INTRO Season Notebook CHAMPIONS THE THIS IS LSU YERS A PL CHES A CO PREVIEW ON TOP OF THE REVIEW College Football World SU coach Nick Saban likens his team's weekly journey through the Tigers, behind the play of Billy Cannon, posted an 11-0 mark on their Lcollege football season to a person climbing a mountain, taking it one way to the 1958 national title. In addition, the Tigers claimed their ninth step at a time until reaching the summit. There are treacherous steps SEC title in 2003. LSU's 34-13 victory over Georgia gave the Tigers their along the way (see Florida game), but it's how a team handles the second SEC title in three years. LSU also improved to 2-0 in SEC RECORDS adversity (see South Carolina game the following week) that determines Championship games, both of which have come under Saban. LSU's the fate of the squad. SEC titles have come in 1935, 1936, 1958, 1961, 1970, 1986, 1988, 2001 Well, in 2003, the Tigers maneuvered their way up the proverbial and 2003. college football mountain and staked the LSU flag atop the summit with a 21-14 win over Oklahoma in the BCS National Championship game to SABAN NAMED NATIONAL COACH OF THE YEAR claim the school's first national title in football in 45 years. The win over Nick Saban became LSU's fourth national coach of the year recipient, but the Sooners in the Nokia Sugar Bowl, coupled with the 34-13 win over HONORS the first as selected by the Associated Press when the organization selected Georgia in the SEC title game, capped a season that saw Saban earn the fourth-year Tiger leader as national coach of the year. Saban also national coach of the year honors from three organizations, including the earned the distinction of being named the Bear Bryant Coach of the Year as Associated Press, while four Tigers were named first team All-Americas well as the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year in 2003. Saban joined Paul and another two were selected Academic All-Americas. Dietzel (1958), Charles McClendon (1970) and Jerry Stovall (1982) as Y LSU's journey to a 13-1 season, which ranks as the most victories by LSU's national coach of the year winners. Dietzel and McClendon were OR a team in school history, saw the Tigers use an offense that featured recognized by the American Football Coaches Association, while Stovall HIST balance. For the first time in LSU annals, the Tiger offense featured both was honored by the Walter Camp Foundation. The national coach of the a 1,000-yard rusher (Justin Vincent with 1,001 yards) as well as a 1,000- year honor is the first of Saban's career. Saban was also named SEC Co- yard receiver (Michael Clayton with 1,079 yards). With steady quarterback Coach of the Year by the AP in 2003, sharing the award with Ole Miss coach Matt Mauck calling the signals, the Tiger offense set the school standard David Cutcliffe. for points in a season (475), total yards (5,857) and first downs (298). Defensively, the Tigers employed an aggressive style that featured FOUR TIGERS EARN FIRST-TEAM ALL-AMERICA HONORS LSU numerous blitzes and disguises that seemed to rattle opposing LSU placed four players on at least one First-Team All-America list in quarterbacks on a weekly basis. Only once during the season did an 2003 with DT Chad Lavalais leading the way by being named a opponent manage to score 20 points in a game and that came in week 12 consensus All-America. Lavalais earned All-America honors from Walter when Arkansas punched across a late TD in a 55-24 setback to the Tigers. Camp, AP, Sports Illustrated, ESPN.com, Football Writers, Sporting With Chad Lavalais leading the way up front and two of the best News, and Collegefootballnews.com. CB Corey Webster earned a spot on cornerbacks in the nation in Corey Webster and Travis Daniels providing the American Football Coaches Association Team, while return specialist support down the field, the Tigers led the nation in both scoring (11.0 Skyler Green was selected to the Sports Illustrated and ESPN.com's All- points per game) and total defense (252.0 yards per game). Furthermore, MEDIA America squads. OG Stephen Peterman picked up First-Team All- LSU's defense held opponents to just five rushing touchdowns, while America honors from Sports Illustrated, ESPN.com, and