WVUE LSU Headlines

Turnbow leads No. 7 LSU past No. 24 Middle Tenn.

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:38:46 GMT

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Taylor Turnbow had 17 points and 12 rebounds to lead No. 7 LSU to a 61-40 victory over No. 24 Middle Tennessee on Wednesday night.

LaSondra Barrett added 10 points for LSU (2-0).

All-American forward Alysha Clark had 16 points and a game-high 20 rebounds for Middle Tennessee (1-1).

The Blue Raiders beat the Lady Tigers each of the last two seasons, including last year's game in which Clark scored 37. However, Middle Tennessee's hopes of a third straight win over LSU evaporated quickly.

After an early exchange of leads, LSU's advantage grew to double figures midway through the first half. The Lady Tigers led 35-15 at the break and by at least 16 the rest of the way.

LSU senior guard Allison Hightower was helped to the locker room after leaving the game with 3:02 remaining.

Spencer leads LSU over Western Kentucky 71-60

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:25:58 GMT

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Bo Spencer scored a career-high 28 points and made a tie-breaking 3-pointer as LSU defeated Western Kentucky 71-60 on Tuesday night.

With the score tied at 57, Spencer knocked in a 3-pointer with 2:48 remaining in the second-round game of the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Tipoff. Following a Hilltoppers offensive foul, Dennis Harris dunked to give the Tigers a five-point lead.

Spencer then picked off a pass and drove for a layup. After grabbing a defensive rebound, Spencer clinched the victory by sinking three foul shots. Spencer, who was 8-for-9 at the foul line, also had seven rebounds and four assists.

Storm Warren had his third straight double-double for LSU (3-0) with a career-high 20 points and 11 rebounds,

Sergio Kerusch led Western Kentucky (1-1) with 25 points. A.J. Slaughter, who scored 30 points on Monday night, shot 3-for-17 and finished with 11 points.

LSU knocks off Indiana State 56-45

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:43:21 GMT

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Storm Warren had his second double-double in as many games as LSU defeated Indiana State 56-45 on Monday night.

Warren had 14 points and 12 rebounds as the Tigers (2-0) advanced to a second round of the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Tipoff against Western Kentucky, which beat Wisconsin-Milwaukee 69-65. Warren had 15 points and 12 rebounds in the season opener against Louisiana-Monroe on Friday.

Bo Spencer and Dennis Harris each had 10 points for LSU. Tasmin Mitchell, who scored eight points, grabbed 14 rebounds — one off his career high.

Dwayne Lathan led the Sycamores (1-1) with 12 points.

Indiana State, which trailed by five points at half, stayed within striking distance of the Tigers during the first few minutes after halftime.

Rashad Reed made one of two foul shots to cut LSU's lead to 30-26 just 5 minutes into the second half.

LSU QB Jefferson returns to practice

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:41:21 GMT

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — LSU coach Les Miles says Jordan Jefferson is expected to practice all week and the Tigers are hopeful the quarterback will be able to play at Mississippi after missing the last game with a sprained right ankle.

Jefferson sat out last week's 24-16 victory over Louisiana Tech. Jarrett Lee filled in, completing 7 of 22 passes for 105 yards.

Although LSU has no shot at a Southeastern Conference title, Miles says playing in a New Year's Day Bowl and finishing with a top-five national ranking are among the Tigers' remaining goals.

If LSU finishes ranked fifth or better, it would mark the third time in four years the Tigers had done so.

Williams lifts No. 9 LSU over La. Tech, 24-16

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:26:22 GMT

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Keiland Williams moved piles, slipped tackles and ultimately broke the will of an upstart underdog trying to beat mighty LSU for the first time in more than a century.

Making his first start of the season, Williams ran for 116 yards and two second-half touchdowns, helping the ninth-ranked Tigers fend off Louisiana Tech 24-16 on Saturday night.

"It definitely gives you more confidence when you are out there knowing that you are not going to be pulled after one or two carries," said Williams, who moved up on the depth chart when Charles Scott broke his collarbone last weekend at Alabama.

"You know if you can break a run for 10 or 15 yards, you are going to get a chance to stay in the game, work up a sweat and get things flowing. You find yourself more relaxed and you're able to make more plays," he said.

Williams' first score, on a powerful 3-yard surge, gave LSU (8-2) a 17-13 lead midway through third quarter. His 9-yard TD in the fourth quarter made it a two-score game with a little over seven minutes to go.

Louisiana Tech (3-7) hasn't beaten LSU since 1904. The Bulldogs took a 13-10 lead on the final play of the first half when running back Daniel Porter handled a direct snap on a fourth-down play and lobbed a 1-yard jump pass to tight end Dennis Morris.

