Thibodaux Regional Medical Center’s North Hospital project complete
October 20, 2006For the second time in three years, the LSU football team went to Auburn and lost a close one. On Saturday, the visiting Tigers came up four points short in Auburn, Ala., 7-3 in an early season matchup of two Southeastern Conference powerhouses.
The game was a hard-fought defensive struggle that featured LSU allowing its first touchdown in four games. The LSU Tigers had a chance to win late, despite overcoming a reversed pass-interference call on Auburn, but the clock ran out on the Tigers four yards from the goal line.
In 2004, Auburn beat LSU, 10-9.
In Saturday’s game, LSU’s first fourth-quarter charge started when JaMarcus Russell threw a strike for 37 yards to Early Doucet. Three plays later, LSU was forced into a fourth-and-8 situation and Russell’s pass to Doucet inside the 5-yard line was tipped away, but the back judge threw a penalty for pass interference. While LSU was about to huddle up for its next play, the referee waved off the penalty giving Auburn the ball back. LSU stopped Auburn three-and-out, but had only 66 seconds to get into the end zone after a fair catch by Chevis Jackson at the LSU 20-yard line.
A long pass down the left sideline to Craig Davis fell incomplete, but two of the same variety for 20 and 21 yards to Davis got LSU to the Auburn 40.
Russell, who had orchestrated six fourth-quarter comebacks in 18 career starts, then stepped up in the pocket to hit Bowe for a 21-yard gain to the 19-yard line with only 14.2 seconds left in the game.
A penalty pushed LSU to the 24-yard line with one play left and 2.5 seconds. Russell’s pass to Davis on the left sideline was caught with no time remaining n four yards short of the end zone n when he was tackled.
The loss was LSU’s first on the road since Oct. 2, 2004, at No. 3 Georgia.
Russell finished 20-of-35 passing for 269 yards.
LSU outgained Auburn, 309-182.
Auburn’s Kenny Irons had 70 yards on 25 carries.
LSU’s lone score of the game came on the last play of the first half when Colt David hit a career-best 42-yard field goal.
Auburn kicker John Vaughn missed his chance to give his team the lead in the first half, but missed a 26-yarder. In his last seven attempts against LSU, Vaughn has made only one of them. His misses last year allowed LSU to escape with a close victory in Tiger Stadium.
The only touchdown of the game came with 4:53 left in the third quarter, when Cox took the quarterback sneak from 1-yard out on third-and-goal. During the 12-play, 75-yard drive, Irons carried eight times for 38 yards.
The LSU Tigers will play host to Tulane at 7 p.m. on Saturday for homecoming. The game will be televised on Tigervision. LSU fell to No. 10 in The Associated Press’ latest poll.
SOCCER TEAM BEATS SOUTHERN MISS
The LSU soccer team improved its record to 5-4 with a close win over Southern Miss on Sunday. Amanda Carreno’s game-winning goal in the 80th minute of the match lifted the LSU soccer team to its second straight win as it defeated the Southern Miss Golden Eagles by the score of 2-1 on Sunday at the Marshall Bell Soccer Complex. Carreno gathered a loose ball at the top of the box that a Southern Miss defender failed to clear and curled a shot inside the far post from 20 yards in front of the net for her third goal of the season. Carreno is now second on the team with three goals and eight points on the season.
The other goal for the Tigers came off the foot of Michelle Makasini in the 30th minute of the contest. The Tigers open Southeastern Conference play at home Friday when they welcome the Vanderbilt Commodores to the LSU Soccer Complex in a match scheduled for 7 p.m. in their annual “Cram the Complex” campaign.
VOLLEYBALL TEAM BEATS KENTUCKY
The 18th-ranked LSU volleyball team dropped their first game, but then won the final three games against Kentucky, 29-31, 30-19, 30-25, 30-21, on Sunday in Lexington. The victory extending the Lady Tigers’ win streak to eight matches.
Marina Skender led the Tigers (10-1 overall, 2-0 in SEC) with 17 kills and 17 digs, while Lauren DeGirolamo posted 14 kills and 10 blocks. Skender also led the match with four service aces, while Kassi Mikulik posted 14 digs.
Daniela Romero Recorded her 3,500th career assists with her 38th assist of the match, finishing with 47 total.
WOMEN’S GOLF TEAM
FINISHES 11TH
The LSU women’s golf team completed a busy week of play to open their 2006-2007 season with an 11th-place finish in the Mason Rudolph Women’s Champion-ships at the Ironhorse Course of the Vanderbilt Legends Club on Sunday.
The 19th-ranked Lady Tigers posted their highest round of the early season, a 14-over 302, in the final round in a tournament highlighted by plenty of low scores. LSU finished at 32-over par with rounds of 298-296-302 for a 54-hole total of 902. Individually, Melissa Eaton led the Lady Tigers after a 4-over-par 220 (70-73-77), good enough for a tie for 24th.
