LSU ready to play again after Hurricane Gustav’s destruction

By David Moorman  |   Monday, September 08, 2008  |  Comments( 0 )

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Now that LSU finally has a chance to play a game again, there’s still a problem: Where will the Tigers face North Texas on Saturday?

Hurricane Ike’s uncertain path has LSU officials making contingency plans should the storm mimic Hurricane Gustav and make landfall along the Louisiana coastline. Gustav caused an estimated $40 million in damage to the LSU campus, including to Tiger Stadium -- which has since been repaired.

The Tigers are scheduled to play host to North Texas this weekend, but officials have considered moving the game to Dallas, Shreveport, New Orleans or Atlanta if need be. Athletic director Joe Alleva said a final decision will be made Wednesday.

Gustav’s destruction forced postponement of LSU’s second game, a contest against Troy which has been rescheduled for Nov. 15 in Tiger Stadium. Two weeks ago, kickoff for LSU's season opener versus Appalachian State was moved ahead six hours to 10 a.m. to avoid traffic congestion between the Tiger Stadium crowd and people evacuating their south Louisiana communities because of Gustav’s impending arrival.

Despite Gustav’s distraction, the Tigers were superb in trouncing Appalachian State, 41-13. Junior running back Charles Scott raced 56 yards on the first play from scrimmage and followed that on the next play with an 8-yard touchdown rush. Scott also broke through the line on a fourth-and-2 carry that resulted in a 29-yard touchdown run. In all, Scott rushed 16 times for 160 yards in making himself the early heir apparent to Jacob Hester as LSU’s featured running back. Quarterbacks Andrew Hatch and Jarrett Lee proved themselves capable in combining for three touchdown passes. Hatch, a sophomore making his first career start, completed 7-of-14 tosses for 77 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 43 yards. Lee, a redshirt freshman, threw two TDs to Brandon LaFell while completing 6-of-10 throws for 116 yards and an interception.

The postponement of the Troy game robbed the QBs of valuable game experience, although head coach Les Miles said he put both through numerous scenarios during an invaluable situational scrimmage of more than 140 plays last Thursday.

If nothing else, the unintended week off allowed the Tigers to heal nearly to full strength. Safety Danny McCray remains sidelined with an ankle injury suffered against Appalachian State, Miles said, but defensive tackle Charles Alexander (hamstring) and placekicker Colt David (toe) should return after sitting out the opener. Just where Alexander, David and their teammates will see action remains unknown, but at least it seems the hurricane-weary Tigers should finally return to the field again.
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About David Moorman

Dave Moormann is an award-winning journalist, who has covered LSU athletics since 1980. He began his coverage with the Baton Rouge Advocate, where he was a writer and editor from 1980-98. In 1996, he authored a book on the history of LSU football entitled, "Fighting Tigers Handbook: Stories, Stats ...
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