Bill to fund Morganza refilled
January 8, 2007NSU student among UL Lafayette scholarship winners
January 10, 2007
For LSU athletics, the first week of 2007 could not have started any better.
On Wednesday, the football team blew out an overrated and outmanned Notre Dame squad, 41-14, in the Allstate Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. On Saturday, the men’s basketball team played host to Connecticut, also on a national stage, and shut down the Huskies, 66-49, in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Sunday’s action on the court witnessed the Lady Tigers edging Georgia, 57-55, in the PMAC.
In the football contest, the Tigers were led by quarterback JaMarcus Russell, who threw for a career-best 332 yards and two touchdowns, was named the game’s MVP. He also ran for another score late in the first half that gave the Tigers a lead they would never lose in the game, which was seen by 14.5 million viewers on FOX. With the victory, LSU finished the season at 11-2 and will be ranked in the top five of the country in the final polls released later this week. The back-to-back top-five ranking will mark the first time since the 1958 and 1959 seasons that an LSU football team has registered that accomplishment. Head coach Les Miles has now won 22 of his first 26 games as a Tiger, which is the most for any LSU coach in his first two seasons.
On the court against the Huskies on Saturday, the Tigers pulled away in the second half on a contest televised nationally on ESPN. The No. 14 Tigers got 16 points and 10 rebounds from Glen Davis in the victory, which was also witnessed by a crowd of over 12,000 at the PMAC.
Shortly after the game, Davis was involved in a two-car accident in Baton Rouge. After getting examined at an area hospital, he was released with only bruised ribs and a bruised knee. Head coach John Brady expects Davis to play in the Southeastern Conference opener on Tuesday at Alabama. That game is scheduled for 8 p.m. and will be on ESPN2. The Tigers also open SEC play at home on Saturday at 2 p.m. when they play host to Auburn.
The Lady Tigers got their league play off to a good start by nipping Georgia, 57-55, in a matchup of ranked teams. Sylvia Fowles led the way with 20 points and 12 rebounds for LSU. Quianna Chaney added 15 points, while Allison Hightower pumped in 12 points for the Lady Tigers, who started off this calendar year with a 60-48 victory over South Florida in Tampa on Wednesday. In that game, the sixth-ranked Lady Tigers got 22 points from Erica White and 15 points from Fowles, who also grabbed 16 rebounds. LSU plays two games on the road this week (Ole Miss, Thursday, 7 p.m. and Mississippi State, Sunday, 2 p.m.).
SEARLS HEADING TO GEORGIA
LSU offensive line coach Stacy Searels has resigned to accept the same position with the University of Georgia. Searels, a native of Trion, Ga., has coached the Tiger offensive line since the 2003 season and was an All-American offensive lineman at Auburn.
MOFFITT TELLS SABAN NO THANKS; FISHER OFFER FROM FSU OFF THE TABLE
LSU strength and conditioning coach Tommy Moffitt has turned down repeated overtures from former LSU and new Alabama head coach Nick Saban to join him in Tuscaloosa.
“I like this place,” said Moffitt, who has been LSU’s strength coach since 2000. “It’s been good to me. We have a good football team and good players. It would have been tough standing on the sideline looking across” at LSU. I didn’t want to make the same mistake coach Saban did. He told me he would watch us play every Saturday night (while with the Dolphins) and it killed him. I have walked away from a lot of money to stay here.”
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR JIMBO FISHER NOT FLORIDA STATE BOUND
Florida State officials said on Saturday their offer to LSU offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher is no longer on the table after extensive negotiations between FSU and Fisher’s agent Jimmy Sexton. Fisher had reportedly been the top candidate to be the Seminoles’ offensive coordinator for several weeks, but he never did accept the job. Florida State officials never said they were going to match Fisher’s salary package of $450,000 at LSU. There are also rumors that Fisher is up for the offensive coordinator position at Alabama.
RUSSELL EXPECTED TO LEAVE EARLY FOR NFL
LSU junior quarterback JaMarcus Russell will hold a press conference on Wednesday in Baton Rouge where he is expected to announce he will forgo his final year of college eligibility and turn pro.
Reports have surfaced that Russell has already signed with an agent. Many draft experts have the right-handed 6-foot-6 signal caller going as one of the first five picks.
FOOTBALL TEAM LANDS TWO MORE RECRUITS
LSU picked up two more commitments on Saturday during the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio. West Monroe defensive end Luther Davis and defensive tackle Joe Barksdale of Detroit made their announcements during the nationally televised game of their intentions to sign with LSU. The 6-foot-3, 285-pound Davis picked LSU instead of Oklahoma, Florida State and Louisville.
“I want to win a national championship, so why not win one at home,” said Davis, who has been clocked at 4.7 in the 40-yard dash. Barksdale (6-4, 325) picked the Tigers instead of Michigan State and Ohio State. He has a 3.5 grade-point average and is rated the No. 6 tackle in the nation by Rivals.com and the No. 59 prospect overall.
The Tigers also were hoping to land a pledge from wide receiver Terrence Toliver (6-4, 190) of Hempstead, Texas, who has narrowed his choices to LSU and Florida.
Rated the top wideout in the nation by Scout.com, Toliver did not make public a decision. He is related to former LSU running back Harvey Williams, who also was from Hempstead.
According to reports, John Curtis standout Joe McKnight has been contacted by Saban at Alabama and may make an official recruiting visit soon. McKnight’s top two choices right now are USC and LSU.
Also, wide receiver Ahmad Paige (6-3, 175) from Sterlington, who was listed as a Florida State commitment during the game, said this week that he is no longer committed to the Seminoles.
Photo by STEVE FRANZ/LSU * In what appears to have been his final game at LSU, quarterback JaMarcus Russell earned Sugar Bowl MVP honors with a career-best 332-yard performance. Russell added two passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown in LSU’s 41-14 win over Notre Dame.
