Phoenix ? LSU got a bowl team’s welcome Friday at the Phoenix airport, fitting enough given the Tigers’ No. 5 ranking and postseason potential.

It didn’t take coach Les Miles long to size up the welcome he expected from No. 15 Arizona State, though.

“I suspect that the field of play will be different than the red carpet that was rolled out here,” Miles said. “I look around the crowd, and I see no Arizona State players or coaches, so I’m suggesting that a first down will (have to) be earned Saturday night.”

In short, Miles and his team have their game face on, a small miracle in itself given that the contest was scheduled for Baton Rouge, La., and LSU officials didn’t agree to move the game until Monday after their campus had been transformed into an evacuation center and medical headquarters following Hurricane Katrina.

The storm also wiped out LSU’s opener Sept. 3 against North Texas, now rescheduled for Oct. 29, so losing another home game was frustrating for a coach who left Oklahoma State for LSU last year. The relief of finally making a debut – even in suburban Tempe, Ariz. – equally was strong.

“This football team, like the state that they represent, has been through an enormous, difficult time,” Miles said. “But they’re ready to play.”

Among the question marks for the Tigers, who finished 9-3 last year, is whether sophomore JaMarcus Russell can improve after passing for 1,053 yards and nine touchdowns while completing 50.7 percent in 11 games, including five starts.

LSU also lost Alley Broussard, its top ball carrier, to a knee injury, but the Tigers return three players who have rushed for over 100 yards in a game. They and Russell will benefit from working behind six regulars on the offensive line, including 6-foot-7, 325-tackle Andrew Whitworth, who could become the first player in school history to start 50 games.