Game Day, Part II

Prior to the SEC Championship Game at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, LSU coach Les Miles reassured his team, the Tigers fan base and the rest of the country that he would not be leaving to take Lloyd Carr’s vacated top spot at Michigan.

"I am the head coach at LSU. I will be the head coach at LSU," said Miles, just hours before kickoff against Tennessee. "I have no interest in talking to anybody else."

The former Bo Schembechler player and assistant is apparently telling the truth — technically. LSU is headed to the Sugar Bowl following a 21-14 win over UT. Miles will indeed be the Bayou Bengals coach next year — or at least on Jan. 2, 2008.

This season’s trip to New Orleans was supposed to be for the BCS national title game rather than the Sugar Bowl. As it stands, the Tiger faithful will have to settle with a third straight 11-2 season if Miles leads LSU to his third bowl win — following blowouts of Miami and Notre Dame — since taking over for Nick Saban. There is still an outside shot at the BCS title game, if West Virginia loses to Pitt and Missouri gets knocked off by Oklahoma in prime time tonight.

Either way, the Tigers should feel lucky to be crowned Southeastern Conference champs after struggling to hold off the Volunteers.

Without injured starting quarterback Matt Flynn, backup Ryan Perrilloux played admirably until injuring the index finger on his throwing hand. After the injury, however, Perrilloux — who was bleeding through the bandage and likely needed stitches — was unable to make many routine throws.

The sophomore signal-caller completed 20-of-30 passes for 243 yards, one touchdown and one interception. But it was the Tigers defense that carried the load following injuries to the offense’s top two quarterbacks and leading receiver, as Early Doucet left the game with an injured shoulder.

Protecting a 14-13 lead, Tennessee senior quarterback Erik Ainge made one of the worst mistakes of his up-and-down career. Backed up near his own end zone, Ainge threw an out route toward the sideline that was jumped by LSU cornerback Jonathan Zenon, who returned the pick-six 18 yards to give the Tigers a 19-14 lead. A successful 2-point conversion by Perrilloux made the margin 21-14, a lead LSU never relinquished.

"I shouldn’t have thrown the ball out there," said Ainge. "I made a bad decision. We played good. We protected the ball all night. The guys played hard. I throw an interception for seven points when it’s a tie game; it’s going to get you beat.

"It’s on me."

Tennessee’s defense played well enough to win, holding LSU to two Colt David field goals and a 27-yard touchdown pass to Demetrius Byrd prior to the interception returned to paydirt by Zenon. In particular, UT freshman safety Eric Berry stood out with an interception, a fumble recovery and several key tackles.

For the Tigers, defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey missed nearly all of the second half but showed his usual fiery leadership while cheering from the sidelines. Offensively, fellow senior Jacob Hester stepped up with 23 carries for 120 yards as LSU controlled the clock, leading time-of-possession 36:08-to-23:52.

Although Dorsey and Flynn were injured, the dominant senior class of LSU — led by Hester, Doucet, safety Craig Steltz, linebacker Ali Highsmith and corner Chevis Jackson — was able to save the day once again. After being picked on for much of the season, Zenon made Tennessee pay in the final SEC game of his career.

"I’m really happy for our seniors. They are a group who really came together," said Miles. "I’m excited for this team.

"When you stand on top this conference, you have done something."

Rosy Outlook

USC was an overwhelming favorite as preseason No. 1 in every poll. The Trojans were written off following unanticipated losses to Stanford and Oregon. But after beating UCLA 24-7, coach Pete Carroll’s team is going back to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl as "unlikely" Pac-10 champs.

The ever-optimistic leader of the Trojan Dynasty has guided USC to six BCS bowls since arriving in 2001. Despite a shocking 24-23 loss to Stanford and a less surprising 24-17 defeat to a talented Oregon squad, Carroll never let his team take their eyes off the prize. While those outside the program doubted, USC focussed on its goal — to remain Pac-10 champs.

"It is not about doubts. It is about a vision of what it could be," said Carroll. "With that early loss (to Stanford), we made a few mistakes that I wish I could change. We almost took Oregon, but afterwards we went back and worked like the champions we’ve been and we maxed out our opportunity."

Last year, UCLA upset USC 13-9 to prevent the Trojans from playing in the BCS national title game. This season, the Bruins had a chance to take the conference crown off of the Trojans helmet. Instead, USC has claimed its sixth consecutive Pac-10 title and the Rose Bowl berth that accompanies that honor.

USC senior quarterback John David Booty completed 19-of-34 passes for 191 yards, one touchdown and one interception in his final game at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum. USC’s star-studded senior class also includes linebacker Keith Rivers, left tackle Sam Baker, defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis, defensive end Lawrence Jackson and tight end Fred Davis.

"We are really proud of this moment, for this program, for this team and especially for these seniors," said Carroll. "It really is special. It is nice to win a championship. It is really a blessing to have this opportunity, so we feel very lucky and fortunate."

But if Missouri and West Virginia both lose tonight, the Trojans might be back in the BCS national championship discussion — along with LSU, Georgia and possibly Oklahoma. If that happens, Carroll thinks his team is ready to challenge any roster in the country.

"We’ll play anybody, anywhere, anytime," said Carroll. "We wish we could keep playing. If there was a way to keep playing games and see who would win and be the last team standing, we’d love to have that opportunity."