LSU Tigers dominate Ohio State , win BCS title

By: Larry Fitzgerald
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
Originally posted 1/11/2008

 For the second year in a row, the Ohio State Buckeyes of the Big Ten lost the Bowl Championship-Series National Championship game. This time, the number-one rated Buckeyes were devoured by the SEC Champion LSU Tigers 38-24 at the Superdome in New Orleans . Ohio State (11-2) again started fast, jumping out to a 10-0 lead, but they could not stop the Tigers, who scored 31 unanswered points to cruise to victory.

  Ohio State committed three costly turnovers and had five personal foul penalties that helped the Tigers’ cause. It was a painful reminder for Big Ten fans of last year’s BCS title game, when the Buckeyes were routed 41-14 by Florida .

 LSU quarterback Matt Flynn threw four touchdown passes for the Tigers (12-2), who become the first two-loss BCS National Champions. In the final poll, the Tigers received 60 of 65 first-place votes, finishing ahead of Georgia , USC, Missouri and Ohio State .

 The Tigers were playing just 80 miles from their LSU campus in Baton Rouge . The win touched off a huge celebration in the Big Easy as a team from the SEC captures the National Championship again. It was the third championship for LSU and their second since 2003.

 Painfully, the Buckeyes missed a great chance to capture their second BCS title in six years. It was also the ninth time that Ohio State , now 0-9 from the mighty Big Ten Conference, has lost a bowl game to a team from the SEC. Ohio State went into the game with the nation’s best defense, allowing just 10 points a game; but Monday night they were no match for the Tigers. 

 Vikings in NFL’s top five

 The Dallas Cowboys are the NFL’s second-highest scoring team, averaging 28 points a game during the regular season. They finished 13-3 and are one of three 13-3 teams  along with Green Bay and Indianapolis, the others that may have the best shot at keeping the New England Patriots (16-0) from completing a perfect season.

 The Cowboys have an NFL record 12 Pro Bowl players. And, this year marks the 56th time — the most in league history — that the Cowboys have qualified for the NFL playoffs.

 The Pittsburgh Steelers are number two all-time with 47 appearances; third are the Oakland Raiders and St. Louis Rams, both with 43; and fourth all-time are the Purple & Gold Minnesota Vikings with 42 trips to the playoffs. The painful reminder is that the Vikings have missed the playoffs five of the last six years since Dennis Green was head coach and are the only team in the top five all-time in playoff appearances with zero Super Bowl wins.

 However, the good news is that it is most likely that a former Viking will again be on the team that wins Super Bowl XLII.

 Consider this: Of the 12 teams that qualified for the 2008 NFL playoffs, 11 teams have former Vikings coaches and players on their rosters. The New England Patriots have Randy Moss, who set the NFL all-time record for most touchdown receptions in an NFL season with 23. He is the only player in history to play on teams that finished the regular season 15-1, the 1998 Minnesota Vikings, and 16-0, the 2007 Patriots.

 The defending Super Bowl Champion Indianapolis Colts have Head Coach Tony Dungy and Defensive Line Coach John Teerlinck. The Pittsburgh Steelers have Head Coach Mike Tomlin, the Dallas Cowboys have Brad Johnson, and the Green Bay Packers have Koren Robinson, Colin Cole and Conrad Bolston. Seattle has Nate Burleson and Brian Russell; San Diego has former Vikings defensive coordinator Ted Cattrell and Cory Withrow.

  Jacksonville has former Vikings Pro Bowl linebacker Jack Del-Rio, ex head coach Mike Tice, Brian Williams and Richard Angulo. The New York Giants have Fred Robbins, and the Washington Redskins have Fred Smoot, the infamous Minnesota Love Boat cruise coordinator. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have Monte Kiffen and Michael Bennett.

 No wonder Tennessee lost to the Chargers — they are the only NFL 2007 playoff team with no ex-Vikings.

 Fitz Notes & Quotes

 Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier interviewed Monday in Miami for the vacant Dolphins head-coaching position with Executive Vice President of Football Operations Bill Parcells. Parcells fired coach Cam Cameron after the Dolphins (1-15) had the worst season in franchise history.

 Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson was named the 2007 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. He is only the fifth Viking in the franchise’s history to earn that honor. Peterson set the NFL all-time single-game rushing record with 296 yards against the San Diego Chargers.

 Peterson ran for 1,341 yards, the second-best in the NFL this year behind San Diego ’s LaDainian Tomlinson with 1,474 yards.

  Peterson’s combined yards rushing, receiving and returning kicks total 2,021, the second-best in franchise history behind Herschel Walker’s 2,051 combined yards in 1990. The Vikings were 2-4 in 2007 against NFL playoff teams and beat both San Diego and New York , scoring 35 and 41 points. Both San Diego and New York (Giants) advanced to the NFL’s elite eight this weekend.

 Larry Fitzgerald can be heard weekday mornings on KMOJ Radio 89.9 FM at 8:25 am, and biweekly he commentates on sports 7-8 pm on Almanac (TPT channel 2). He welcomes reader responses to lfitzgerald@spokesman-recorder.com, or visit www.Larry-Fitzgerald.com.