers coming into the game as the defending FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) title holder while LSU was the reigning BCS champion.

The game had been scheduled for a 5 p.m. kickoff on the Worldwide Leader in Sports.

However, with Gustav threatening and Gov. Bobby Jindal wanting to begin evacuations of southeast Louisiana, game time was bumped up to 10 a.m. ESPN’s plans changed as well and the game, which at this point had seriously lost its luster, was aired on ESPN Classic.

(At left) Andrew Hatch got the starting nod versus Appalachian State in the expedited season opener. (Photo by Matt Deville)

Tiger fans braved searing heat in the upper 90s to watch LSU handle the Mountaineers in a very workmanlike effort.

Charles Scott headlined the offensive assault rushing for 160 yards on 15 carries, including a 56-yard gallop on the opening play of the game. By halftime, the “Clash of Champions” was reduced to another rent-a-win for the Tigers, were leading comfortably 31-0.

By the end of the fourth quarter and LSU owning a 41-13 advantage, Tiger Stadium was all but deserted as LSU fan scurried home to batten down the hatches.

Two days later, with most of southeast Louisiana having endured a mandatory evacuation, Gustav made landfall along the Louisiana coast with 105 mph (170 km/h) winds near Cocodrie, at about 9:30 a.m CDT.

The Category Five storm, which reached sustained winds speeds (for one minute) of 150 mph (240 km/h) raged for over 12 hours as it ripped its way through the central portion of the state of Louisiana. The eye of the storm passed directly over Brusly, La., which is a mere two miles west of Tiger Stadium across the Miss. River.

Baton Rouge was hit hardest by the storm as locals said it was the even more devastating than Hurricane Andrew, which did catastrophic damage to the capital city in 1992.
The LSU campus, including its athletic physical plant, felt Gustav’s effects.

“Tiger Stadium suffered a lot of damage,” said LSU athletic director Joe Alleva in a prepared statement on Sept. 3, 2008. “Windows were blown out. We have no power. We don’t know when power will be back on in the stadium. We have to check on the lighting and the scoreboard.”

Also damaged in the storm was the LSU Soccer stadium as well as the Charles McClendon Practice Facility. Along with wind damage to new facilities being built, construction was halted on the new Alex Box Stadium and Tiger Park. The six-week delay nearly forced both the baseball and softball teams to open the 2009 season in their former venues.

(At left) Hurricane Gustav wreaked havoc on the capital city as well as the LSU campus. (Photo by NOLA.com)

With the residents of Baton Rouge, the state of Louisiana as well as LSU officials forced to pick up the pieces after such a horrendous natural disaster, the Tigers upcoming contest against Troy would have to be postponed.

“The welfare of the people of Baton Rouge, the uncertain power issues facing all of us and the condition of Tiger Stadium were all factors in making this decision,” Alleva said. “We are fortunate that both schools had a common open date later in the year. I am appreciative of the cooperation of the good people at Troy for their understanding of this situation.”

LSU’s game versus the Trojans was moved to Nov. 15.

The adjustment of the kickoff for the Appalachian State game as well as the postponement of the contest versus Troy marked the fourth and fifth occasions in Miles four seasons as head coach that a game had been altered by a hurricane.

In 2005, the season opener against North Texas was postponed because of the carnage wreaked by Hurricane Katrina. The following week, the Tigers’ matchup with Arizona State was moved to Tempe because of the triage effort being staged on the LSU campus.

A week after that, kickoff was moved from Saturday night to the following Monday because of the lingering effects of Hurricane Rita.

A little more than a week after Hurricane Gustav left its mark on Louisiana, one could never have believed another storm was on its way.

But Hurricane Ike ventured into the Gulf of Mexico and seemed to be heading on the exact same path as its predecessor. LSU officials gathered to decide the fate of the Tigers’ upcoming matchup with North Texas.

Options were weighed to move the game to New Orleans, Dallas, Shreveport, even Auburn, Ala. But in the end, Ike turned toward Texas and southeast Louisiana was spared a repeat of the Katrina-Rita knockout punch from three years earlier.

—

Scott Enters the Heisman Hunt; LSU Looks Like a Contender

With hurricane season officially in the books for 2008, the Tigers could get back top focusing on football – instead of The Weather Channel.

