October 22
October 22, 2007
Richard Weaver
October 24, 2007
Better late than never.
LSU won the battle of the Tigers over Auburn on Saturday night at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge when Matt Flynn found Demetrius Byrd for a 22-yard touchdown with one second left in the game for a 30-24 decision.
LSU extended its home winning streak to a school-record and nation-leading 18 games.
The win got LSU (7-1 overall and 4-1 in the Southeastern Conference) one step closer to winning the SEC West and an appearance in the conference championship game on Dec. 1 in Atlanta. LSU moved up to third in all three polls (Bowl Championship Series, The Associated Press, USA Today/Coaches).
The LSU Tigers are idle this weekend and will travel to Alabama for its next game on Nov. 3.
LSU trailed at halftime, 17-7. The home team’s lone score came on a Keiland Williams 46-yard screen pass late in the first quarter. LSU scored the first 16 points of the second half on field goals by Colt David from 29, 26 and 33 yards. Early in the fourth quarter, Jacob Hester hauled in a 5-yard pass from Flynn for a touchdown that put LSU up, 20-17.
Auburn took the lead briefly in the fourth quarter, but LSU got the ball back with 3:21 left in the game.
Flynn finished with 319 passing yards on 22-of-34 attempts. LSU finished the game with 488 yards of total offense, compared to 296 for Auburn, which gained only 97 yards on the ground.
Early Doucet, who saw his first significant action since the third week of the season, led all receivers with seven catches for 93 yards. Byrd had three catches for 89 yards.
Eight players rushed for LSU in the game and totaled 169 net yards, led by Hester’s 50 yards on nine attempts.
The LSU defense got a scare early in the first half when All-American candidate Glenn Dorsey left the game with an injury to his right leg after being illegally blocked on the play. Auburn was not flagged on the play, but Dorsey did return late in the game. Linebacker Ali Highsmith led all players with 11 tackles, including a tackle behind the line and a sack. Safety Craig Steltz added 10 tackles.
LADY TIGERS SWEEP ARKANSAS
The 25th-ranked LSU volleyball team swept Arkansas, 30-22, 30-24, 30-25, on Friday night at the Pete Maravich Center to complete the season sweep of the Lady Razorbacks.
The match marked the finale of the inaugural LSU “Dig for the Cure” campaign. The Tigers raised money throughout the month of October in support of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation. Any fan who donated at least a dollar during the month is eligible to win a digital camera, which will be announced on Tuesday before the Notre Dame match.
LSU improved to 17-4 overall and 9-3 in the SEC with the win.
Kyna Washington (10 kills and two blocks) and Angela Bensend (11 kills) led the Tigers.
Lauren DeGirolamo and Brittnee Cooper led the match with five blocks each, while DeGirolamo added nine kills and Cooper posted seven. Maggie Lonergan posted a double-double with 35 assists and led the match with 15 digs. Elena Martinez added 12 digs and Marina Skender posted 11 digs.
Aside from Tuesday’s match at home against Notre Dame, the Lady Tigers will take on Florida on Friday (6 p.m.) and South Carolina on Sunday (12:30 p.m.). Both of those contests will be on the road.
SOCCER BATTLES TO 1-1 TIE
The 24th-ranked LSU soccer team wrapped up a four-game SEC road swing by extending its unbeaten streak to three games with a 1-1 draw against the Kentucky Wildcats in a Sunday afternoon contest at the UK Soccer Complex. The Tigers (10-2-5, 4-1-3 SEC) also extended their unbeaten streak to three against Kentucky, which led the game 1-0 at the half.
Taryne Boudreau tied the game in the second half with a header score.
On Friday, LSU beat Vanderbilt 2-0 behind goals by Michelle Makasini and Rachel Yepez.
The Lady Tigers will play host to South Carolina on Thursday at 7 p.m. and then travel to Florida on Sunday at 11 a.m.
(Photos by MATT MCGEHEE
- Tri-Parish Times) Ryan Perrilloux looks for running room against Auburn’s defensive line.
