To see a video of Miles’ press conference, click here.
LSU vs. Georgia football games during the 2004 and 2005 seasons may seem like distant memories to many Tiger fans.After all, there’s no cure like a recent BCS national championship to heal deep wounds inflicted from an opponent.But LSU seniors Herman Johnson and Kirston Pittman can easily recall the last two meetings against Georgia: a 45-16 loss in Athens, Ga., in 2004 and a 34-14 loss at the 2005 Southeastern Conference Championship.They said those games will be fresh on their minds when No. 13 LSU takes on No. 7 Georgia at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Tiger Stadium.”They just came out and out-performed us. They were the better team,” Pittman said about the 2004 road trip to Georgia. “It was a doozy.”Johnson had similar recollections about the 2005 blowout in Atlanta.”It was a real bad feeling,” he said. “Nobody liked that plane ride home or the bus ride. Ever ybody was upset.”The two programs have a history of trading jabs in recent years.The 2004 and 2005 Georgia wins could be viewed as payback for LSU’s dominance in 2003. The Tigers beat Georgia twice that year en-route to the BCS national championship.Miles can’t take responsibility for the 2004 loss because the Tigers were then led by coach Nick Saban during his final LSU season.But he does shoulder the blame for the 2005 dismantling LSU suffered at the SEC championship, knocking the then-No. 3 Tigers out of any national championship talk.LSU entered that game having played 10-straight games in Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath. Many say the Tigers were simply worn out and could not handle another game.”There are no excuses,” Miles said. “You have the opportunity to win it. You have that Saturday to win it. There was never any cop-out in my mind.”An additional intriguing storyline in Saturday’s game is any lingering animosity from last season.    Georgia didn’t play in the SEC championship after losing an Eastern Division tie-breaker to Tennessee, causing them to be leapfrogged by LSU in the BCS standings. Some pundits thought Georgia was the best team in the nation, and the Bulldogs ended the season ranked No. 2 in the Associated Press poll.Miles said last season’s storylines will not be a focus point for his team.”That’s a long time ago in my mind,” he said. “I certainly remember that and recall it. Certainly everybody is entitled to their opinion.”Senior wide receiver Demetrius Byrd echoed Miles’ sentiments.”Last year was last year,” he said. “We’re not thinking about it.”Byrd said the only thing on his mind is the week in front of him.”This is going to be a top-notch battle at 2:30 Saturday,” he said.DUAL THREATSophomore quarterback Andrew Hatch said he liked the frequent rotation with redshirt freshman Jarrett Lee during Saturday’s 24-17 win against South Carolina. Hatch threw for one touchdown and rushed for 19 yards.He said he’s eager to prove both quarterbacks have rushing and passing capabilities.”It’s very important for us to diversify the offense,” he said. “For some people, it might make them uncomfortable [to rotate in and out]. But we have the personalities to handle it.”Hatch said the main difference between alternating plays and alternating drives, as Lee and Hatch did in previous games, is the need for awareness.”You have to be ready to go at any moment,” he said.EXPRESS PACKAGEFans may have noticed an unusual crew on LSU’s defensive line during Saturday’s game.Miles used an “express package” with defensive ends Tremaine Johnson, Rahim Alem, Tyson Jackson and Pittman all on the line.Some questioned if injuries to LSU’s defensive tackles forced the package.”It wasn’t because of injury. It was for advantage,” Miles said. “Those four guys give us great quickness and get to the passer and work well together in terms of orchestrating coordinated pass rush.”STATISTICS OVERLOADLSU might want to watch out for a quick Georgia start. The Bulldogs have outscored their opponents, 123-31, in the first half this season. Junior quarterback Matthew Stafford leads the conference in passing yards per game (242.4) and ranks No. 2 in pass efficiency. Lee ranks No. 7 in average yardage (173.5) and No. 4 in pass efficiency.    DID YOU KNOW?In the 21st century, LSU and Georgia have faced each other more times at the SEC Championship (twice) than on their respective campuses (once in Baton Rouge, once in Athens). The two programs have dominated the SEC since 2001, winning five of the last seven conference titles.   —-    Contact Amy Brittain at [email protected]