LSU and Virginia Tech have a lot in common. Both schools are ranked in the top 10, both are known for their strong defenses and both have had quarterbacks selected as the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft since the turn of the millennium. Unfortunately, another trait the two schools share is the experience and subsequent recovery of dealing with two of the most devastating tragedies in recent U.S. history – Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the shootings at Virginia Tech in April. Virginia Tech’s process of returning to normalcy will continue Saturday night when the No. 9 Hokies face the No. 2 Tigers in Tiger Stadium. The two teams opened the season this past week with victories in slightly different fashions. The Tigers trounced Southeastern Conference foe Mississippi State 45-0 on the road, and the Hokies squeaked by Conference USA opponent East Carolina 17-7 at home. LSU senior quarterback Matt Flynn, who will make his first start in Tiger Stadium this weekend, said although the tragedies that tie the schools together share some similarities, it is difficult to understand exactly what Virginia Tech and its community experienced. “It was a terrible thing that happened,” Flynn said. “Nobody here knows what they’re going through.” The Tigers and Hokies last played each other in 2002 in Blacksburg, Va., with No. 16 Virginia Tech beating No. 14 LSU, 26-8. “I put this one off as long as I could,” Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer said in a Monday press conference. “We played five years ago in what was supposed to be a home-and-home, but something came up. Eventually you have to pay your bills and eventually go there. This is the ‘eventually go there’ year.” In that 2002 matchup, LSU held Virginia Tech to 65 yards through the air, while the Hokies defense held the Tigers to only 80 rushing yards. In week one of this season, LSU held Mississippi State to 10 yards on the ground and rushed for 198. Virginia Tech mustered only 33 rushing yards against the Pirates while allowing 142. “For the last two years, I can’t think of a time where [our defense] was not really ready to play,” LSU coach Les Miles said. “They enjoy taking the field and have an aggressive, fast, downhill approach to the ball.” But Miles also gave credit to the Hokies’ defense, which finished this past season No. 1 in the nation in total defense, allowing 9.3 points per game. “They’re tremendously well-coached,” Miles said. “[They are] very disciplined and understand where they have to be. You have to attack them smartly and aggressively.” Senior safety Craig Steltz said he expects the Tigers’ defense to rattle Hokies junior quarterback Sean Glennon from the opening snap. “I hope Tyson [Jackson] and Glenn [Dorsey] are in his face all night, giving us opportunity to create turnovers,” Steltz said. “Guys like that in our front seven putting pressure on the quarterback makes our job that much easier in the secondary.” The Tigers offense, coached by first-year offensive coordinator Gary Crowton, will face a Hokies defense that has finished in the top-three nationally in total defense each for the past three seasons. Another staple of Virginia Tech over the years has been their special teams play. With the unique punt formation the Tigers use, Miles said he has focused a little more than usual on special teams this week. “We were working on special teams early in two-a-days and right on into this week,” he said. “There’s a little more sense of urgency with the fact we’re playing a quality special teams unit.” Miles said the advantage of opening the season on a Thursday and having nine days off before facing a top-10 opponent is something he has not taken for granted. “We’re very fresh-legged,” he said. “I think the extra time and preparation certainly has been a benefit.” The last time LSU opened the home schedule with a nationally ranked opponent was 2005 when No. 10 Tennessee beat the Tigers 30-27 in overtime four weeks after Katrina struck the Gulf Coast. That game was also the Tigers’ last home loss. LSU has won 13 straight contests at Tiger Stadium but only two of the victories, against Florida and Auburn in 2005, have come against nationally-ranked competition. Miles said his players, especially the younger members, are ecstatic about having their first home game against a team of Virginia Tech’s caliber. “There’s a caution to warning to not spend a lot of time looking in the stands. That’s not where the game’s played, but it is home. Guys are looking forward to playing in front of that crowd.”
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