Sporting News. sacking opposing quarterbacks a school record 44 times. In all, LSU has had six players earn First-Team All-America status in four years under Nick Saban. LSU WINS SECOND NATIONAL FOOTBALL TITLE, CLAIMS NINTH SEC TITLE LSU's victory over Oklahoma in the BCS National title game marked the TIGERS NO. 1 IN ESPN/USA TODAY COACHES POLL; NO. 2 IN AP POLL second national championship in football for the Tigers, and the first The Tigers capped the 2003 season ranked No. 1 in the nation in the since 1958. LSU's other national title came under Paul Dietzel when the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and No. 2 in the Associated Press poll. 158 2004 LSU FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE INTRO Season Notebook LSU was ranked behind Southern Cal in the AP Poll. 2003, and only one team scored more than THE The No. 1 ranking marked the highest for the Tigers LSU IN THE POLLS 20 points in a game against LSU, as CHAMPIONS since 1959 when LSU was ranked No. 1 in the AP poll Arkansas scored 24 points in the regular for the first eight weeks of the season. LSU finished Tracking the Tigers season finale. LSU's streak of 11 straight the year ranked in the AP Top 10 for 13 straight ranking WEEK AP COACHES BCS games of holding its opponent to less than periods, while they were in the USA Today/ESPN Preseason 14 15 20 points tied the mark set by LSU teams in Coaches poll top 10 for the 14th consecutive rankings. Aug. 24 14 15 1958, '60, '61 and '62. Sept. 1 13 13 THIS IS LSU LSU SETS SCHOOL RECORD WITH 13 VICTORIES Sept. 7 12 11 MAUCK CAPS LSU CAREER WITH 18-2 LSU set the school record for single-season victories Sept. 14 11 10 RECORD AS A STARTING QB with 13 wins in 2003. The 13 wins surpassed the Sept. 21 7 7 With the win over Oklahoma, Matt Mauck previous mark of 11, which was set during LSU's Sept. 28 6 6 ran his record to 18-2 as LSU's starting national championship season in 1958.The Tigers were Oct. 5 6 6 quarterback. The 18-2 record by Mauck as 11-0 in 1958. LSU has now won 10 or more games Oct. 12 10 10 the Tiger signal-caller is the best winning twice under Nick Saban and they've won at least 10 Oct. 19 9 9 12 percentage for a starting quarterback in PL games in a single-season seven times in its history. Oct. 26 7 8 7 school history. Mauck's 18-2 mark as a A Nov. 2 4 4 7 starter is the best for an LSU player since YERS LSU VS. THE TOP 25 Nov. 9 3 3 4 Herb Tyler posted a 16-2 mark over his first LSU posted a 5-0 mark against ranked teams in 2003. Nov. 16 3 3 4 18 games as a starter before finishing with a LSU posted wins over No. 1 Oklahoma, 21-14, over Nov. 23 3 3 3 27-11 career record. then No. 5 Georgia, 34-13, then No. 7 Georgia, 17-10, Nov. 30 3 3 3 then-No. 15 Ole Miss, 17-14, and then-No. 17 Auburn, Dec. 7 2 2 2 CLAYTON SETS SCHOOL-RECORD FOR CO Final 2 1 No Poll 31-7. The Tigers are 13-7 in games against Top 25 TD RECEPTIONS; RANKS SECOND IN A CHES teams under Saban, which includes a 3-2 mark in RECEPTIONS 2000, a 4-2 record in 2001 and a 1-3 record in 2002. Michael Clayton capped his LSU career with a school-record 21 TD receptions, breaking the previous mark of 19 held by Wendell Davis TIGERS RUN BOWL RECORD TO 17-17-1 (1984-87). Clayton, who caught at least one pass in all 40 games of his LSU's win over Oklahoma not only claimed the national title for the career, completed his career ranked second in LSU history in receptions school, but also moved the Tigers' bowl record to 17-17-1. LSU, which is with 182. He's also fourth in receiving yards with 2,582. Clayton's junior PREVIEW now 5-7 in Sugar Bowls, is 3-1 in bowl games under Saban. season saw the Baton Rouge native catch 78 passes for 1,079 yards and 10 touchdowns. Clayton joins Josh Reed (1,740 yards in 2001 and 1,127 SABAN'S 39 WINS MOST-EVER FOR COACH AT LSU IN FIRST FOUR YEARS yards in 2000), Wendell Davis (1,244 yards in 1986) and Eric Martin (1,064 LSU coach Nick Saban's 39 wins in his first four years are the most-ever yards in 1983) as the only players in school history to have 1,000-yards by a Tiger coach over a four-year span. Saban's record at LSU stands at receiving in a season. 39-13, which is five more victories than Bernie Moore won during his first four years with the Tigers.