Top-ranked LSU returns to site of 'Bluegrass Miracle'

By JEFFREY McMURRAY
Associated Press Writer

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - From the miracle of 2002 to the massacre of 2006, Louisiana State has found no shortage of ways to beat Kentucky.

It's fitting that the Tigers (6-0, 3-0 Southeastern Conference), who suit up for a game as the nation's top-ranked team for just the second time since 1959, will debut their new ranking in Lexington. That's the site of arguably the most famous play in school history.

The Wildcats have lost four in a row in the series dating back to 1999, but the last time these teams met at Commonwealth Stadium, Kentucky's fans stormed the field, thinking Kentucky had prevailed.

Turned out it was a false alarm as Devery Henderson caught a tipped pass as time expired for a 75-yard, game-winning touchdown. It's still known in Baton Rouge as the ``Bluegrass Miracle.''

``I've seen that play so much,'' said Henderson, now with the New Orleans Saints. ``I mean after it happened, I saw it every day for two weeks straight, every day. I didn't get tired of seeing it.''

The No. 17 Wildcats (5-1, 1-1) and their fans did get tired of it, but more of a concern for them is last year's matchup, when they headed to Baton Rouge and were pounded 49-0.

Both teams went onto win bowl games - the first for Kentucky since 1984 - but that thumping was easily the low point.

``Clearly we're better equipped now than we were when we played them last year,'' Kentucky coach Rich Brooks said. ``I don't think there's a question about that. We're a much better football team, but we haven't seen a team yet this year that is going to give us the problems this team will.''

The Tigers are the only team in the nation to surrender fewer than 200 yards a game (197). They also average just 9.33 points allowed per game, second nationally. That adds up to a No. 1 ranking, although coach Les Miles tends to downplay such things.

``I am complimented by that but I don't make much of it,'' Miles said. ``Frankly, it is like being ahead at halftime. It is one of the scores that you don't care about. It is at the end of the game and end of the season that you care about.''

The Wildcats haven't played the nation's No. 1-ranked team since losing to Tennessee in 1998 or beaten one since Mississippi in 1964.

Kentucky certainly has the offense to chip into some of LSU's defensive eye-popping stats, including one of the nation's top quarterbacks, Andre Woodson. However, the Wildcats' offense relies on its balance, and top rusher Rafael Little may be sidelined with a deep thigh bruise.

``They do a lot of things well,'' LSU receiver Jared Mitchell said. ``It's going to be tough for us to get in a groove. It's going to be interesting to see how we start off.''

That's an even bigger focus for the Wildcats, who relied on fourth quarter comebacks to beat Arkansas and Louisville - teams that don't boast near the defensive of LSU. Going against the Tigers' defensive front, including Glenn Dorsey, whom Brooks calls ``a man among boys,'' Kentucky's players would prefer not to be forced to claw their way back.

``You can't get down in the first half and expect to come back in the second half and beat a team like that,'' Kentucky receiver Keenan Burton said. ``They know how to prepare, and they definitely know how to play.''

This matchup could have featured two top-10 teams instead of one, but Kentucky stumbled last week in a 38-23 loss to South Carolina. Unless the Wildcats right the ship quickly, one loss could easily turn into three in a row, as defending national champion Florida comes to Lexington next.

LSU beat the Gators in a classic comeback battle last week, in which Miles attempted five fourth-down conversions, including a fake field goal.

Along with that trickery, LSU features a two-quarterback system, using both veteran Matt Flynn and youngster Ryan Perrilloux. Brooks says they're both talented, but neither one individually presents as much of a threat as last year's starter, JaMarcus Russell, picked first overall by the Oakland Raiders in the NFL Draft.

On the other side of the ball, the Tigers will be trying to stop Woodson, probably the SEC's best pocket-passer, a week after stopping Tim Tebow, the best dual-threat. If they do, the question might be: What quarterback can't they stop?

``When it comes to LSU, you have to play a perfect game,'' Kentucky center Eric Scott said.

Source: ncaafootball.com; Photo: SEC Sports Media