Heavily favored LSU locked down the Bulldogs in the second half and overcome a shaky outing by quarterback Jarrett Lee, who started for the first time since last season because of Jordan Jefferson's sprained right ankle.

Lee finished 7 of 22 for 105 yards and one TD. A season ago, he was ridiculed by Tigers fans for throwing seven interceptions that were returned for touchdowns. He was not picked off this time, though Tech came close twice.

Pressured often, Lee threw the ball away rather than force it into coverage, but was roundly booed for doing so, including an emphatic toss that drew an intentional grounding penalty.

"I don't have to worry about that," Lee said of the boos. "That kind of stuff is going to happen, so you just got to forget about it and go out there and get the job done."

The crowd cheered in the fourth quarter when multitalented freshman Russell Shepard lined up in Lee's place and scampered 14 yards for a first down, then booed again when Lee returned two plays later.

"I understand the history in this stadium with Jarrett Lee," LSU coach Les Miles said. "It seems like to me that this man is out there doing what we ask him to do just as hard as he possibly can and I think he should be encouraged."

"A certain feel that the fan base gave him is not proper. That's not the way it should be," he said. "He's not perfect and dang it, we didn't play well. It wasn't all his fault. It just seems like we are ready to jump on him and I'm not ready to."

Those boos didn't last long though, as Lee handed off to Williams for the running back's fourth TD of the season. The Tigers won for the 18th time in 19 meetings between the Louisiana schools and extended their winning streak against non-Southeastern Conference opponents to 23 games.

Matt Nelson had field goals of 30, 33 and 36 yards for the Bulldogs.

Daniel Porter ran for 64 yards for Tech, becoming the third player in school history to reach 3,000 career yards rushing. Tech quarterback Ross Jenkins was 16 of 13 for 143 yards and was sacked five times.

The bright spot for the Bulldogs was their running game, which accounted for 178 yards, well above the average of 121 yards rushing LSU's defense had been allowing coming in.

"We ran ball as well as you can run it against them," Tech coach Derek Dooley said. "We went toe-to-toe and we weren't affected by the environment. We weren't playing in awe of LSU and I think those are great steps. At the end of the day, they have a better football team than we have."

LSU went up 10-3 late in the first quarter when Lee hit Brandon LaFell on a crossing route and LaFell darted into the clear for a 38-yard score.

The Bulldogs, which lost 45-35 to then-No. 5 Boise State a week earlier, again would not allow a top 10 team to bury them. Tech had a whopping 11-minute time of possession advantage in the first half and cut its deficit to 10-6 on Matt Nelson's second field goal.

At halftime, LSU trotted to the locker room to boos from the home crowd after a stunning opening 30 minutes that saw Tech take the lead on a creative play call by Dooley.

On fourth down, with 2 seconds left in the second quarter and the ball just inside the LSU 2, Tech's offense surprisingly took the field in place of the field goal unit and shifted into wildcat formation. Porter took the snap, started forward, the stopped and lobbed a jump pass to Morris, silencing a boisterous Tiger Stadium crowd.

A Louisiana Tech spokesman said the play gave the Bulldogs their first lead over the Tigers since the only time they beat LSU some 105 years ago. In LSU's locker room, the atmosphere grew tense.

"Everyone was just screaming that we need to get going," Williams said. "We definitely were not playing how we want and know we are capable of playing. We knew that we could not lose this game so we just wanted to go out there and get things rolling in the second half."

LSU fans cry foul over questionable referee

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:28:52 GMT

The rivalry between LSU and Alabama grows more intense with every match up -including this year's:

“We got robbed - it was typical Alabama,” says Mike Serio, an LSU fan who’s attended 316 consecutive games.

Serio is furious about an interception attempt by Patrick Peterson. Officials ruled it an incomplete pass.

Tiger fans at Serio's Deli have a different call:

“It was a great catch, too. He caught the ball and immediately tucked it under his shoulder. He wasn't bobbling the ball or anything. All you need is one foot in bounds and he had two," says Serio.

Adding to the controversy - Dick Burleson's presence in the instant replay booth. Burleson is an SEC advisor with close ties to Alabama.

Burlseon often speaks to the Alabama booster club, according to his website and wrote about his friend bear bryant in his book - You'd Better Be Right.

The SEC has this to say:

"The specific gentleman in the booth... served as the "communicator" in the ...game, Not the replay official...he is not a graduate of any sec school. Our officiating and replay rules are not for public dissemination."

