“I will not let Nebraska gravitate into mediocrity,” said Steve Pederson, then Athletic Director at the University of Nebraska, after firing head coach Frank Solich in 2003.

Steve Pederson had acquiesced to the outcry from the loudest corn-critics; those that impatiently demanded an immediate return to the final days of Tom Osborne’s tenure when the Corn Husker Nation was awarded three national championships in four years.

Those voices were dismissive of the success Solich had enjoyed—National Runner-up and Fiesta Bowl Champion in his second year, two division, and one conference championship in his first four years, and 58 wins in six years, which was better than both of his predecessors, Tom Osborne and Bob Devaney who are in the College Football Hall of Fame—claiming that he had enjoyed that success ‘only because of Tom Osborne’s recruits’.

To make matters worse, Solich had rebounded from a disappointing 7-7 2002 campaign that was crowned by a loss in the Independence Bowl to up-and-coming Eli Manning’s Ole Miss Rebels.

In 2003 Solich got Nebraska off to a 5-0 start with wins versus Oklahoma State and Penn State, before suffering its first loss to conference foe Missouri. That loss rattled the nay-sayers, and the “Fire Frank” campaign was in high gear.

Despite finishing the year with a very respectable 9-3 record, and invitation to the Alamo Bowl, and a Top 20 ranking, Steve Petersen made the move and infamous statement mentioned above.

Of course, the move allowed the Corn Huskers to by-pass mediocrity, and fall straight to futility, eventually costing Petersen his own job.

It was reported at the time that Dave Wannstedt, Al Saunders, Houston Nutt, Mike Zimmer, and even Steve Spurrier turned down the opportunity to coach the historical power-house Corn Huskers.

One could only speculate that perhaps the unceremonious firing of a very successful coach with only one rebuilding year on his resume, indicated an athletic department and fan base that was far too demanding.

Is it delusional to expect nothing less than three national championships in four years?

Recruits apparently thought so. Despite Bill Callahan’s NFL pedigree, and the Husker’s history, Nebraska’s recruiting took a turn for the worse.

Callahan only enjoyed one Top 25 class ranking during his tenure, and though rankings were not available throughout the Solich years, I for one remember the days when Nebraska was one of those teams who had their pick of the best talent in the country.

Nebraska fans turned to Osborne to resurrect the program after four dismal years of Solich’s predecessor, and most corn fanatics are optimistic with his decision to hire former defensive coordinator Bo Pelini, so far—though Blog’s such as Corn Nation have already highlighted some “overreactions” to recent losses.

Only time will tell if Bo Pelini can restore the once prominent program to national relevance, but as right now the Huskers have only “gravitated” back up to mediocrity.

What does all this have to do with LSU you ask?

Well aside from some eerily similar circumstances with the coaching staff, it serves as a warning message to a somewhat restless Tiger Nation.

As one who has followed LSU Football since I was knee-high to a grasshopper (and trust me when I tell you as a man who stands 6′7″ inches tall, that was a long time ago) I have never seen some of my fellow Tigers more discontented.

When I read (LSU) blogs that question Les Miles job security, decry “the fall back to mediocrity” and discuss how horrible it is to be 5-1, I want to reach out and collectively shake my fellow Tigers in to consciousness.

“Wake up, Wake up, there is a fire…”

And YOU are setting it in your sleep.

Put down the matches Tiger Fans, wake up and educate yourself as to what’s really going on with the program, and for the love of goodness remember the Huskers!

The simple case for Les Miles

Results are what matters, and he gets them. With his next victory he will have as many victories (48) as his predecessor, with fewer losses, and he has won all of his bowl games by lop-sided margins.

In his third year at the helm he won his second division title, the conference, and a national championship.

He also publicly pledged his loyalty to LSU by rejecting an offer to become the next head coach at his alma-mater, and dream job, the University of Michigan.

For this alone LSU fans should be more than willing to give this man a chance to right the ship if it is taking on water.

But is the ship really taking on water?

In 2002 when Nick Saban finished 8-5 did we call for his head? Did we panic and decide that the best days were behind us?

In 2003 when we lost our sixth game to Florida (7-19) in Baton Rouge with an anemic seven point offensive output, did we mail it in and start making plans for the next year and the next coach?

No, we relied on a solid defense that would become the best in the Nation by the end of the season. We watched as Jimbo Fisher made some adjustments offensively, which allowed the Tigers to become a near unstoppable force running roughshod over the rest of the SEC, including Top-Five Georgia for a second time in the SEC Championship game, and then Oklahoma in the BCS National Championship Game.

