LSU wins SEC championship, says it belongs in BCS title game
Published 11:41 pm Saturday, December 1, 2007
ATLANTA — Assured by Les Miles that he would stay as their coach, backup quarterback Ryan Perrilloux and the fifth-ranked Tigers shifted their attention to No. 14 Tennessee, beating the Vols 21-14 Saturday in the Southeastern Conference championship game.
Now, there is a very strong possibility of playing for the national title.
“I’d line up against anybody and look forward to the opportunity,” Miles said. “Anybody that saw this game tonight would certainly understand that this team is arguably the finest team in the country.”
Jonathan Zenon scored on an 18-yard interception return with 9:54 left to rally LSU (11-2, 7-2 SEC) from a 14-13 deficit, then Darry Beckwith picked off another pass by Erik Ainge deep in Tigers territory to seal it.
After No. 1 Mizzou and No. 2 West Virginia lost later at night, LSU felt it belonged in the BCS championship game.
“When you look at all the factors, I think we should go,” LSU athletic director Skip Bertman said. “Our power rating, our strength of schedule. The fact that we won our conference and didn’t lose a game in regulation. I think the voters will look at that.”
The Tigers’ win sent them home with a spot in the Sugar Bowl at worst.
Ohio State is No. 3 in the BCS standings, but LSU fans say their team should jump ahead of No. 4 Georgia, which didn’t reach the SEC title game. Virginia Tech is No. 6 and won the ACC title game, but lost to LSU 48-7 this year.
ACC Championship
No. 6 Virginia Tech 30, No. 12 Boston College 16: At Jacksonville, Fla., Sean Glennon threw three touchdown passes and Virginia Tech’s defense finally stopped Matt Ryan as the Hokies (11-2, 8-1) beat the Eagles (10-3, 6-3) for a berth in the Orange Bowl.
Ryan overshadowed Glennon and Tyrod Taylor most of the game, but the Hokies’ quarterback duo put together a game-winning drive that showed exactly why the coaching staff decided to play both of them. Taylor gained 31 yards on a quarterback draw, then Glennon capped an 84-yard drive with a 24-yard strike to Eddie Royal with 7:12 remaining. The Hokies’ defense did the rest. Vince Hall intercepted Ryan’s fourth-down, desperation pass near the goal line with 2:16 to play. The Eagles forced a punt, but Ryan threw another pick. Xavier Adibi returned it 40 yards for a score with 11 seconds to play.
C-USA Championship
Central Florida 33, Tulsa 25: At Orlando, Fla., Kevin Smith rushed for 284 yards and four touchdowns, moving into second place behind Barry Sanders on the NCAA’s single-season rushing list, as the Golden Knights (10-3, 8-1) beat the Golden Hurricane (9-4, 6-3).
Smith, the nation’s leading rusher, has 1,000 yards and 11 TDs in his past four games. He entered the game fourth all-time with 2,164 yards — 464 behind Sanders’ 1989 total. Smith passed Marcus Allen’s 1981 total of 2,342 with a six-yard run in the third quarter, and still has another game to play.
UCF will close its season with a Liberty Bowl appearance. After its loss, Tulsa accepted a bid to the Jan. 6 GMAC Bowl to play Bowling Green.
MAC Championship
Central Michigan 35, Miami (Ohio) 10: At Auburn Hills, Mich., Dan LeFevour ran for 166 yards and threw for 185 to help the Chippewas (8-5, 7-1) beat the RedHawks (6-7. 5-3) for their second straight league title and a berth in the Dec. 26 Motor City Bowl.
LeFevour, a sophomore, ran for two scores and threw for another, giving him 41 TDs — 17 rushing, 23 passing and one receiving — this year. He has 1,004 yards rushing and 3,360 yards passing this season, joining Vince Young (2005) as the only members of the 1,000-3,000 club in Division I-A history.
Top 25
No. 21 BYU 48, San Diego St. 27: At San Diego, freshman Harvey Unga ran for 161 yards and scored four TDs to lead the Cougars (10-2, 8-0 MWC) over the Aztecs (4-8, 3-5).
Of note
EAST CAROLINA: The Pirates (7-5) accepted a bid Saturday to play in the Dec. 23 Hawaii Bowl against a team from the Western Athletic Conference. The WAC isn’t expected to announce its representative until today.
PITTSBURGH: Panthers coach Dave Wannstedt was given a three-year contract extension Saturday, despite not producing a winning record in three seasons in a program that went to bowl games five consecutive years before he arrived. Wannstedt was already under contract through the 2009 season and is now signed through 2012. Pitt apparently chose to give Wannstedt the extension now to end any immediate speculation about his status as Pitt (5-7) wound up a second losing season under the former Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins coach.