Amidst expensive new fines for coaches who criticize official calls, LSU’s Les Miles chose these words:

“The officials couldn't see though our players. They couldn’t see through the back of Patrick Peterson.”

Meaning the decision was left to the instant replay booth.

Many purple and gold faithful feel that's not the only crucial call purposefully missed:

“Jefferson was speared by the Alabama player's helmet. There was an obvious face mask on the rush that wasn't called," says Chet Baquie, an LSU fan.

“They want two undefeated teams to go to the championship game. that way one team is guaranteed to go to the BCS Championship," says Serio.

For now, the Tigers are left with another loss - and a bigger score to settle next year.

Full Statement from the SEC:

1- The instant replay booth has three people inside, only one of which is the replay official and has any decision-making authority or role. This person makes the decision on any play under review. This position is not allowed to be a graduate of any of the participating schools in the game, just like the on-field officials. The instant replay official in this game was Gerald Hodges, who is not a graduate of either Alabama or LSU due to this policy.

2- The specific gentleman in the booth you inquired about served as the “communicator” in the Alabama-LSU game, not the replay official, which is clearly outlined on the flip card for the game. However, contrary to some false information out there, he is not a graduate of any SEC school. When he was an on-field official for many years, he was able to officiate any game in the SEC, including LSU and Alabama games, because of that fact.

3- Our officiating and replay rules and manuals are not for public dissemination, however, we do address things such as “the alma-mater” rule and where someone did or did not attend school when necessary to clear up any misunderstandings, which are quite common when an official’s name gets put out there and internet message board rumors begin.

LSU gets 4 players in early signing period

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:46:11 GMT

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — LSU has landed commitments from four players during college basketball's early signing period.

The Tigers received papers from Matt Derenbecker, Andre Stringer, Jalen Courtney and Ralston Turner.

Derenbecker is a 6-foot-7 forward from Metairie who led Country Day High School to a state championship. Courtney is a 6-8 forward from Jackson, Miss., whose Provine High School also won state titles. Stringer is a 5-9 point guard from Jackson and was named Mississippi Mr. Basketball for 2009. Turner is a 6-6 shooting guard from Muscle Shoals, Ala.

LSU head coach Trent Johnson says Turner might be the best recruit in all of Alabama and that the addition of the four players should mean a bright future for the Tigers.

LSU faces battered La. Tech team

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:13:59 GMT

RUSTON, La. (AP) — LSU fans shouldn't feel insulted if they see Louisiana Tech coach Derek Dooley starting a bunch of second stringers against their top-10 club on Saturday evening in Tiger Stadium.

In some cases it'll be third stringers trying to represent the Bulldogs. Tech fans who dialed in for the LSU-Alabama game on Saturday after their Bulldogs lost 45-35 to No. 5 Boise State saw Tigers quarterback Jordan Jefferson and running back Charles Scott go down in the contest.

That's bad news for coach Les Miles, who gets a break from SEC action this week to play the Bulldogs (3-6, 2-4 WAC) who are heading nowhere in the postseason. Already without three starters, Tech has nine more starters questionable for the 7 p.m. kickoff against their second consecutive top-10 club.

Bama-LSU might be another defensive struggle

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:28:01 GMT

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Forget the coaches. The defenses of Alabama and LSU are taking center stage for Saturday's SEC West showdown.

Nick Saban's third-ranked Crimson Tide and Les Miles' ninth-ranked Tigers bring two of the nation's stingiest defenses into Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Alabama (8-0, 5-0 Southeastern Conference) ranks fifth nationally in scoring defense and has allowed one touchdown in the past three games. LSU (7-1, 4-1) is only two spots behind and has given up just 36 points in its last four games.

Bama can clinch the SEC West and a date with Florida in the league championship game with a victory. Or LSU could win and take control of the division.

Lost in the shuffle is Saban's latest meeting with his former team. He coached LSU from 2000 through 2004.

LSU hopes to be full of surprises in 2009-10

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:09:20 GMT

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — LSU head coach Trent Johnson says there's no mystery about which players will be the leaders for the Tigers this season.

The real question is who will step up when opponents try to shut down returning starters Tasmin Mitchell and Bo Spencer.

Gone from last season's Southeastern Conference regular-season championship squad are conference player of the year Marcus Thornton, leading shot blocker Chris Johnson and guard Garrett Temple.

This season, a combination of longtime reserves and freshmen will have to step in and play major roles.

Johnson says that he still has every intention of putting a winning team on the court, even if on paper LSU doesn't appear to be one of the stronger teams in the SEC.