2008 LSU Tigers football team explained

Year:	2008
Team:	LSU Tigers
Conference:	Southeastern Conference
Short Conf:	SEC
Division:	Western Division
Record:	8–5
Conf Record:	3–5
Hc Year:	4th
Oc Year:	2nd
Codc1 Year:	1st
Codc2 Year:	1st
Stadium:	Tiger Stadium (Capacity: 92,400)
Champion:	Chick-fil-A Bowl champion
Bowl Result:	W 38–3 vs. Georgia Tech

The 2008 LSU Tigers football team represented Louisiana State University in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team's head coach was Les Miles, who entered his fourth year at the helm. They played their home games at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Tigers entered the season as defending national champions, having defeated Ohio State, 38–24, in the 2008 BCS National Championship Game.

Previous season

In his third season as head coach, Les Miles led LSU to the 2007 SEC Championship and the 2007 NCAA Division I-FBS national football championship. The Tigers became the first team to win two championships in the Bowl Championship Series era (1998–2013) and also the first 2-loss team to win a national championship, even though no games were lost in regulation. The team finished with a final record of 12–2.

The team overcame 2 triple-overtime losses and four other close games to become the first two-time Bowl Championship Series (BCS) champion ever. On their way to the BCS championship, the Tigers won their tenth Southeastern Conference championship by defeating Tennessee in the 2007 SEC Championship Game.

The Tigers finished the season having earned the Southeastern Conference championship trophy, the Grantland Rice Award, the MacArthur Bowl National Championship trophy, the Associated Press Trophy and the AFCA National Championship Trophy.

Pre-season

In February, the NCAA granted defensive end Kirston Pittman a sixth-year of eligibility. Pittman had missed the 2005 and 2006 seasons with foot and ankle injuries.^[1]

Coaching changes

Defensive coordinator Bo Pelini left to become the head coach at Nebraska.^[2]

Key losses

Offense

• Matt Flynn, QB^[3] Drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the seventh round (209th overall) of the 2008 NFL draft.
• Jacob Hester, FB/RB Drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the third round (69th overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft.
• Early Doucet, WR Drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round (81st overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft.
• Ryan Perrilloux^[4] Dismissed from team February 18, 2008; team policy violations.

Defense

• Glenn Dorsey, DT Drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs fifth overall in the 2008 NFL Draft.
• Craig Steltz, SS Drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round (120th overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft.
• Ali Highsmith, LB Signed with the Arizona Cardinals as a rookie free-agent for a two-year deal.

Schedule

^[5]

• Denotes the largest crowd to watch a football game at Tiger Stadium

Schedule Source: 2008 LSU Tigers football schedule

Rankings

See also: 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings.

Game summaries

Appalachian State

North Texas

Auburn

See also: 2008 Auburn Tigers football team.

Mississippi State

See also: 2008 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team.

Florida

See also: 2008 Florida Gators football team.

South Carolina

See also: 2008 South Carolina Gamecocks football team.

Georgia

See also: 2008 Georgia Bulldogs football team.

Tulane

Alabama

See also: 2008 Alabama Crimson Tide football team.

Troy

Game delayed due to effects from Hurricane Gustav from originally scheduled date of September 6.^[6]

Trailing 31–3 midway through the third quarter, the Bayou Bengals stage the greatest comeback in LSU history, even surpassing their fabled 1959 Halloween Night Billy Cannon-led rally against Ole Miss, scoring 37 consecutive points and rally for a 40–31 win.^[7]

Ole Miss

See also: 2008 Ole Miss Rebels football team.

Arkansas

See also: 2008 Arkansas Razorbacks football team and Arkansas–LSU rivalry.

Chick-fil-A Bowl

See main article: 2008 Chick-fil-A Bowl.

See also: 2008 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team. A 28-point 2nd quarter by LSU was too much for the Yellow Jackets to overcome in the 2008 Chick-fil-A Bowl rout. Georgia Tech gave up three turnovers and did not force any.

