LSU's Dorsey doesn't get mad -- he gets even better

"I knew it wasn't serious. I just needed an opportunity to heal. We were in the heart of our schedule. We didn't have that opportunity. I knew times were going to get better. When we made the national championship game, it was 'What injury?'"

That's part of the reason why Dorsey is the toast of New Orleans this week. LSU fans are taking over the city anyway. They need someone to lead them. Dorsey and the championship game are geographically desirable. His hometown of Gonzales, La., is only 15 miles from campus. That campus is only 70 miles or so from New Orleans. For the second time in five years the Tigers will essentially be playing a home game for the national championship.

In a program that has a lot of good players, Dorsey might be the only great one, dominating at a position where it's hard to be great. Ohio State's offensive line was shredded from the outside last year against Florida. The detonation could come from the inside on Monday.

"Even when he got chop blocked against Auburn, he had plays where he just tossed guys," Barton said. "He's one of the most impressive guys I've seen on film."

"I've made a lot of comparisons," LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini said. "I think he's at a point now where you don't have to make comparisons."

May we suggest Reggie White? If "The Minister" had a clone, Dorsey would be it. A big, kind lug who fails to give in to excuses. From a kid who used to wear braces to correct bow legs to a defensive titan who can defeat double- and triple-teams.

I kept it all in. A few strained muscles weren't going to keep Dorsey on the sideline. The rest of the country saw it, too. He became the school's most decorated defensive player, winning the Lombardi Award and Nagurski and Outland trophies. That made him the best lineman (Lombardi), defensive player (Nagurski) and interior lineman.

What more do you want in a leader?

"Usually there are the wide receivers who score many touchdowns," Dorsey said. "The quarterbacks with the golden arm, the running backs with a thousand moves. It's good to see the physical players get some publicity."

There's something about that contact that gets Dorsey going. His 64 tackles (which match his 2006 total) are an amazingly high number for a defensive tackle. Put that in perspective: There are no defensive linemen listed in the top 100 for tackles nationally this season, but Dorsey is third on his team.

The dream now is not to crush his oppressors. The dream is to spend the game where he has spent the season, in the opponent's backfield.

"Intercept a ball on the 1-yard line, run it about 99 yards and a few back flips in the end zone," Dorsey says, describing a fantasy, but, "A sack gets you a little bit more publicity."

"You work so hard to get back there," he added. "Oftentimes you're either going to get cut blocked, double-teamed or chipped by a linebacker. It's like the ultimate payoff when you get back there."

Two days left and Glenn Dorsey isn't holding anything in.