The Tigers opened the 2003 slate against UL-Monroe in front of 89,148 with a 49-7 victory against the Indians on a stormy Saturday night in Baton Rouge.
LSU squandered several scoring opportunities in the first half after a 40-minute rain delay prior to the game. The Tigers were able to manage a 21-0 lead at halftime with three touchdown passes by Matt Mauck, who completed 13-of-28 passes for 153 yards in the game.
“I just think mentally we were a little bit flat in the beginning, and I’m not really sure the delay in the beginning really helped us much,” said LSU coach Nick Saban. “We came around, and there were a lot of good things out there. Guys seemed to make the plays.”
Mauck said he was discontent with the Tigers’ effort, but looked to improve. The Tigers gained 474 total yards, while holding the Indians to 240 total yards.
“Overall, I think it’s a game-winning result and it’s a win,” Mauck said. “I never complain about that.”
Michael Clayton led LSU with six receptions for 152 yards and two touchdowns.
“We (the receivers) just came out there thinking we could make big plays,” Clayton said. “Matt did a great job of finding the open guy when we had a chance to make some plays.”
The Tigers scored 28 points in the second half with 1-yard rushes by Shyrone Carey and Alley Broussard. Joseph Addai led the Tigers with 15 carries for 81 yards.
Marcus Randall played in the second half, completing 5-of-7 passes with a touchdown.
The defense also got its first defensive score of the season with a touchdown on a 31-yard return by Jack Hunt after an interception.
“We just need to work on the little things that are correctable things that we look forward to getting fixed in the future.” Saban said.
Cornerback Randall Gay broke a bone in his arm during the game.
Twelve freshmen played in the Tigers’ first game, including safety LaRon Landry who became a staple in the LSU defense.
More than 6,000 of the 46,110 fans were LSU fans who traveled to see the Tigers’ 59-13 romp against Arizona at Arizona Stadium in Tucson.
“We’ve got great fans,” Saban said after the game. “This is probably the greatest group of fans. This was a long haul for our team. Our fans had a lot of presence here. It didn’t even feel like we were playing an away game.”
The game was over at halftime as the Tigers led 38-0. Joseph Addai, who rushed 18 times for 86 yards, scored two touchdowns in the first quarter with runs of 1 and 8 yards with a 47-yard field goal sandwiched in between.
“I was really pleased with the way we played on the road,” Saban said. “This was a tough trip for us. I was pleased with the way Matt [Mauck] played. We ran the ball well. We had good balance on offense.”
Mauck rushed for a 4-yard touchdown and connected with Clayton for a 48-yard touchdown. Mauck completed 9-of-10 passes for 150 yards, while Clayton led the team with six receptions for 109 yards.
“It’s real comforting knowing how far they traveled,” Mauck said. “I think at some point they may have been louder than the Arizona fans.”
Second-string quarterback Marcus Randall hooked up with Devery Henderson for a 55-yard touchdown for the last score of the half. Randall completed 10-of-15 passes for 162 yards with one interception.
Tigers running backs Shyrone Carey and Justin Vincent both scored with 1-yard touchdown runs, giving the Tigers a 52-0 lead before Arizona got on the scoreboard at the 10:42 mark of the fourth quarter. Zeonte Sherman’s one-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown made the score 52-7.
Sophomore Skyler Green scored the Tigers’ final points with a 62-yard punt return for a touchdown.
The Tigers gained 481 total yards, while the LSU defense stymied the Arizona offense all night with 182 total yards. Marcus Spears and the defensive line pressured Arizona’s two quarterbacks Nic Costa and Ryan O’Hara, forcing two interceptions and allowing 10 completions in 32 pass attempts.
“We knew they had two stellar quarterbacks,” said defensive end Marcus Spears, who finished with three tackles for loss. “And we knew if we could get pressure on them, we could affect them.”
The most challenging non-conference opponent of the 2003 season came in front of 87,164 at Tiger Stadium against then No. 1 Division I-AA Western Illinois Leathernecks.
“That’s as hard as anyone has ever played against us,” Saban said.