Statistics

Team

Team Opp Scoring 402 314   Points per Game 30.92 24.15 First Downs 254 211   Rushing 122 76   Passing 114 114   Penalty 18 21 Rushing Yardage 2168 1432   Yards gained 2510 1751   Yards lost 342 319   Attempts 495 421   Average per rush 4.4 3.4   Average per Game 166.8 110.2   TDs Rushing 27 17 Passing yardage 2168 1432   Att-Comp-Int 391–206–18 391–206–18   Average Per Pass 6.7 6.6   Average Per Catch 12.7 12.3   Average per Game 201.3 215.4   TDs Passing 21 15

Team Opp Total Offense 4785 4232   Avg per Play 5.4 5.0   Avg per Game 368.1 325.5 Fumbles-Lost 16.2 26–11 Penalties-Yards 82–649 75–637   Avg per Game 49.9 49.0 Punts-Yards 63-2538 75-3124   Avg per Punt 40.3 41.7 Time of Possession/Game 30:13 29:47 3rd Down Conversions 70/183 57/183 4th Down Conversions 7/18 9/22 Touchdowns Scored 50 39 Field Goals-Attempts 18–23 14–19 PAT-Attempts 48–49 38–38 Attendance 739,065 315,937   Games/Avg per Game 8 / 92,383 4 / 78,984

Scores by quarter

Offense

Rushing

Name	GP-GS	Att	Gain	Loss	Net	Avg	TD	Long	Avg/G
Charles Scott	13–13	217	1208	34	1174	5.4	18	56	90.3
Keiland Williams	13–0	83	444	27	417	5.0	2	25	32.1
Richard Murphy	13–0	44	202	16	186	4.2	0	12	14.3
Jordan Jefferson	7–2	49	211	77	134	2.7	1	20	19.1
Andrew Hatch	6–3	35	175	46	129	3.7	2	20	21.5
Trindon Holliday	13–0	21	131	17	114	5.4	0	39	8.8
Stevan Ridley	13–0	12	92	0	92	7.7	1	18	7.1
Quinn Johnson	13–10	14	30	2	28	2.0	3	5	2.2
Josh Jasper	13–0	1	7	0	7	7.0	0	7	0.5
Brandon LaFell	13–12	2	6	0	6	3.0	0	4	0.5
Jared Mitchell	12–0	1	0	4	−4	−4.0	0	0	−0.3
TEAM	7–0	5	0	18	−18	−3.6	0	0	−2.6
Jarrett Lee	11–8	11	4	101	−97	−8.8	0	4	−8.8
Total	13	495	2510	342	2168	4.4	27	56	166.8
Opponents	13	421	1751	319	1432	3.4	17	68	110.2

Passing

Name	GP-GS	Effic	Att-Cmp-Int	Pct	Yds	TD	Lng	Avg/G
Jarrett Lee	11–8	116.9	143–269–16	53.2	1873	14	66	170.3
Jordan Jefferson	7–2	112.9	36–73–1	49.3	419	4	41	59.9
Andrew Hatch	6–3	118.4	25–45–1	55.6	282	2	29	47.0
Brady Dalfrey	13–0	138.2	1–2–0	50.0	21	0	21	1.6
Keiland Williams	13–0	307.4	1–2–0	50.0	22	1	22	1.7
Total	13	117.4	206–391–18	52.7	2617	21	66	201.3
Opponents	13	116.6	227–425–8	53.4	2800	15	70	215.4

Receiving

Name	GP-GS	No.	Yds	Avg	TD	Long	Avg/G
Brandon LaFell	13–12	63	929	14.7	8	43	71.5
Demetrius Byrd	13–11	27	513	13.9	4	43	39.5
Richard Dickson	13–13	31	324	10.5	5	25	24.9
Terrance Toliver	13–2	22	257	11.7	1	33	19.8
Keiland Williams	13–0	11	124	11.3	1	66	9.5
Richard Murphy	13–0	10	92	9.2	0	28	7.1
Jared Mitchell	12–0	9	106	11.8	0	21	8.8
Chris Mitchell	13–4	8	67	8.4	0	14	5.2
Charles Scott	13–0	10	92	9.2	0	28	7.1
Quinn Johnson	13–10	2	33	16.5	0	15	2.5
Trindon Holliday	13–0	2	33	16.5	0	21	2.5
Chad Jones	13–6	1	21	21.0	0	21	1.6
Ricky Dixon	10–0	1	4	4.0	0	4	0.4
R.J Jackson	11–0	1	−1	−1.0	0	15	−0.1
Total	13	206	2617	12.7	21	66	201.3
Opponents	13	227	2800	12.3	15	70	215.4

