Baton Rouge will play host to two teams who ended last season with championship hardware. LSU beat Ohio State in the 2007 BCS National Championship Game, and Appalachian State defeated Delaware to win its third straight Football Championship Series title.Appalachian State began 2007 with a 34-32 upset road victory against then-No. 5 Michigan. The Mountaineers blocked a last-second field goal to seal the win.Appalachian State junior quarterback Armanti Edwards said shocking the college football world against Michigan makes it tougher to play the role of spoiler because of all the national attention.”It’s just put a bigger target on our back,” said the dual-threat passer from Greenwood, S.C. “The whole world’s going to be watching us.”Appalachian State coach Jerry Moore downplayed talk about another upset.”That’s good coffee shop and alumni stuff,” Moore said. “[Our] chances are even worse than David and Goliath. We don’t have enough smooth stones.”But the Tigers know it will take more than a slingshot to slow down an Appalachian State offense that led the FCS in total offense with 488 yards per game in last season. LSU coach Les Miles said tackling will be key.”It’s an athletic tackle on some of their guys, certainly [Edwards],” Miles said. “There is greater view on that quarterback — to hem him in.”LSU senior defensive tackle Charles Alexander said the defense understands the importance of keeping the versatile quarterback contained.”We don’t want to let him out,” said Alexander, who sat out all but three games in 2007 with a knee injury. “We’re trying to make him throw the ball.”While the Tigers know they have to game plan for Edwards, Miles has yet to announce his own starting quarterback, though he said Monday he would inform the quarterbacks of his decision Thursday night.LSU sophomore Andrew Hatch and redshirt freshman Jarrett Lee are still in the running to take the first snap Saturday.Lee said he is not concerned about not knowing who the starter will be.”You just have to go out there each and every day and know that the coach is going to make the right decision,” Lee said.Whichever quarterback gets the nod will attain his first start. Hatch has appeared in one college game, completing 1-of-2 passes in the Tigers’ 44-0 victory against Middle Tennessee.Lee has not attempted a pass in college.But Edwards, who amassed 3,536 total yards and 38 touchdowns last season, believes past success — or lack thereof — means nothing in this game. “To be honest, we still feel like we haven’t won anything,” Edwards said. “We’re still out there trying to be hungry.”The Mountaineers’ ho-hum attitude about being underdogs does not mean they do not have confidence in their ability.Moore said keeping mistakes to a minimum is crucial to his team’s success.”We had very few penalties against Michigan,” Moore said. “As long as there’s time on the clock and you’ve got a shot at it, anything can happen.”Saturday’s game will not be the first time Miles’ Tigers have faced the Mountaineers at home. LSU defeated Appalachian State, 24-0, in 2005.Miles, a Michigan alumnus, knows LSU cannot overlook the team from Boone, N.C.”When I wake up in the morning, I think about our opponents,” Miles said. “Anytime that you play a team that’s used to winning, they bring more to the table. They’re very competitive, and we understand that.”LSU senior linebacker Darry Beckwith said the Tigers are preparing for Appalachian State the same way they would for Florida or Auburn. They do not want the Mountaineers to catch them off guard like they did Michigan.”They’re coming in here ready to play,” Beckwith said. “They did something big last year, and they’re ready to come down here and prove it again. We have to be on our P’s and Q’s.”—-Contact David Harvey at [email protected]