As Hurricane Ike turned its attention to the greater Houston area, LSU welcomed North Texas to Tiger Stadium. It would be the last non-conference tune-up before the Tigers would have to travel to Jordan-Hare Stadium and meet up with the Auburn Tigers in the SEC opener.

Fans and LSU coaches weren’t happy with the fact the Tigers’ game with Troy was moved to November. It cost Hatch and Lee valuable game experience and diminished their prep-time for the trip to the Plains in two weeks.

But Miles found out he might not have to rely on the young quarterbacks as much as he previously thought. Running back Charles Scott racked up 102 yards and two touchdowns against the Mean Green and appeared poised for an impressive junior campaign.

Scott’s name began popping up on early Heisman watch lists following the Tigers 41-3 rout of North Texas. But LSU’s bruising tailback wasn’t the only person rising on the charts as the Tigers ascended to No. 6 in the polls heading into the Auburn game, setting up a top 10 battle when LSU visited Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Throughout the first two games, the Tigers had relied heavily on Scott’s legs and the focus was clearly off LSU’s rookie QBs. The Tigers signal callers had combined for 402 yards passing completing 33 of 60 attempts with three touchdowns and two interceptions.

(At left) Charles Scott became the first LSU running back ever to run for 100 yards at Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium. (Photo by Amanda Rothrock)

But the focus shifted mightily when LSU visited Auburn, a place where the Tigers hadn’t won in 10 seasons dating back to a 31-19 win in 1998.

The Auburn defense apparently came to play and held Scott in check early in the prime-time clash televised nationally on ESPN.

Hatch was greatly ineffective in the first quarter and as LSU trailed 7-3 late in the first half, Miles turned to Lee. With 1:31 left to play before the intermission, Lee threw an ill-advised, poorly-executed screen pass just in front of LSU’s bench.

Auburn defensive end Gabe McKenzie plucked the lame-duck out of the sky and motored 24 yards for a touchdown. With Auburn leading 14-3 and playing well defensively, it appeared as if LSU’s ineptitude on offense would be its undoing.

After LSU’s defense got a stop to open the second half, Miles turned back to Hatch. The sophomore rumbled for 12 yards for a first down and picked up five more two plays later.

But as Hatch fell to the ground, he caught a knee to the back of the head and sustained a game-ending concussion.

LSU fans groaned as Lee trotted back onto the field, especially since the Tigers faced third and four at the LSU 45.

But Lee hit tight end Richard Dickson for 16 yards to the Auburn 39 and a first down. New life it seemed. But he tossed a pair of consecutive incompletions setting up a third and 10 and a punting situation was looming.

Instead, under a heavy blitz from the Auburn defense, Lee threw a perfect strike to Chris Mitchell on a post route for a touchdown.

Now trailing 14-10 and very much back in the game, Miles went to his back of tricks and dialed up an onside kick, which the Tigers recovered. But the offense went three and out and punted back to Auburn.

The Tiger defense then rose to the occasion and stopped an Auburn drive inside the LSU 20 when Chris Hawkins nabbed a critical interception at the 11.

Lee re-took the field with the ball deep in LSU territory; no doubt memories of his first half mistake very much in the back of everyone’s mind.

But Scott rumbled for 11 yards on first down giving the Tigers some much-needed breathing room. Then Lee threw the best two passes of his young career completing back-to-back throws to Brandon LaFell covering 33 and 22 yards.

And just when you thought Lee would go for the jugular and throw to the end zone, he pitched the ball to Keiland Williams on a toss-sweep. As the defense converged on Williams, he hurled a perfectly-lofted halfback pass to a wide open Demetrius Byrd in the end zone.

After being very much dead and buried, LSU led 17-14.

The game wore on into the fourth quarter and the Tigers got a little cushion when Colt David booted a 32-yard field goal extending the LSU advantage to 20-14.

But all optimism was quickly vanished when Auburn quarterback Chris Todd hit receiver Tim Hawthorne for a 58-yard gain to the LSU 16. Two plays later, Todd hooked up with Robert Dunn for a 16-yard touchdown and Auburn seized a 21-20 lead with 6:40 left to play.

