2006 LSU Tigers football team
Encyclopedia
The 2006 LSU Tigers football team represented Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...

 in the college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...

 season of 2006–2007. The team's coach was former Oklahoma State coach Les Miles
Les Miles
Leslie Edwin "Les" Miles, nicknamed "The Mad Hatter", is an American college football coach and the current head coach of the Louisiana State University football team. Prior to holding that position, he was head coach at Oklahoma State...

. They played their home games at Tiger Stadium
Tiger Stadium (LSU)
Tiger Stadium is an outdoor stadium located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is best known as the home stadium of the Louisiana State University football team.Tiger Stadium opened with a capacity of 12,000 in 1924...

 in Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...

, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...

. The team won a bid to play in the Bowl Championship Series
Bowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...

 Allstate Sugar Bowl
2007 Sugar Bowl
The 2007 Allstate Sugar Bowl Game was a college football bowl game, which formed part of the 2006–2007 Bowl Championship Series of the 2006 NCAA Division I-BS football season. Played on January 3, 2007, in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, it was the 73rd Sugar Bowl...

 at the Louisiana Superdome
Louisiana Superdome
The Mercedes-Benz Superdome, previously known as the Louisiana Superdome and colloquially known as the Superdome, is a sports and exhibition arena located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA...

 in New Orleans, playing No. 11 Notre Dame
2006 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team
The 2006 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team was a college football team which represented the University of Notre Dame during the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Charlie Weis in his second year as head coach and played their home football games at Notre Dame...

 on January 3, 2007.

Previous season

2005
2005 LSU Tigers football team
The 2005 LSU Tigers football team represented Louisiana State University in the college football season of 2005–2006. Coached by Les Miles in his first season at LSU, the Tigers played their home games at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana...

 was a successful season under first year head coach Les Miles. He led the team to an 11–2 record and an appearance in the SEC championship game
SEC Championship Game
The SEC Championship Game refers to the game determining the Southeastern Conference's football season champion. The championship game pits the SEC Western Division representative against the Eastern Division representative in a game held after the regular season has been completed. Thus far, nine...

 despite the distractions caused by Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...

.

Pre-season

The 2006 LSU Tigers football team was ranked in the top 10 in the country by multiple publications and were expected to compete for the SEC
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...

 championship.

Schedule

Honors

Player Honors
Will Arnold Second-Team All-SEC (AP)
Ciron Black First-Team Freshman All-America (College Football News)
Third-Team Freshman All-America (Sporting News)
Freshman All-SEC (SEC Coaches)
Dwayne Bowe
Dwayne Bowe
-2007:On August 5, 2007, Bowe signed a five-year contract with the Chiefs, after holding out the first week of practice at training camp.Bowe scored his first NFL touchdown on a pass from Damon Huard in the first half of the Chiefs' game against the Chicago Bears on September 16, 2007.In his rookie...

Third-Team All-America (Rivals.com)
First-Team All-SEC (SEC Coaches)
Second-Team All-SEC (AP)
SEC Offensive Player of the Week (Oct. 21 vs. Fresno State)
Jacob Cutrera
Jacob Cutrera
Jacob Arnie Cutrera is an American football linebacker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League. He was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He played college football at Louisiana State....

Third-Team Freshman All-America (Sporting News)
Craig Davis Second-Team All-SEC (SEC Coaches)
Richard Dickson
Richard Dickson
Richard Phillip Dickson is an American football player who played for the Louisiana State Tigers during 2005-2009. He is the most productive tight end in school history with 90 receptions for 952 yards and 10 touchdowns. In 2010, he was signed by the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free...

Second-Team All-SEC (SEC Coaches)
Honorable Mention Freshman All-America (Sporting News)
Glenn Dorsey
Glenn Dorsey
-Kansas City Chiefs:Dorsey was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs fifth overall in the 2008 NFL Draft. On July 26, 2008, he signed a five-year, $51 million contract with $23 million guaranteed....

First-Team All-America (AP, AFCA, CBS Sportsline.com, SI.com, Rivals.com)
First-Team All-SEC (SEC Coaches, AP, ESPN.com)
SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week (Sept. 9 vs. Arizona)
SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week (Sept. 16 vs. Auburn)
Ali Highsmith
Ali Highsmith
Arlington Louis "Ali" Highsmith is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2008...

Second-Team All-SEC (SEC Coaches)
Trindon Holliday
Trindon Holliday
Trindon Holliday is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft...