Mauck connected with Clayton for a 10-yard touchdown on LSU’s first possession that spanned 58 yards on 10 plays. But a missed extra point foreshadowed troubles LSU would have in the first half.
Running back Joseph Addai fumbled inside the red zone, but the LSU defense forced WIU to punt with Travis Daniels blocking the kick. Addai fumbled again inside the 20-yard line.
“[Addai] didn’t have the look in his eye that he usually has,” Saban said.
The Tigers missed two field goals before running back Shyrone Carey scored on a one-yard touchdown run with 0:42 left in the half, giving LSU a 13-0 lead.
WIU scored first in the second half, recovering its own onside kick. A 3-yard pass from quarterback Russ Michna to Terrence Hall gave the Leathernecks their only points of the game.
The Tigers ran off 22 unanswered points to end the game.
Mauck hooked up with Skyler Green for an 8-yard touchdown pass. Mauck then fought his way into the end zone for a two-point conversion to give the Tigers a 21-7 lead.
Mauck connected with Green again late in the third quarter on a 40-yard bomb for a touchdown.
LSU’s final score of the game came midway through the fourth quarter on a 16-yard touchdown pass from Mauck to Henderson.
The Tigers compiled 457 yards of offense. Shyrone Carey led the running attack with 124 yards and a touchdown on the ground, while Clayton led the aerial assault with a career-high 162 yards receiving and a touchdown.
Defensively, LSU held the Leathernecks to 208 total yards of offense. Tigers cornerback Corey Webster intercepted two passes in the game.
“It’s easy when the front seven put a whole lot of pressure on the quarterback,” Webster said. “That’s how interceptions come … I just ended up being at the right place at the right time.”
LSU quarterback Matt Mauck launched a bomb off his back foot to wide receiver Skyler Green for a 34-yard, game-winning touchdown — a moment the 92,251 in attendance will remember for a long time to come.
“Well you know, I really can’t say enough about both football teams in the way they competed,” LSU coach Nick Saban said after the game. “You talk about a heavyweight fight, a street fight. Both sides competed their hearts out. It was about as physical a football game as I’ve seen in a long time. I’m proud of the way our players competed in the game.”
The Tigers led 10-3 in the fourth quarter before Mauck fumbled deep in UGA territory. Bulldogs quarterback David Greene connected with Tyson Browning for a 93-yard touchdown pass with 4:25 left to tie the game, 10-10.
Saban said past LSU teams would fold after that kind of breakdown, but not this year’s squad.
“I told the players I had six big oak trees blow down like sailboats in my yard last year in the hurricane,” Saban said. “But the root system on those things was only about as big as the podium here. That’s why they blew down – because their roots weren’t very deep. I said you’re going to find out today how deep your roots are when you go out there and have to compete and overcome some of the things that happen in this game. If we’ve got deep roots, we’ll still be standing up like some of the pretty trees around here, and I’m proud of the way we did that.”
The touchdown pass was actually a botched play. Green was supposed to set a pick to free receiver Michael Clayton in the flat, however Green ran a post route instead and separated himself from a UGA defender.
“Skyler ran past him, and I saw him in the corner of my eye, threw it up and he made a great play,” said Mauck, who finished 14-of-29 for 180 yards.
Added Saban, “When [the ball] was in the air, I kept looking, looking and looking, and I knew how fast my man Skyler was. I didn’t know if he would run it down or not. And it was a tough angle. I was just happy I didn’t have to decide whether or not we would have to kick a field goal or what to do on the next down.”
Georgia placekicker Billy Bennett gave UGA a 3-0 lead in the first quarter but missed his final three field goals.
Carey gave the Tigers a 7-3 lead at halftime with a 21-yard touchdown run with 3:10 left in the second quarter.
Ryan Gaudet increased LSU’s lead to 10-3 with a 47-yard field goal.
The Bulldogs outgained the Tigers in total yards, 411-285. But the LSU defense made plays when they counted.
“After the first quarter, we got on the sidelines and said we have to make a stand right here,” said linebacker Lionel Turner, who had an interception to go with six tackles.