Saban told this to a crowd at the end of his talk show of the 2004 season ... This show was listened to by hundreds of thousands of Tiger Fans across the world ... Nick gave this plea for your help after thanking everyone for a spectacular 2003 season ... PLEASE ... EVERYBODY ... TELL EVERYBODY ... GET LOUD EARLY ... DON'T WAIT ... GET LOUD EARLY :thumb: WHEN THEY ARE ON OFFENSE ESPECIALLY 3RD DOWNS ... GET LOUD EARLY ... DON'T WAIT ... GET LOUD EARLY
Saban's show spawns articles in the Advocate & T-Pic http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/090204/spo_lsufoot001.shtml LSU defense facing NFL-style offense Advocate staff photo by Bill Feig LSU safety LaRon Landry intercepts a pass in last season's game against Western Illinois. Landry and the Tigers face a stiff test in their season opener Saturday against Oregon State's strong passing attack. The Deep South isn't quite as far away as you can get from the West Coast in geographical terms. But in football parlance, the West Coast is a world apart from the offensive style that most Southeastern Conference fans are familiar with. By RANDY ROSETTA [email protected] Advocate sportswriter When LSU's decorated and dominating defense steps into Tiger Stadium on Saturday against Oregon State, the Beavers will attack with a West Coast-style offense popularized in the National Football League by the San Francisco 49ers in the 1980s and adopted by several professional teams since then as architect Bill Walsh's coaching tree took root. As successful as the West Coast has been in the NFL, though, it's something of a rarity at the college level. Florida, Oklahoma, Texas Tech and North Carolina State have adopted some of the West Coast principles and constructed pass-happy offenses that operate out of the shotgun most of the time. But few NCAA Division I-A programs look as similar to the 49ers' original West Coast offense as Oregon State. "They do more things that I saw in pro football," said LSU head coach Nick Saban, a former NFL assistant with the Houston Oilers and Cleveland Browns. "They do a lot of bunch passes and things that you don't always see in college. It has certainly been good to have some time to adjust to them." Added Tigers strong safety Jessie Daniels, "It's definitely not something we see very often in the SEC. They throw the ball more than a lot of teams we play, but it's also a different kind of passing game. A lot of the routes they run are deeper than what we usually see, and they attack underneath a lot more than teams we play." Whatever the Beavers did last season, it worked exceptionally well, as the OSU offense rolled up record numbers during an 8-5 season. Paced by quarterback Derek Anderson, who is back this season, the Beavers established records in total offense (6,019 yards), passing yards (4,265) and scoring (433 points). Anderson completed 261 of 510 passes for 4,058 yards with 24 touchdowns last season. As a sophomore in 2002, Anderson was equally as efficient in then OSU head coach Dennis Erickson's more pro-style offense, with 3,313 yards and 25 TDs. "He's obviously the big key because he's making the decisions and getting the ball in the right guys' hands," LSU free safety LaRon Landry said. "He's the kind of quarterback who, if you let him, can sit back there and make the right decisions all day long." Whether Anderson has the time he needs will depend heavily on how much pressure LSU's new-look defensive line applies. Anderson was sacked 33 times last season -- 23 in the Beavers' five losses. And though he hung up huge numbers, the OSU quarterback was also prone to mistakes with 24 interceptions. In seven of his 13 starts, Anderson finished with more interceptions that TD passes, and 16 of his interceptions came in losses. He tossed five interceptions in a 16-14 setback to Fresno State and four in a 52-28 loss against eventual Associated Press national champion USC. With new starters replacing NFL draft picks Chad Lavalais at defensive tackle and Marquise Hill at defensive end, the Tigers pass-rush ability will get a stiff test right out of the chute. "The biggest thing we have to do is make sure we affect the quarterback," Tigers defensive end Kirston Pittman said. "He threw for a lot of yards last year, but he also showed that he'll make some mistakes if you can put enough pressure him. We have to get to him and make sure he knows we're going to be on him all day long." Even then, the LSU defense knows Oregon State will stick to its guns. Part of the philosophy behind the West Coast scheme is pecking away with short passes and