ATLANTA – LSU coach Les Miles took care of his business on and off the field in Saturday’s 21-14 win against Tennessee (9-4, 6-3) in the Georgia Dome. Miles announced two hours prior to kickoff that he would remain LSU’s coach despite rampant speculation he might fill the void left by former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr. He handled on-the-field business just hours later, winning his first Southeastern Conference title and the first for LSU (11-2, 7-2) since 2003. “The unique and special situation that involves a championship game … they don’t come around all the time,” Miles said after the win. “I didn’t want to, in any way, mar our kids’ performance. I didn’t want to, in any way, minimize the game.” LSU’s game-winning touchdown came at the 9:54 mark in the fourth quarter when LSU senior cornerback Jonathan Zenon intercepted Tennessee senior quarterback Erik Ainge’s pass and returned it 18 yards for the score. “I shouldn’t have thrown the ball out there,” Ainge said. “It takes one play to get you beat.” LSU sophomore quarterback Ryan Perrilloux earned the game’s Most Valuable Player award, completing 20 of 30 passes for 243 yards. He also threw one touchdown and one interception. Perrilloux started in place of senior quarterback Matt Flynn, who suffered from a shoulder injury. “The adrenaline definitely was flowing,” Perrilloux said. “I felt like I prepared well, and we just came out and just executed.” LSU doubled Tennessee in rushing yardage for the game, accumulating 212 yards to the Volunteers’ 94 yards. Senior running back Jacob Hester led the Tigers on Saturday with 120 yards rushing and averaged 5.2 yards per carry. A 20-yard gain late in the fourth quarter also pushed Hester past the 1,000-yard mark for the season. This marked the first time in Hester’s collegiate career he has eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in a single season. In fact, prior to the 2007 season, Hester had only rushed for a combined 677 yards during his first three years at LSU. For the second consecutive game, LSU failed to score a touchdown in the first half. Tennessee scored first after Ainge connected with senior tight end Chris Brown for an 11-yard score. Junior kicker Colt David secured the Tigers’ only first-half points, kicking two 30-yard field goals in the first quarter. “We were moving the ball so well in the first half, but we just weren’t getting the first downs that we needed,” Hester said. “In the second half, we were able to throw the ball a lot better and open up the field.” LSU’s first touchdown came at the 11:52 mark in third quarter after a 27-yard pass from Perrilloux to junior wide receiver Demetrius Byrd. Byrd’s seventh touchdown catch of the season gave the Tigers a 13-7 advantage. Byrd led the LSU receiving corps with 72 yards on four catches. LSU sophomore receiver Brandon LaFell also contributed, finishing the game with three grabs for 65 yards. Tennessee regained the lead at the 3:09 mark in the third quarter when Ainge connected with junior wide receiver Josh Briscoe for a 6-yard touchdown pass. The Tigers would permanently take a 21-14 lead with Zenon’s interception and Perrilloux’s two-point rushing conversion with 9:54 remaining in the game. Junior linebacker Darry Beckwith put a halt to Tennessee’s final scoring attempt when he intercepted Ainge’s pass at the LSU 7-yard line near the 3:00 mark in the fourth quarter.
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