Defense ranks among the nation’s best

BATON ROUGE — LSU’s 40-3 win over Miami in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl catapulted the Tigers to a No. 5 national ranking in the final USA Today Coaches Poll of the 2005 season, it was announced on Thursday.

The No. 5 ranking marks only the second time in school history the Tigers have finished a season ranked in the top five in the nation in the coaches poll. The only other time came in 2003 when the Tigers won the BCS National Title and completed their 13-1 season with a No. 1 ranking. The USA Today Coaches poll first began in 1982.

The Tigers were No. 6 in the Associated Press poll as West Virginia edged out LSU for the No. 5 spot. LSU still managed to finish in the top 10 in the AP poll for the third time in four years. It also marked the 17th time LSU has finished a season ranked among the top 10 teams in the nation in the AP poll since the 1936 season.

Texas, 41-38 winners over Southern Cal in the BCS National Championship Game on Wednesday, finished ranked No. 1 in both polls, followed by the Trojans at No. 2, Penn State at No. 3 and Ohio State at No. 4.

The 11-2 Tigers were the highest ranked Southeastern Conference team. Alabama followed LSU with a No. 8 ranking in both polls. Other SEC teams in the polls include Georgia at No. 10 in both polls; Florida at No. 12 in the AP poll and No. 16 in the coaches poll; and Auburn at No. 14 in both polls.

LSU’s defense, a unit that held ninth-ranked Miami to only three total yards and no first downs in the second half of a 40-3 win over the Hurricanes in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, finished the year ranked No. 3 in the nation in three different categories, the NCAA announced on Thursday with the release of the final statistics for the 2005 season.

The Tigers (11-2) ranked No. 3 nationally in total defense, scoring defense and pass efficiency defense, while finishing the year ranked No. 6 in rushing defense and No. 11 in pass defense.

In 13 games, LSU allowed only 14.23 points a contest, a figure that ranked behind only Alabama (10.67) and Virginia Tech (12.9).

In total yards, the Tigers gave up an average of 266.8 yards per game, which also ranked third nationally behind Virginia Tech (247.62) and Alabama (255.08).

LSU’s pass efficiency defense posted a 96.26 rating, which ranked first in the SEC and third nationally. Miami, a team that LSU and first-time starter Matt Flynn threw for 196 yards and a pair of touchdowns on in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, ranked first with an 89.48 rating.

In terms of rushing yards allowed, the Tigers held opponents to just 91.5 yards on the ground per game.

It marks the third consecutive season LSU’s rushing defense has held opponents to less than 100 yards per game.

LSU also ranked among the top five in the nation in net punting with a 38.97 average, which led the SEC and ranked No. 5 nationally.

Senior Skyler Green led the Tigers and ranked No. 15 in the nation in punt return average with a 15.5 mark.