The
Tigers scored 28 fourth-quarter points to rally from a 17-7 deficit and
won the game on a 39-yard pass from JaMarcus Russell to Early Doucet with
1:13 remaining. This was all one week after having their season-opener postponed
and then having to move this game from its scheduled site in Baton Rouge
to Tempe, Ariz., in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
The LSU rally was spurred by a pair of special teams touchdowns. Mario
Stevenson returned a blocked field goal 55 yards for one score and Craig
Steltz followed 80 seconds later, returning a blocked punt 29 yards to give
LSU its first lead, 21-17, with 13:27 left in the game.
"The players did a great job in this game," said first-year head coach
Les Miles after his LSU debut. "I felt like they could not come away without
victory, would not be denied. They had great courage and no matter what
obstacles were presented to them, they were going to find a way to win."
Other Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Bowl National Team of the Week nominees for
the weekend of Sept. 10 included:
Iowa State (2-0): In Ames, the Cyclones forced five turnovers in humbling
their in-state rival Iowa, 23-3.
Notre Dame (2-0): Brady Quinn threw two first-half touchdown
passes as the Fighting Irish beat Michigan, 17-10, to win for the second straight week on the road
under new coach Charlie Weis.
Ohio (1-1): Dion Byrum returned a pair of interceptions for
touchdowns · including an 85-yarder in overtime · as the Bobcats stunned
Pittsburgh, 16-10.
SMU (1-1): The Mustangs ended a six-game losing streak to
arch-rival TCU, 21-10. It was SMU's first win over a ranked team since
the 1986 season.
Texas (2-0): Vince Young threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to
Limas Sweed with 2:37 left to rally the Longhorns past Ohio State, 25-22,
in front of 105,565 fans in Columbus.
The FWAA has named a national team of the week since the 2002 season.
This is the first season that the award has been sponsored by the Tostitos
Fiesta Bowl.
The 16 pollsters of the Grantland Rice Super 16 Poll decide the weekly
honor. Each Monday during the 2005 college football season, the FWAA will
name the Tostitos Bowl National Team of the Week through Nov. 28.
The Grantland Rice Super 16 Poll will resume this season on Oct.
10. The top-ranked team in the final poll will be awarded the Grantland
Rice Trophy as the FWAA's national champion. The FWAA has awarded the trophy
each season since 1954. USC is the two-time defending FWAA national champion
and is ranked No. 1 in the initial 2005 poll.
Since 1971, the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl and Tempe, Ariz., have hosted
five games that have decided the college football national championship,
including two Bowl Championship Series title games. The 2006 game will be
played on Jan. 2 and will be the final game played at Sun Devil Stadium.
The Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, along with the BCS Championship Game, will move
to the new Multi-Purpose Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., beginning in 2007.
For more information on the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the
Week, go to
www.footballwriters.com
or www.tostitosfiestabowl.com.