College football

Big rally lifts Vols to victory over LSU

By Times Staff
Published September 27, 2005

BATON ROUGE, La. - Tennessee refused to be part of LSU's feel-good story.

Gerald Riggs pushed into the end zone from a yard out in overtime to give the Volunteers a 30-27 comeback win Monday in the Tigers' long-awaited, hurricane-delayed home opener.

Rick Clausen, who transferred from LSU, led the Volunteers (2-1, 1-1 SEC) back from a 21-point deficit in the second half.

"Getting done what he got done, coming back here to win this football game at a place where he had been, I don't know if there is a better story in the world than what this guy has done," Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer said.

The Tigers had first crack in overtime but managed only a 31-yard field goal by Colt David.

Riggs accounted for all of the Vols' yards in overtime with a 10-yard reception and four runs. He capped it by powering through the line and into the end zone.

"I don't know what happened out there. We played like a joke out there in the second half," LSU defensive tackle Kyle Williams said. "It was nothing they did. It was everything we did. It was just an absolute joke in the second half. It was a complete and total breakdown."

Hurricane Katrina forced the Tigers to postpone their first home game and move their second to Arizona State, where LSU came away with a dramatic win.

Then Hurricane Rita forced another delay and set up the first Monday nighter in Tiger Stadium.

The crowd was a bit smaller than usual, but they were loud as ever, and the Tigers (1-1, 0-1) certainly looked like a team eager to play when they took a 21-0 lead in the first half.

Clausen came off the bench to rally Tennessee with a touchdown pass and 1-yard sneak that made it 24-14 with 9:35 left.

Jonathan Hefney intercepted JaMarcus Russell and returned it 26 yards to the LSU 2 on the next possession. When Riggs scored from 2 yards with about 71/2 minutes to play, the crowd went silent as the lead was down to three.

Then Tennessee forced another LSU punt, and Riggs' 22-yard run helped get the Vols in position for the tying field goal, a 28-yarder by James Wilhoit with 2:02 left.

LSU had one last shot in regulation, when LaRon Landry intercepted a pass at the Tigers 45 with 17.7 second left. But after a sack, all LSU could manage was an end zone heave that was picked off.

Tennessee, which had scored just 24 points in its first two games, again was lost offensively in the first half with Erik Ainge starting at quarterback.

Ainge's fumble set up the first score, and his desperation throw out of his end zone turned into a 3-yard interception return for a touchdown by Kenneth Hollis.

Ainge was inadvertently slammed into the goal post base by Cameron Vaughn on the touchdown and shaken up.

Clausen relieved with the Vols down by three touchdowns halfway into the second quarter, but it was unclear if it was because of injury or ineffectiveness.

The three-touchdown lead could have been even bigger for the Tigers. They lost two fumbles in Tennessee territory and watched time run out in the half with the ball at Vols 5.

"There was no panic," Fulmer said. "We challenged each other."

A moment of silence was held for the victims of the hurricanes before the game, and LSU's band played Walking in New Orleans before the alma mater and national anthem.

The stadium announcer welcomed the fans to the first major sporting event since the storms, saying, "On this evening, we vow to move forward under a common flag because this is LSU football. This is Tiger Stadium. And this is Louisiana."

[Last modified September 27, 2005, 02:45:31]