picking up little chunks of yardage instead of relying on the home-run passes that are the bread-and-butter of teams with laser-fast receivers and rifle-armed quarterbacks. As was the case with the 49ers in the 1980s with quarterback Joe Montana pulling the strings, Anderson and Oregon State may not inspire many oohs and aahs from the expected capacity crowd at Tiger Stadium. But the Beavers do figure to move the ball and carve out yards, even against a defense as stout as LSU's. "We know they're going to keep throwing the ball and catching the ball and moving the chains at times, so the thing for us is to stay mentally tough and not give up the big plays," Daniels said. "What we have to do is make sure we tackle as soon as they catch the ball and not let them get a bunch of yards after the throw." LSU also can't afford to focus too much on Anderson and the passing game. Last season, OSU senior tailback Steven Jackson was a major weapon in the Beavers offense with 1,545 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns on the ground. He set a school record for carries in a season with 350. Jackson, the St. Louis Rams' first-round draft pick, rushed for 100 yards or more in nine games last season -- including in each of OSU's eight victories. Though Jackson is gone and the Beavers will operate with a tailback by committee, LSU still has to be leery of Oregon State's ability to run the ball. "They'll line up in a passing formation and run, and then come out looking like they're going to run and then throw the ball," Pittman said. "We have to be alert to a lot of different things with this offense, and come off the ball hard no matter what the play is. "Playing against a defense like theirs is a real good challenge for us because we have a lot of things to think about before the snap and then we have to react to a lot of things once the play has started." :geaux: :geaux: :geaux: :geaux: :geaux: :geaux: :geaux: :geaux: :geaux: :geaux: :geaux: :geaux: :geaux: :geaux: :geaux: :geaux: :geaux: :geaux: :geaux: Yeah, things like ... Kill Anderson ... Charge :thumb: http://www.lsusports.net/headline1.html?ref=BEBABB43-EEDE-B16A-89F95B364FD4C7F9 Tigers Continue Preparations For Oregon State 09/04 BATON ROUGE -- LSU continued its preparations for Oregon State on Wednesday with a two-hour workout at the Charles McClendon Practice Facility. The Tigers will practice again on Thursday followed by a walk-thru in Tiger Stadium on Friday. Saturday's kickoff against the Beavers is set for 5:07 p.m. and will be televised to a national audience by ESPN. The Oregon State game marks the first time since 1992 that LSU has opened its season at home against a team coming off a bowl appearance. In 1992, the Tigers opened the season in Tiger Stadium against Texas A&M, who played in the Cotton Bowl the previous year. The Beavers beat New Mexico in last year's Las Vegas Bowl to finish with an 8-5 record. "To play a Pac-10 team the quality of Oregon State in our first game and being at home is kind of a unique experience for us," LSU coach Nick Saban said. "We haven't had the opportunity to do that in the past, and I think it's a good year for us to be able to do it. "It has our players' attention and I think it helps get them focused. We feel like they have a really good team and are really well coached. I know we have a lot of respect for Coach (Mike) Riley and their players." Against Oregon State, the Tigers will open the season against a team that features a veteran quarterback, who excels in all phases on the passing game. The Beavers led the Pac-10 in defense in 2003, while ranking first in their league in total offense a season ago. "They have a very good offensive scheme and their quarterback has a very good grasp of the system," Saban said. "(Anderson) gets the ball to their tight ends and running backs and they are also very effective at throwing the ball downfield as well. "Coach (Mike) Riley has done a very good job there of implementing a lot of pro-style type stuff that they do a good job of executing." Saban said the season-opener against the Beavers would be an opportunity for LSU to prove just what type of competitive spirit it has. "I think this team has got to prove, and this is an opportunity for them to prove like I said on Monday, what kind of competitive spirit they really have," Saban said. "I think younger players are a little less consistent than older mature guys, and there are some things that younger players can't learn until they play in the game." Saban said the only player to miss practice on Wednesday was true