SEC Special Teams Player of the Week (Nov. 24 vs. Arkansas)
Tyson Jackson
Tyson Jackson
-Kansas City Chiefs:Jackson was drafted by the Chiefs, who looked to implement him as DE into their new 3-4 defense. Jackson remained unsigned at the beginning of the Chiefs' training camp session and did not travel with the team to River Falls, Wisconsin...

Second-Team All-SEC (SEC Coaches)
SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week (Nov. 11 vs. Alabama)
Ricky Jean-Francois
Ricky Jean-Francois
Ricky Barkley Jean-Francois is a professional American football nose tackle for the San Francisco 49ers. He played collegiately at Louisiana State.-College career:...

First-Team Freshman All-America (Sporting News)
Second-Team Freshman All-America (College Football News)
Freshman All-SEC (SEC Coaches)
Brian Johnson
Brian Johnson (offensive lineman)
Brian Garrett Johnson is an American football guard who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football at Louisiana State....

Second-Team All-SEC (AP)
Brandon LaFell
Brandon LaFell
Brandon LaFell is a wide receiver for the Carolina Panthers of the NFL. He was selected with the 78th pick in the 2010 NFL Draft...

Freshman All-SEC (SEC Coaches)
LaRon Landry
LaRon Landry
LaRon Louis Landry is an American football strong safety for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Redskins sixth overall in the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Louisiana State...

First-Team All-America (AP, AFCA)
Second-Team All-America (Walter Camp, SI.com, Rivals.com)
First-Team All-SEC (SEC Coaches, AP)
Chase Pittman
Chase Pittman
Chase Pittman is an American football defensive end who is currently the defensive line coach at Calvary Baptist Academy in Shreveport, Louisiana. He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Louisiana State...

SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week (Sept. 23 vs. Tulane)
JaMarcus Russell
JaMarcus Russell
JaMarcus Trenell Russell is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. Russell played college football for the LSU Tigers where he finished 21–4 as a starter and was named MVP of the 2007 Sugar Bowl. The Oakland Raiders selected Russell with the first overall pick of the 2007...

First-Team All-SEC (SEC Coaches, AP, ESPN.com)
SEC Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 30 vs. Mississippi State)
SEC Offensive Player of the Week (Oct. 14 vs. Kentucky)
SEC Offensive Player of the Week (Nov. 4 vs. Tennessee)
Sugar Bowl MVP
Manning Award
Manning Award
The Manning Award has been presented annually since 2004 to the collegiate American football quarterback adjudged by the Sugar Bowl Committee to be the best in the United States...


UL-Lafayette

This game was the Season
Season
A season is a division of the year, marked by changes in weather, ecology, and hours of daylight.Seasons result from the yearly revolution of the Earth around the Sun and the tilt of the Earth's axis relative to the plane of revolution...

 opener for Tigers. The game was being played in front of the home crowd in Death Valley
Death Valley
Death Valley is a desert valley located in Eastern California. Situated within the Mojave Desert, it features the lowest, driest, and hottest locations in North America. Badwater, a basin located in Death Valley, is the specific location of the lowest elevation in North America at 282 feet below...

. Last years season opener was a 35 to 31 win for the tigers. LSU V UL-Lafayette, Already five minutes into the game LSU had a 14–0 lead off an offensive drive down field and a defensive turnover. From this point on, LSU rolled on to win the game 45 to 3.

Arizona

This game was broadcast around the nation on ESPN2
ESPN2
ESPN2 is an American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...

. This game was played at home. The game was over when JaMarcus Russell
JaMarcus Russell
JaMarcus Trenell Russell is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. Russell played college football for the LSU Tigers where he finished 21–4 as a starter and was named MVP of the 2007 Sugar Bowl. The Oakland Raiders selected Russell with the first overall pick of the 2007...

 threw his first TD of the night late in the first quarter to make it 17–0 LSU.

The LSU defense limited Arizona to 156 total yards and recovered four Wildcats
Bobcat
The bobcat is a North American mammal of the cat family Felidae, appearing during the Irvingtonian stage of around 1.8 million years ago . With twelve recognized subspecies, it ranges from southern Canada to northern Mexico, including most of the continental United States...

 turnovers. Arizona's third-down efficiency was only one of the Wildcats problems in Baton Rouge.

Auburn

Last year LSU pulled it out against Auburn, beating them 20 to 17 in overtime
Overtime (sports)
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw. In most sports, this extra period is only played if the game is required to have a clear winner, as in single-elimination...

