LSU Sports Blog

LSU Hanging Tough at College World Series

2009-06-13T20:42:00.002-05:00

Top of the 6th inning in Game 2 from Omaha, Nebraska:

Sean Ochinko hit a go-ahead, 3-run home run in the bottom of the 5th to put LSU on top of Virginia, 6-4. LSU's dealt with some pitching issues from Anthony Ranaudo and his relief thus far, but the Tigers have been resilient at the plate.

Gameday or Gustav?

2008-08-29T11:20:00.005-05:00

UPDATE: The LSU-Appalachian State game kickoff time has been moved to 10 a.m.

Another year, another season for LSU football and another blog post! Let's get to the nitty-gritty on this stuff though, because there's a lot to talk about.

All signs point to Andrew Hatch getting his shot at the starting QB role beginning Saturday with the game against Appalachian State. ESPN.com lists Hatch as the starter.
Will the game even be played? That's the debate that's going on right now in the Athletic Department as the administration is hunkered down in a meeting to determine the status of tomorrow's game. No word yet, the latest commentary is from Herb Vincent and he did not provide any indications. As of 11:30 a.m., the meeting is still going on.
As of now, Tropical Storm Gustav is slated to hit the mainland U.S. sometime late Tuesday or early Wednesday. The projected landfall has continually been pushed back because of Gustav's erratic path and slow movement. Continued word out of New Orleans is that contraflow will begin Saturday, which may very well have an effect on the start of the game.
Back to some sports stuff: App State shocked the football world when they beat Michigan at Ann Arbor last season in the Big House. Michigan, then ranked No. 5 and a championship contender, fell completely out of the Top 25 and struggled to get back there later in the season. Will that happen to LSU?

I'll bet against the Mountaineers. The LSU defense is just too strong and will contain Armanti Edwards. This may not be a rout, but expect the defense to hold App State under 20 points, and the offense will hopefully gell well enough. I'll take LSU 38-17.
This is the first time in history a Bowl Subdivision Champion has faced a Championship Subdivision Champion (formerly division IA and IAA).
In non-sports related LSU news, the University is open for business today (Friday). In addition to the time of the game, other emergency procedures and class cancellations are being discussed. LSU will be closed for Labor Day on Monday. Cancellations for Tuesday's classes will be announced no later than today at 2 p.m. With the slowing situation of Gustav, I would also expect a decision on Wednesday's classes, too. Follow updates at www.lsu.edu.
Follow Gustav and Tropical Storm Hanna at www.weather.com.
For continued updates on Gustav and the game, check out www.lsureveille.com.

Herb Vincent Applies for Athletic Director Position

2008-03-06T14:46:00.000-06:00

You heard it here...well...you heard it here second, but Senior Associate Athletic Director Herb Vincent has tossed his name into the hat for the soon-to-be-vacant Athletic Director position.

In my last post, I mentioned that, even though the initial list of candidates had been narrowed to include Verge Ausberry, I wouldn't be surprised if Vincent got in on this.

And now he is.

Check it out at www.lsureveille.com.

Quick Notes on LSU Football

2008-03-02T03:06:00.001-06:00

I apologize to anyone who was reading my posts (thanks for doing so!) for the long delay in new posts.

It's 3 a.m. and there's other stuff to be done, so I'm just going to make a few quick notes on the LSU football team.

Yes, the Ryan Perriloux situation has taken another turn as you've undoubtedly heard. Check out www.lsureveille.com for the best information on Perriloux.

For the record, I'm ready to see what Jarrett Lee can bring to the SEC.

Get excited! You heard it here first: pushover Homecoming match-ups are a thing of the past. Victory in next season's game isn't necessarily guaranteed, though it's likely. I'll just refer you to our 2008 schedule and let you look for yourself at the slated home games. I'll tell you this: It's an SEC opponent. :)
I'll be putting in for away tickets to Gainesville and Auburn for certain, and I have enough priority points to get them. I have relatives in South Carolina, so that's also a possibility. If I can somehow attend the Arkansas game, it will be the first time, and last time, that I've made every game on the schedule as a student.
I've been told that, even though the announced list of Athletic Director candidates has been released, that the opportunity to file for candidacy has not passed. And looking at the current list, a potential candidate that has NOT applied that would seriously contend is none other than Senior Associate AD Herb Vincent. Don't rule him out of applying, and I'd take him over Verge Ausberry, although word on the street is that "in-house" is out for this position.
The band isn't "out on the field," but they are moving. The Golden Band from Tigerland won't be in its usual stadium corner spot; they're going to be stuck in the middle of the Student Section. This has potential to affect Greek and organizational student seating, producing a domino effect that might cause problems for freshmen tickets.
There will be an Athletic Ticket Forum March 6 in the LSU Student Union. I will get the time of that to you soon, but it will be in the Atchafalaya Room. Students can pose concerns about the ticket process, including Priority Points and the postseason distribution process. Attend this event!
All of LSU's championship football trophies from the beginning of time will be displayed in the Union Art Gallery all day Wednesday, March 5 and until 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 6. That includes the glorious crystal ball from January's Richard Dickson-led thrashing of Ohio State. Dickson went to high school with me, and by now all of you should know his name, number, position and level of awesomeness, which is, unfortunately, incomprehensible by the limited capacity of the human brain.

