Swagger returns

• By GEORGE MORRIS
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Jan 1, 2009 - UPDATED: 8:43 a.m.

• Print
• Email
• Save
• Reprints
• Twitter
• Share

• Del.icio.us
• Digg
• Facebook
• Reddit
• 

ATLANTA — An LSU defense that limped out of Little Rock, Ark., strode into the Georgia Dome on Wednesday with a sense of purpose.

“We took a lot of beating from the media the past few weeks,” linebacker Perry Riley said. “Nobody really gave us a chance as a team. That kind of hit us hard. We kind of wanted to get our swagger back and be the defense that we’re known for.”

Let the record show on defense the Tigers swaggered their way into the new year. LSU’s defense played its best game of the year in a 38-3 Chick-fil-A Bowl rout of Georgia Tech. Riley was the singular star, earning Defensive MVP honors for a career-high 11 tackles, including eight solos.

The performance came against a spread option offense that produced 64 plays of 20 or more yards this season. That statistic made this a daunting assignment, especially after the Jackets’ first play, a 40-yard pass from Josh Nesbitt to back Jonathan Dwyer.

By the time they got another big play, it was last play of the third quarter, with LSU already ahead by the final margin.

Tech averaged 26.2 points, 282.3 rushing yards and 377.3 total yards per game. They were held 118 rushing yards and 63 total yards below those averages. LSU’s defensive front was dominant, its pursuit swift and the coverage, for the most part, tight.

“My hat’s off to our defensive team,” LSU head coach Les Miles said. “They played so well. They played inspired. They played hard. They tackled. We asked them to wrap up. We said to them that you must tackle every play. This was not going to be a game of passes and sacks. This was going to be a game of tackle and wrap up.

“I really give credit to the game plan put together by Bradley Dale Peveto and Doug Mallory. Boy they did a great job. Doug Mallory called a great game and we’ll miss them.”

No Tigers took more heat than LSU’s defensive co-coordinators in a regular season that saw opponents create a long string of costly big plays. Peveto is leaving to become head coach at Northwestern State, while Mallory is expected to accept the New Mexico defensive coordinator’s job.

This night was different, and both coaches were glad it came in a bowl game instead of the regular season because of Tech’s unique offensive scheme.

“It’s one advantage when you play a team like Georgia Tech and you’ve got three weeks to prepare for them,” Mallory said. “The most difficult thing is trying to get ready for those guys in one week.

“I give a lot of credit to our kids. Our kids worked hard. We put a sound scheme together and they went out and executed it. We challenged them to play hard, focused, disciplined football for four quarters and it looks like they did it. A lot of credit goes to those kids.”

Neither coach admitted any feelings of personal vindication.