LSU and Auburn then traded three and outs before the Bayou Bengals regained possession at the LSU 46 with four minutes left to play.

The Tigers mixed up the run and pass over five plays totaling 34 yards getting to the Auburn 18. That’s where Lee threw a swing-pass to LaFell, who danced over the pylon for the go-ahead score and a 26-21 lead.

(At left) Jarrett Lee came on in the second half to lead LSU to its first win at Auburn in a decade. (Photo by Amanda Rothrock)

Auburn made one late push, but came up two yards short of a first down.
The streak was over.

“This victory over Auburn will be a great game to teach from,” Miles said afterwards. “To run the football like Charles Scott, a 100-yard back here at Auburn; continue to throw the football like Jarrett Lee. It was a good start to conference play but there are a lot of games left.”

Scott, who ran for 132 yards, became the first LSU running back – ever – to rush for 100-yards at Jordan-Hare Stadium in the program’s history. His three-game total of 394 yards began attracting serious national attention and bona fide Heisman chatter began including the LSU running back.

And a week later, when No. 5 LSU beat Miss. State 34-24 on the strength of a 141-yard, two-touchdown effort by Scott, he was a legitimate contender.

With Scott’s fourth consecutive 100-yard rushing performance coupled with a 261-yard, two touchdown (18 of 27 passing) outing by Lee, the fourth-ranked Tigers seemed to be hitting their stride just in the nick of time. A win in Gainesville against Tim Tebow and the No. 11 Florida Gators could propel LSU back into the national championship hunt for the second-straight season.

—

Gator-Chomped, Surrendering Half a Hundred and The Curse of the Pick-Six

Or was it a good time for the Tigers to be headed to The Swamp?

Sure LSU was the higher-ranked team, but Florida was fresh off a shocking 31-30 loss to Ole Miss and the Gators were none too happy in the aftermath.

Things were so gloomy in Gainesville that Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Tim Tebow, reduced to tears in the postgame press conference, made a promise to all Florida fans.

“You have never seen any player in the entire country play as hard as I will play the rest of the season,” Tebow said after the loss to the Rebels. “You will never see someone push the rest of the team as hard as I will push everybody the rest of the season. You never see a team play harder than we will the rest of the season.”

After Tebow’s passionate challenge, the Gators didn’t need much more motivation heading into the LSU game. So it wasn’t viewed as the smartest move when Tiger defensive tackle Ricky Jean-Francois made his plans for defending Tebow known to the public in an article in the Orlando Sentinel.

(At left) Trindon Holliday and the Tigers got leveled in a 51-21 loss at eventual national champion Florida. (Photo courtesy of Gator Country)

“If we get a good shot on [Tebow], we’re going to try our best to take him out of the game,” Jean-Francois said in an article by Jeremy Fowler of the Sentinel. “With his size and his heart, it’s hard to get a clean shot. I think every lineman wants to get a good hit on a Heisman Trophy winner.”

Jean-Francois went on to say, “”If he does get hurt, there’s a trained medical staff at Florida, so you can go to the training room on Sunday.”

LSU issued an apology for the incident and a statement from Jean-Francois was released the following day.

“We never go into any football game trying to hurt a player from the other team,” Jean-Francois said. “My comments in regard to Florida quarterback Tim Tebow were misinterpreted and were intended to reflect the style of football that we play at LSU.

“We have great respect for Tim as a player and a competitor. By taking him out of the game, I meant as a defense we are going to try to make him ineffective. I’m sorry that my initial comments were interpreted another way.”

Needless to say, the comments were not welcomed by the Florida camp and the remarks grew into a national story by week’s end. It made even bigger headlines when Miles decided Jean-Francois wouldn’t make the trip to Gainesville for violating unspecified team rules.

Well, it wouldn’t have mattered if Jean-Francois was there or not.

Tebow hooked up with Percy Harvin on the third play of the game for a 70-yard touchdown for a quick 7-0 Florida advantage. The pass, which was tipped by Tiger nickel back Danny McCray, fell into Harvin’s awaiting arms to ignite the 90,000 rabid Gators fans at Florida Field.

