Defense comes through

• By RANDY ROSETTA
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Nov 15, 2009

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When it was almost officially over, after Louisiana Tech’s onside kick attempt caromed out of bounds and a flag was called on the Bulldogs to seal LSU’s victory, there was barely a murmur from the smattering of fans left at Tiger Stadium.

Those that remained seemed alternately relieved for the game to end and disinterested in what the final blow might have been Saturday night.

Yes, the No. 9-ranked Tigers survived to win 24-16 in a game devoid of ebb, flow and entertainment value.

About the best that could be said for LSU (8-2) was, it didn’t need a furious second-half comeback this time, just a lockdown second-half performance by its defense while a revamped offense stumbled and sputtered.

“I think we did not play sharp certainly,” LSU coach Les Miles. “I didn’t like the way the defense started the game. Offensively, we had some opportunities to make some big plays and didn’t.

“We start a new center, a second-team quarterback, we were operating with new running backs and we slug through a victory. I certainly enjoyed the finish and the numbers, but I do not like how we played.”

Very similarly to a game at the same point a year ago when the Tigers staggered into a 31-3 hole against Troy at home, LSU was lethargic and never found an offensive rhythm against the Tech defense.

Instead of needing 38 unanswered points like last season against the Trojans, all the Tigers had to shrug off this time was a touchdown pass on the last play of the first half that left them trailing 13-10.

LSU dodged a massive upset bid from the short-handed and overmatched Bulldogs (3-7) with a 59-yard touchdown drive that put the Tigers on top for good in the third quarter and a 56-yard fourth-quarter series that finally opened up some breathing room.

But Tech kept hanging around because the LSU offense also logged four three-and-outs, with backup quarterback Jarrett Lee struggling to establish any consistency.

In his first start in 51 weeks, Lee finished 7 of 22 for only 105 yards, and the Tigers managed only 246 total yards on 52 snaps.

The undersized Tiger Stadium crowd didn’t hold back, booing Lee when several of his throws were nowhere close to their target and later unloaded a derisive cheer when LSU returned to the running game — which produced 141 yards on 30 attempts.

Calling the boos “not proper,” Miles diplomatically chided the home crowd for its treatment of Lee, who started all three of the Tigers’ home losses last fall and by the end of the season was booed on a regular basis.

Lee started Saturday because starter Jordan Jefferson sprained an ankle a week earlier in a 24-15 loss at Alabama. Jefferson was in uniform but never put his helmet on.

“This man is out there doing what we ask him to do just as hard as he can,” Miles said.

There were positive signs from the new-look LSU offense, which included redshirt freshman P.J. Lonergan making his first start at center, Deangelo Peterson and Mitch Joseph sharing the tight end spot (with Richard Dickson on the shelf with a knee injury) and senior Keiland Williams and sophomore Stevan Ridley taking over at tailback for Charles Scott, out for the year with a broken clavicle.

Williams churned out 116 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns. He capped both second-half touchdown drives, bulling in from 3 yards out in the third quarter and slashing through the defense for a 9-yard run with 7:01 left in the game.

Receiver Brandon LaFell supplied the Tigers’ other touchdown when he rambled 38 yards with a short slant pass from Lee, catching a key block from Peterson.

That score came on LSU’s second series and put the Tigers ahead 10-3. On LSU’s first two possessions in the opening quarter, it rolled up 131 yards and looked unstoppable.

The Bulldogs found a way to slow the Tigers down, though, by playing keep-away in the second quarter.

Tech had the ball for 23 plays and 11:42 of the second period, piling up 114 yards to hang up a field goal and a touchdown. LSU ran six plays for 13 yards and punted twice.

The Tigers defense was aggressive, but constantly out of position for the fist two quarters as the Bulldogs relied on misdirection runs and short, quick pass routes to chip away.

“We went by guys; we were playing wild, out-of-position at times in the first half,” Miles said. “Every opportunity that we had, certainly for some time, we didn’t make those plays.”

With LSU struggling to slow them down, the Bulldogs pieced together a 13-play, 83-yard drive to finish the first half. Tech had first-and-goal from the 7-yard-line in the closing minute but couldn’t cash in on the first three downs.

After a timeout with 2 seconds in the clock, Baton Rouge native Daniel Porter lined up at quarterback, took a shotgun snap, faked a run to the middle and leapt up to pass to tight end Dennis Morris for a touchdown. That gave the Bulldogs a 13-10 halftime lead, their first against LSU since a 6-0 triumph in 1904.

“We went toe-to-toe with a great football team,” Tech coach Derek Dooley said of the first half. “We ran the ball as well as you could run it against them. We hit a couple of throws and really had a masterful drive to end the half.”

Just in time, the LSU defense did an about-face at halftime, limiting the Bulldogs to 93 yards in the second half. The Bulldogs punted on their first chances with the ball after halftime, going three-and-out three times.

Tech’s only points of the second half came on Matt Nelson’s third field goal from 36 yards away with 25 seconds to play.

“Defensively, we looked like our defense in the second half,” Miles said. “In the first half, we looked like we kind of felt like we weren’t going to be tested.”

That test came and the Tigers passed, no matter how unappealing it was.

Now, after trudging to the victory hours after Ole Miss finished off its best performance of the season, a 42-17 romp past Tennessee, LSU must turn its attention to the Rebels (7-3, 3-3 Southeastern Conference).

The Tigers and Ole Miss square off at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Oxford, Miss. The two teams are jockeying for bowl position, making the head-to-head showdown huge.

“This next one is going to be a little more difficult,” Miles said.

So was Saturday, and much more than expected.