Baton Rouge, LA (Sports Network) - Scheduled for their final non-conference game of the 2009 regular season, the ninth-ranked LSU Tigers entertain in- state rival Louisiana Tech at Tiger Stadium on Saturday evening.

The Tigers are trying to bounce back from a 24-15 setback against third-ranked Alabama in critical SEC action last weekend, the loss snapping a modest two- game win streak for LSU. However, despite the loss, the Tigers still remained at No. 9 in the AP Poll and, oddly enough, even moved up in the BCS rankings one spot to eighth.

As for the Bulldogs, members of the underrated Western Athletic Conference, they were turned away by nationally-ranked Boise State last Friday in a hard- fought 45-35 decision in Ruston. The loss was the third in a row and the fourth in the last five outings for a program that had some high hopes after starting the campaign 2-2.

In a series that dates back to 1901, LSU has won all but one of the previous 18 meetings between the in-state rivals. In 2007, Tech was blown out of the water in a 58-10 final, which means LSU has outscored the Bulldogs by a combined 400-34 in the last eight meetings. The Bulldogs, who have been shut out a total of 12 times by LSU, had their only win back in 1904, a 6-0 triumph at home.

"It was obviously a great football team we played," LaTech head coach Derek Dooley said of the matchup against the Broncos last week. "We had a great start, and then Boise looked like the No. 5 team in the country. They stayed very aggressive on the offense. It looked like the game was going to get away from us, but I was really proud at how well we did in the second half. We didn't make the plays at the end of the game we needed to win, but if we keep fighting the way we've been fighting, we'll play out of it eventually."

The bottom line for the Bulldogs is that they were overmatched in the first half and came up short after a fight in the second half when they scored four touchdowns against a BSU defense that was supposed to be much better than that.

Ross Jenkins threw for 114 yards and a touchdown and also scored once on the ground for LaTech, while Daniel Porter worked his way for 92 yards and a score on 24 attempts on the ground.

A couple of bright spots for the LaTech defense saw the unit limit Boise to just 5-of-12 on third down, while Josh Victorian had his name called when he made a rare interception of a Kellen Moore pass early in the second half and raced 75 yards in the other direction for the touchdown.

"Something we've been working to improve is our coming back in the second half," said defensive back Deon Young. "When we were in the locker room a couple of guys stood up and said we needed to step up. We did that."

Young has been one of the leaders on the defense this season, pacing the group with his three interceptions, four pass breakups and seven passes defended. He also has one of the unit's fumble recoveries and all of his efforts have contributed to the Bulldogs having the second-best turnover margin in the WAC at the moment.

What has contributed even more to the team's success in turnover margin is the face that the offense has not made many mistakes. Granted, Jenkins has tossed five interceptions over nine games, but he has more than twice as many touchdowns (12) on his 225 attempts.

Also a reliable force on offense for the Bulldogs is Porter who has accounted for 732 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground, both of which are nearly half of the unit's entire production in those categories.

Once again, against a highly-ranked opponent the LSU offense staggered and suffered, just as it did when it fell to Florida last month. Against Alabama quarterbacks Jarrett Lee and Jordan Jefferson combined to hit 14-of-27 passes for 158 yards and a score, while the former was sacked twice and intercepted once in the outing. In the case of Jefferson, he was on the sidelines in the second half

Were it not for Charles Scott, who is now out for the rest of the season after fracturing his clavicle, and his 83 yards rushing on 13 carries, the LSU running attack would have been almost nonexistent as it finished with a collective 95 yards on 29 attempts.

"The only thing I can tell you is that Charles Scott has a clavicle (injury), and I don't know exactly what length of time that will take to rehabilitate," LSU head coach Les Miles told the media on Monday. "I can tell you that I would not expect him back for the regular season, and I'm probably just being hopeful that he'll be available for the bowl game. I can tell you that we miss him. We not only miss his runs and his toughness, but we miss him as a person."

From a defensive standpoint, the Tigers did well to limit Heisman hopeful Mark Ingram to just 144 yards on 22 attempts, but what LSU had more of a problem with was quarterback Greg McElroy who converted 19-of-34 for 276 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

"Well, I'm certain Jarrett will get more snaps early this week," coach Miles said of the preparation at quarterback. "I would be pretty confident that on Wednesday, that rotation will change, and Jordan will get the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday preparation. I think both quarterbacks will be improved by that and given the opportunity to prepare for our opponent."

Having Jefferson back on the field will be crucial given the loss the Tigers suffered with Scott heading to the sideline for the immediate future. Managing the game is what coach Miles needs Jefferson to do, more so than put up flashy numbers.

The quarterback has been quite consistent this season, converting 63.3 percent of his pass attempts for 170.6 ypg and has 12 touchdowns, against a mere four interceptions. As one of the two favorite receivers, Brandon LaFell's action down the field has paid huge dividends, to the tune of eight touchdowns on 41 catches.

With an offense that doesn't put up huge numbers, it will be the defense that will have to carry this group through. After nine games LSU is ranked 10th in the nation in points allowed, giving up 13.4 ppg. Yet, as strong as that effort is, the squad is third in the SEC in that department.

Another stat that is certainly working in favor of the Tigers is turnover margin, as the squad ranks first in the conference and is tied for seventh in the nation with a plus-1.0 turnovers per game. Losing the ball only three times on fumbles has been huge for the Tigers, but one has to wonder how the change at running back might influence that dynamic against a team like Louisiana Tech that has gained just six fumbles this season.