NICK C'EST BON
Saban Staying at LSU
12/24/2004
by Len Pasquarelli
Today LSU Head Coach Nick Saban announced that he would not be the next Head Coach of the Miami Dolphins. Saban met with Dolphins officials two days ago and was apparently offered a contract by the team. Yesterday he met with LSU officials to talk over the possibility of a long-term deal to stay in Baton Rouge. Neither meeting ended with the signing of a contract.
Today Saban addressed the media at the Capital One Bowl Press Conference in Orlando, Fl. Stating "I never wanted to leave LSU. These are my boys, and there's no reason why I could ever imagine leaving them", Saban made it clear that returning to the NFL was never an option. He didn't shy away from admitting that the Dolphins had offered him a contract and that they were interested in his services either: "I appreciate the Miami Dolphins organization and Mr. Huizenga, and I thank them for the opportunity they presented me. But ultimately it came down to whether or not I wanted to stay at LSU for the long term, and that answer is yes."
The Tigers now head into the upcoming Capital One Bowl against the #12 Iowa Hawekeyes (9-2) with some stability in the coaching position. This development most certainly will help their confidence, especially that of freshman quarterback JaMarcus Russell, who will be starting against the Hawkeyes defense. If Saban and the Tigers win in that matchup it will be yet another double-digit win season for LSU and their fans.

Jim Bates Hired as Miami Dolphin's Head Coach
by Chris Mortensen
12/28/04
Jim Bates, who went 3-4 as interim head coach of the Miami Dolphins this year, has gotten the interim removed from his title. Late last night the Dolphins finalized a deal that will make Bates the official Head Coach of the team. Bates, who was immensely popular with the teams players, will address the media at a press conference at the team's practice facility today.
Bates wasn't the Dolphins first choice. LSU Head Coach Nick Saban was offered a contract several days ago, but turned it down to remain in Baton Rouge. Following that setback, Miami was forced to chose between Bates and former Oakland Raiders Head Coach Art Shell. In the end, "it came down to who the players trusted the most. We talked to our veteran leaders, and they all said they wanted Jim back" stated Dolphins Owner Wayne Huizenga. Many of the organizations players offered similar praise for Bates no frills attitude.
For Bates, the highlight of the season was a win against the previously one-loss New England Patriots. Bates will be tasked with rebuilding a roster with some high quality pieces, especially on defense, but also many inconsistent offensive players such as wide receiver Chris Chambers. The position that will most need to be revamped is most likely quarterback, where the Dolphins have little in terms of future. Veteran quarterback Jay Fiedler is likely on his way out, while neither A.J. Feeley or Sage Rosenfells constitutes a long-term answer. For Bates, it will be an uphill road, but the organization and the players have faith that he can execute.
2005 Capital One Bowl
1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total