Tide and True

2007-02-10T12:20:00.000-06:00

I realize I'm not that great of a blogger. I don't update too often and I'm not as familiar with LSU sports as I'd like to be, considering that before two years ago I hated LSU as I did any other SEC team than Alabama. I'm working on it though and hopefully within the near future I can be more knowledgable in what I write about.

So I can't truly give you a great analysis of the LSU 2007 recruiting class other than what Tigersmack, TigerBait and the Daily Reveille will give you, and to be honest I don't really know how these places and ScoutsInc. and Rivals.com do all their research, but it's impressive. I do wish to chide McKnight for following John David Booty over to the Evil Empire in Los Angeles. It's okay though, they'll be smacked with a sanction soon enough. I'm excited about our class and am looking forward to them ushering in the new era of Tiger football. Look for Jarrett Lee next season if this Perrilloux federal investigation heats up. He's the No. 10 of this year's class.

Back to the Bama references. I promised last time I'd talk about the Crimson Tide's hiring practices for coaches. The Alabama football program officially claims 12 national championships in its history, which is the most of any college since Notre Dame only claims 11. Paul "Bear" Bryant won six of those, 15 bowl games and 232 games overall as the Bama head coach in 25 seasons. Ever since, Alabama alumni and boosters have acted like spoiled children and gone through nine different coaches.

Truthfully, some of these coaches left on their own free will, including Bill Curry, Ray Perkins and Dennis Franchione, and one of them never coached a game (Mike Price) before being fired for poor conduct. You can't blame them for not wanting to deal with an alcoholic who ordered $1,000 worth of room service for a couple of strippers...

Regardless, there's been an air of negativity around that Alabama job for awhile now and it was further accentuated when Bama fired Mike Shula after a lackluster season this past year. Of those nine coaches, only Gene Stallings coached longer than 4 years (62-25 officially with a national championship win over Miami for the 1992 season). The Alabama program rightfully feels it is one of the top programs nationwide, and that number 12 speaks loudly, but coaches are never there long enough to make an impact, either because they're fired before they can use their own recruits or they're driven away by the athletic administration (MAL MOORE!!!). That includes contract clauses limiting the coach's ability to run his team (Bill Curry).

Mike Shula took over a program still mired in the wake of the Mike DuBose era, wherein they lost scholarships, bowl bids for two years and received five-year probation. They almost lost television broadcast rights for five years as well, but the NCAA realized the folly this would be and reinstated it (Bama rakes in money, folks). Prospects steered clear of Bama and it was hard to compete in the SEC West, which didn't stop Shula from going 10-2 in his third season with a Cotton Bowl victory over the incredible offense of Texas Tech. His team wasn't good enough the next season to replicate this success, but of course it was expected, and a 6-5 record had him fired. Joe Kines coached the bowl game in his place. The third-straight bowl game Shula led the Tide to, by the way.

The point was that Shula was, for the entirety of his tenure, at the mercy of Bama alumni and boosters. In their opinion, four years was all a coach needed to prove his worth, and even a 10-2 season wasn't enough to do so. A coach who takes the Bama job will always have Big Brother looking over his shoulder, watching his every move and with one finger on the trigger at all times. Regardless of what the length of their contract, job security does not exist there. Nick Saban is the highest-profile coach they have had in awhile, but don't be fooled into thinking if he doesn't meet immediate success that he'll be there longer than four years.

Many programs lure away coaches but Alabama has been notorious for doing so to programs in their prime. Frachione from TCU, Curry from Georgia Tech and Price from Washington State. Saban was stolen from the Miami Dolphins and they were not too happy.

