TIGERS START OUTSIDE, FINISH INSIDE AS PREPARATIONS FOR VOLS CONTINUE

BATON ROUGE - LSU continued to prepare for Saturdays Southeastern Conference matchup against eighth-ranked Tennessee here Wednesday with a practice that started outside, but was moved indoors due to some of the conditions surrounding the Tigers practice facility. The 13th-ranked Tigers (6-2 overall, 2-2 SEC) will practice again on Thursday afternoon before holding a walk-thru on Friday morning. The team will depart for Knoxville at 1 p.m. on Friday. Kickoff for LSU and Tennessee (7-1, 3-1) is set for 2:30 p.m. CDT from Neyland Stadium. "We had another good work day," LSU coach Les Miles said following Wednesdays practice. "We have made progress this week and I like the way this team has approached practice. I feel like we have improved in some key areas and we are getting this team ready to play." The Tigers conducted most of Wednesdays workout outside before moving indoors for the final seven periods. All week the Tigers have had to deal with a stench resulting from a broken sewer main, which occurred just a few yards from the LSU practice fields. Depending on which way the wind is blowing, the smell from the broken sewer main can become almost unbearable outside at the practice facility. "We wanted to be inside based on the conditions of the field and the conditions that were out there," Miles said with a laugh. "With the smell, we wanted to be able to concentrate on the game plan." Miles said he has addressed with his team the importance of going on the road and putting together a complete game against a Tennessee team that has won five straight. LSU is 0-2 on the road this year after going 5-0 in away games a year ago. "Anytime you play great team, you expect a great contest," Miles said. "Weve talked about poise and being a veteran team that goes on the road and understands that there will be swings of momentum in the game. Its important that we keep our poise." Miles also said he expects Tennessee quarterback Erik Ainge to play on Saturday even though he has been limited this week due to an ankle injury that he suffered against South Carolina last week. "Were preparing for their best," Miles said. "We have looked at the few snaps that their other quarterback has played and we figure that their package is ready to go. I can imagine that once the adrenaline gets flowing, theyll have Erik ready to play." In typical road game week fashion, LSU also used the back end of practice to pipe in noise as a way to prepare the players for Saturdays game. LSU typically pipes in the fight song of the team they are facing that particular week. "I am not real fired up on some of the fight songs I am hearing," Mile said. "The communication between the players has been good. We are working in adverse conditions so that we can communicate. We have done that, not only this year, but years in the past and I think we are prepared for that.