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LSU aims to continue postseason success

Dec 31, 2008 - 12:14 PM LSU (7-5) vs. (15) Georgia Tech (9-3), 11:00 am EST

ATLANTA (Ticker) -- Coming off a national championship, Louisiana State certainly had its sights set on a return to a BCS bowl this year.

But after losing five of their last eight games, the Tigers will have to settle for a date in the Chick-fil-A Bowl on Wednesday, when they will take on 15th-ranked Georgia Tech.

Despite losing several key starters from last year's national title team, LSU (7-5) won its first four games this season and appeared to be a legitimate contender in the SEC.

However, the Tigers were outclassed in blowout defeats to Florida and Georgia before losing in overtime to Alabama. After surviving a close call against Troy, LSU closed the season with consecutive losses to Ole Miss and Arkansas.

As a result of the late-season slide, LSU is the first defending national champion to ever play in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.

Despite his team's disappointing campaign, LSU head coach Les Miles is optimistic about the Tigers' chances against the red-hot Yellow Jackets (9-3).

"We now have the opportunity to get healthy in the next couple of weeks and that will put us in a position to do the right things as we head into a bowl game," said Miles, who owns a 3-0 postseason record with the Tigers.

"If you look at how we finished last year, we limped through the SEC championship game and then got healthy. We played fast in a big game thereafter to win. That's what we have to do."

The Chick-fil-A Bowl constitutes LSU's ninth consecutive bowl appearance, a streak which began here in 2000 - when the contest was called the Peach Bowl. The Tigers, ironically, defeated the Yellow Jackets, 28-14.

LSU has won nine of its last 11 bowl games, a fact that has not escaped Georgia Tech first-year coach Paul Johnson.

"We realize LSU is going to be a formidable challenge," said Johnson, the ACC coach of the year. "They're one year removed from being a national championship team. They've got a great tradition and a great history."

Coming off a successful stint at Navy, Johnson made quite an impression in his first year at Georgia Tech, which missed a chance to compete for the ACC title by losing a tiebreaker to Virginia Tech.

A preseason pick to finish near the bottom of the conference, Georgia Tech went 5-3 in ACC play and concluded the season with a 45-42 upset of rival Georgia. It was the Yellow Jackets' first win over the Bulldogs since 2000.

Johnson, who was rewarded this month with a new seven-year, $17.2 million contract extension, guided a Georgia Tech offense that used the triple option to finish third in the nation with 282.3 rushing yards per game.

The Yellow Jackets are led by Jonathan Dwyer, the ACC's leading rusher, who ran for 1,328 yards, 12 touchdowns and averaged 7.0 yards per carry.

Conversely, LSU likely will lean on bruising running back Charles Scott, who finished with 1,109 yards and 15 TDs.