Notebook: Cannon sticking to his Vols story

Published 11:07 pm Tuesday, October 11, 2011

The last time LSU visited Knoxville with a No. 1 ranking was 1959, and the Vols pulled perhaps a bigger upset than a UT victory Saturday would be.

The Vols’ 14-13 victory was sealed when LSU scored late, but eventual Heisman Trophy winner Billy Cannon was stopped inches short on a 2-point conversion run.

That was the official version, anyway, but Cannon has maintained to this day that he crossed the goal line.

Cannon hasn’t mellowed in his opinion after all these years, as this week he spoke to the Knoxville Quarterback Club, obviously a pro-Orange audience.

“Me going in, then coming back,” Cannon told the club, the Knoxville News-Sentinel reported.

The end of LSU’s No. 1 ranking came the week after Cannon’s biggest moment, his 89-yard punt return that won the showdown with Ole Miss.

At the meeting Cannon spoke to this week were the two former Vols who stacked him up at the goal line, and they had a different version.

“He did not cross the goal line,” Wayne Grubb told the newspaper.

“He didn’t get across,” added Charles Severance.

So the debate continues.

• WOUNDED TIGERS: LSU came out of the Florida game with only one injury of note, and Miles said starting center P.J. Lonergan will be OK by Saturday.

Keeping in mind that head coach Les Miles rarely worries about the truth when discussing injuries, he said Lonergan missed Monday’s practice but he expected him to be back for Tuesday.

Lonergan suffered an ankle sprain late in the first half against Florida, with T-Bob Hebert returning from his own injury to take over the spot.

• TUBING: CBS announced this week that next’s week’s LSU home game against Auburn will be its national telecast beginning at 2:30 p.m., the same as this week’s game with Tennessee.

With the Arkansas game already scheduled for the afternoon, it means that LSU will not play a home conference night game this season for the first time since 1935.

• WHERE’S FORD? While Miles raved about LSU’s running game from last week, he was dodgy when asked about the lack of carries in the last two weeks for Leesville’s Michael Ford.

Ford was LSU’s leading rusher after two games and was almost splitting carries with starter Spencer Ware going into the Kentucky game.

But even though Ware sat out most of the UK game after a mild hamstring injury, Ford played sparingly and had only one carry against Florida for 2 yards.

Since then Alfred Blue has emerged as LSU’s No. 2 back, and freshman Terrence Magee got 11 more carries than Ford.

Miles didn’t explain Ford’s absence, but the tip off may be that Ford fumbled early in the Kentucky game. Even though he recovered it, Miles has long been very unforgiving when it comes to fumbles.

“It’s a basic responsibility,” Miles said. “We work on it every day. It is not something that escapes us. It is important to our team that the person we entrust with the responsibility of the football, return it back to our team, In other words, irrespective of the gain or loss, it is our ball.”

Miles’ message must be working.

The Tigers have not had a turnover since Jarrett Lee’s fourth-quarter interception in the third game of the year against Mississippi State.

Since then, the Tigers have gone three-plus games, 38 possessions, 208 offensive plays and 105:58 time of possession without a turnover.

• SIX PACK: LSU will be going for a sweep of its three games against the Southeastern Conference East for the second consecutive year against the Vols.

• DOWN DOG: It’s not bad enough that Tennessee will be missing starting quarterback Tyler Bray (fractured thumb) and its best wide receiver Justin Hunter (torn anterior cruciate ligament) when LSU visits Tennessee, it turns the Vols’ beloved mascot, Smokey IX, is also on the mend.

The bluetick coondog that is a staple on the UT sideline is expected to be there, but will see limited action due to a partially torn ACL.

Smokey is undergoing physical therapy, which includes an underwater treadmill and, according to his veterinarian, is enjoying all the extra attention.

• HOMECOMING: LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis is in his third year with the Tigers, but will be making his first trip for a game back to Knoxville after spending almost 30 years on the Vols staff after also playing at UT.

But nobody at LSU thinks Chavis will have any mixed emotions.

“Coach Chavis is all about his business,” LSU safety Eric Reid said. “He knows in his mind he’s from Tennessee, but he’s at LSU now, so he’s had to prepare like any other game and put his emotions aside.”

• EXTRA WORK: Miles’ daughter, Smacker, who is attending high school at The Bolles School in Jacksonville, Fla., to further her promising swimming career, had extra incentive for last week’s game.

Both of her swimming coaches are Florida grads and big fans.

“She especially wanted us to defeat Florida,” Miles said.

But Miles got a text from her after the game stating that “due to discriminating athletic views,” Smacker had to clean the team bus and will have to swim an extra lap for every LSU point.

Smacker told Miles not to win by so much next time.

“I told her to get in shape,” Miles said.