Special teams

Name	Punting								Kickoffs
	No.	Yds	Avg	Long	TB	FC	I20	Blkd	No.	Yds	Avg	TB	OB
Brady Dalfrey	59	2366	40.1	59	3	20	22	0
	4	172	43.0	45	0	2	0	0	76	4629	60.9	4	1
Total	63	2538	40.3	59	3	22	22	23	0	76	4629	60.9	4	1

Name	Punt Returns					Kick Returns
	No.	Yds	Avg	TD	Long	No.	Yds	Avg	TD	Long
Trindon Holliday	21	279	13.3	1	92	27	609	22.6	0	49
Chad Jones	8	95	11.9	0	24	2	25	12.5	0	17
Patrick Peterson	1	6	6.0	0	6
Keiland Williams						13	290	22.3	0	38
Kelvin Sheppard						4	47	11.8	0	23
Quinn Johnson						2	14	7.0	0	12
Will Blackwell						2	11	5.5	0	7
Brandon Lafell						1	10	10	0	10
						1	23	23.0	0	23
T-Bob Hebert						1	13	13.0	0	13
TEAM	1	0	0.0	0	0	1	11	11.0	0	0
Total	31	380	12.3	1	92	54	1053	19.5	0	49

Roster

2008 LSU Tigers roster
Quarterbacks 9 Jordan Jefferson – Freshman 12 Jarrett Lee – Freshman 14 Andrew Hatch – Sophomore 17 T.C. McCartney – Freshman Running backs 5 Keiland Williams – Junior 24 Patrick Lipoma – Junior 26 Richard Murphy – Sophomore 32 Charles Scott – Senior 33 Orlando Gunn – Freshman Fullbacks 27 August Mangin – Junior 34 Stevan Ridley – Freshman 42 Steele Hull – Freshman 45 Quinn Johnson – Senior Wide receivers 1 Brandon LaFell – Junior 2 Demetrius Byrd – Senior 8 Trindon Holliday – Junior 10 Ricky Dixon – Sophomore 16 Jhyryn Taylor – Freshman 19 Deangelo Peterson – Freshman 21 Chris Tolliver – Freshman 28 R.J. Jackson – Junior 31 John Williams – Freshman 39 R.J. Gillen – Freshman 43 Tim Molton – Freshman 80 Terrance Toliver – Sophomore 86 Chris Mitchell – Junior 87 Jared Mitchell – Junior Ian harding – Freshman Jared joseph – Freshman Adam mcclure – Sophomore Jordan newell – Sophomore		Tight ends Offensive line Long snappers 49 Austin Kinchen – Freshman 50 Joey Crappell – Freshman Justin warner – Freshman		Defensive line Linebackers		Defensive backs Cornerbacks Safeties Punters Kickers

2008 Louisiana State University Football Roster and Bios http://www.lsusports.net/SportSelect.dbml?SPSID=27812&SPID=2164&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=5200&SORT_ORDER=6&Q_SEASON=2008

Coaching staff

Name	Title	First Year at LSU	Alma Mater
Les Miles^[8]	Head coach	2005	Michigan (1976)
Gary Crowton^[9]	Offensive coordinator	2007	BYU (1983)
Doug Mallory^[10]	Co-defensive coordinator	2005	Michigan (1988)
Bradley Dale Peveto^[11]	Co-defensive coordinator	2005	SMU (1987)
Josh Henson^[12]	Tight ends coach/recruiting coordinator	2005	Oklahoma State (1998)
Earl Lane^[13]	Defensive line coach	2006	Northwood
TBD	Defensive backs coach
D.J. McCarthy^[14]	Wide receivers coach	2007	Washington (1994)
Joe Robinson^[15]	Special teams coordinator	2008	Louisiana State University (1985)
Larry Porter^[16]	Asst. head coach/running backs/special teams	2005	Memphis (1996)
Greg Studrawa^[17]	Offensive line coach	2007	Bowling Green (1987)
Tommy Moffitt^[18]	Strength and conditioning coordinator	2000	Tennessee Tech (1986)

LSU Tigers in the 2009 National Football League Draft

Player	Position	Round	Pick	Overall	NFL team
	Defensive end	1	3	3	Kansas City Chiefs
	Running back	5	9	145	Green Bay Packers
	Offensive guard	5	31	167	Arizona Cardinals
	Safety	7	10	219	San Francisco 49ers
	Wide receiver	7	15	224	San Diego Chargers
	Defensive tackle	7	35	244	San Francisco 49ers

