Welcome back to the Odyssey. As always, you can click here to read all parts of the journey covered so far. Last time, we took a look at Colorado continuing their roll, knocking off Texas in the Big 12 Championship Game. Today, we take a look at the final regular season game of the 2001 season, the SEC Championship.
Introduction: The Final Stretch
After the chaos of the last two weekends of upsets and close calls, this is what the BCS standings looked like. For Tennessee, the stakes were binary. If they knocked off LSU, they would be going to Pasadena and playing Miami for the National Championship. If they lost, they would be out of a BCS bowl bid and create massive chaos for the BCS picture. Things looked different though in the more modern rendition of that week’s Standings.
| Rank | Team | APPts | AP | USAPts | USA | A&H | Colley | Billings | Massey | Sagarin | Wolfe | Sum | Comp | Total |
| 1 | Miami (FL) | 1800 | 1.000 | 1499 | 0.999 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 100 | 1.000 | 1.000 |
| 2 | Tennessee | 1709 | 0.949 | 1419 | 0.946 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 24 | 21 | 24 | 95 | 0.950 | 0.948 |
| 3 | Oregon | 1624 | 0.902 | 1349 | 0.899 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 18 | 20 | 86 | 0.860 | 0.887 |
| 4 | Nebraska | 1468 | 0.816 | 1267 | 0.845 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 92 | 0.920 | 0.860 |
| 5 | Colorado | 1557 | 0.865 | 1212 | 0.808 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 83 | 0.830 | 0.834 |
| 6 | Florida | 1360 | 0.756 | 1132 | 0.755 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 24 | 21 | 75 | 0.750 | 0.753 |
| 7 | Maryland | 1325 | 0.736 | 1126 | 0.751 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 62 | 0.620 | 0.702 |
| 8 | Illinois | 1289 | 0.716 | 1094 | 0.729 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 66 | 0.660 | 0.702 |
| 9 | Texas | 1184 | 0.658 | 1003 | 0.669 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 17 | 22 | 19 | 71 | 0.710 | 0.679 |
| 10 | BYU | 1245 | 0.692 | 1094 | 0.729 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 54 | 0.540 | 0.654 |
| 11 | Oklahoma | 1172 | 0.651 | 902 | 0.601 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 19 | 17 | 64 | 0.640 | 0.631 |
| 12 | Stanford | 1050 | 0.583 | 852 | 0.568 | 20 | 19 | 14 | 21 | 17 | 18 | 74 | 0.740 | 0.630 |
| 13 | Washington St | 876 | 0.487 | 742 | 0.495 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 19 | 16 | 16 | 59 | 0.590 | 0.524 |
| 14 | South Carolina | 754 | 0.419 | 654 | 0.436 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 4 | 10 | 31 | 0.310 | 0.388 |
| 15 | Washington | 499 | 0.277 | 401 | 0.267 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 15 | 1 | 13 | 50 | 0.500 | 0.348 |
Before we dive into BCS scenarios, we needed to play the game in Atlanta first. Tennessee hosted LSU earlier in the year. Vols WR Kelly Washington set school records against the Tigers’ secondary. Tennessee took a very fast lead into the third, but LSU showed fight and made it close late. Ultimately Tennessee won 26-18, putting themselves on the path to the SEC Championship Game.
As mentioned previously, LSU was playing purely for a Sugar Bowl bid coming into this game, having losses to Tennessee, Florida, and Ole Miss early in the season. They had won four in a row to put themselves in the position to play David to Tennessee’s Goliath. Oregon, not Nebraska, was the team in waiting due to their having higher percentage of votes in the two human polls, instead of averaging the ranks they had. It’s also worth noting that despite the two major wins for Colorado, the Buffs couldn’t jump over Nebraska. If Tennessee loses, it would be a mess between those three teams vying for that second spot in the Rose Bowl.
Game Recap: It Just Means More
The LSU offense, who started the game with the ball, had trouble getting some momentum against the stingy Tennessee defense. LSU QB Rohan Davey was pressured by the Vols DL on passing downs and LeBrandon Toefield and Davey found very little running room. Tennessee, on its first possession couldn’t find much success either, punting back to the Tigers.
