Reed, Davey’s record days spurred LSU in instrumental 2001 Alabama game

LSU's 2001 Southeastern Conference championship team hardly looked like a title contender when the Tigers traveled to Tuscaloosa, Ala. 10 years ago today.

An unranked 4-3 LSU entered Bryant-Denny Stadium on Nov. 3, 2001, reeling from a sloppy home loss to Ole Miss the previous week.

Then-LSU coach Nick Saban was in the middle of his second season in Baton Rouge and held a modest 12-7 mark through 19 games.

Tiger fans, discontent with Saban at the time, reached a boiling point regarding conservative play-calling and a porous defense in three early losses that season.

The criticism began to melt away for good with 35 flicks of senior quarterback Rohan Davey's wrist and junior wide receiver Josh Reed's legendary haul on a sunny Tuscaloosa day in a 35-21 LSU victory against a 3-4 Alabama squad.

"We had to decide right then what type of season we wanted to have," Reed said. "Coach [Saban] and his staff were lighting into us at practice that week. We couldn't let another one slip way."

At the time, the win was more memorable for creating the first LSU winning streak against powerhouse Alabama in 31 years.

In hindsight, the victory kickstarted a six-game LSU winning streak to finish the season that included four consecutive victories against ranked foes, an unlikely SEC title game upset against Tennessee and a Sugar Bowl romp versus Illinois.

"The game has blended into time a little bit," said Jim Hawthorne, "The Voice of the Tigers," who called the game on the radio. "Thinking about it more, it does seem more noteworthy because it was a catalyst for this special season that had LSU pushing closer to elite status."

Davey completed 35-of-44 throws to set an LSU single-game passing record with 528 passing yards. His 540 total yards tied an SEC record set by former Ole Miss quarterback Archie Manning.

Even with Davey's masterful lobs gracefully tracking Tiger receivers, it was his prime target, Reed, who lit up the Crimson Tide defense like none have before or since.

"They cannot stop Josh Reed," said CBS announcer Verne Lundquist during the game's telecast.

While Reed set SEC records for catches and yards in a game with 19 for 293 in the victory, he remembers his three fumbles — two lost — most vividly.

"I tell people every time they ask about that game that I remember those three crucial fumbles the most," Reed said. "But thankfully, the coaches had the faith in me to still call my number when the game got tight. It was a long and frustrating day, believe it or not."

Whether on bubble screens, crossing patterns or deep posts, the converted running back and Rayne, La., native dropped Crimson-clad tacklers more often than he dropped the football.

ESPN commentator Todd Blackledge, who called the game for CBS, said the performance was a standout in his time calling SEC games.

"Reed was kind of a thicker, put-together receiver because he spent time at running back," Blackledge said. "His ability after the catch to drag defenders and cut was staggering. He was spectacular that day."

An LSU offense that was already averaging 423 yards a game through five SEC games that fall exploded for 611 yards on the day, and Reed said he remembers former offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher being given the green light in the play calling.

"I know early in the year, we'd get a little a conservative in a tight game and let the defense go at it," Reed recalled. "But I do remember seeing Coach [Saban] indicating, ‘You know what, Jimbo, call a big throw on long third downs because we need to keep the ball today.' And Coach Fisher put us in the position to succeed all game long."

But Reed was just one option for the sturdy, strong-armed senior tossing the ball over and around Crimson Tide defenders like it was schoolyard pitch-and-catch.

Davey also found Michael Clayton — a future NFL starter — seven times for 126 yards and senior Jerel Myers five times for 64 yards and a touchdown.

"Rohan probably had the strongest arm on any LSU quarterback I had seen at the time," Hawthorne said. "He made it look easy against Alabama, and Tiger fans just weren't used to that."

Reed said the hype around this week's Tigers-Tide clash has felt surreal given his — and his former coach's — history with Alabama.

"It so happens that 10 years later, Saban is staring LSU down from the opposite side in the biggest game," he said. "Coach [Saban] built something [at LSU] that's still going strong and only gaining. It's kind of crazy that things got rolling in 'Bama, and now there's this epic meeting ten years later."

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Contact Chris Abshire at cabshire@lsureveille.com