The 2008 LSU Tigers football team represented

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...

in the

2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season The 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the highest level of college football competition in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The regular season began on August 28, 2008 and ended on De ...

. The team's head coach was

Les Miles Leslie Edwin Miles (born November 10, 1953) is a former American football coach. He most recently served as the head coach at Kansas. His head coaching career began with the Oklahoma State Cowboys, where he coached from 2001 to 2004. Following t ...

, who entered his fourth year at the helm. They played their home games at Tiger Stadium in

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, it is the parish seat of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana's most populous parish—the equivalent of counties i ...

. The Tigers entered the season as defending national champions, having defeated

Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...

, 38–24, in the 2008 BCS National Championship Game.

Previous season

In his third season as head coach,

led LSU to the 2007 SEC Championship and the 2007 NCAA Division I-FBS national football championship. The Tigers became the first team to win two championships in the

Bowl Championship Series The Bowl Championship Series (BCS) was a selection system that created four or five bowl game match-ups involving eight or ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of American college football, including ...

era (1998–2013) and also the first 2-loss team to win a national championship, even though no games were lost in regulation. The team finished with a final record of 12–2. The team overcame 2 triple-

overtime Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways: *by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society), ...

losses and four other close games to become the first two-time

(BCS) champion ever. On their way to the BCS championship, the Tigers won their tenth

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...

championship by defeating

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

in the 2007 SEC Championship Game. The Tigers finished the season having earned the Southeastern Conference championship trophy, the

Grantland Rice Award The Grantland Rice Trophy was an annual award presented in the United States from 1954 to 2013 to the college football team recognized by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) as the National Champions. Named for the legendary sportsw ...

, the

MacArthur Bowl National Championship MacArthur or Macarthur may refer to: Places * Macarthur, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra, Australia * Macarthur, New South Wales, a region of Metropolitan Sydney, Australia ** Division of Macarthur ** Macarthur railway station * ...

trophy, the Associated Press Trophy and the

AFCA National Championship Trophy The Coaches' Trophy (officially known as the AFCA National Championship Trophy and popularly as "the crystal football") is the trophy awarded annually by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) to the NCAA Division I FBS college football ...

Pre-season

In February, the NCAA granted defensive end Kirston Pittman a sixth-year of eligibility. Pittman had missed the 2005 and 2006 seasons with foot and ankle injuries.

Coaching changes

Defensive coordinator

Bo Pelini Mark Anthony "Bo" Pelini (born December 13, 1967) is a former American football coach and former player. He was most recently the defensive coordinator for the Louisiana State University Tigers football team. He is the younger brother of forme ...

left to become the head coach at

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

2008 recruiting class

Key losses

Offense *

Matt Flynn Matthew Clayton Flynn (born June 20, 1985) is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He was a member of the Packers when they won Super Bowl XLV over the Pitts ...

, QBNationalChamps.net 2008 LSU Early Bird Preview
/ref> Drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the seventh round (209th overall) of the

2008 NFL Draft The 2008 NFL Draft was the 73rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 26 and April 27, ...

. *

Jacob Hester Jacob Troy Hester (born May 8, 1985) is a former American football fullback who played professionally in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the third round of the 2008 NFL draft. He played college foo ...

, FB/RB Drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the third round (69th overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft. *

Early Doucet Early Joseph Doucet III (born October 28, 1985) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Louisiana State University. Early y ...

, WR Drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round (81st overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft. *

Ryan Perrilloux Ryan Anthony Perrilloux (born January 1, 1987) is an American football quarterback that played in the National Football League, Canadian Football League, Arena Football League and Ligue Élite de Football Américain in France. He played colleg ...

Dismissed from team February 18, 2008; team policy violations. Defense *

Glenn Dorsey Glenn Jamon Dorsey (born August 1, 1985) is a former American football nose tackle. He played college football for Louisiana State University (LSU), received All-America honors twice, and was recognized as the top college defensive player of th ...

, DT Drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs fifth overall in the 2008 NFL Draft. *

Craig Steltz Craig Joseph Steltz (born May 7, 1986) is a former American football safety. He played college football for Louisiana State University (LSU), and earned consensus All-American honors. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of ...

, SS Drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round (120th overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft. *

Ali Highsmith Arlington Louis "Ali" Highsmith (born January 20, 1985) is a former professional American football linebacker. He was signed by the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL) as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college foot ...

, LB Signed with the Arizona Cardinals as a rookie free-agent for a two-year deal.

Schedule

*Denotes the largest crowd to watch a football game at Tiger Stadium Schedule Source:''
2008 LSU Tigers football schedule

Rankings

Game summaries

Appalachian State

North Texas

Auburn

Mississippi State

Florida

South Carolina

Georgia

Tulane

Alabama

Troy

Game delayed due to effects from

Hurricane Gustav Hurricane Gustav () was the second most destructive hurricane of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season. The seventh tropical cyclone, third hurricane, and second major hurricane of the season, Gustav caused serious damage and casualties in Haiti, ...

from originally scheduled date of September 6. Trailing 31–3 midway through the third quarter, the Bayou Bengals stage the greatest comeback in LSU history, even surpassing their fabled 1959 Halloween Night

Billy Cannon William Abb Cannon (August 2, 1937 – May 20, 2018) was an American football halfback, fullback and tight end who played professionally in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). He attended Louisiana State Un ...

-led rally against Ole Miss, scoring 37 consecutive points and rally for a 40–31 win.

Ole Miss

Arkansas

Chick-fil-A Bowl

A 28-point 2nd quarter by LSU was too much for the Yellow Jackets to overcome in the 2008 Chick-fil-A Bowl rout. Georgia Tech gave up three turnovers and did not force any.

Statistics

Team

Scores by quarter

Offense

Rushing

Passing

Receiving

Defense

Special teams

Roster

2008 Louisiana State University Football Roster and Bios http://www.lsusports.net/SportSelect.dbml?SPSID=27812&SPID=2164&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=5200&SORT_ORDER=6&Q_SEASON=2008

Coaching staff

LSU Tigers in the 2009 National Football League Draft

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/draft/2009.htm

References

{{LSU Tigers football navbox

LSU Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...

LSU Tigers football seasons Peach Bowl champion seasons

LSU Tigers football The LSU Tigers football program, also known as the Fighting Tigers, represents Louisiana State University in college football. The Tigers compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) an ...