Tigers Have Little Problem Overcoming Early Deficit

NEW ORLEANS - Maybe there is something to this speed thing.

Leading up to Monday's BCS Championship Game, LSU and Ohio State downplayed the perceived notion that Southeastern Conference teams have more speed than Big Ten teams.

But for the second consecutive year, Ohio State jumped to an early lead against an SEC opponent in the title game. And for the second consecutive year, it didn't do the Buckeyes any good as LSU rallied for a 38-24 win in the Louisiana Superdome.

As far as Ohio State is concerned, the SEC's moniker could be Speed Eliminates Competition.

In the final minutes of the game, LSU fans began serenading the Buckeyes' faithful with chants of "S-E-C! S-E-C!" Ohio State is now 0-9 against SEC competition in bowl games.

The Tigers (12-2) won their third national championship (1958, 2003) and became the first team to win more than one BCS title since the format was instituted in 1998.

Things couldn't have started worse for LSU, however.

The Tigers trailed 10-0 six minutes into the game and were facing an Ohio State defense that was No. 1 in the country in total defense (225.3 yards per game) and scoring defense (10.7 points per game).

But LSU was unimpressed with those lofty rankings and never panicked.

After going three-and-out on their first drive, the Tigers scored on their next four possessions to go into halftime leading 24-10. The 24 points were the most Ohio State (11-2) has given up in the first half this season.

The key factor in LSU's scoring outburst was its ability to convert on third down; the Tigers were 8-for-10 in the first half on third down. LSU also was 4-for-4 in the red zone and didn't commit a penalty in the first half.

After Colt David's 32-yard field goal cut LSU's deficit to 10-3 with 2:21 left in the first quarter, Matt Flynn got the Tigers even when he hit tight end Richard Dickson on a 13-yard scoring pass early in the second quarter.

After blocking an Ohio State field-goal attempt, LSU marched 66 yards on 10 plays to go up for good, 17-10, when Flynn tossed a 10-yard scoring pass to Brandon LaFell midway through the second quarter.

Jacob Hester's 1-yard plunge closed out the scoring in the first half and the Tigers were well on their way to the win.

At the end of three quarters, LSU had amassed 270 yards and led 31-17. The 31 points were the most scored against Ohio State this season.

Any hope of a Buckeyes comeback was put to rest by an opportunistic LSU defense. On back-to-back fourth-quarter possessions, the Tigers recovered a fumble by OSU quarterback Todd Boeckman and intercepted a Boeckman pass to thwart potential scoring drives.