The 2003 LSU Tigers football team represented Louisiana State University (LSU) during the 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season. Coached by Nick Saban, the LSU Tigers played their home games at Tiger StadiuminBaton Rouge, Louisiana. The Tigers compiled an 11–1 regular season record and then defeated the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Championship Game, Afterward, LSU was invited to play the Oklahoma Sooners in the Sugar Bowl for the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) national title. LSU won the BCS National Championship Game, the first national football championship for LSU since 1958.
2003 LSU Tigers football | |
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Coaches' Poll national champion | |
SEC Championship Game, W 34–13 vs. Georgia | |
Sugar Bowl (BCS NCG), W 21–14 vs. Oklahoma | |
Conference | Southeastern Conference |
Division | Western Division |
Ranking | |
Coaches | No. 1 |
AP | No. 2 |
Record | 13–1 (7–1 SEC) |
Head coach |
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Offensive coordinator | Jimbo Fisher (4th season) |
Offensive scheme | Pro-style |
Defensive coordinator | Will Muschamp (2nd season) |
Base defense | 4–3 |
Home stadium | Tiger Stadium |
Seasons
← 2002
2004 →
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Conf | Overall | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Eastern Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No.7Georgiaxy | 6 | – | 2 | 11 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No.15Tennesseex | 6 | – | 2 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No.24Floridax | 6 | – | 2 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
South Carolina | 2 | – | 6 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Vanderbilt | 1 | – | 7 | 2 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kentucky | 1 | – | 7 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Western Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No.2LSU xy$# | 7 | – | 1 | 13 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No.13Ole Missx | 7 | – | 1 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Auburn | 5 | – | 3 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Arkansas | 4 | – | 4 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Alabama | 2 | – | 6 | 4 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mississippi State | 1 | – | 7 | 2 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Championship: LSU 34, Georgia 13 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2003 college football regular season ended with three one-loss teams in BCS contention: the LSU Tigers, Oklahoma Sooners, and USC Trojans. USC ended the regular season ranked No. 1 and LSU No. 2 in both the AP Poll and the Coaches' Poll. Media controversy ensued when the BCS computer-based selection system chose LSU and Oklahoma as the participants in the BCS title game, largely based on an assessment of the relative difficulty of the three teams' 2003 schedules. During the bowl games, LSU beat No. 3 Oklahoma 21–14 in the Sugar Bowl (designated as the BCS National Championship Game for the 2003–04 season), while USC defeated the No. 4 Michigan Wolverines 28–14 in the Rose Bowl. LSU was ranked No. 1 in the final Coaches' Poll (which was contractually obligated to rank the BCS champion No. 1) while USC remained No. 1 in the final AP Poll.
Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
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August 30 | 7:00 p.m. | Louisiana–Monroe* | No. 14 |
| W 49–7 | 89,148 | |
September 6 | 9:00 p.m. | atArizona* | No. 13 |
| TBS | W 59–13 | 46,110 |
September 13 | 7:00 p.m. | Western Illinois* | No. 12 |
| W 35–7 | 87,164 | |
September 20 | 2:30 p.m. | No. 7 Georgia | No. 11 |
| CBS | W 17–10 | 92,251 |
September 27 | 8:00 p.m. | atMississippi State | No. 7 |
| ESPN2 | W 41–6 | 45,835 |
October 11 | 2:30 p.m. | Florida | No. 6 |
| CBS | L 7–19 | 92,077 |
October 18 | 6:45 p.m. | atSouth Carolina | No. 10 |
| ESPN2 | W 33–7 | 82,525 |
October 25 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 17 Auburn | No. 9 |
| ESPN | W 31–7 | 92,085 |
November 1 | 7:00 p.m. | Louisiana Tech* | No. 7 |
| PPV | W 49–10 | 91,879 |
November 15 | 6:45 p.m. | atAlabama | No. 3 |
| ESPN | W 27–3 | 83,818 |
November 22 | 2:30 p.m. | at No. 15 Ole Miss | No. 3 |
| CBS | W 17–14 | 62,552 |
November 28 | 1:30 p.m. | Arkansas | No. 3 |
| CBS | W 55–24 | 92,213 |
December 6 | 8:00 p.m. | vs. No. 5 Georgia | No. 3 |
| CBS | W 34–13 | 74,913 |
January 4, 2004 | 7:15 p.m. | vs. No. 3 Oklahoma* | No. 2 |
| ABC | W 21–14 | 79,342 |
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Week | |||||||||||||||||
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Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Final |
AP | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2(21) | 2(17) |
Coaches | 15 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2(18) | 1(60) |
BCS | Not released | 12 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | Not released |
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Western Illinois was ranked No. 1 in I-AA and played the Tigers close, only down 13–7 in the 3rd quarter. The Tigers had fumbled twice in the red zone, missed an extra point and a field goal and botched a punt. QB Matt Mauck had a career game to extend the lead in the second half. He set career highs with 305 yards passing and four touchdowns, giving LSU its first 3–0 start in five years.
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Player | Position | Round | Pick | Overall | NFL team |
Michael Clayton | Wide receiver | 1 | 15 | 15 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
Devery Henderson | Wide receiver | 2 | 18 | 50 | New Orleans Saints |
Marquise Hill | Defensive end | 2 | 31 | 63 | New England Patriots |
Stephen Peterman | Offensive Guard | 3 | 20 | 83 | Dallas Cowboys |
Chad Lavalais | Defensive tackle | 5 | 10 | 142 | Atlanta Falcons |
Donnie Jones | Punter | 7 | 23 | 224 | Seattle Seahawks |
Matt Mauck | Quarterback | 7 | 24 | 225 | Denver Broncos |
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/draft/2004.htm Archived 2007-12-23 at the Wayback Machine