Much wringing of hands; local6.com (9) Miami-Florida (9-2) Vs. (10) L-S-U (10-2) By Pat Taggart, College Football Staff Writer GAME NOTES: In what may be the most intriguing non-BCS matchup of this bowl season, the ninth-ranked Miami Hurricanes and 10th-ranked LSU Tigers are set to square off in the Chik-fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta, Georgia. Miami returns to the Peach Bowl for the third time, including one year ago when the team defeated Florida by a score of 27-10. The Hurricanes finished 9-2 in the regular season and placed second in the Coastal Division of the ACC. Their only two losses came by a total of seven points against Florida State and Georgia Tech. Miami is making its 32nd bowl appearance and owns an 18-13 record, reaching that point by winning seven of its last eight bowl games. As for LSU, it was trounced by underdog Georgia in the SEC championship game by a score of 34-14 at the Georgia Dome, and it is ironic that the Tigers will play this bowl game on the same field. They figured to be headed for a BCS bout, but that painful defeat kept the program out of a one of the four top matchups. LSU is making its fourth Peach Bowl appearance and is 3-0 all-time as a participant in this event. The program is 17-18-1 in its bowl history and has lost two of its last three after winning five straight. LSU holds an 8-3 series lead over Miami, and the teams are meeting for just the second time in the last 36 years. The programs last collided in 1988, and the result was a resounding 44-3 victory by the Hurricanes. Miami tailback Tyrone Moss has a torn ACL in his left knee and will miss the Peach Bowl. He rushed for 701 yards with 12 touchdowns and a 5.1 average on 137 carries for the Hurricanes this season, and there is no doubt that his experience and toughness will be missed. Sophomore Charlie Jones is expected to take Moss' spot in the lineup, and he has run for 457 yards and five scores thus far. It should be pointed out that his average of 4.0 ypc falls well short of the mark established by Moss, so Jones certainly has something to prove. If Miami can't run the ball effectively, more pressure will be put on young quarterback Kyle Wright to perform. Wright has completed 59.4 percent of his passes this season for 2,303 yards with 18 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions. Wright's favorite receiver has been Sinorice Moss, younger brother of NFL standout Santana Moss, who leads the way with 35 catches for 604 yards and six touchdowns. Miami is averaging 29.3 ppg and 371.3 total ypg, and the club has turned the ball over 22 times. Without Tyrone Moss and no true star on the outside, the Hurricanes aren't nearly as formidable offensively as they have been in years past. While Miami is rather mediocre offensively, the squad undoubtedly possesses one of the nation's top defensive units. The Hurricanes are limiting their foes to just 11.9 ppg and 252.1 total ypg, numbers that are especially impressive considering that the team competes in the ACC. Running the ball effectively against the 'Canes has proven nearly impossible, as they are yielding a mere 103.9 ypg and 2.7 ypc. Miami has been even better against the pass, as opposing quarterbacks have completed far below 50 percent of their passes with six touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Miami has registered 28 takeaways and 31 sacks, and opponents have only been able to move the chains on 28 percent of their third down conversion attempts. There are several players who have contributed to the defensive success of the Hurricanes. Rocky McIntosh leads the club with 80 total tackles, including 10 TFLs and 5.5 sacks, while Brandon Meriweather has recorded 78 stops, including 11.5 TFLs, and he has registered three interceptions as well. Three different players have three interceptions, and Javon Nanton leads the way with 6.5 sacks. LSU does not have a quarterback, tailback or receiver on either the First or Second All-SEC squads. Sure, the Tigers do not possess one of the nation's premier offenses, but there is enough talent in the lineup to do some damage. The team is averaging 28.6 ppg and 366.2 total ypg, and sophomore quarterback JaMarcus Russell was entrusted with running the offense. However, a shoulder injury will keep Russell out of the lineup against Miami, paving the way for QB Matt Flynn to take over under center. Russell completed 60.5 percent of his passes for 2,443 yards and 15 touchdowns with only nine interceptions this year, so replacing his production won't come easy. Flynn played sparingly in eight games in 2005, completing only 53.8 percent of his passes (14-of-26), for 261 yards and five TDs. The top receiver is Dwayne Bowe, who has scored nine times and racked up 659 yards on only 38 catches. As for the ground attack, Joseph Addai has started 11 of the 12 games for LSU and has rushed for 781 yards and eight scores. Skyler Green hasn't done much as a receiver for the Tigers, but he is one of the better punt returners in the nation and helps the offense tremendously with regard to field position. Like Miami, LSU is much better on the defensive side of the ball than on offense. Despite the loss to Georgia, the Tigers closed out their schedule ranked among the top eight in the nation in four categories, including the top five in total defense (276 ypg) and pass efficiency defense (97.5 rating). They also ranked seventh against the run (94.8 ypg) and eighth in scoring defense (15.2 ppg). Several players contributed to those strong numbers, and we will discuss three individuals specifically. Defensive tackle Kyle Williams has earned a spot on the AP All-America Second Team, as he has recorded 60 tackles, including 7.5 TFLs and 4.5 sacks. He has also posted 21 QB hurries, four pass break-ups and a blocked field goal. The team's other defensive tackle, Claude Wroten, earned First-Team All-SEC honors along with Williams. He has 45 tackles thus far, including 9.5 TFLs and five sacks. Junior free safety LaRon Landry was named a Third Team All-American, and he ranks third on the Tigers with 65 tackles and first with three interceptions. Aside from the USC-Texas matchup and Notre Dame-Ohio State clash, this game between Miami and LSU may draw the most attention among college football fans. The Tigers and 'Canes are evenly matched in many ways, so expect this one to be decided in the closing minutes. Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Miami-Florida 20, LSU 17 Copyright 2005 Courtesy of SportsNetwork.:sob:
LSU FOOTBALL/after Peach Bowl local6.com NCAA Game Summary - Miami-Florida Vs. LSU POSTED: 1:26 am EST December 31, 2005 Atlanta, GA -- Matt Flynn, making his first career collegiate start, threw for 196 yards and two touchdowns to lead 10th-ranked Louisiana State to a dominating 40-3 victory over No. 9 Miami-Florida in the 2005 Peach Bowl at the Georgia Dome. Joseph Addai added 130 yards on the ground and had both a rushing and receiving score, while Flynn completed 13-of-22 passes in a near-flawless performance by the Tigers (11-2), who rebounded strongly after having their BCS hopes dashed by a disappointing defeat to Georgia in the SEC Championship held in Atlanta a few weeks earlier. One the most anticipated matchups of this year's bowl season proved to be no contest. Even without regular quarterback JaMarcus Russell, LSU shredded the Hurricanes' vaunted defense to the tune of 468 total yards, 272 of which came on the ground. "I'm thrilled for this football team," said Tigers head coach Les Miles. "They overcame obstacles from start to finish. This is a very significant win." Miami (9-3), on the other hand, mustered just 153 yards of offense and failed to make a first down in the second half. "I anticipated that our defense would give Miami fits," remarked Miles. "But our offensive line really put together a great game." Kyle Wright threw for just 100 yards on 10-of-21 passing for the Hurricanes, who also had BCS aspirations late in the season before being upset by Georgia Tech. Miami ended the year with losses in two of its last three games after an 8-1 start. "LSU met their part of the bargain and we didn't," said Hurricanes head coach Larry Coker. After spotting Miami an early 3-0 lead, the Tigers scored on four straight possessions to put up 20 unanswered points over the remainder of the first half. LSU tied the game on Chris Jackson's 37-yard field goal in the final minute of the first quarter, capping a 10-play, 59-yard drive which featured a 23-yard scramble by Flynn and a 16-yard scamper by Skyler Green with the wideout behind center in a shotgun formation. The Hurricanes marched to the Tigers' 35-yard line on the ensuing possession, but Wright was shoved out of bounds short of the marker by Melvin Oliver on a 4th-and-1 play. Shortly after taking over on downs, Chris Davis put LSU ahead when he blew past Miami corner Randy Phillips and hauled in Flynn's deep pass for a 51-yard touchdown with just over three minutes elapsed in the second quarter. Davis finished with 99 yards on five catches. The Tigers continued to move downfield on their next drive, with Addai carrying four times for 39 yards and Flynn finding tight end David Jones for an 18-yard gain to the 'Canes 33. A third-down sack by Brandon Meriweather forced Jackson back out, and the LSU kicker delivered by splitting the uprights from 47 yards away to extend the Tigers' advantage to 13-3 with 4:57 remaining before intermission. After the LSU defense forced another three-and-out, Flynn engineered a nine- play, 68-yard series culminating with his four-yard scoring toss to Addai with just 18 seconds left in the half. The young quarterback went 4-of-5 for 55 yards on the possession, including a 33-yard strike to Dwayne Bowe to start things off. It was more of the same once the second half began. Following a quick Hurricanes' punt to start the third quarter, Addai put up 42 yards on five attempts, including a 25-yard burst before being brought down at the Miami six. He took it into the end zone on the next play to give the Tigers a 27-3 lead 3:06 into the period. "Joe really helped me out," said Flynn, who was selected as the game's offensive MVP. "And I've got to give credit to the offensive line and the guys around me. When it's second-and-short and third-and-short, it kind of makes it easy on the quarterbacks." Jacob Hester ended a nine-play, 57-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run with 5:27 left in the third quarter, then helped set up LSU's next points with a 21-yard scamper on the Tigers' ensuing series. Colt David finished the possession with a 35-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter and Jackson drilled a 50-yarder five minutes later for the final score. A 22-yard run by Flynn led to the kick. Miami drove to the LSU three-yard line on their opening drive before stalling and settling for Jon Peattie's 21-yard field goal. A 24-yard catch-and-run by Devin Hester on third down highlighted the 10-play, 64-yard march. Game Notes: Players from both teams were involved in a nasty fracas after the game, in which Miami offensive lineman Andrew Bain and receiver Khalil Jones were reportedly knocked unconscious after being hit with helmets...It was the first time in the 38-year history of the Peach Bowl that the game matched up two top-10 programs...It was also the most lopsided in the bowl's history, besting a 49-13 victory by North Carolina State over West Virginia in 1972...Russell was forced out due to a separated left shoulder suffered in the SEC Championship...Hester finished with 70 yards on 13 carries...Miami won last year's Peach Bowl with a 27-10 decision over Florida...LSU has won all four of its appearances in this game...The teams last met in 1988, when the Hurricanes posted a 44-3 victory. LSU owns a 9-3 advantage in the all- time series...Miami entered the game third in the nation in total defense and 15th in rush defense...Oliver was named defensive MVP. Copyright 2005 Courtesy of SportsNetwork.:grin:
Did you guys read them? It's just before and after articles about the peach bowl. But the tone of the articles went from insinuating that Miami would win (fairly easily) to that of a subdued tone after LSU laid the U out...
Thanks for the post. Takes my mind back to football instead of people bitching about the people bitching about the basketball coach, who in turn bitch about the baseball coach. I watch that game about once a month. Seeing the beatdown settles my nerves. Come on football season! :thumb:
