LSU vs Appy State -- Upset? Not In Death Valley!

by Shane Jackson
(N.O., La.)

If you are expecting the LSU Tigers football team to lay a goose egg come Saturday against Appalachian St....think again.

After Appy st. shocked the college football world when it stunned #5 Michigan in the season opener, LSU coach Les Miles has his team prepared. There will be no surprises as Miles made sure the team watched plenty of film from that game.

"We're not sleeping on those guys," LSU senior defensive end Kirston Pittman said. "They're a great football club, and we've broken down the film on them. They have great receivers and great defensive backs, a good offensive line and a great quarterback."

Said junior defensive tackle Ricky Jean-Francois: "We'll give them the same respect we give everybody else, Ohio State, . . . any school. We're not looking down at them; we're looking up at them."

Appalachian is a team to be respected, regardless of the fact they play in another division. They beat Michigan and are the defending champions...again in their respective division.

If the Mountaineers, ranked No. 1 in the I-AA coaches oll, are going to duplicate last season's upset, it will have to do so without the element of surprise. But LSU players say from what they've seen on video, the visitors are capable. And if they need any more proof, Miles can show them video of the Mountaineers' visit to Baton Rouge two years ago. LSU led 14-0 going into the fourth quarter of a 24-0 victory.

"They have a lot of fight in them," Pittman said. "They weren't scared of Michigan, you could tell from the tape. They went right at them. We know who they are. They're thinking upset again, and we're thinking 'not in our house."

The game will be televised on ESPN and should be an exciting one. Here is a question for you to ponder though. If Appalachian st. should win this game, do you think they should enter the ranks of the big boys? Not that I expect them to win but one never knows. After a wild ride last season...anything is possible in college football.