Saints fail to clinch home field advantage

The Saints were leading the Buccaneers, 17-0, midway through the second quarter.

Coming into the game, Tampa Bay had just a 2-12 record and was showing no signs of life in their attempt to upset the Saints.

Game over, right?

Wrong.

Thanks to a furious second half rally, the Buccaneers found a spark and scored 20-straight points to rally and seal a 20-17 overtime victory against the Saints, who have now dropped two-straight games after opening the season with 13-straight wins.

“Obviously, it’s a difficult loss for us,” Saints head coach Sean Payton said. “They hung around and it was really a tale of two halves… It’s frustrating and disappointing.”

Buccaneers’ coach Raheem Morris said despite being more than a 14-point underdog, he had no doubt his team was capable of playing at a high level.

“For me, I knew it was always something that we’ve had built up in us,” Morris said. “It just took some time to get there. And now we’re starting to get there.”

The game marked just the second time in NFL history that a team with at least 12 losses beat a team with 13 or more wins.

“It’s hard to explain it,” said Saints quarterback Drew Brees. “We started off fast with 17 points and then there was this lull. We still gave ourselves a chance to win with the field goal, but we weren’t able to convert it.”

The Saints could have clinched home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with a win.

But instead, the team now needs to either beat the Panthers next Sunday or hope for a Vikings loss in either of their final two games.

That feat may seem more difficult than it would have earlier in the season because the Panthers are currently red-hot and have earned blowout wins against the Vikings and Giants in the past two weeks.

If the Saints and Vikings both end the season 13-3, the Vikings would win the tiebreaker and earn home field advantage throughout the playoffs because they would have a better divisional record than the Saints.

“We are still playing for something [next week], as a result,” Payton said. “It’s either carnival or crisis and we’ll find out a little bit about ourselves right now.”

The Saints made it a point of emphasis to get off to a fast start on Sunday after being plagued by poor first quarters the past few games.

And the team accomplished its goal and scored a pair of first quarter touchdowns.

But ultimately, the Black and Gold was victimized by its rushing defense.

Tampa Bay was able to overcome the slow start and stabilize its offense and rush for 176 yards on 34 carries, which kept the ball in their hands and out of the hands of red-hot Brees, who finished the game 32-for-37.

The Saints’ special teams also failed them on Sunday. The Buccaneers tied the game with 2:25 to play in regulation on a 77-yard punt return from Michael Spurlock. The Saints compounded their special teams’ failures and kicker Garrett Hartley missed a 37-yard field goal at the end of regulation that would have won the game.

But instead, the Saints are now licking their wounds and wondering if they are ever going to find their early season form that placed them at the top of the NFC standings.

“You’re always are going to face adversity in this league, and while we don’t want it to be after we won our first 13 games, well, it’s something we have to deal with and bring us even closer together. I think it will,” Brees said.

“Frank knows football and he’s a proven recruiter,” Miles said. “He’s a former high school coach in our state and has an extensive background in south Louisiana.”

Wilson’s efforts have already paid off as the Tigers got three commitments for the 2011 recruiting class the week before Christmas, including Patterson High School standout Kenny Hilliard, who is widely regarded as one of the best high school halfbacks in America.

“Kenny’s talked to [Wilson] a couple of times and he’s just comfortable with him,” Patterson coach Tommy Minton told Rivals.com. “The big thing is that he wants [Wilson] to be his position coach and just felt at ease around him.”

In addition to Wilson, former Florida wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales will also make his LSU debut in the bowl game.

Gonzales will also serve as the Tigers’ passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach.

A two-time national champion with the Gators, Gonzales has coached Florida’s high-powered receivers since 2005.

Gonzales helped mold and develop former Gator receivers Percy Harvin, Cornelius Ingram and Andre Caldwell in the past few seasons – all of which are currently in the NFL.

Molding those receivers have helped the Gators rank in the Top 5 nationally in passing efficiency each year since 2007.

Gonzales’ stint at LSU ends a nearly 10-year run he’s had with Florida coach Urban Meyer. He was also on Meyer’s staff at Bowling Green and Utah before going to Florida.

“I wish it wasn’t at a rival,” Meyer told the Orlando Sentinel on Dec 10. “But he’s a good coach and every year he’s had job opportunities.”

While LSU will be welcoming two new faces to the fold against Penn State, they will not be welcoming back senior halfback Charles Scott.

Scott broke his collarbone during the team’s Nov. 7 loss against Alabama. Scott said following the injury he had hoped to return for the team’s bowl game, but Miles said he isn’t quite ready to return yet.

“If he had just a couple of more weeks, I’m certain he’d probably play in this game,” Miles said. “We certainly miss him and we’ve missed him every day that he hasn’t been on the field with us.”

Without Scott, LSU will be without their leading rusher and a sure NFL Draft pick.

His services would have been needed against Penn State’s stout rushing defense that ranks No. 10 in the country and allows just 93 rushing yards per game.

“I just think it’s smart and wise for him to continue his rehabilitation, work hard and get it all squared away so he can be ready for the NFL,” Miles said.