. This was a game between No. 3 Auburn and No. 6 LSU. This was the first away game for the Tigers, and it would be controversial one. LSU came into the game with a string of 14 quarters without allowing a touchdown, they also came in with the best defense in the country. It would go down to the last play of the game. This game would have two elements: two punishing defenses, a pivotal officials' call that left both sides a bit perplexed and some follies in the kicking game.

With LSU facing fourth-and-8 from Auburn's 31 and 2:43 left, JaMarcus Russell fired the ball to Early Doucet
Early Doucet
Early Joseph Doucet, III is an American football wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cardinals in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Louisiana State.-Early years:Early Doucet prepped at St. Martinville...

 near the goal line. A diving Eric Brock
Eric Brock
Eric Brock is an American football safety who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Auburn.-Atlanta Falcons:...

 deflected the pass, but Zach Gilbert was called for pass interference that would have kept the drive alive.

The officials overturned the call, although replays showed the contact came before the ball was tipped by Brock. On the whole, there were anywhere between 5 and 8 questionable calls against LSU, and LSU fans felt cheated by the outcome, giving this game the nickname Grand Theft Auburn.

The Tigers drove to Auburn's 24 with 2.5 seconds left as Russell hooked up with Craig Davis for gains of 20 and 21 yards and Dwayne Bowe
Dwayne Bowe
-2007:On August 5, 2007, Bowe signed a five-year contract with the Chiefs, after holding out the first week of practice at training camp.Bowe scored his first NFL touchdown on a pass from Damon Huard in the first half of the Chiefs' game against the Chicago Bears on September 16, 2007.In his rookie...

 for 21. On the final play, Russell went to Davis again. The receiver caught the pass inside the 10, but Brock stopped him cold with a jarring hit at the 4.

"It was a low throw on the final play, but it was not JaMarcus' fault", Davis said. "I was expecting it to be a jump ball in the end zone."

Underscoring the physical nature of the game, the two teams combined for less than 2 yards a rush on 61 combined carries.

Tulane

LSU brought Tulane's 14-game span away from New Orleans to a merciless and painful end.

Early Doucet caught two touchdown passes and ran for a third score as the No. 9 Tigers jumped out to a large early lead in a 49–7 victory over Tulane on Saturday night.

Mississippi State

  1. 9 LSU would take on Mississippi State in Baton Rouge. The game would take place at 11:30 am CST.


JaMarcus Russell, who orchestrated the Tigers' 48–17 throttling of the Bulldogs. He finished with three TDs on 18-for-20 passing and 327 yards.

Mississippi State put the ball on the ground, but they didn't move it forward. On 20 rushing attempts, the Bulldogs gained just 24 total yards.

Florida

It was over when JaMarcus Russell pass was intercepted by Tony Joiner of Florida with 3:00 left in the game.

Kentucky

Fresno St.

There was a lot of excitement when this game was scheduled because Fresno State had been a top 25 team the previous season. In fact, they took No. 1 USC down to the wire and almost beat them. For this reason, ESPN decided to telecast this game nationally. Unfortunately, Fresno State underperformed this season and LSU took advantage of this early and often, winning 38–6.

Tennessee

LSU QB JaMarcus Russell
JaMarcus Russell
JaMarcus Trenell Russell is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. Russell played college football for the LSU Tigers where he finished 21–4 as a starter and was named MVP of the 2007 Sugar Bowl. The Oakland Raiders selected Russell with the first overall pick of the 2007...

 threw a touchdown pass with 9 seconds remaining to give the LSU Tigers a 28–24 victory over Tennessee. The Vols looked good at times during the game, but could not make a stop on LSU's final drive of the game, which consumed 7:14 from the clock. QB Erik Ainge
Erik Ainge
Erik Douglas Ainge is a retired American football quarterback formerly of the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Jets in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft...

, starting with a sore ankle, was replaced in the 1st quarter by redshirt
Redshirt (college sports)
Redshirt is a term used in American college athletics that refers to a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen his or her period of eligibility...

 freshman Jonathan Crompton
Jonathan Crompton
Jonathan David Crompton is an American football quarterback for the Washington Redskins the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL Draft...

. Crompton performed well for his first significant action, connecting on two long touchdown passes to Robert Meachem
Robert Meachem
Robert Meachem is an American football wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Saints 27th overall in the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Tennessee....

. On Defense, Tennessee intercepted Russell 3 times and recovered 1 fumble.