As an LSU fan, and even as a person who maintains a minimal support for Bama, the attitudes of these boosters and alumni isn't surprising. Bama fans are some of the most spoiled and fickle fans in the nation. When their team is winning, everything is wonderful, but in dark times there's no moodier a fan than that of Bama. It's amazing the speed with which they turn on their own. LSU has not had the storied history of a Bama, but its fans are passionate as the sun rises. And while Les Miles was met with some resentment by many fans and alumni early on, I think he's won over the faithful with two 11-2 seasons.

In LSU-Related News:

I went to my first Lady Tigers basketball game of the season on Thursday evening, which they won 79-66. While it wasn't as fast-paced as some of the men's contests and without the showy dunks and flips, it was an incredible time in which I saw more blocked shots than I've seen in awhile. A great show!
The No. 7 Lady Tigers face No. 5 UConn tomorrow at 2 p.m. in a game which I will be attending and I urge you to do so also. This team is winning, and they're facing the perennial winner UConn which doesn't happen often. Also look for the matchup against the Tennessee women on Monday the 19th. If you're done with Mardi Gras, head back to Baton Rouge.
The men's basketball team faces SEC West opponent Arkansas in about an hour here at the PMAC. Head out there if you don't have mass studying to do and support the Tigers as they look to break a losing streak. This is a must-win if LSU wants to get ready for the SEC tourney. LSU needs to basically win all its games down the stretch if they want to contend for the NCAA Tournament, and they're capable if they build some team unity.
LSU's No. 12 Gymnastics team is moving back up the rankings with a win last night at No. 24 Kentucky by more than a point.
Softball and baseball seasons are underway. Tiger baseball kicked off with a 4-3 win over Saint Mary's (Calif.) last night, and the Lady Tigers softball team has won their first two games in the Easton Tiger Classic.
Five days until fantasy baseball season begins, and very soon pitchers and catchers will report to spring training. I absolutely can't wait for this upcoming MLB season.

Turbulent Tigers

2007-02-03T19:46:00.000-06:00

Today I'll talk about the LSU Men's basketball program.

John Brady's milestone of 300 games coached at LSU couldn't help the Tigers snap a losing streak, one they extended to five today with a loss at Mississippi State, 85-78.

You can say all you want about Tyrus Thomas' departure, overexpectations on this young Tigers team or Tack Minor's distractions, but it's the Tigers who are killing themselves at the end of the ballgame. In the second half against Alabama the Tigers stormed out to widen a lead over the Crimson Tide and played incredibly fast-paced basketball, scoring twice in a row and forcing a turnover on the third possession, all within a matter of seconds and to the utter delight of the Maravich Maniacs and myself, who was in attendance. The full-press and efficient coverage of the LSU defense kept Alabama away from the three-point line for a good while and kept momentum in the Tigers' favor.

The Tide put together a run of their own to take the lead for good in the final two minutes of the ballgame and that can be attributed to the lack of awareness on the part of some young Tigers. An inbounds pass deflected off one's back and nearly cost the Tigers a possession, and they failed to foul the Bama ballcarrier down by one with ten seconds to go.

It was a 10-2 run by the men from Starkville (a beautiful campus but dreadfully boring town) at the end of the game that sunk the Tigers today, along with the Bulldogs' 13 three-pointers. I'm pleased to see that Magnum Rolle only played four minutes today; he is very tall, yes, but seems to play either eternally nervous or eternally without a clue. Note he missed his only shot and had two turnovers to go with his two rebounds. In all the Tigers committed 19 turnovers, a recipe for defeat. Teams who win despite giving up this many turnovers (including the Tigers at one point last season) don't talk about their successes in the post-game but rather the luck with which they won by. You cannot compete if you turn the ball over.

If the Tigers can play with the fire and speed they play with like they did in shining moments against Bama, they could even beat Florida. Yes, I said it. They simply need to harness this and spread it out throughout the ballgame. It may be fatigue, it may be youth, it may be anxiety. Nobody knows. Glen Davis continues to be the only public bright spot for this team, a factor which may play a role in his decision to leave early for the NBA draft or not.