freshman offensive lineman Herman Johnson, who continues to be sidelined with an infection. Junior wide receiver Skyler Green practiced in a red non-contact jersey on Wednesday and is expected to play on Saturday after suffering a twisted ankle in LSU's final scrimmage. "I would say he's (Skyler) probably 80 percent but making rapid progress in the last two days," Saban said. "A lot of what happens with these things is when they work on them, how do they respond to them. It didn't seem to bother him much after working a day before, so hopefully he'll continue to get better and we'll have some availability for him in the game." http://www.nola.com/lsu/t-p/football/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/109410460497880.xml LSU's Green hampered by sprain Saban says he might use Addai, Webster on returns Thursday, September 02, 2004 By Mike Triplett Staff writer BATON ROUGE -- LSU receiver/return specialist Skyler Green practiced in a red, non-contact jersey for the second straight day Wednesday. Tigers coach Nick Saban said Green is probably 80-percent recovered from a sprained ankle he suffered last week. Saban said if Green is limited on Saturday against Oregon State at Tiger Stadium, he likely will turn the return duties over to backups Corey Webster and Joseph Addai. "I think Skyler is such an asset on special teams because he's such a weapon. But if he's not 100-percent healthy, we would probably just spot use him in situations across the board, special teams and as a receiver," Saban said. "I feel confident in the other guys that we have in the kickoff game. Corey Webster has done a very good job returning punts and kickoffs both. And Joseph Addai has done a good job with kickoffs." Saban also said freshman receiver Early Doucet has the potential to be a punt returner. The Tigers' primary backup, senior Shyrone Carey, is suspended for the first three games of the season because of a ticket-selling issue from last season's Sugar Bowl. TWO-WAY WEBSTER: Webster spent some time at wide receiver during the spring and fall. The senior cornerback was a receiver his first year at LSU, catching seven passes for 74 yards. He likely would be used on offense only in case of emergency, such as when LSU prepared receiver Michael Clayton to play safety last season. But Webster said he would love a chance to line up at receiver. "Hopefully, I'll get some plays at wide receiver," Webster said. "I've been practicing there for a long time. I'd hate for all that to go to waste." Saban was noncommittal when asked if Webster was likely to play on offense or would only be used in an emergency. "The guy can play it, and we'll use him if we feel like we need him," Saban said. CATCHING UP: Junior receiver Bennie Brazell said he was trying to readjust to football after spending most of last month in Athens, Greece, with the U.S. Olympic track team. Brazell finished eighth in the 400-meter hurdles. He was unsure if he would be used on special teams against Oregon State. "I'm just trying to get back in the rhythm," Brazell said. "It's been great. The whole month I've been gone has been a great experience. And I'm happy just to be back. Now it's football time." BIG HOUSE: Saturday's game likely will be the fourth-largest crowd Oregon State has played in front of. The high is 104,741 at Michigan in 1986. The Beavers also played in front of more than 100,000 people at the Rose Bowl in 1965 and 1957. TIGER TRANSFERS: Former LSU players Darius Ingram and Vernon Russell have transferred to TCU. Russell, a defensive back who prepped at John Curtis, played at Southeastern Louisiana last season after transferring from LSU. Ingram, a linebacker from Tenaha, Texas, asked for his release from LSU two weeks ago so he could move closer to home. Former LSU receiver Junior Joseph, from O.P. Walker High School, is playing at Southern after transferring last year. Former offensive lineman Jerry Sevin, from John Curtis, also no longer plays at LSU. He was not medically cleared to play and has had problems with high blood pressure. RADIO COVERAGE: Sirius Satellite Radio, which Tuesday announced an agreement to broadcast LSU sports, will carry LSU's game against Oregon State. The game will be on Channel 112 at 5 p.m.
I can't wait for this game to get here...it's going to be deafening at Tiger Stadium. The Beavers can't compare this to Eugene or Seattle like they are attempting to. Nothing is louder than Tiger Stadium on a Saturday Night.
Believe me, Saban didn't need to make that request. It will be as loud a first game of the season in LSU history, IMO.