Will the 2009 Tigers fulfill a similar destiny, who knows?

What we do know, is that destiny is still firmly in our grasp, and to fall asleep on these Tigers might be a big mistake.

Remember the Huskers

Regardless of what happens this year—another national championship, or an 8-5 campaign—Tiger fans need to be careful what they wish for.

When the Husker’s demanded Solich’s head they just knew that any coach would jump at the chance to reside in Lincoln. They didn’t.

When the Husker’s demanded Solich’s head, they took for granted that top athletes would always chose to reside in Lincoln. They didn’t.

When the Husker’s demanded Solich’s head they just thought they were asking for what they deserved. They were, and they got it—they just didn’t know that they deserved to be looking UP at mediocrity.

That’s where we are Tiger Nation, the cross-roads between continuing greatness and looking up at mediocrity, if you are in that growing minority that is calling for “big changes”, just know that you might get what you deserve.

Have faith in the Hat, support the Tigers, and get ready for a great second half.

Geaux Tigers!

By Henry Ball – Syndicated Writer and Feature Columnist at Bleacher Report

You might also enjoy this article.

LSU’s last non-conference loss came during the 2004 season when Iowa scored on the final play of the game to beat LSU, 30-25, in the Capital One Bowl. LSU hasn’t lost a regular season non-conference contest since dropping a 26-8 decision to Virginia Tech in the 2002 season opener.

LSU goes into the Vanderbilt game having won 30 straight Saturday night games in Tiger Stadium. LSU’s streak of consecutive Saturday night wins in Tiger Stadium goes back to the 2002 season when the Tigers beat Ole Miss, 14-13, to get the run started.

The last time LSU lost a Saturday night game in Tiger Stadium came against Alabama on Nov. 16, 2002 by a 31-0 count.

Les Miles has accounted for 19 of the 30 victories.

Defending national champion Florida topped the poll with 58 of 60 first-place votes, while Alabama (5), Ole Miss (8) and Georgia (13) also represented the Southeastern Conference in the rankings.

LSU opens its fifth season under head coach Les Miles on Sept. 5 when the Tigers travel to Seattle to face unranked Washington in a nationally televised game on ESPN.

AP Preseason Top 25

Rank, Team (First-Place Votes), Total Points

1. Florida (58) 1,498

2. Texas (2) 1,424

3. Oklahoma 1,370

4. USC 1,313

5. Alabama 1,156

6. Ohio State 1,113

7. Virginia Tech 1,054

8. Mississippi 1,047

t9. Oklahoma State 989

t9. Penn State 989

11. LSU 914

12. California 746

13. Georgia 714

14. Boise State 659

15. Georgia Tech 593

16. Oregon 587

17. TCU 521

18. Florida State 307

19. Utah 289

20. Brigham Young 267

21. North Carolina 261

22. Iowa 229

23. Notre Dame 225

24. Nebraska 207

25. Kansas 134

Others Receiving Votes

Oregon State 122, Illinois 105, Pittsburgh 103, Michigan State 100, Rutgers 83, Texas Tech 76, West Virginia 57, Cincinnati 44, Clemson 42, Miami (FL) 40, East Carolina 30, Tennessee 15, Arizona 13, North Carolina State 10, Boston College 9, Central Michigan 7, Auburn 7, UCLA 7, Northwestern 5, South Florida 3, Southern Miss 3, Vanderbilt 3, Missouri 3, South Carolina 2, Nevada 1, Arkansas 1, Houston 1, Troy 1, Tulsa 1.

Source: LSUSports.Net

Walk-On’s Bistreaux will once again serve as the on-site sponsor for all LSU coaches’ radio shows on the LSU Sports Radio Network.

The Les Miles Show presented by Capital One Bank can be heard across the state of Louisiana on the LSU Sports Radio Network. The show can be heard in the Baton Rouge area on Eagle 98.1 FM as well as on the Internet in the Geaux Zone on www.LSUsports.net (Join Now!).

The show will continue its 14-week run through Wednesday, Nov. 25, the week of LSU’s regular season finale against Arkansas. The show will also take place during LSU’s open date, which is the week of Oct. 17.

The show will once again be hosted by the Voice of the Tigers, Jim Hawthorne, who is entering his 28th season as the play-by-play voice for LSU football, men’s basketball and baseball.

Source: LSUSports.net

The scrimmage, the third of camp, had the Tigers tackling for the first portion of the workout before going to thud (no tackling to the ground) for the second half of the scrimmage. The scrimmage featured the 1s going against the 2s on both offense and defense. LSU also spent time going over all phases of special teams during the scrimmage.

