Power of Caring
  presented by CIGNA

10. LSU

Kevin Faulk is a master of escape. Out of the backfield, the junior tailback uses his 4.4 speed to burst around ends and past linebackers. On punt returns he darts through cracks in the coverage in the style of Desmond Howard. Fact is, the only thing Faulk can't leave behind is the same question he has encountered for years: Are you related to Marshall Faulk?

"That still comes up," he says. "Ever since I was in high school [in Carencro, La., 121 miles northwest of New Orleans], people have wanted to know my connection with Marshall Faulk—as if I can't have my own name."

The day before this year's Super Bowl in New Orleans, Kevin finally came face-to-face with Marshall, the Indianapolis Colts' running back and a New Orleans native, to whom he is not, as far as he knows, even distantly related. "And you know what he said?" recalls Kevin, giggling. "That people ask him if he's related to me. Believe that?"

Well, yeah. The best Faulk carrying the ball this fall could be Kevin, a Heisman Trophy candidate who rushed for 1,282 yards and 13 touchdowns last season, lifting surprising LSU to a 10-2 record. "Our goal is to win it all," he says. "We have everything we had last year, but this time there's experience behind it. We're a mature team now. In the past, maybe we didn't know how to handle pressure. No more. This year, we come ready."

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LSU team page 1997 schedule

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In addition to Faulk, the Tigers can line up three explosive runners behind junior quarterback Herb Tyler. Rondell Mealey, an All-SEC freshman last season (603 yards, 10 touchdowns), should get a chunk of the action, while coach Gerry DiNardo must also find time for junior Kendall Cleveland and redshirt freshman Cecil Collins, a schoolboy All-America from nearby Leesville, La. Whether Tyler, who last season passed for 1,688 yards and seven touchdowns but also threw eight interceptions, can be more consistent in his second year as a full-time starter may not be as crucial as it seems. This offense will score.

On defense DiNardo has eight starters back from a unit that ranked a disappointing sixth in the conference. The best of the bunch may be sophomore free safety Mark Roman, a 6-foot, 185-pound glue stick who stepped into the starting lineup after one game and finished the season with four interceptions. The Tigers are strong up front, with 274-pound senior Chuck Wiley (93 tackles, six sacks last season) and 290-pound junior Anthony McFarland (63 tackles) providing beef at the tackle slots. "We need those guys to be physical," DiNardo says. "They throw a lot in this league, but sooner or later teams are going to try and mash you. Our defense has to be ready to fight against the mashing."

Realistically, if the M*A*S*H unit holds firm and Faulk continues his reign of offensive terror, the Brooklyn-born DiNardo should be able to handle the rest. Since coming to Baton Rouge in December 1994, he has gone 17-6-1, restored LSU's football reputation and made himself one of the nation's hottest sideline gurus. His direct manner wore thin with some administrators at Vanderbilt, his previous stop, where he went 18-26 over four seasons. (Expect few hugs when the Tigers travel to Nashville on Oct. 4. DiNardo recently lost a lawsuit in which Vanderbilt argued successfully that he owed it more than $280,000 for breaking his contract.) "I wouldn't want to play for anyone else," says Faulk. "We believe in him. We believe that we're going places. People will talk about LSU this year."
—Jeff Pearlman

TELLING STAT
11-0 The Tigers' record when All-America junior tailback Kevin Faulk rushes for 100 yards or more.
TWO GAMES TO WATCH
OCT. 11 VS. FLORIDA Does LSU have what it takes to become the new SEC power? A win over the Gators would make a statement. NOV. 8 AT ALABAMA The Tigers were shut out 26-0 a year ago. It will be even tougher for LSU to win in Tuscaloosa.
RETURNING LEADERS
Passing	Herb Tyler, Jr.	109 comp., 187 att., 1,688 yds., 7 TDs
Rushing	Kevin Faulk, Jr.	1,282 yds., 13 TDs
Receiving	Larry Foster, Soph.	26 catches, 446 yds., 4 TDs
Tackles	DT Chuck Wiley, Sr.	93
Interceptions	FS Mark Roman, Soph.	4