On the ensuing drive Davey got hit on a scramble, left the game temporarily. Former Minor League baseball player and current LSU freshman Matt Mauck stepped in to lead the Tigers. With Mauck in, LSU leaned on their running game. The Tigers also got a couple of breaks in the form of numerous Tennessee penalties. After an offside and Pass Interference on All-American Josh Reed, LSU was inside the 10 yard line. Mauck would take it the rest of the way, scoring on a QB Draw to put the underdogs on the board first.
Davey would return back on the next LSU drive, which occurred after Tennessee failed to respond on the touchdown. Davey seemed to get on track with the offense, hitting some intermediate passes to Reed and Jerel Myers, but the Tennessee defense forced punts. The rest of the first quarter turned into a battle of field position. As the second quarter started, LSU found itself quickly in Tennessee territory due to a good punt return from Domanick Davis. However, the Vols defense held and LSU K John Corbello could not extend the LSU lead.
Tennessee, on the ensuing drive, found its first prolonged drive of the night. Travis Stephens tried to find the holes in the LSU defense, which led to Casey Clausen to open up the passing lanes. Clausen first hit TE Jason Witten between the safeties to get the Vols in Tiger territory. On the ensuing play, Washington made his mark against the LSU secondary once again. Clausen hit Washington on a go route to the near corner of the end zone, putting Tennessee on the board.
LSU, much like Tennessee earlier in the game, could not respond to the offensive burst. A reaggravation of Toefield’s sprained knee limited his mobility and explosiveness. The Tennessee defense forced a punt and the Tennessee offense took advantage. Stephens found some holes in the LSU defense to get his longest run of the night and Kelly Washington put Tennessee, once again, in scoring position. Much like his TD catch Washington ran by his defender for 47 yards to get the Vols inside the 5. Clausen, on the next play, hit Troy Fleming on the ensuing play to give UT the lead.
LSU, sensing an urgency in getting some offensive momentum, tried to move the ball down the field. The Vols defense held Davis, now in at RB with Toefield hurt, and forced a 4th and 1 on LSU’s own 22. However, Davey bobbled the snap and was stopped well behind the first down line. Tennessee now had the ball up a score deep inside LSU territory. Clausen was then called for intentional grounding after a screen call did not develop. LSU, with more room to breathe, held the Vols offense to a FG attempt. Tennessee K Alex Walls hit a season high 51 yard field goal to extend the Tennessee lead with less than 4 minutes in the half.
LSU, now with two minutes to go in the half, needed to lean on the passing game to get some points prior to the half. Davey, in his efforts, was punished by the Vols defense on each attempt. However, Davey did find Reed on a key third down conversion. However, in consecutive plays, Davey tried to hit WRs in the end zone and the Vols defense gave him hits on each attempt. Mauck returned for the third down play, but couldn’t find success. Corbello trotted back on the field and hit a 44 yarder to bring LSU back within a touchdown before the half.
The LSU defense held the Tennessee offense to a three and out, giving their offense a chance to continue to close the gap. Mauck, now the starter the rest of the way, hit Mark Clayton in his best offensive play to date. After another relatively successful QB Draw by Mauck, the Tennessee defense stood tall. LSU’s field goal attempt by Corbello was good from 47 yards, cutting the lead down to four.
The Tennessee offense found its groove on the ensuing drive. Clausen hit passes to Washington, Stephens, and Donte Stallworth to get into Tiger territory. However, Stephens could not break through the LSU front line on a third down conversion. This left head coach Phil Fulmer with a decision. Go for it on 4th and 1 on LSU’s 38, or attempt a 55 yard field goal to extend the lead. Fulmer chose to go for it but, after a Clausen incompletion, LSU took over.
The LSU backfield, who hadn’t started the game, began to take over. Davis brought LSU into Tennessee territory with a 14 yard run. Mauck, with yet another QB Draw, put LSU into better field position with another 9 yards. However, the Tennessee defense soon learned that forcing Mauck to pass was the way to stymie the new LSU offense. After putting them behind the sticks, LSU couldn’t move the ball and was once again forced to kick a field goal. Corbello hit another 40+ yarder, hitting this one from 45. The Tennessee lead was now shaved down to 1, heading into the fourth quarter.