LSU stumbled to a three and out on its’ first possession of the game and Florida increased the lead to 10-0 on a quick field goal.

The Tigers had no rhythm on offense and failed to pick up a single first down in the first quarter. In the meantime, Florida found the end zone again, another Tebow to Harvin strike, and the Gators carried a commanding 17-0 advantage into the second period.

Florida added a field goal upping the lead to 20-0 before LSU fought back.

Just before halftime, Lee found Chris Mitchell for the Tigers’ first points of the game merely seconds before intermission.

LSU then made the most of getting the ball first in the second half. The Tigers took the second half kickoff and marched 80 yards on 12 plays and pulled to within six points – down 20-14 – when Hatch plunged into the end zone from three yards out.

LSU had bounced back from a dismal first half and looked primed to make a game of it – or so it seemed.

Florida turned it up a notch and scored two quick touchdowns before the Tigers could earn another first down. By the end of the third quarter, LSU found itself on the wrong side of a 34-14 deficit – and the Gators still had one more quarter to fully avenge a 28-24 heartbreaker from a year earlier.

The opening play of the fourth quarter may have set the tone for the remainder of the season. Lee flung an ill-advised pass over the middle in the direction of tight end Richard Dickson.

Instead, Gator linebacker Brandon Spikes snared the errant offering and returned it 52 yards for a Florida touchdown.

The “pick-six” was Lee’s the second of the season. Unfortunately for Tiger fans, there would be many more to come.

In the end, the Tigers fell 51-21. It was the first time an LSU team had surrendered 50-plus points (in regulation, LSU lost to Arkansas 50-48 in three overtimes in 2007) since a 56-13 loss at Florida in 1996.

(At left) Tim Tebow and the Gators hung half a hundred on LSU, the first time a Tiger defense had allowed 50 points since a 56-13 loss in 1996 - at Florida. (Photo courtesy of Gator Country)

Scott quickly fell from the Heisman conversation rushing for just 35 yards on 12 carries. The LSU defense was exposed as Florida ran up 475 yards of offense, including 280 rushing yards.

“We never really got momentum in that game and never got in-tune except for a few drives on offense,” Miles said. “That’s what happens when you play quality teams and make mistakes; you give up easy scores.”

The Tigers didn’t have a great deal of time to lick their wounds. It was back on the road in the SEC the following week as LSU headed to South Carolina.

The Gamecocks were reeling from a couple of close losses and needed a win to right the ship. Plus, Carolina coach Steve Spurrier surely wanted to repay LSU for the ESPN-favorite Colt David touchdown from the 2007 season in Baton Rouge.

The Tigers took an early lead, but a second-quarter, Lee interception (which was nearly returned for a touchdown) was converted into a short touchdown run just before the half and the Gamecocks led 17-10 at the half.

But the Tigers defense rose to the occasion in the second half as Scott and Williams combined for 133 yards and LSU rallied back to upend the Gamecocks 24-17.

At the time, it seemed as if the Tigers had regained some momentum. However, no one could have imagined that would be LSU’s last SEC win of the season.

—

Fifty again, a visit from Nick and the beginning of the end

As quickly as LSU had removed the memory of the Florida loss from its memory, the horror of an embarrassing loss was soon center stage once again.

Beating South Carolina on the road seemed to apply some salve to the Tigers wounds, but the Georgia Bulldogs, armed with a powerful offense, wouldn’t be what the doctor ordered.

Both Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno came into the Oct. 25 clash in Tiger Stadium as Heisman Trophy candidates, not to mention the best quarterback-running back tandem in the country.

But as solid as Mark Richt’s team was offensively, the Bulldog defense had some question marks, especially in the secondary.

Georgia would leave Baton Rouge victorious, but not before surrendering 497 yards and 38 points to the Tiger offense.

(At left) Knowshon Moreno and the Bulldogs ran up 52 points on the LSU defense as the Tigers gave up more than 50 points for the second time in two weeks. (Tiger Rag Staff Photo)

It was bad enough that LSU had no answer for Moreno, who ran for 163 yards and a touchdown. Plus, Stafford threw for 249 more yards and two more scores.

