TigerBait.com - Good preparation for Bama

October 31, 2009

Bryan Lazare
TigerBait.com Senior Writer

LSU displayed two primary characteristics of a championship team Saturday night in its 42-0 victory against Tulane.

First, the Tigers ran the ball quite effectively with a season-high total of 267 yards. Then, the defense pitched its first shutout of the season.

Undoubtedly, LSU's performance against the Green Wave was a perfect tuneup for next week's Southeastern Conference Western Division showdown against Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

"This game gave us a great amount of confidence," said quarterback Jordan Jefferson, who threw two touchdown passes to Brandon LaFell. "Alabama is undefeated and one of the top teams in the country.

"We are going to play Alabama like it's our championship game. We are going to prepare this week and come out and fight."

Jefferson connected with LaFell on scoring passes of 39 and 13 yards. But, the Tigers didn't go to the air very often. Jefferson completed 11 of 17 passes for 163 yards. He was sacked twice and threw an interception.

LaFell finished the night with four receptions for 85 yards. He was most pleased with the consistency shown by the LSU offense.

"This game means a lot heading into the Alabama game," LaFell said. "We're getting used to making plays. We threw the ball downfield and made plays. We made plays for a whole quarter and a whole half instead of a play here or a play there."

But, the most impressive part of the Tigers attack was their ground game. Charles Scott had his first 100-yard rushing game since last season's contest against the Green Wave. Scott rushed for 112 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries.

"The coaches were preaching all week that we have to run the ball," Scott said. "There has been a different attitude with the guys up front and the backs recently. We have to run the ball."

Scott's two scoring runs came on carries of four and eight yards. Russell Shepard ran 19 yards for the first LSU touchdown. Stevan Ridley saw his first action as a tailback this season and gained 73 yards, including a ten-yard touchdown run, on the final drive.

Scott joined his offensive teammates in saying that this game was a good preparation for the contest against the Crimson Tide.

"This game was definitely a confidence booster," Scott said. "Any time you can run, it can open up other things.

"Alabama has a stiff defensive front. We have to attack it and loosen it up so Jordan can make some plays. Alabama is going to be a no-holds-barred, hard-hitting SEC game."

The improved LSU defense has been looking for its first shutout of the season. The Tigers finally accomplished that goal against Tulane. The Green Wave's only real chance to score came on a missed 43-yard field goal attempt by Ross Thevenot.

LSU limited Tulane 216 yards - just 26 on the ground. Andre Anderson ended the night with 27 yards on 11 carries. Wide receiver Jeremy Williams did catch eight passes for 78 yards. Quarterback Ryan Griffin was 21-of-29 for 163 yards.

"It was definitely a good feeling to get a shutout," linebacker Jacob Cutrera said. "We've been chanting 'one, two, three, shutout' all week. This will give us a lot of confidence for next week. Alabama and Tulane do similar things on offense."

As has been the case most of the season, linebackers Kelvin Sheppard and Perry Riley were the top tacklers. Sheppard had another spectacular night with 13 tackles, three behind the line of scrimmage. Riley made eight stops.

"We're just doing what the defense asks us to do," Riley said. "We've been shooting for a shutout every game. If the other team can't score, it can't win. The shutout means a lot for next week. We have a lot of momentum and a lot of confidence going into Alabama."

Tigers coach Les Miles was pleased with the performance. However, he did acknowledge that his squad must play better in order to seize the upper hand in the division race with a victory in Tuscaloosa.

"In all three phases, we needed this game," Miles said. "But, we understand it's just a step. We're looking forward to the rest of this season to play well and play our best. We always want to be better. We have to play better as a team, period, next week."

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