Once again the LSU Tigers sit atop The Associated Press poll, and once again players are trying not to concentrate on the high ranking and the expectations that come with it. More important than the AP poll ranking is the Tigers’ position at the top of the Bowl Championship Series standings. “We can’t focus on [the standings] right now,” said senior cornerback Chevis Jackson. “We got a lot of things we need to do to be No. 1 at the end of the season.” Senior defensive end Kirston Pittman said with the season winding down, the top ranking comes with more pressure than it did earlier in the season. “We know it’s going to be even harder to stay on the top,” Pittman said. “We’ve had the bull’s-eye on us once before, and now the target is just a little bit bigger.” LSU (.9802) is .0419 points in front of Oregon (.9383). Kansas (.9094) is No. 3 in the latest standings. The top two teams in BCS standings will play for the BCS National Championship on Jan. 7 in New Orleans. Earlier this season, LSU ascended to the top position in the AP poll one day after its 34-9 win against Tulane on Sept. 29. The Tigers stayed at No. 1 for two weeks and dropped to No. 5 after their 43-37 triple overtime loss to Kentucky. That position was the lowest LSU has been ranked in the AP poll this season. “We don’t really make too much of a big deal about it, especially the way the season’s been going with all the high-ranked teams losing games to teams not ranked as high as them,” said senior defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey. “We know that we’re almost where we need to be to achieve all our goals. That’s the way we look at it.” When the Tigers first grabbed the No. 1 spot in the AP poll, coach Les Miles said he did not consider to be the top in the nation. At his weekly press luncheon Monday, Miles slightly changed his stance. “With the time in the season, I think the closeness of being [more] represented with a vote is here,” he said. “I think we’re one of the top teams in the country.”
INJURY UPDATES Sophomore linebacker Jacob Cutrera filled in nicely for the injured Darry Beckwith this past weekend against Louisiana Tech. Cutrera, a Lafayette native, recorded seven tackles and one interception in Saturday’s win against the Bulldogs. The Louisiana Tech game was Cutrera’s first start of the season and the second of his career. “He played well, just like we would expect,” Miles said. “It was nice for him to get a full game under his belt going into this contest. I would be very comfortable with him if he played and started in Darry’s spot for some time.” Beckwith missed the Louisiana Tech game after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery Wednesday to examine possible cartilage damage. Miles said Wednesday he expected Beckwith to be available for Saturday’s Ole Miss contest but changed his tune as the week progressed, saying Sunday that Beckwith was “doubtful” for the Ole Miss game. “It’s tough for me to predict when and how, but I can tell you that Beckwith is doing everything he can to get back on the field,” Miles said. Miles also said Sunday that junior defensive tackle Marlon Favorite should be available to play against Ole Miss. Favorite dressed out against Louisiana Tech but did not play because of an undisclosed injury. Freshman Drake Nevis filled in for Favorite against the Bulldogs and tallied six tackles in the win. “Nevis did awesome,” Dorsey said. “I was proud of him. Sometimes he thinks too much. To see him come out and play the way he did, he’s definitely the future. He’s going to be a great player.”
COLT’S CAREER YEAR As a team, the Tigers have set and extended several team records this season. Their current 19-game home winning streak is the longest in school history, and earlier this season, LSU reached No. 1 in the AP poll for the first time since 1959. Individually junior kicker Colt David is having a record-setting season of his own. David’s 89 points from kicks this season are an LSU single-season record, and his 16 field goals are No. 3 on LSU’s single season list. With his seven extra points and three field goals Saturday, David single-handedly outscored Louisiana Tech, 16-10. “He’s always been dependable in my eyes,” Miles said. “If you look at some of the field goals we’ve asked him to kick, you can see we have confidence in his ability.”
—Contact Tyler Batiste at [email protected]