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/draft/2009.htm

Notes and References

1. Web site: Pittman gets sixth year of eligibility . 2008-02-12 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080217194232/http://www.nola.com/sports/index.ssf/2008/02/pittman_gets_sixth_year_of_eli.html . 2008-02-17 . dead .
2. https://www.espn.com/college-football/news/story?id=3138430 Nebraska chooses LSU assistant Pelini as new coach
3. http://www.nationalchamps.net/2008/earlybird/teams/louisianastate.htm NationalChamps.net 2008 LSU Early Bird Preview
4. Web site: QB Perrilloux tossed off LSU football team - Yahoo! News . 2017-01-13 . 2008-05-12 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080512060244/http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080502/ap_on_sp_co_ne/fbc_lsu_perrilloux_dismissed . dead .
5. Web site: LSU vs Florida (Oct 11, 2008). October 11, 2008. February 14, 2016. LSUSports.net. LSU.
6. News: LSU-Troy Game Postponed; Soccer, Volleyball Cancelled. September 3, 2008. September 3, 2008.
7. Web site: LSU rallies from 28 down to trip Troy in Baton Rouge. Associated Press. November 15, 2008. November 20, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081207031257/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=283200099. December 7, 2008 . dead.
8. Web site: Les Miles Bio @ LSUSports.net . 2007-12-18 . 2009-06-19 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090619064843/http://www.lsusports.net/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=28715&SPID=2164&DB_OEM_ID=5200&ATCLID=174019&Q_SEASON=2007 . dead .
9. Web site: Gary Crowton Bio @ LSUSports.net . 2007-12-18 . 2009-06-19 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090619202037/http://www.lsusports.net/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=28715&SPID=2164&DB_OEM_ID=5200&ATCLID=748627&Q_SEASON=2007 . dead .
10. Web site: Doug Mallory Bio @ LSUSports.net . 2007-12-18 . 2011-05-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110517162031/http://www.lsusports.net/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=28715&SPID=2164&DB_OEM_ID=5200&ATCLID=175220&Q_SEASON=2007 . dead .
11. Web site: Bradley Dale Peveto Bio @ LSUSports.net . 2007-12-18 . 2011-05-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110517162121/http://www.lsusports.net/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=28715&SPID=2164&DB_OEM_ID=5200&ATCLID=175219&Q_SEASON=2007 . dead .
12. Web site: Josh Henson Bio @ LSUSports.net . 2007-12-18 . 2011-05-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110517162017/http://www.lsusports.net/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=28715&SPID=2164&DB_OEM_ID=5200&ATCLID=175221&Q_SEASON=2007 . dead .
13. Web site: Earl Lane Bio @ LSUSports.net . 2007-12-18 . 2011-05-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110517162024/http://www.lsusports.net/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=28715&SPID=2164&DB_OEM_ID=5200&ATCLID=240834&Q_SEASON=2007 . dead .
14. Web site: D.J. McCarthy Bio @ LSUSports.net . 2007-12-18 . 2009-06-19 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090619202044/http://www.lsusports.net/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=28715&SPID=2164&DB_OEM_ID=5200&ATCLID=899756&Q_SEASON=2007 . dead .
15. http://www.lsusports.net/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=28715&SPID=2164&DB_OEM_ID=5200&ATCLID=1392481&Q_SEASON=2008 Joe Robinson Bio @ LSUSports.net
16. Web site: Larry Porter Bio @ LSUSports.net . 2007-12-18 . 2009-06-18 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090618175742/http://www.lsusports.net/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=28715&SPID=2164&DB_OEM_ID=5200&ATCLID=175223&Q_SEASON=2007 . dead .
17. Web site: Greg Studrawa Bio @ LSUSports.net . 2007-12-18 . 2009-06-19 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090619064923/http://www.lsusports.net/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=28715&SPID=2164&DB_OEM_ID=5200&ATCLID=750599&Q_SEASON=2007 . dead .
18. Web site: Tommy Moffitt Bio @ LSUSports.net . 2007-12-18 . 2009-06-18 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090618175734/http://www.lsusports.net/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=28715&SPID=2164&DB_OEM_ID=5200&ATCLID=173999&Q_SEASON=2007 . dead .