2theadvocate.com | LSU Sports | Countdown to Showdown: 24 Days

By JOE MACALUSO AND JAY MARTIN
Advocate staff
Published: Dec 14, 2007

MEMORABLE MOMENTS FROM 2007

All the preseason hype was over: LSU and Mississippi State opened the 2007 college football season with a Thursday night, ESPN-televised game from Starkville, Miss.

LSU was ranked No. 2 in the country, mostly because of its defense, once stocked with veteran upperclassmen at virtually every position.

It was put-up or shut-up time for the Tigers.

It turned out to be shutdown time.

LSU’s 45-0 win was triggered as much by its defense as it was its 347 total yards. The six interceptions and one fumble recovery set the offense up with a short field: LSU’s 17-0 halftime lead came on four interceptions.

Senior safety Craig Steltz carved his name in school records with three of the six picks and got a leg up in the early running for what turned out to be an All-SEC and All-America season.

Steltz’s interception returns of 49 and 51 yards were the bulk of LSU’s 122 interception-return yards — State managed only 136 yards passing.

Up front, linemen and linebackers limited State to 10 rushing yards. Reserve tackle Al Woods recovered a fumble that led to a fourth-quarter TD.

“It was a lot of luck,” Steltz said. “You have to be in the right place at the right time. There’s a lot of experience in our secondary and coach (Bo) Pelini puts us in the right spots to make plays.”

When the dust had settled on the regular season, the head start LSU had against State led the Tigers to a dominant turnover ratio in their march to the BCS Championship Game.

After two picks and a fumble recovery against Tennessee in the SEC Championship Game, LSU finished the regular season with 33 takeaways — 21 interceptions and 12 fumbles — to its 15 turnovers.

Vote for the most memorable moment of 2007

Advocate sportswriters have selected 20 memorable moments from LSU’s march to the BCS Championship Game, from the 45-0 win over Mississippi State through the 21-14 SEC Championship Game victory over Tennessee. This series will run through Jan. 1 when readers will be able to go to The Advocate’s Web site — http://www.2theadvocate.com — and vote on their most memorable moment of the season. The voting results will be run in Jan. 7 Advocate Sports’ BCS Game Day Special.

The list so far:

Fake field goal vs. South Carolina

Six interceptions vs. Mississippi State

2theadvocate.com's Countdown to the Showdown Archive

BCS TRIVIA

TODAY’S QUESTION: What school has been to the most bowl games? Answer on Saturday

THURSDAY’S QUESTION: What six schools in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision have never made an appearance in a Division I bowl?
Buffalo, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, Western Kentucky

TIGERS’ SCHEDULE

Today: Players taking final exams.

Saturday: Players taking final exams.

“Please, please don’t call me for tickets.”

-- Skip Bertman, LSU athletic director

For the seventh time in his 23 years at LSU, Skip Bertman is going to a championship game.

He’s 6-0 in the first six trips: Five of them came between 1991-2000 when his Tigers won the College World Series, a feat that put him on the level with the great coaches in his chosen profession.

The sixth time was a 21-14 win over Oklahoma in the 2003 Sugar Bowl/BCS Championship.

“I feel in the last 6-7 years we’ve done something different in LSU athletics. We’re committed to excellence,” Bertman said.

“When Dr. (Mark) Emmert hired me, he said, and I agreed, that no matter whether it was geography or volleyball, physics or football, every kid, every student-athlete deserves a chance to be the best they can be.

“Since then, we’ve upgraded in everything from coaches, to increasing the Sideline Tradition Fund we started four years ago, to revamping the Tiger Athletic Foundation to setting up a competitive point system that gives every season football ticket holder a chance for (BCS) tickets.

“From that, we have seen a difference in academics, in wins and losses, in facilities and in the general improvement of our campus all without using state money or student fees. We give money back to the university.

“What this game means to me is it’s the culmination of all of that and the hard work of so many people … certainly the football coach, his staff and his players and the TAF and the many people who work so hard in the athletic department.”

BUCKEYES’ SCHEDULE

Today: Practice.

Saturday: Off.

“I know what it feels like to win a championship and I want the kids to be able to have that same feeling.”

-- Eugene Smith, Ohio State athletic director

Eugene Smith said he’s blessed to be where he is today, back home in one of the most powerful positions in the football-crazy state.

He became the first black athletic director in Ohio State’s history, that after coming from Arizona State where he had the same job.

“Personally, it’s a great, great opportunity to watch a program that I’ve been blessed to be a part of to compete for the ultimate dream.”

He’s done that before.

From Cleveland, he played four years at Notre Dame and was a defensive end on the 1973 AP national champion. He joined coach Dan Devine’s staff and was an assistant when Notre Dame won the 1977 national title.

“Besides the additional revenue, the game is great exposure for our recruiting efforts, for all of our programs to have a chance to get exposure nationally and to be recognized as a program of excellence. That’s huge for us.

“It just happens that we’re playing in the final four in soccer this weekend.”

BREAKING DOWN THE SHOWDOWN

TIGHT END

RICHARD DICKSON

6-3, 237, Soph.

Ocean Springs, Miss.

Pass-catching starter … fourth in team receiving stats … 28 catches, 331 yards, 3 TDs in 4 starts this season … best day: 5 catches, 69 yards vs. Alabama … shares starts with senior Keith Zinger … rated the top two-way player in Mississippi prep football in 2005 … made all-state defensive team … dad played for Mississippi State … played in 25 games in his two seasons.

Career: 34 catches, 427 yards, 3 TDs

“I like being the guy who they know is going to run the right routes and catch the ball if they throw it."

-- Richard Dickson

JAKE BALLARD

6-7, 255, Soph.

Springboro, Ohio

Top TE prospect in Ohio, but was home state’s Defensive Player of the Year in senior year at Springboro High … started season second on depth chart … played in 10 games in freshman season mostly as blocker in two TE sets … caught 2 passes for 5 yards, 1 TD in freshman season … 13 catches, 149 yards, 2 TDs this year … big 2007 game 3 catches, 35 yards vs. Michigan State … splits time with junior Rory Nicol.

Career: 15 catches, 154 yards, 3 TDs

“I've never seen a tight end like that who is not afraid to lay his body on the line and go up and get that football.”

-- Todd Boeckman, Ohio State QB


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