LSU coach Les Miles took care of business on and off the field in Saturday’s 21-14 win over Tennessee in the Georgia Dome for the Southeastern Conference Championship.
Miles announced two hours prior to kick-off that he would remain LSU’s coach despite rampant speculation he might fill the void left by Michigan coach Lloyd Carr.
He handled on-the-field business just hours later, winning his first SEC title and the program’s first 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 senior cornerback Jonathan Zenon intercepted 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 Most Valuable Player award, completing 20-of-30 passes with one touchdown and one interception. Perrilloux started in place of injured senior quarterback Matt Flynn.
“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, accumulating 212 yards to the Volunteers’ 94 yards.
Senior running back Jacob Hester led the Tigers with 120 yards rushing, averaging 5.2 yards per carry. A 20-yard gain late in the fourth quarter also put Hester above the 1,000-yard mark for the season.
For the second consecutive game, LSU failed to score a touchdown in the first half.
Tennessee scored first with Ainge’s 11-yard pass to senior tight end Chris Brown.
Junior place kicker Colt David secured the only first-half points for the Tigers, 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 on a 27-yard pass from Perrilloux to junior receiver Demetrius Byrd that gave the Tigers a 13-7 advantage. Byrd led the LSU receiving corps with 72 yards while sophomore receiver
Brandon Lafell finished close behind with 65 yards.
Tennessee regained the lead at the 3:09 mark in the third quarter when Ainge connected with junior wide receiver Josh Briscoe on a 6-yard touchdown pass.
But LSU would permanently take a 21-14 lead with Zenon’s interception and Perrilloux’s two-point rushing conversion with 9:54 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Check back at our Web site — lsureveille.com — for more updates.
—–Contact Amy Brittain at [email protected]