SEC West

Although LSU coach Les Miles insists that starting running back Joseph Addai's twisted ankle is healthy, Saturday's game might be a good time for backup tailback Justin Vincent to relive one of the greatest games of his career. Vincent, then a freshman in '03, ran for 201 yards and two touchdowns, including an 87-yard TD, as the Tigers beat Georgia, 34-13, in the SEC championship game. Vincent, who ran for 1,001 yards that season, has dropped down the depth chart the last couple of years. But in the last five games, he has rushed for 328 yards, with at least 50 yards and one touchdown per game. "It's an opportunity for me to prove to myself and to them that I am here to play, and I'm not going anywhere." Vincent said. ... LSU's five wins this season by four points or fewer are the most in the regular season by a Tiger team in school history. LSU had a two-point win over Arkansas (19-17), three-point wins over Auburn (20-17) and Alabama (16-13) and four-point wins over Arizona State (35-31) and Florida (21-17).

LSU's receivers, though some of the most physically gifted and fastest in the nation, have had a penchant of dropping perfectly thrown passes. Does Tigers' quarterback JaMarcus Russell ever let them know about it? "You can't say too much, because you never know when you're going to mess up," Russell said. "It's not about pointing fingers. You always try to keep them up. If you say something (negative) to them, it might bring them down more than they already are."... LSU's three overtime games this season (wins over Auburn and Alabama, a loss to Tennessee) ties Iowa State for the most OT games by a Division 1-A team. ... Because of LSU's hurricane-interrupted schedule, the Tigers have played 10 straight weeks, or 10 games in 61 days.

The Georgia Dome is supposed to be a neutral site, but it never is when Georgia is in the championship game, since Athens is about 80 miles away. That doesn't bother LSU, since they beat the Bulldogs in the '03 title game. "The place was full of red a couple of years ago, and it was full of orange in 2001 (when LSU beat Tennessee)," LSU offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth said. "I'm sure there will be a lot of red again. It's a Georgia home game, but we love that challenge." Tigers' defensive tackle Kyle Williams isn't selling his fans short. "We might not have a lot of fans, but they can get pretty fired up," Williams said. ... LSU free safety LaRon Landry's victory-preserving interception against Arkansas last week was his ninth career interception, ranking him first in that category among active SEC players. Landry has had at least one tackle in all 37 games of his college career. ... Seven of LSU's defensive starters have started every game this season, a good reason why the Tigers are fourth nationally in scoring defense.