Miles, Byrd disagree on interception

• By RANDY ROSETTA
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Nov 11, 2008 - UPDATED: 6:20 a.m.

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LSU quarterback Jarrett Lee has taken plenty of heat for a four-interception day in the Tigers’ 27-21 overtime loss to No. 1-ranked Alabama.

But the first one could have been avoided … depending on whom you ask about it.

With LSU facing third-and-17, Lee took as shotgun snap and fired a pass to Demetrius Byrd in traffic. The throw was behind Byrd, but the Tigers receiver adjusted in time, spun to his right and got both hands on the ball — usually an indicator a pass should be caught.

Before the normally sure-handed Byrd could secure the pass, he was leveled from behind by Crimson Tide linebacker Rolando McClain. The ball ricocheted off Byrd’s hands and into Rashad Johnson’s waiting arms for the first of Lee’s four picks.

LSU coach Les Miles said Sunday Byrd should have caught the ball. Byrd didn’t seem as sure Monday.

“Well, OK, it should have been a catch,” Byrd said with a wistful grin. “If I wouldn’t have got hit, it would have been a catch. I got separated from the ball and it was slightly behind me. I was trying to make a play, and as soon as I was going to bring it in I got hit.”

Miles opened his regular Monday press conference by thanking the Tiger Stadium record crowd of 93,039 that supplied a vocal presence Saturday.

With kickoff at 2:35 p.m. under clear skies, the game began with the stadium basking in sunshine.

But in the second half, about 5:30 p.m., longtime public address announcer Dan Borné dug into his playbook and declared that “now that the sun has set in the Western sky, it’s now Saturday night in Death Valley,” whipping the crowd into a frenzy.

“When they made the announcement that the sun had gone down in the western sky and it was now officially Saturday night in Tiger Stadium, (Borné) was right,” Miles said. “That was a live crowd. That was a great home-field environment. I loved where I was at. I just want to say thanks to those people who support this program and thanks to those people who came out and cheered the Tigers on. I don’t know that I’ll forget that memory.”

Catch or interception?

With Alabama marching toward a potential game-winning field-goal try Saturday, LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson nearly got the ball back for the Tigers with 53 seconds to play when he and Alabama star Julio Jones locked up on a short pass play.