MICHAEL KIRAL / L’Observateur / August 15, 2000

BATON ROUGE – “When you are in the SEC, there is one expectation and that’s to win. Programs survive. Teams come and go. Our goal is to build aprogram.”Those were the words of LSU offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher Sunday morning at the Tigers’ annual media day. And it signified that the Tigers areready to go forward after last season’s 3-8 record under former coach Gerry DiNardo.

While much of the attention surrounded the quarterback battle between Josh Booty, Rohan Davey and Craig Nall, Fisher said the Tigers’ running game will be the key to the season.

“Our main philosophy on offense is to run the football,” Fisher said. “If westay healthy, we can put five good players up front. We have real goodfootball players back there (in the backfield) with a combination of speed, power and size. If we use them efficiently, we will have a real good runninggame.

“You have to have the ability to run the ball and throw it with consistency. Itis something you have to do. You must have balance and be able to run theball.”Among those backs competing for the starting role are sophomore Domanick Davis and redshirt freshman LaBrandon Toefield. Davis gained 274 yards andthree touchdowns on 64 carries in being named to The Sporting News’ freshman All-American team. Toefield sat out the season with a knee injurysuffered in high school. Joining them will be sophomore Elice Parker andfreshmen Derron Parquet and Devery Henderson. Senior Tommy Banks isback at fullback.

While the emphasis on offense is being able to run the ball, the goal on defense is to stop it. LSU ranked last in the SEC last year in rush defense,giving up an average of 153 yards per game.

“You have to stop the run,” defensive coordinator Phil Elmassian said. “Youhave to get them into predictability.”LSU has the players and experience to do that. Eight starters are back fromlast year, including linebackers Treverance Faulk and Bradie James, lineman Jarvis Green and cornerback Fred Booker.

“It’s like baseball, you want to be strong down the middle,” Elmassian said.

“We are strong down the middle and that’s a great place to be.”Of course, much of the focus before the season starts is who will be the starting quarterback. Booty, a junior, is the incumbent after starting thefinal eight games last year. He passed for 1,830 yards but was intercepted19 times. Davey, also a junior, led LSU to a victory in the season finaleagainst Arkansas. Davey suffered a knee injury that caused him to missspring practice but said he is 100 percent now.

“I think it’s good,” Davey said of the competition. “I think it’s a lot morecompetitive this year than it was last year. Not to say we didn’t competehard last year but we are not really focusing on the mistakes we are making but on correcting them. Anytime you have three people who think are doingthe job and are in a competitive situation, it’s good for the program.”Nall started the first game of the season in 1999 and has played in 14 games over the last two seasons.

“I look at it as a positive,” Fisher said. “How many teams in the country havethree good quarterbacks?” Attention will also be on first-year head coach Nick Saban who was hired from Michigan State to replace DiNardo. Saban turned the Spartans aroundin the mid 1990s, leading them to a 9-2 record last year. LSU fans wouldn’tmind a repeat performance in the newly expanded Tiger Stadium.

“We are going to play hard, play with toughness and get a lot of respect for us competing for 60 minutes,” Saban said.

LSU opens up the 2000 season Sept. 2 against Western Carolina in TigerStadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

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