LSU Wins 2007 National Title
Tigers Overpower Ohio State, 38-24, To Claim Second BCS Championship
Quarterback Matt Flynn throws four touchdown passes, as the Tigers overcome a 10-0 deficit and become the first two-loss team to claim the Bowl Championship Series crown.
After an over-anxious start, LSU settled down to methodically defeat Ohio State, 38-24, to win the 2007 national championship.
Quarterback Matt Flynn delivered a career-high four touchdown passes, as the Tigers overcame a 10-0 deficit to become the first team to win two Bowl Championship Series national titles. The Tigers also won in 2004 following the 2003 regular season.
Ohio State struck quickly, with Chris Wells rushing for a 65-yard touchdown on the fourth play from scrimmage, and the Buckeyes getting a field goal on their next possessions.
LSU then responded in overpowering fashion, as the Southeastern Conference champion convincingly beat the Big Ten Conference’s best for the second year a row. Florida routed Ohio State last season, 41-14, after the Buckeyes had returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown.
LSU scored 31 unanswered points behind Flynn, tight end Richard Dickson, who caught two scores, and first-year offensive coordinator Gary Crowton, who spread the field with his high-powered attack.
LSU (12-2) became the first two-loss team to win a BCS crown, although the Tigers never fell in regulation. Both setbacks came in triple overtime, including one in the regular-season finale that nearly cost them a spot in the championship game.
Given a reprieve when teams above it in the rankings lost, LSU didn’t disappoint a partisan crowd in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans.
Flynn, a fifth-year senior who had started only once prior to this season, won Offensive Most Valuable Player honors while completing 19 of 27 passes for 174 yards with one interception.
Flynn succeeded JaMarcus Russell, who left LSU a year early to become the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft in going to the Oakland Raiders.
Senior running back Jacob Hester added a 1-yard touchdown run while rushing 20 times for 86 yards. Defensive tackle Ricky Jean-Francois won Defensive Most Valuable Player recognition chiefly for blocking a 38-yard field goal attempt with the score tied at 10-10 in the second quarter.
LSU began its comeback with Colt David’s 32-yard field goal followed by Dickson’s 13-yard touchdown catch. After Jean-Francois’ block, and Darry Beckwith’s recovery, LSU embarked on a 10-play drive that resulted in a 10-yard touchdown pass to Brandon LaFell and a 17-10 lead at 7:25 of the second quarter.
Hester’s touchdown run gave LSU a 24-10 halftime lead, and after a roughing-the-kicker penalty sustained the opening drive of the third quarter, Early Doucet caught a 4-yard touchdown pass. Dickson completed LSU’s scoring with a 5-yard touchdown catch with 1:50 left to play.