Turning Point: Heartbreak City
As the third quarter closed and Tennessee looked to reestablish themselves on offense, the wheels began to fall off. After consecutive Clausen passes to move the Vols towards midfield, Travis Stephens put the ball on the ground. The LSU defense, looking for a mistake all evening, pounced on the opportunity. Damien James recovered and put LSU into excellent field position. Mauck and Davis continued to wreck the Tennessee defense. Davis ran for 12 yards before Mauck hit Robert Royal and Reed to move the ball inside the red zone. Mauck used his legs the rest of the way, finishing off on a QB draw. Mauck hit Reed for a two point conversion to make it a 7 point lead. LSU led for the first time since they went up 7-0 in the first quarter.
Tennessee, with the urgency of their season crumbling, leaned on their leader in Clausen. The sophomore hit Washington, Stallworth, and Witten as the Vols marched down the field in a hybrid spread offense. A pass interference call got Tennessee at the LSU four yard line. However, the LSU defense held. The front seven got pressure on Clausen and forced quick throws on three consecutive plays. All of those passes were incompletions and were forced to kick a field goal. Walls hit the chip shot to make it a four point game.
The Tennessee defense put Mauck and LSU into more imminent passing situations and forced a three out. Tennessee, with eight and a half minutes left, had a chance to go up and clinch their spot in the National Championship Game. One play later, things got dicey. Clausen hit Stallworth on a slant, and Stallworth lost control of the ball, with LSU recovered.
The LSU offense, with time on their side, leaned on their run game. Davis brought the ball to midfield. However, a false start put LSU behind the sticks. Mauck, forced to pass to get into friendlier running downs, almost threw his first interception, which was dropped. Davis got them closer with a 8 yard run. Then, Mauck has his best throw of the evening. He hit Michael Clayton (a future favorite target) for 22 yards, putting LSU deep inside Tennessee territory with the clock moving.
Tennessee did themselves no favors on the ensuing play. Mauck looked to hit Reed for a touchdown. Much like the key pass interference call in the first quarter, the safety arrived too early and hit Reed before the ball arrived. With LSU inside the red zone, the running game returned. Davis and Mauck continued to gash the Tennessee front seven. However, once LSU got inside the five, Tennessee used the urgency and their physicality to stonewall them for three plays, as the clock continued to tick. With less than three minutes to play, LSU faced a fourth and goal at the one yard line. Davis, on the conversion, went over the top of the Tennessee DL to score. LSU pushed their lead to two scores with 2:30 left to play.
Tennessee, now in true panic mode, tried to get the ball down the field. They got around midfield but after consecutive incomplete passes down the field, Tennessee stalled out. Tennessee also had two untimely false starts backing them up, and Clausen could not dig them out of that hole. Tennessee turned the ball over on downs. LSU went into victory formation, winning the game, and giving Tennessee their second loss of the season, ending their National Championship hopes.
Players of the Game: Matt Mauck, QB LSU/Domanick Davis, RB LSU
For the longest time watching this game I wanted to just go with Mauck, but watching the game changed my mind. With LSU losing their starting QB and RB within a couple of plays, and the Tennessee offense seemingly finding the passes they wanted, the game seemed lost. However, the new backfield for the Tigers gave a new wrinkle for the offense that Tennessee wasn’t ready for. Mauck finished with pedestrian passing numbers, going 5/15 for 67 yards. However, his damage was done on the ground. He rushed for 46 yards and two TDs.
Davis, in relief, finished with a game high 78 yards on the ground and the closing TD. I also wanted to put Biletnikoff Award Winner Josh Reed here in this section as well. He finished with 4 catches for 60 yards, but his two drawn DPIs were also crucial getting LSU on the board both in the first and fourth quarter.
Look Ahead: Chaos
During multiple occasions in the fourth quarter, the broadcast team of Verne Lundquist and Todd Blackledge about the joys that were happening during the game’s events in Eugene, Boulder, and Lincoln, as they found themselves as potential beneficiaries of the chaos for the #2 spot in the BCS over the past couple of weeks. Next time, we will take a look at what game decided that spot and where the other chips landed. Plus we’ll take a quick wrap around of the BCS games to see how the top teams we’ve talked about on the Odyssey did. That’s all next time. Until then, sound off below on thoughts on the last great Tennessee team, the beginning of the Saban era in the sport, and the BCS in general!