In other LSU-related news:

Tack Minor officially ends his tenure with LSU as an athlete and a student. The University always wishes the best for its former students and Minor will be no exception. I feel Minor, John Brady and the entire team publicly dealt with the situation quite well. Tack Minor will not be selected in the NBA draft, however.
John Brady is 180-120 in his ten-year career as LSU's head coach. That's a .600 winning percentage. Not bad.
A public apology on my part to not attend the last LSU women's home basketball game like I urged you to do. Schoolwork comes first and I was not as ahead as I would have liked to have been. I'm working on this for the near future.
Great effort by the Tigers Gymnastics team against No. 1 Georgia on Friday. And props to the nearly 4,000 fans who showed up.
Will Harris of The Daily Reveille does great by publicly calling out the religion of Scientology. Sorry to any readers who may believe in it, but it's the most dangerous BS I've ever heard in my life, and it shows all the classic signs of cult development. Beware the traps they lay. I know it's not sports-related but I thought it was wonderful.
Dwayne Bowe's NFL draft stock is rising according to Mel Kiper, Jr. and Scouts Inc. Articles available to ESPN.com Insider subscribers. LSU has Bowe, JaMarcus Russell, Laron Landry and Glenn Dorsey as projected first-round picks.
Let's hope Peyton Manning wins the big one tomorrow. I'll take Indianapolis 34-28 over the Chicago Bears. I'm also angry at Chicago fans for making rude comments about Hurricane Katrina. I'll elaborate later.

My next post will delve into the workings of the Alabama Crimson Tide's coach-hiring practices and my take as a current LSU fan and former Tide devotee. Have fun and stay safe.

Flynn Announced as LSU's Starting QB

2007-01-27T13:43:00.000-06:00

LSU head football coach Les Miles announced at a press conference yesterday afternoon that to-be Senior Matt Flynn will be the team's starting quarterback for the upcoming season.

Previously, Miles had stated that the starting position would be decided upon in spring training, a common response by coaches to dispel position controversies. However, Ryan Perrilloux's pending legal troubles could have made Miles' decision that much easier.

I had expected Flynn would get the job considering his advantage in actual game experience over Perrilloux, especially noting last year's Peach Bowl victory over Miami, 40-3. Wow...every time I see that number a huge grin breaks out on my face. And, again, the decision to name Flynn the starter seemed all the easier and necessary after Perrilloux's federal investigation became public.

Speaking of Miami, whoever gets the job will eventually be throwing to Miami native Demetrius Byrd, a juco All-American and one of LSU's new recruits.

See the story in the LSU Daily Reveille here:

http://media.www.lsureveille.com/media/storage/paper868/news/2007/01/26/News/Miles.Flynn.our.Next.Quarterback.130.P.m-2680649.shtml?sourcedomain=www.lsureveille.com&MIIHost=media.collegepublisher.com

In other news:

Gymnastics coach D-D Breaux notched her 500th career victory last night when the No. 15 Tigers defeated No. 14 Arkansas in a close competition. The gymnastics team has won every head-to-head meet since placing 4th in the Super Six Challenge at Fayetteville on Jan. 5, and they face Georgia next Friday at 7 p.m. in the PMAC, and the event is nationally-televised on ESPN2. Congrats D-D and let's get some fans out there Friday.
The Lady Tigers basketball team is 19-2 and ranked No. 8 in the nation coming into a matchup with Auburn tomorrow at 2 p.m. in the PMAC, and they're the least heralded two-loss team in the country. Ginger Gibson of the Daily Reveille has publicly chided the student body for their lack of support for the Lady Tigers, and I for one agree with her. Take these two numbers: 1,200 and 75. Twelve hundred students attended the LSU-UConn men's basketball game, while approx. 75 attended the LSU-Georgia women's game. Considering the men's team is not playing as well as last season's Final Four run, yet the women's team after losing Seimone Augustus is still playing as expected, this shouldn't be up for discussion. Though Augustus was a huge draw, the Lady Tigers are still playing very well, and I urge you to join me in the PMAC tomorrow for the game.
Dwayne Bowe plays in the Senior Bowl today in his final in-game chance to make a statement for NFL scouts. He'll be playing for the South team with national champion QB Chris Leak and coached by Dick Nolan and his 49ers staff. Sadly, the broadcast rights to this game were purchased by the NFL Network so unless you paid extra for that channel, you won't get to see this game. I may talk about the evils of the NFL Network, and Major League Baseball's pending deal with DirectTV, later. Bowe will be wearing his LSU No. 80, is ranked No. 32 (the first-round's final pick) by Scouts Inc. and is still projected by some experts to go at the 30th pick to San Diego in the draft.
I've said it several times but many thanks to the New Orleans Saints for their magical season and for taking away some of the pain in the stricken city and Gulf Coast region. The pain from the NFC Championship loss is wearing away now and smiles come when thinking about their potentially bright future next season.

Postponement

2007-01-14T01:17:00.000-06:00

I am in the process of getting back to Baton Rouge for the Spring Semester. Please check in soon for the next post.

The Russell Hustle

2007-01-12T22:15:00.000-06:00

Today's topic is JaMarcus Russell's NFL draft status.