But the problem for LSU was the fact Lee threw three interceptions in the game. But give credit where credit is due. Lee did throw three touchdown strikes en route to a 287-yard performance.

Unfortunately, he threw an additional two touchdown passes to Georgia defensive end Darryl Gamble, the first coming on the initial play of the game. On the first play from scrimmage, Lee was intercepted by Gamble, who ran 40 yards the other way for a touchdown.

Late in the game, with LSU trailing 45-31and fighting valiantly to rally, Gamble plucked another Lee offering out of the Baton Rouge sky and rumbled 53 yards for a second touchdown.

The 52-38 final score marked the first time in LSU history a Tiger defense had surrendered 50-plus points in the same season.

“It’s just part of football,” Lee said of the interceptions. “You win some and lose some. Unfortunately, we lost today and we need to put it behind us. We need to stay positive but keep this in the back of our minds. We need to get back to work and prepare for the next games.”

A week later, the Tigers went through the motions in throttling lowly Tulane 35-10.
The victory was highlighted by a 114-yard rushing effort by Scott and a 24-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Chris Hawkins.

Unfortunately for Lee, his interception woes continued as the Green Wave’s only touchdown came on a 43-yard pick-six by Travis Burks.

LSU underwhelming performance against Tulane was no big surprise, considering the magnitude of the following weekend’s contest looming on the horizon.

Tiger fans had been waiting almost three years for Nov. 8, 2008 to arrive, marking the return of former coach Nick Saban to Tiger Stadium.

LSU bested its former boss a year earlier defeating Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide 41-34 in Tuscaloosa en route to winning the national championship.

(At left) Reshad Johnson’s second interception of the game, this one in overtime, capped off a four INT performance by the Alabama defense as the Nick Saban and the top-ranked Tide escaped Tiger Stadium with a 26-21 overtime victory over LSU. (Tiger Rag Staff Photo)

A year later, the tables were turned when the Tide came to the capital city. With then-top-ranked Texas losing at Texas Tech a week earlier, Alabama had moved into the nation’s No. 1 slot and just in time for the showdown in Death Valley.

Saban was greeted with expected venom as LSU fans did everything within their power to make the former coach feel unwelcome in the stadium where he led the Tigers to a national title six seasons earlier.

Fans even hosted a “Burn, Nick, Burn” bonfire the night before the game.

Alabama came into the game 9-0 on the year; LSU was a disappointing 5-2 and its SEC West title hopes were fading rapidly.

And while Alabama dented the scoreboard first, LSU snatched a 14-7 lead in the first quarter on a pair of 30-yard touchdown plays, the first a reception by Demetrius Byrd, the second a run by Charles Scott.

The Tigers seemed to have the Tide’s number on this day. No. 1 Alabama struggled to move the football and LSU’s defense harassed Tide QB John Parker Wilson time after time.

But just as it had in game after game earlier in the season, interceptions would haunt LSU once again. With the Tigers clinging to a 14-7 lead late in the first half, a poorly-thrown pass by Lee was picked off by Alabama safety Rashad Johnson. Johnson weaved his way through the entire LSU team motoring 54 yards for a Tide touchdown knotting the score at 14-14.

In the third quarter, Glen Coffee gave Alabama a 21-14 lead on a three-yard run. But the Tigers re-tied the score at 21-21 when Scott bullied his way into the end zone with 6:14 left to play.

Alabama got one last shot at the win as the Tide offense moved the ball to the LSU 10-yard line with just seconds left. A 29-yard field goal attempt by Leigh Tiffin was assumed to be a lock, but Jean-Francois leapt into the air blocking the kick, which Darry Beckwith recovered.

Tiger Stadium erupted.

(At left) Nick Saban was greeted rudely by LSU fans. But it was the former Tiger coach, now wearing crimson, who danced out of Baton Rouge with a win. (Tiger Rag Staff Photo)

LSU seemed to have the momentum heading into the first extra period. The Tigers got the ball first and picked up five yards on first down. After a direct snap to Richard Murphy resulted in a loss of one yard on second down, Lee threw up a prayer to the end zone on third down.

It was intercepted by Rashad Johnson.

It took the Tide just two plays – the first a 24-yard pass from Wilson to Julio Jones – to get into the end zone. Coffee bulled his way in from a yard out to seal the deal.

