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| | Monday, September 4 The million dollar question: Is Saban the answer? | |||||
| By Pat Forde Special to ESPN.com LSU Tigers 1999 record: 3-8 (1-7 SEC) Coach: Nick Saban Returning starters: 17 (9 offense, 8 defense) Outlook The $1.2 million question in Baton Rouge: Is the new guy worth the money? Saban was lured south from Michigan State with a staggering seven-figure salary that makes him the third-highest-paid coach in America, behind only Spurrier and Bobby Bowden -- both of whom have won national titles. Saban has never even won a bowl game. Success has proven fickle and evasive at this former powerhouse; Gerry DiNardo had it for three years and then lost it so suddenly that he was run out after two terrible seasons. The question that won't be answered until this fall is whether DiNardo underachieved or his talent evaporated. Like everyone else, Saban's team keys on the quarterback. And like no one else, Saban has both a wealth of experience and a wealth of questions. Former prep phenom Josh Booty is back -- after throwing a school-record 19 interceptions. So is his competition, Rohan Davey, who is trying to come back from an anterior cruciate ligament tear. Junior Craig Nall should be in the unsettled picture as well. The positive here should be the influence of offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher, who developed Stan White, Patrick Nix and Dameyune Craig into winning QBs at Auburn in the nineties. The pressure is immense on the bayou, but so are the rewards. Hungry LSU fans already have snapped up all 70 new luxury boxes, signing five-year agreements ranging from $45,000-$95,000 annually. And added seating will pump Tiger Stadium from 80,000 to 91,600. Keep an eye on ... Tight end Joe Domingeaux. That's a Cajun spelling that the LSU people say is pronounced "DiMaggio." Which means the answer to Simon & Garfunkel's old question about the whereabouts of the Yankee Clipper is Baton Rouge. It's a good season if ... All 91,600 aren't booing Saban's brains out on a weekly basis. |
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