JaMarcus' raw talent and ability already had him on some team's draft boards but his 332 passing yards and two TDs and his rushing mobility on the side (5 rushes for 30 yards, TD) in the Sugar Bowl skyrocketed him into the Top 10. Players leave final lasting impressions in their bowl games, which will hurt Ohio State's Troy Smith.

The fact that Russell handily outperformed Notre Dame's Brady Quinn in that game may help him jump Quinn in the draft order come late April. Quinn was the preseason Heisman favorite for many but struggled in some high-profile games (no thanks to his offensive line, helping Quinn become the fifteenth-most-sacked QB in the nation). His 148 yd, 2 TD, 2 INT performance paled to Russell's and Quinn was chased all night long by the LSU pass rush.

In addition to Quinn, the other QB who is a potential first-rounder is Louisville's Brian Brohm, pending his decision to declare for the draft or return to school. With a coaching change going on, he may choose to opt out sooner. Smith is unlikely to go this high, and Florida's Chris Leak, National Championship MVP, is a sleeper candidate to sneak into the first round, but not into the Top 10.

The top 10 picks of the NFL draft are in the following order: Oakland, Detroit, Cleveland/Tampa Bay (coin flip), Arizona, Washington, Minnesota, Houston, Miami and Atlanta. Of these teams, Oakland, Detroit, Cleveland, Minnesota and Miami could choose to address their QB situations.

There's no doubt in my mind Oakland will use the top pick on a QB if they keep it. Aaron Brooks is not the guy you want to rebuild a franchise around. Just ask any Saints fan. They have positive outlooks on their defense, so their immediate focus is the offense. Detroit has a plethora of good young receivers and Jon Kitna at QB. Kitna did well this season while also throwing many interceptions. Cleveland had a promising rookie QB in Charlie Frye, but he got chased around the field all season before becoming injured. Minnesota has golden oldie Brad Johnson and perennial backup Brooks Bollinger at the helm, and Miami doesn't know what to do with damaged goods Daunte Culpepper and Joey Harrington.

The cutoff point for our focus should be at Cleveland's pick. Only one of Russell or Quinn should be available after this pick, and Minnesota would be thrilled to take whichever is left. I fully expect both to be gone after Cleveland picks.

So it's time to compare for Oakland. Quinn is your prototypical QB with ability to move around out of the pocket and leadership mentality (shades of John Elway perhaps, but I won't dare go there). Russell has clear size and power advantages, able to throw around 80 yards and plow through defenses on the run. Russell fits the typical Raider scheme of launching balls down the field, and don't think Randy Moss wouldn't love to see Russell's name called on draft day.

I'd think Detroit would prefer to have Quinn's route-reading ability to hit the trio of Roy Williams, Charles Rogers and Mike Williams on the run to Russell's rocket launcher. I think if Oakland takes Quinn first, Detroit will definitely consider Russell, though they may look to trade down or consider defensive help (they ranked near the bottom of the NFL in defense this season).

Cleveland will snatch up whichever prospect is left, barring a free agent deal or a pick trade. That said, Minnesota should again take whichever pick is left. The next team outside of the Top 10 that might take a QB is Carolina, with Jake Delhomme becoming a question mark at the end of this season. I sincerely doubt Russell will fall this far, though Brohm might.

Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN has Russell ranked fourth on his Top 25 Prospects list behind Georgia Tech's stellar wideout Calvin Johnson, Wisconsin's DT Joe Thomas and Quinn. But this list is ranking pure talent, not the expected pick order.

My prediction is that, given time to think about the raw growth and potential of each prospect, Oakland will take Russell with the first pick in the draft. Quinn is at the top of many leaderboards at this stage, but with time to think about this pick, Oakland will continue looking back to the Sugar Bowl and see how Quinn reacted to the LSU pass rush. Note that Oakland plays San Diego and Denver twice a year, and they have excellent pass defenses both. I say Russell's track record this season wins him top pick money, and I couldn't be more stoked to see an LSU Tiger picked No. 1.

Let me close by tossing a huge "WHO DAT?!" out there in anticipation of tomorrow night's NFC Division Playoff between the Philadelphia Eagles and our New Orleans Saints! The Drew Brees jersey I got for Christmas came in ahead of schedule and I'll be sporting it until the Saints win the Super Bowl (hopefully). I pick the vaunted New Orleans Saints offense supported by a spirited defensive performance by Shanle, Simoneaux and Fujita (Saints LBs), over the Eagles 27-21. My next topic will probably be the draft status of the remaining eligible Tigers.

