Tigers recall ‘crazy’ 2010 Tenn. game

As the final seconds ticked off the clock Oct. 2, 2010, the scoreboard in Tiger Stadium read 14-10 in favor of Tennessee.

Amid a field of chaotic frenzy, CBS displayed the upset on televisions across the country — No. 12 LSU had been defeated.

What the cameras didn't show was the flag thrown in the corner of the end zone, penalizing the Volunteers for having 13 men on the field and giving the Tigers one last gasp.

The ensuing untimed play ended in former running back Stevan Ridley powering his way to pay dirt and one of the wildest finishes Tiger Stadium has seen.

"The motion swings from thinking you lost the game then winning it, that was a roller coaster there," said senior offensive lineman T-Bob Hebert. "Winning on the last play like that at home, I don't think I've ever done that. That was a pretty special memory."

Hebert's snap as time initially expired sailed by then-junior quarterback Jordan Jefferson, teasing the visiting Vols with the taste of victory.

Hebert said the feeling of deja vu set in as 2009's game-ending clock management blunder at Ole Miss, which ended in an LSU loss, replayed in the back of his mind.

"The year before against Ole Miss, I didn't snap the ball and the time ran off the clock and [senior] Will [Blackwell] made fun of me," Hebert chuckled. "So I remembered when the time was running off I could just hear him saying, ‘You didn't snap the ball.' So I saw the clock and then I remember snapping it and then I remember being really mad because I saw it going past Jordan and I thought we lost."

The Tigers' only touchdowns of the contest came on the first play of the game, when Jefferson broke free for an 83-yard score, and the last snap of the game with Ridley's rush.

Tennessee pulled ahead early in the fourth quarter on a three-yard scamper by quarterback Matt Simms, who will make his first start of this season against the Tigers on Saturday,

Two drives later, with then-junior quarterback Jarrett Lee at the helm, the Tigers marched 70 yards in 16 plays for the game-winning score.

"We worked so hard to drive down there and get a touchdown and something like that to happen is kind of crazy," Lee said. "It helps you grow and mature as a team and as players. It's something that we don't want to happen again, it's something we learned from and we understand that during those situations, you've got to be smart and you've got to work it out."

While the far-fetched finish may be a lasting memory in Baton Rouge, defensive end Sam Montgomery said the matchup has personal significance, as the redshirt sophomore will take on the same Tennessee offensive lineman who caused the knee injury that ended Montgomery's season last year.

"This whole season, I've been looking forward to playing this game to reidentify myself," said Montgomery, who earned 2010 Freshmen All-SEC honors despite playing in just four complete games last season. "I feel like I'm just climbing up this mountain again and then here's this big bad Tennessee team again."

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Contact Mark Clements at mclements@lsureveille.com