As LSU left the field, with no shot at the SEC West crown or a championship of any type, you could feel the wind being blown from the Tigers sails.

—

Downward Spiral into December

Prior to the Alabama loss, the Tigers were a combined 12-1 in the month of November under Les Miles. The only blemish being a 50-48, triple-overtime loss to Arkansas in the 2007 season finale.

But the heartbreaking loss to the Tide began what would be the most painful month of the Miles era.

A week following the loss to the Crimson Tide, LSU had its problems with another team from the state of Alabama. This time, however, the opponent wasn’t quite the No. 1 ranked team in the country.

Because of Hurricane Gustav, a game against Troy was moved from early September to mid November. No doubt, the LSU Tigers were a much different team by the time the Trojans arrived in Baton Rouge.

A hungover Tiger Stadium crowd hardly blinked throughout a miserable first half, one in which Troy Travante Moore returned a Lee interception 24 yards for a Trojan touchdown. It was the fourth straight game and sixth of the last eight in which Lee had thrown a pick-six. Fans showed little regard for the LSU players booing Lee and the Tigers at will.

By halftime Troy led 24-3.

Things got worse when the Trojans went up 31-3 early in the third quarter. Needless to say, the stadium was quite empty by the time the Tiger Band opened the fourth quarter with the famous “Tiger Pregame Salute.”

But just as if a switch was flipped, here came the Tigers.

(At left) LSU had lost by larger margins in previous games in 2008, but no loss was more telling of the Tigers’ freefall than a 31-13 defeat at the hands of Jevan Snead and Ole Miss. (Tiger Rag Staff Photo)

Jordan Jefferson had scored LSU’s first touchdown of the game on a three-yard run with 1:26 left to play. The true freshman’s TD run sparked a 30-point, fourth quarter scoring barrage after which LSU celebrated a 40-31 victory.

The rally surpassed that of the 1977 Tigers, who scored 28 unanswered points to beat Ole Miss 28-21. It truly was one of the most improbable wins in LSU history. Unfortunately, it would be the last of the regular season.

A week later, Houston Nutt, now the coach of the Ole Miss Rebels, logged his second straight win over LSU in Tiger Stadium whipping the Tigers 31-13. Nutt had engineered a 50-48, triple-overtime upset of then-No. 1 LSU in his final game as the head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks in 2007.

It wasn’t necessarily an upset this time around.

Ole Miss’ defense stymied anything LSU attempted, knocked Lee out of the game in the second quarter and outgained the Tigers 409-215 in a 31-13 rout. It was the first time LSU had lost three SEC home games since 1999.

A week later, Jefferson made his first start of his LSU career as the Tigers faced Arkansas in Little Rock’s War Memorial Stadium.

The Razorbacks were 4-7 on the season and wouldn’t be playing in a postseason game for the second straight year. So Arkansas, under first-year coach Bobby Petrino, treated the game against reeling LSU as its bowl game.

The Razorbacks bolted out to a 14-3 lead midway through the second quarter. But on the strength of two Jefferson touchdown passes, LSU carried a 30-21 advantage into the fourth quarter and appeared to have the game in hand.

(At left) Jordan Jefferson had his moments in his first-ever start at Arkansas on the day after Thanksgiving, but the LSU defense let a 16-point, fourth quarter deficit slip away as the Hawgs stunned the Tigers 31-30. (Photo by Beth Bonner Deville)

But the final period quickly became a nightmare for the Tigers, especially the LSU defense. Plagued with penalties and mental breakdowns, the Tigers could do nothing to stop an Arkansas comeback.

Quarterback Casey Dick hooked up with London Crawford for a 24-yard touchdown pass on fourth down with 21 seconds remaining to stun the Tigers.

LSU did get the ball back and had two shots at field goal range from midfield, but two straight Jefferson passes fell short. Colt David did attempt a 63-yard field goal into a driving rainstorm with three seconds left, but the outcome was already a forgone conclusion.

—

Fallout From a 7-5 Record, the Chicken Bowl and Beyond

Needless to say, it wasn’t a very Merry Christmas for Miles, his staff or the Tigers in the wake of a five-loss season.