Laudless Lady Tigers?

2007-01-11T21:46:00.000-06:00

My topic for today is the support (or possible lack thereof) the Lady Tigers basketball team receives, but I'll also touch on the latest of the Ryan Perrilloux situation.

Some of my former colleagues at LSU's Daily Reveille were upset by the lack of attendance at the Jan. 7 Pack the PMAC event against the Lady Bulldogs of Georgia. The No. 6 Lady Tigers came from behind with less than a minute to play and edged Georgia 57-55. The Pack the PMAC event, which is an annual event, was by definition a failure. The arena, which has a capacity of 13,472 according to LSUsports.net, was just over half full with an attendance of 7,666.

Of course this is a pitiful attendance figure for an event like Pack the PMAC, let alone an SEC matchup. The LSU women's program is just as successful, if not moreso, than the men's program in recent years, and you can look to last season's dual Final Four appearances to epitomize this.

To be honest, however, I wouldn't read much into this figure, though in the past Pack the PMAC has been very successful. "The largest Pack the PMAC crowd of 11,252 on Jan. 4, 2003 witnessed LSU defeat Penn State and was the largest women's crowd in the building's history at the time. Six of LSU's top 15 crowds for women's basketball are Pack the PMAC games. That includes the Jan. 8, 2005 victory over Georgia in front of 10,624 fans, which was at the time the second largest crowd in history and now ranks seventh (LSUsports.net)."

There's any number of reasons the attendance for this game was low. You have to consider the fact that the game was held 9 days before classes resume, and while the men's game vs. UConn featuring ESPN College Gameday had a big turnout, not all of the women's main fan base may have returned to Baton Rouge. Also, consider both the Sugar Bowl and UConn game were held in the days before the Lady Tigers game. I for one didn't even attend the UConn game as planned because I was exhausted from the Sugar Bowl. I'm sure many others shared this sentiment. I think this is the likeliest explanation.

I can almost confidently guarantee that as the semester gets into full swing both the men's and women's basketball teams will see significant attendance numbers, and when the UConn Lady Huskies and Tennessee Lady Volunteers head to Baton Rouge on February 11 and 19, respectively, these gargantuan matchups will see record turnouts.

Back to Ryan Perrilloux. My report that the federal investigation was focused on counterfeiting was confirmed today by the Shreveport Times, which reported that the Secret Service is teaming with the FBI and the St. John's Parish Sheriff's Office on the investigation. The Secret Service, while functioning as protection for the President, ex-Presidents and other high-profile figures, also serves to stop counterfeiting; in fact, this was its original primary function. No updates yet on possible penalties Perrilloux may face nor on his status with the football team.l

Regardless of Perrilloux's future with the team, I still project Matt Flynn to be the team's starting quarterback for the 2007 season.

Read the story here at: http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070111/SPORTS0202/301110004/1001

Reports: Perrilloux Under Federal Investigation

2007-01-10T18:30:00.001-06:00

Several media outlets confirming backup freshman QB Ryan Perrilloux is the subject of a federal investigation.

I have no details regarding where or when, or if an arrest took place, and Lafayette's Daily Advertiser is currently "following leads" based on reports from fans and their sports reporter, Glenn Guilbeau.

I've been told through the grapevine that Perrilloux's investigation involves counterfeit money. Again I stress that at this point everything is heresay, and the Advertiser and I'm sure any other media outlets would love if someone with factual information shared it.

Here is an excerpt from an article posted by The Advocate (http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/5150407.html):

By ADRIAN ANGELETTE
Advocate staff writer
Published: Jan 10, 2007

LSU quarterback Ryan Perrilloux is the subject of a federal criminal investigation out of New Orleans, said Baton Rouge attorney Nathan Fisher, who has been hired to represent Perrilloux.

Fisher said he could not comment about the nature of the investigation, but could confirm that the investigation is taking place.

Perrilloux has not been booked on any charges, Fisher said. The Baton Rouge attorney also said he is unaware of any pending hearings or other court action scheduled to take place in connection with the investigation.

"I don't think it would be appropriate at this time to comment any further," Fisher said late this afternoon.

Sixteen minutes ago, the Shreveport Times posted this article on its website:

Miles denies Perrilloux rumors

January 10, 2007

From Staff Reports
shreveportsports@gannett.com

Internet rumors have been rampant in recent days concerning a possible situation with LSU quarterback Ryan Perrilloux. Apparently, they are still rumors.

Louisiana Gannett reporter Glenn Guilbeau contacted the New Orleans and Baton Rouge police departments and both departments said Perrilloux, a redshirt freshman who turned 20 on New Year’s Day, had not been arrested.

