LSU gets ugly win over South Carolina

By David Moorman  |   Tuesday, October 21, 2008  |  Comments( 1 )

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Ugly can be pretty when it means a victory, particularly one as imperative as the LSU Tigers’ 24-17 win over the South Carolina Gamecocks last Saturday. Not only did LSU avoid its second consecutive loss, but it may have salvaged its season in the process.

<b>Commentary:<b> Already down from a 51-21 embarrassment at Florida, the Tigers might not have recovered from a setback at South Carolina. With 11th-ranked Georgia at home this Saturday, and second-ranked and unbeaten Alabama losing on the horizon, ninth-ranked LSU can ill afford any loss in momentum.

In fact, the Tigers may have energized themselves with a second-half rally that wiped out a 17-10 halftime deficit.

A revamped defense held South Carolina to 42 second-half yards, including minus-13 yards rushing. The Tigers often used four ends along their defensive line in the fourth quarter to provide more speed in pursing the Gamecocks.

It paid dividends, too, in helping LSU to finish with six quarterback sacks. Two of them belonged to senior end Tyson Jackson, who was named the Southeastern Conference Defensive Lineman of the Week.

LSU’s quarterback tandem of starter Jarrett Lee and former starter Andrew Hatch kept the Gamecocks off balance just enough to keep LSU’s offense in gear.

Putting Scott and junior Keiland Williams in the same backfield produced impressive results, particularly because Scott was stymied for the second consecutive week after having opened the season with four consecutive 100-yard games.

Scott, often playing fullback, finished with two rushing touchdowns, while Williams amassed a team-high 72 yards rushing on 15 carries. The two likely will spend time again in the same backfield against Georgia.

Lee will start out being the quarterback with them, but Hatch will come in as the situation dictates. Hatch is the more accomplished runner, but he can pass well enough, especially when he catches the opposition off-guard as he did in throwing a 7-yard, game-tying touchdown pass to junior Richard Dickson in the third quarter.

Both LSU and Georgia are 5-1 overall, including 3-1 in the the conference. Georgia shares the SEC Eastern Division lead with Florida, while LSU is a half-game behind Alabama in the SEC Western Division.

The loser of this game still has a shot at its divisional championship, but for all intents and purposes, it will be eliminated from the national title picture.

<b>Fan Pulse:<b> LSU supporters haven’t forgotten the fact that Georgia coach Mark Richt, and others, roundly criticized the Tigers for having been selected to appear in last year’s BCS championship game ahead of the Bulldogs. LSU beat the Ohio State Buckeyes for the national championship, 38-24.

<b>Injury Update:<b> Senior defensive tackle Ricky Jean-Francois remains questionable with a groin injury that kept him from playing against Florida. Backup redshirt freshman center T-Bob Hebert, the son of former New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons quarterback Bobby Hebert, suffered a season-ending knee injury against South Carolina.
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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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