Following up a national championship with a 7-5 record and losing mark (3-5) in SEC play didn’t set well with the natives. Miles’ decision-making concerning the quarterbacks was constantly questioned as was his promotion from within of Bradley Dale Peveto and Doug Mallory to co-defensive coordinators.

With rumors swirling about the future of Mallory and Peveto at LSU, the Tigers received an invitation to the Chick-Fil-A Bowl in Atlanta to face Georgia Tech on New Years Eve.

How the mighty had fallen! LSU had slumped from two straight BCS bowl games and a year removed from a national championship all the way to the “Chicken Bowl!”

And against the Yellow Jackets! Paul Johnson had brought his veer offense to Georgia Tech and Jacket fans were relishing a 9-3 regular season record and a second place finish in the ACC.

(At left) From out of nowhere, Patrick Peterson and the LSU Tigers leveled No. 14 Georgia Tech in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl. (Photo by Steve Franz/LSU)

Plus, playing the Yellow Jackets in their hometown wasn’t exactly considered a great draw for LSU. And toss in the fact Jefferson would be starting at quarterback; it looked like doom and gloom for the Tigers.

But just as he had done in his three previous seasons at LSU, Miles proved to be one of the nation’s best coaches in terms of bowl preparations.

With Jefferson at the helm, the Tigers rolled into Atlanta and promptly throttled Georgia Tech 38-3.

Charles Scott rushed for just 65 yards, but he scored three first half touchdowns as LSU held a commanding 35-3 lead at halftime. Jefferson completed 16 of 25 passes for only 142 yards, but his command of the offense and unflappable poise gave Tiger fans a glimpse into the future.

“I really enjoy this team,” Miles said. “This football team has achieved through struggles throughout the year.”

—

2008 At A Glance

Date Opponent Location (Stadium) Result
Aug 30 Appalachian St. Baton Rouge, La. (Tiger) W, 41-13
LSU evades Gustav, blows past Mountaineers in clash of defending champions.

Sep 13 North Texas Baton Rouge, La. (Tiger) W, 41-3
After a one week Gustav-induced hiatus, LSU bounces back with thrashing of UNT.

Sep 20 Auburn Auburn, Ala. (Jordan-Hare) W, 26-21
Jarrett Lee sparks second half rally as LSU wins for first time at Auburn since 1998.

Sep 27 Mississippi St. Baton Rouge, La. (Tiger) W, 34-24
Charles Scott runs for 141 yards as Tigers hold off Bulldogs in Death Valley SEC debut.

Oct 11 Florida Gainesville, Fla. (Ben Hill Griffin) L, 21-51
LSU exposed as Tim Tebow and Gators ambush Tigers in 30-point rout in The Swamp.

Oct 18 South Carolina Columbia, S.C. (Williams-Brice) W, 24-17
Scott-Williams provide one-two punch as Tigers rally past Gamecocks in Columbia.

Oct 25 Georgia Baton Rouge, La. (Tiger) L, 38-52
Two pick sixes doom LSU; Tigers give up 50-plus points for second time in three games.

Nov 01 Tulane Baton Rouge, La. (Tiger) W, 35-10
Hawkins’ fumble return for touchdown is one of few highlights from this snoozer.

Nov 08 Alabama Baton Rouge, La. (Tiger) L, 21-27 (OT)
Top-ranked Tide, takes advantage of INTs, escapes Baton Rouge with overtime win.

Nov 15 Troy (HC) Baton Rouge, La. (Tiger) W, 40-31
LSU pulls off greatest rally in schools history to stave off embarrassing loss.

Nov 22 Ole Miss Baton Rouge, La. (Tiger) L, 13-31
Rebels dominate Tigers as LSU drops third straight SEC home game.

Nov 28 Arkansas Little Rock, Ark. (War Memorial) L, 30-31
Jefferson shines in first start; LSU defense falters as Hawgs stun Tigers with late rally.

Chick-fil-A Bowl

Dec 31 Georgia Tech Atlanta, Ga. (Georgia Dome) W, 38-3
Underdog LSU rides Jefferson, stingy defense to shocking upset of No. 14 Jackets.