“We had approximately 130 plays and really hit every situation that we needed to hit,” LSU coach Les Miles said of the scrimmage. “We tackled for half the scrimmage and touched off thereafter. I really felt like it was a very good go.

“I feel like our team’s coming. The offense answered the call. I think the defense had been ahead, and I think the offense really came to play today.”

Offensively, sophomore quarterback Jordan Jefferson had his best scrimmage statistically, going 11-of-14 for 150 yards and one touchdown. Jefferson connected with Brandon LaFell on a 15-yard scoring play as well as a 40-yard gain during the scrimmage.

Freshman Russell Shepard connected on 3-of-4 passes for 73 yards and he led all rushers with 60 yards on six carries. Jarrett Lee was 6-of-12 for 50 yards, while Chris Garrett was 4-of-5 for 21 yards.

Joining Shepard as rushing leaders for the Tigers were Keiland Williams with 40 yards on nine carries; Charles Scott 30 yards on six attempts; Richard Murphy 30 yards on five carries and Trindon Holliday with 30 yards on six attempts.

LaFell led all receivers with 74 yards on five receptions, while Rueben Randle had four catches for 34 yards. Terrance Toliver had three catches for 38 yards and R.J. Jackson two receptions for 60 yards, including a long of 53 yards.

Defensively, linebacker Perry Riley came up big for the Tigers, recording five tackles, including a pair of sacks. Defensive end Chase Clement chipped in with five tackles and a sack, while linebacker Harry Coleman added four tackles, which included a sack and another tackle for a loss.

There were no turnovers during the scrimmage.

The Tigers capped with scrimmage with kicker Josh Jasper connecting on a 44-yard field goal to close out camp.

“The guys have made some real improvement,” Miles said of his team. “Any time you go into a period of time where you have to mature your team, to me, it’s improvement that must take place.

“I think the team has practiced awfully hard in this camp, and I think across the board and individually, there is a lot of improvement.”

The Tigers will take tomorrow off before returning to practice on Thursday afternoon in what will be the first day of preparation for the season-opener against Washington. LSU faces the Huskies at 9:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, Sept. 5 in Seattle. The game will be televised nationally by ESPN.

Source: LSUSports.net

LSU Tight End Richard Dickson

MANHASSET, N.Y. — LSU senior tight end Richard Dickson has been named to the 2009 John Mackey Award preseason watch list, presented annually to the nation’s top collegiate tight end, the Nassau County Sports Commission announced on Wednesday.

Dickson, a native of Ocean Springs, Miss., heads into his final LSU season with a shot at breaking every tight end receiving record in school history. For his career, he has caught 69 passes for 795 yards and 10 touchdowns in 39 games.

Dickson’s 10 touchdown receptions are tied with Brad Boyd for the most in school history, while his 69 receptions is the fourth-highest total and the 795 yards are the fifth most in school history.

In 2008, he earned second-team All-Southeastern Conference honors after hauling in 31 passes for 324 yards and five touchdowns. Dickson started all 13 games, ranking third on the team in receptions and yards and was second on the squad in touchdown catches.

The award recipient is selected by vote of the John Mackey Award Selection Committee and the 2009 award winner will be announced on Dec. 10, 2009. Since 2000, the John Mackey Award boasts eight NFL players as alumni.

NFL Hall of Fame member John Mackey is considered to be the best to have played the tight end position. Mackey was a role model on and off the field as demonstrated by his Super Bowl Championship, his commitment to his community and his place in history as the first President of the NFLPA.

LSU reports to camp a week from today on Aug. 5 with practice scheduled to begin a day later. LSU opens its fifth year under head coach Les Miles on Sept. 5 when the Tigers travel to face Washington in Seattle. Kickoff is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. CT (7:30 p.m. PT) on ESPN.

Source: LSUSports.net

LSU is coming off an 8-5 season a year ago, which culminated with a 38-3 win over Georgia Tech in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. Last year, LSU opened the year ranked No. 6 in the Coaches’ Poll.

A total of five Southeastern Conference teams are ranked in the top 25, including four in the top 10.

Florida leads the way as the defending national champions are No. 1 in the preseason poll. Other SEC teams in the rankings include Alabama at No. 5, Ole Miss at No. 10 and Georgia at No. 13. All four of those teams appear on LSU’s schedule this year.

LSU opens its fifth season under head coach Les Miles on Sept. 5 when the Tigers travel to Seattle to face Washington in a nationally televised game on ESPN.

Source: LSUSports.net