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Before the calendar flips to 2013, the LSU football team will have one more shot at a victory.
They will do so against another batch of Tigers who also claim their home stadium as Death Valley.
The best Tiger will take home a bowl-game victory Monday night when No. 8 LSU takes on No. 14 Clemson in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.
Kickoff for the game is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be televised nationally on ESPN.
Both sides claim they are ready to battle one another in the final college football game of 2012.
“Those Clemson Tigers are a very, very talented football team,” LSU coach Les Miles said. “I think that our matchup is likely one that will be one of the more exciting games in college football during the bowl season and very likely better than some of the BCS games.”
“I know our players will be excited to compete against LSU because they are among the best programs in the nation on a yearly basis,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney added. “Les Miles is one of the top coaches in the nation. He has consistently competed for the national championship, including this year.”
The two Chick-fil-A competitors may be similar in mascot, but they are complete opposites on the gridiron.
The Louisiana-based Tigers are defensive oriented, where Clemson is among the best offensive teams in America.
The reason for Clemson’s offensive prowess is because of its balance.
The ACC-based Tigers passed for close to 4,000 yards this season, while rushing for more than 2,000 yards.
The leader of Clemson’s offensive attack is junior quarterback Tajh Boyd, who completed 251-of-377 passes this year for 3,550 yards, 34 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
Boyd is also a threat outside of the pocket, having rushed for 492 yards and nine touchdowns this season.
His play has earned the respect of Miles, who said Boyd would be a high-end SEC quarterback.
“I think he’s a very talented quarterback with a very strong arm,” Miles said. “He has the ability to move his feet, run and extend plays. He was named All-American for a reason, and it’s certainly evident when you watch his film.”
But Boyd is not alone in his quest to give opponents nightmares – the Tigers are loaded with weapons.
Halfback Andre Ellington leads the Tigers’ ground game with 1,031 rushing yards and eight touchdowns this season.
On the edges, Clemson benefits from all-everything receivers DeAndre Hopkins and Sammy Watkins, who combined for 126 receptions, 1,922 yards and 19 touchdowns this season.
Watkins said he believes the team has prepared well for LSU. He said one of the biggest challenges they face will be providing protection for Boyd.
“They are going to be physical on the line – we know that,” Watkins said. “The wide receivers have got to make plays. That’ll come down to the team and how we work in practice.”
Practice makes perfect, but it is awfully hard to replicate a defensive unit as good as LSU’s.
For the second-straight season, LSU was among the defensive kings in college football, ranking No. 8 in America, allowing just 296.1 yards per game.
The strength of the SEC Tigers’ arsenal comes along the defensive line, which is chocked full of NFL-level talent.
Elite defensive ends Barkevious Mingo and Sam Montgomery provide pressure on the edges for LSU. Together, they combined for 11 sacks and 17 tackles for a loss in 2012.
When teams try and combat the wide rushing angles of Mingo and Montgomery in the running game, LSU hits opponents with linebackers Kevin Minter and Lamin Barrow. Both players were among the SEC’s leaders in tackles this season.
In the middle of the defensive line, the Tigers also boast able bodies like Bennie Logan, Anthony Johnson and Ego Ferguson.
“They fly around and get 11 hats to the ball,” Ellington said.
But what is of most concern to Clemson are the LSU defensive backs.
Junior safety Eric Reid leads a young, but talented group that ranked No. 9 in the country in pass efficiency defense this season.
Clemson senior wide receiver Jaron Brown said that they must overcome the press coverage LSU will present in the game.
If they don’t, Clemson’s offense will likely suffer.
“It’s going to be a very physical game,” Brown said. “We know what we’re going to have to do – we’re going to have to come down and make big plays.”
Making big plays is something LSU has actually gotten better at, themselves.
Junior quarterback Zach Mettenberger will lead the LSU offense into the bowl game against a Clemson defense that is No. 74 in the country, allowing 411 yards per game.
At Mettenberger’s disposal are a slew of talented halfbacks, led by freshman Jeremy Hill, who pushed forward for 631 yards and 10 touchdowns this season.
Anchoring Clemson’s defense are ambitious defensive backs Rashard Hall and Jonathan Meeks, who have six combined interceptions on the season.
Monday’s game marks a return to Atlanta for LSU.
The Tigers have had a lot of luck in the Georgia Dome, winning the 2001, 2003, 2007 and 2011 SEC Championships in the city, as well as the 2005 and 2008 Chick-fil-A Bowls.
A marked underdog, Clemson seems ready for the challenge.
“If you want to be a consistently outstanding program you have to play national championship contenders like LSU,” senior center Dalton Freeman said. “They have won the national championship in recent years and always seem to be in the mix for the championship.”
Miles said he agrees with Freeman’s statement and said Monday’s game will be great.
He added it’s the perfect way to ring in the New Year.
“I can tell you, too, that if I was looking for a New Year’s Eve event, and I was really trying to impress the Mrs., I think taking her to Atlanta, getting a game in with my favorite team and finding a way to celebrate New Year’s is great,” Miles said. “Let’s say the game is over by about 10:30 p.m., we can freshen up a little bit, and go find a place I can twirl my sweetheart. At midnight, I’d get a kiss. To me, it will be a great weekend highlighted with a tremendous game.”
The LSU defense rips at the head of Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson during last month’s victory against Arkansas. The Tigers will return to the field for the final time this season Monday night against Clemson in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. Kickoff for that game will take place at 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.