Wednesday, at the news conference where JaMarcus Russell announced he was turning pro, LSU head coach Les Miles addressed the issue.

“I have no information there whatsoever. I know nothing about what you’re talking about," Miles said. "I do not know if he’s in any trouble.”

WWL in New Orleans reports Perrilloux is under federal criminal investigation.

LSU Sports blog at Tigersmack.com reports similarly, with visual evidence of three traffic warrants for Perrilloux: http://tigersmack.com/2007/ryan-perrilloux-warrants#more-55

See the stories at:

http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070110/SPORTS/70110025/1006

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070110/SPORTS0202/301100009/1001/SPORTS

http://wwl.com/Article.asp?id=331868&spid=

Biding the Tide

2007-01-09T19:04:00.000-06:00

Tonight our No. 13 (AP) LSU Tigers face the No. 14 (AP) Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa. LSU is at 11-3 and coming off a thrashing of the UConn Huskies, 66-49, Saturday at the PMAC. Alabama comes in at 13-2, limping in after opening SEC play with a loss at Arkansas, 88-61.

Alabama has the obvious home-court advantage, and one must also consider the physical status of Glen "Big Baby" Davis, who was involved in a car accident shortly after the UConn game Saturday. LSU coach John Brady said Davis is sore, and ESPN.com has reported X-Rays on Davis' ribs came back negative. Davis is expected to play.

Likely starting lineups for the two teams are as follows:

LSU

F - Glen Davis
F - Tasmin Mitchell
F - Darnell Lazare
G - Dameon Mason
G - Garrett Temple

Bama

F - Mykal Riley
F - Alonzo Gee
F - Jermareo Davidson
F - Richard Hendrix
G - Ronald Steele

Neither team has a "true" center in the starting lineup. Look for Alabama to use their size to their advantage and overwhelm the interior. All of their guys are capable of putting up 20+ points. I like Garrett Temple's defense against anyone, and while Ronald Steele is capable of putting up a big game, he's no J.J. Redick (flashes of March Madness, anyone?). I wouldn't be surprised to see a double-team on Davis at least early on. He is the only player on either squad averaging a double-double this season. Tasmin Mitchell will need to step up and help out with the scoring. Look for Tack Minor to come off the bench and change the pace of the game, tiring out the Tide while giving some one of the Tigers' starters a rest.

In the end I think Alabama is angry about their lackluster performance at Arkansas, and the question marks surrounding Big Baby's endurance with those sore ribs and knees are too much to ignore. He'll be pounded on the inside by Bama's big men, and it will be a close game, but Bama pulls this one out at home. Bama 68-63.

Tigers on the Rebound

2007-01-08T20:40:00.000-06:00

Let's start this post with a belated National Championship prediction. As of now, there is 9:47 left in the first half with Florida leading 21-14. My pre-game prediction made about a month ago for the bowl pool I'm in had Ohio State winning this game 35-24. Not looking so hot right now, and we all know Florida's kicking game bleauxs, so it looks like my score will be wrong.

And now an apology about not getting started on that Sugar Bowl post soon enough, I just figured I'd let it go. But we all enjoyed watching Brady Quinn run for his life, at least I did.

My subject today is how LSU will rebound from two major losses it has suffered in the past two days, with starting QB JaMarcus Russell choosing to enter the NFL draft and forgoing his senior season, and today's announcement of offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher taking the same position at Florida State.

Let's talk about Russell first, since it's a pretty simple situation. There was little doubt that Russell would declare for the draft after his tremendous performance against Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl, especially with Russell providing little doubt with his postgame comments. And it's a good time for him to go. While I don't doubt that LSU would be highly considered to contend for a championship--and Russell for the Heisman Trophy--if he stayed another year, but consider what would happen to his draft status should he have an off-year or should his O-line or receiving corps have an off-year. Dwayne Bowe and Craig Davis both used up their eligibility, so Russell would have to nurture an unfamiliar receiving corps lead by Early Doucet. We saw what happened to Matt Leinart, a Heisman winner, who dropped to 10th overall in the draft even after playing in an all-time classic National Championship game against Texas.

It's a better situation for Russell to go ahead and get in the draft, especially with so many high-pick teams needing quarterbacks. Do I think he's ready to be a starting QB in the NFL? Not particularly. But I'll reserve comments on JaMarcus' draft status for my next football post.