Alabama

Ole Miss

Arkansas

The No. 9 ranked LSU Tigers final regular season game was in Little Rock, Arkansas against the No. 5 ranked Arkansas Razorbacks. The Razorbacks only loss to this point of the season was a 50–14 defeat at the hands of the No. 3 ranked USC Trojans. LSU lead most of the game holding a 14–12 half time lead, but in the fourth quarter Arkansas made their push. With 10:31 remaining in the fourth quarter Darren McFadden scored on an 80 yard touchdown run to cut the LSU lead to 24–19. LSU responded with a 92 yard kickoff return by Trindon Holliday. Holliday's kick return proved to be the difference in a 31–26 LSU win.

Notre Dame

In a game that was advertised as a battle between the nations top-2 quarterbacks (LSU QB JaMarcus Russell
JaMarcus Russell
JaMarcus Trenell Russell is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. Russell played college football for the LSU Tigers where he finished 21–4 as a starter and was named MVP of the 2007 Sugar Bowl. The Oakland Raiders selected Russell with the first overall pick of the 2007...

 vs. ND QB Brady Quinn
Brady Quinn
Brayden Tyler "Brady" Quinn is an American football quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. Quinn was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre Dame.-Early Years:Brayden Tyler "Brady" Quinn was born on...

), Russell and the LSU Tigers made sure the praise was one-sided. Russell set career high marks for yardage and TD's (3) before sealing a 41–14 victory. Russell would use this to springboard himself to the top of the 2007 draft boards
2007 NFL Draft
The 2007 National Football League Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draft was televised for the 28th consecutive year on ESPN and ESPN2. The NFL Network also broadcast coverage of the event, its second year doing so...

 as he was selected number 1 over by the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

, while Quinn, a hopeful number 1 overall pick himself, fell all the way to the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

 at pick 22.

LSU Tigers in the 2007 National Football League Draft

Player Position Round Pick Overall NFL Team
Jamarcus Russell
JaMarcus Russell
JaMarcus Trenell Russell is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. Russell played college football for the LSU Tigers where he finished 21–4 as a starter and was named MVP of the 2007 Sugar Bowl. The Oakland Raiders selected Russell with the first overall pick of the 2007...

 
Quarterback 1 1 1 Oakland Raiders
2007 Oakland Raiders season
The 2007 Oakland Raiders season was the team's forty-eight season overall. The team finished the season with a 4–12 record. It began with the team's fourth head coach in six seasons. By virtue of the team's 2–14 finish in 2006 , they acquired the first overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft...

LaRon Landry
LaRon Landry
LaRon Louis Landry is an American football strong safety for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Redskins sixth overall in the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Louisiana State...

 
Safety 1 6 6 Washington Redskins
2007 Washington Redskins season
The 2007 Washington Redskins season was the team's 75th season, and saw the team achieve a record of 9-7 and a playoff appearance. This was an improvement over the 2006 season in which they went 5-11 and finished last in the NFC East....

Dwayne Bowe
Dwayne Bowe
-2007:On August 5, 2007, Bowe signed a five-year contract with the Chiefs, after holding out the first week of practice at training camp.Bowe scored his first NFL touchdown on a pass from Damon Huard in the first half of the Chiefs' game against the Chicago Bears on September 16, 2007.In his rookie...

 
Wide Receiver 1 23 23 Kansas City Chiefs
2007 Kansas City Chiefs season
The 2007 Kansas City Chiefs season began with the team looking to improve on their 9-7 record in 2006 and attempting to secure the franchise's first back-to-back playoff berth since 1995. The season ended with a nine game losing streak, the team's first since 1987 and a 4-12 record...

Craig Davis  Wide Receiver 1 30 30 San Diego Chargers
2007 San Diego Chargers season
The 2007 San Diego Chargers season began with the team trying to equal their 2006 regular season success and avoid another early departure in the playoffs. After a disappointing start under new head coach Norv Turner , they finished the regular season strong, with six straight wins, an overall...

Chase Pittman
Chase Pittman
Chase Pittman is an American football defensive end who is currently the defensive line coach at Calvary Baptist Academy in Shreveport, Louisiana. He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Louisiana State...

 
Defensive End 7 3 213 Cleveland Browns
2007 Cleveland Browns season
The 2007 Cleveland Browns season began with the Browns attempting to improve upon their 4–12 record from the 2006 season, in which the team finished in fourth place in the AFC North. The Browns also attempted to overcome the many injuries that plagued the team throughout the 2006 season...


http://www.pro-football-reference.com/draft/2007.htm
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