Iowa Hawkeyes 3 7 0 10 20
LSU Tigers 0 3 14 6 23
1st Quarter
Iowa 5:30 FG Kyle Schlicher 33 yds. 3-0
2nd Quarter
LSU 13:31 FG Chris Jackson 28 yds. 3-3
Iowa 4:45 TD Scott Chandler 10 yd. pass from Tate (Schlicher kick) 10-3
3rd Quarter
LSU 9:58 TD Dwayne Bowe 8 yd. pass from Russell (Jackson kick) 10-10
LSU 7:21 TD Justin Vincent 39 yd. run (Jackson kick) 10-17
4th Quarter
LSU 14:22 FG Chris Jackson 37 yds. 10-20
Iowa 10:56 TD Jermelle Lewis 1 yd. run (Schlicher kick) 17-20
Iowa 0:45 FG Kyle Schlicher 37 yds. 20-20
LSU 0:03 FG Chris Jackson 47 yds. 20-23
Iowa Hawkeyes
LSU Tigers
First Downs
19
20
- Rushing
5
6
- Passing
14
12
- Penalty
0
2
3rd Down Eff
7/19
5/15
4th Down Eff
0/0
0/0
Rushes-Yards
44-97
47-187
Avg Rush
2.2
4.0
Comp-Att-Int
17-33-1
13-22-0
Passing Yards
200
183
Sacks-Yards
1-6
0-0
Fumbles-Lost
0-0
2-2
Punts-Avg
9-41.0
7-41.0
KR-Avg
6-19.5
5-17.6
PR-Avg
7-9.7
9-10.1
Penalties-Yard
4-40
4-20
Time of Possession
32:16
27:44
Iowa Hawkeyes Individual Stats
Rushing
Att Yds 20+ L TD
Sam Brownlee 15 45 0 13 0
Jermelle Lewis 20 39 0 11 1
Drew Tate 7 8 0 10 0
Marques Simmons 2 5 0 3 0
Receiving
Rec Yds 20+ 40+ L TD
Ed Hinkel 5 82 1 0 30 0
Clinton Solomon 5 67 1 0 21 0
Calvin Davis 3 32 0 0 13 0
Sam Brownlee 1 13 0 0 13 0
Scott Chandler 1 10 0 0 10 1
Warren Holloway 1 -2 0 0 -2 0
Jermelle Lewis 1 -2 0 0 -2 0
Passing
Comp. Att. Yards TD INT
Drew Tate 17 33 200 1 1
Field Goals
Made Missed
Kyle Schlicher 33,37 37
LSU Tigers Individual Stats
Rushing
Att Yds 20+ L TD
Alley Broussard 16 102 1 42 0
Justin Vincent 9 45 1 39 1
Joseph Addai 11 29 0 11 0
Shyrone Carey 7 12 0 4 0
JaMarcus Russell 4 -1 0 0 0
Receiving
Rec Yds 20+ 40+ L TD
Dwayne Bowe 4 79 3 0 25 1
Craig Davis 3 51 1 0 23 0
Skyler Green 3 24 0 0 11 0
David Jones 2 22 0 0 11 0
Early Doucet 1 7 0 0 7 0
Passing
Comp. Att. Yards TD INT
JaMarcus Russell 13 22 183 1 0
Defensive
Sacks INT
Cameron Vaughn 1 0
LaRon Landry 0 1
Field Goals
Made Missed
Chris Jackson 28,37,47 47
MVP: Dwayne Bowe (WR, LSU)
Final AP Top 25
1. Southern Cal (62) 13-0
2. Auburn (1) 13-0
3. Oklahoma 12-1
4. Utah 12-0
5. Texas 11-1
6. Louisville 11-1
7. Georgia 10-2
8. Louisiana State 10-2
9. California 10-2
10. Virginia Tech 10-3
11. Miami-Florida 9-3
12. Boise State 11-1
13. Tennessee 10-3
14. Michigan 9-3
15. Florida State 9-3
16. Iowa 9-3
17. Wisconsin 9-3
18. Texas Tech 8-4
19. Arizona State 9-3
20. Ohio State 8-4
21. Boston College 9-3
22. Fresno State 9-3
23. Virginia 8-4
24. Navy 10-2
25. Pittsburgh 8-4
2005 LSU Recruiting Class
Five-Stars
Ryan Perrilloux-QB (Reserve, LA)
Dajleon Farr-TE (Galena Park, TX)
Four-Stars
Alfred Jones-DE (New Orleans, LA)
R.J. Jackon-RB (Houston, TX)
Kyle Anderson-TE (The Woodlands, TX)
Antonio Robinson-RB (Winnfield, LA)
Ricky Jean-Francois-DE (Miami, FL)
Ciron Black-OL (Tyler, TX)
Lyle Hitt-DT (Baton Rouge, LA)
Brandon LaFell-WR (Houston, TX)
Bryan Adams-CB (Jacksonville, FL)
Michael Turkovich-OL (Valley Forge, PA)
Kevin Myers-OL (Compton Community College, CA)
Chris Keys-S (Stevenson, AL)
Three-Stars
Chris Hawkins-CB (Walker, LA)
Darry Beckwith-LB (Baton Rouge, LA)
Steven Korte-RB (Mandeville, LA)
Two-Stars
Trindon Holliday-WR (Zachary, LA)