Ryan Perilloux has to be thrilled that JaMarcus left. As you recall, he was redshirted his freshman year and didn't get into action, so he'll be a sophomore heading into next season. You have to give senior-to-be Matt Flynn the edge in the battle for the starter position. Perriloux's scant in-game experience hasn't allowed him to pass much at all, and Flynn's proven he can win at the college level with that blowout of Miami in last year's Peach Bowl. Look for Flynn to get the nod, but also for Perilloux to be thrown into the mix with some trick plays and formations, and possibly given the helm in certain situations.

Let's get to the coordinator position. Jimbo Fisher has been with LSU since 2000 and headed the tutelage of several great college QBs, including Russell, Matt Mauck, Rohan Davey and Marcus Randall, been a big help to recruiting and helped lead LSU to a BCS National Championship in 2003. Known more for his passing offenses, he's no shab with the run either: LSU led the SEC in rushing yards in 2004, averaging just under 200 rushing yards per game with three standout backs in Alley Broussard, Justin Vincent and Joseph Addai (LSUsports.net).

I'm not sure why Fisher would leave the LSU program at this stage, since we're having great recruiting and we've got a good enough home schedule next season to contend for the national championship (which I'll talk about in yet another post). Perhaps its a combination of Russell leaving and the opportunity to coach under Bobby Bowden presenting itself. Fisher directly stated the latter as a reason for leaving LSU in the news.

Les Miles has stated he'll immediately begin searching for a replacement, so I figured I'd help him out. I'll toss a few candidates out there and see how they fit.

Let's start with Louisville's Paul Petrino, brother of the recently departed Bobby Petrino. The latter just left Louisville for the Atlanta Falcons one year into a ten-year contract extension (yet another thing I'll talk about in a later post, and that's honoring contracts). There's little reason to expect the Cardinals to give Paul their head coaching position. Unless the Falcons let Bobby bring Paul in to be a coordinator, which I don't see happening, then let's take a look at Paul. Good balanced offense at Louisville, can work with quarterbacks AND running backs and won't be too expensive. His Louisville offense was the best in the nation in 2004. Paul Petrino has drawn interest from Alabama, so getting him would also block a conference rival from getting their main.

While we're at Louisville, let's take a look at QB coach Jeff Brohm. A former NFL player who helped tutor his youngest brother Brian Brohm into a great QB at Louisville. If Brohm declares for the draft, it will be easier to pry Jeff Brohm away. He'd be a good person to mentor Matt Flynn, Ryan Perriloux and any upcoming recruits for LSU.

Another guy to look at out there in the college realm is Wisconsin coordinator Paul Chryst. Rumors have him being linked to the Minnesota Golden Gophers head coaching position, with close ties to their AD. There's no reason to believe he wants to come down south, but he's had two stints as Oregon State's offensive coordinator in addition to his two years at Wisconsin and three years as the San Diego Chargers' tight ends coach. "The 2005 Badgers set school records for points scored in a season and for season scoring average. UW scored at least 40 points six times in 2005 (Wisconsin athletic site). He was also important to the emergence of QB John Stocco, who set school records for passing yards, TDs and completions in Chryst's first year.

Looking internally, you have to consider Offensive Line coach Stacey Searels, who is a Nick Saban staff holdover. 2006 was his fourth season with LSU. He knows how to operate a run offense as well as provide blocking, excellent blocking, for a quarterback. His 2002 Cincinnati O-Line helped the Bearcats produce nearly 400 offensive yards per game, leading Conference USA, and has produced several All-American linemen here at LSU, including Stephen Peterman and Andrew Whitworth (second team All-American). He'll be relatively inexpensive and knows the Les Miles system.

Additionally, RB and assistant head coach Larry Porter is a big consideration, coming over from Oklahoma State. He obviously is a Les Miles man and knows the system, and has had obvious success with Joseph Addai and Alley Broussard before he was injured. In terms of momentum, however, I'd feel that Searels has more than Porter, since the run game never clearly emerged this season. This was also Porter's first season as assistant head coach.

And finally I'll throw a dark-horse candidate out there without any legitimacy whatsoever: Tennessee Titans' Offensive Coord. Norm Chow. Why not?

My pick for the position at this point in time is Paul Petrino of Louisville. I think the offensive force he put together at Louisville was very impressive. He's a balanced guy and at this stage in the game, with a new quarterback emerging, he'd be a key asset to grooming him into what we expect out of a QB.

In closing I'd like to applaud Ohio State University's marching band for making a mockery of the Titanic disaster. All of the disasters' survivors are dead, but I'm sure countless adolescent Leonardo DiCaprio fans everywhere and Celene Dion are now in tears.