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Da Boot Sports 10/31/2021 By: Terrill J. Weil BATON ROUGE, LA: The Tigers have finally and thankfully reached their bye week on the schedule and it couldn't have come at a better time as the LSU roster has been decimated with injuries. I think we all needed a little break at this point. With their toughest opponent on the schedule next up, LSU found themselves without enough healthy bodies to hold a full practice or a scheduled scrimmage announced on Tuesday.... “We don’t have enough players to do the Tiger Bowl scrimmage tomorrow,” Orgeron said. We don’t have enough players healthy enough to have a full practice today. So you have to make adjustments.” ..... More dark news was announced this week as Orgeron informed the media that Anthony Bradford will be lost for the rest of the season. The Tigers have also lost depth at the linebacker position this week as it was reported that Navonteque Strong has entered the NCAA Transfer Portal and is no longer with the team. Strong played in every game this season, but his production has slipped during the last couple of contest after a strong start. This LSU football program has spiraled into disarray since winning the national championship in 2019. I haven't seen a LSU football team look this poorly conditioned and poorly coached since the Curley Hallman era. Does Tommy Moffitt need to be replaced? Moffitt has been at LSU for 21 years and has built a reputation as the best in the business. Since his arrival, LSU has always been one of the top conditioned teams in the country. Is the problem Moffitt, or has Orgeron thrown a monkey wrench into the conditioning program as well? That will be for the new head coach to decide. Another question... Will LSU qualify for a Bowl game this season? Six wins are needed to qualify for postseason play. The Tigers are 4-4 with four games remaining, three of them at home. At Alabama, Arkansas, ULM, and Texas A&M.. LSU will need to scratch and claw their way to two more victories if they want to go Bowling. Next up is a trip to Tuscaloosa to take on #3 Alabama. Last season Alabama came into Tiger Stadium and beat LSU like a drum, 55-17... Does LSU have a chance to upset the mighty Crimson Tide or will the Tigers limp home with another embarrassing loss? We'll see as the Ed Orgeron Farewell tour continues...
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Da Boot Sports 10/25/2021 By: Terrill J. Weil BATON ROUGE, LA: Coach O held his weekly 'Tell the Truth Monday' press conference after this past weekend's embarrassing 31-17 loss to Ole Miss in Oxford. Orgeron mentioned that this week they need to work on improving on scoring when down on the goal line. He also touched on losing the turnover battle, not being able to protect the quarterback like they wanted too, and how the offensive line couldn't block the stunts and slants that the Rebels' defense threw at them to run the football. Orgeron then brought up that on defense, it was all about poor gap integrity. The players need to sit in their gap and tackle. Every Monday we hear the same thing that we've heard all season long. We're told what needs to be fixed, but it never seems to get fixed before the next opponent. "I think this is something we need to get better at during the game." Orgeron answered after being asked about making adjustments at halftime. "I don't want to wait until halftime. We want to get these things fixed on the sidelines after the series. Sometimes it's happening, sometimes it's not. But obviously during the 3rd and 4th quarter when we aren't playing well, we need to do better with our halftime adjustments. There's no question about that." The off week couldn't have come at a better time as the Tigers are a tired, beat up football team. Orgeron plans on having light practices to help the team heal up and rest before beginning preparation for Alabama next week. Below is the video of the Monday press conference for your viewing... GEAUX TIGERS!!! Da Boot Sports 10/24/2021 By: Terrill J. Weil OXFORD, MS: The Tigers went into Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday afternoon hoping to build on last weekend's success by upsetting the #12 ranked Rebels. Instead they were embarrassed by a hungry team looking to not only establish themselves as one of the top teams in the SEC, but also as one of the top teams in the country. Ole Miss dominated the Tigers at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Defensively the Rebels shut down the LSU running game, then began an all out assault on Max Johnson, sacking him five times and forcing three turnovers. On offense Ole Miss battering the LSU defense on the ground, rushing for 266 yards on their way to a 31-17 victory. The Tigers actually started the game fast, taking an early 7-0 lead, then threatened to add to it. But a failed 4th and goal attempt from the three yard line, instead of settling for a Cade York field goal, opened an avalanche of 31 unanswered points by the Rebels. Once again LSU was out-played and out-coached throughout the contest. With the loss the Tigers fall to 4-4 overall and 2-3 in the SEC... On their first possession LSU would drive 90 yards in nine plays to go up 7-0 as Ty Davis-Price would punch it into the end zone from 1 yard out with 8:29 to go in the 1st quarter. The Tigers picked up where they left off last week with the running attack, as they ran the ball successfully five times on the drive. But the highlight of the drive came on 2nd and 6 from their own 35 when Max Johnson would find Trey Palmer deep down the middle of the field for a 44 yard gain down to the Ole Miss 28 yard line. The Tigers again put together a nice drive on their next possession going 72 yards on 14 plays, but on 4th and goal from the three, Ed Orgeron decided to go for it. Max Johnson rolled left and threw an interception to Tysheem Johnson at the half yard line to end the scoring threat. The Rebel offense would finally show signs of life, starting their drive with three straight successful runs to move the ball out from the shadow of their goal post. The drive however would stall at the LSU 25 yard line, forcing Ole Miss to settle for a 43 yard field goal by Caden Costa, cutting the LSU lead to 7-3 with 10:44 to go in the first half. The Tigers would miss out on another scoring opportunity as Cade York missed his first field goal of the season from 55 yards out after driving 38 yards on 9 plays with 6:23 left on the clock. Ole Miss continued to run at the LSU defense on their next possession, finding room for huge gains by Jerrion Ealy as the Rebels would take their first lead of the contest. Matt Corral hit tight end Casey Kelly in the end zone for a two yard touchdown to end a 7 play, 63 yard drive. After a quick three-and-out by LSU, the Rebels would respond with another scoring drive, going 80 yards in nine plays with Matt Corral running it in from 3 yards out to put Ole Miss up by ten at the half. 17-7.... Ole Miss would begin to pour it on in the second half, scoring two touchdowns in the 3rd quarter. One came on their first possession of the second half, going 66 yards on 10 plays with Henry Parrish scoring on a five yard run. The second would come on a 6 play, 62 yard drive, when Jerrion Ealy would break a 36 yard touchdown run on 3rd and 12. Meanwhile LSU's offense sputtered throughout the quarter as the Ole Miss defense shut down the Tigers running game, then began to put heavy pressure on Max Johnson, forcing him to turn the ball over twice on fumbles. The game would head to the 4th quarter with the Rebels holding commanding 31-7 lead. With 12:05 left in the contest, Ed Orgeron decided to insert Garrett Nussmeier into the game. Nussmeier would then lead the Tigers on a 14 play, 51 yard drive, ending it with a 47 yard Cade York field goal, pulling LSU to within 31-10 with 7:28 left on the clock. The LSU offense continued to show signs of life late in the 4th quarter with Garrett Nussmeier at the controls, this time going 80 yards in six plays, ending with Nussmeier firing a dart to Malik Nabers in the end zone for a 9 yard touchdown pass. 31-17 Rebels with 3:55 left. *Max Johnson found himself under constant pressure after the Ole Miss defense made the necessary adjustments to shut down the LSU running game. He would finish 13-21, 146 yards passing, 1 interception before being replaced by Garrett Nussmeier early in the 4th quarter. Nussmeier played well on his two drives leading the offense to 10 points. He would go 7-12, 103 yards passing with 1 touchdown pass. *Ty Davis-Price led the team in rushing with 53 yards on 17 carries and 1 touchdown. Corey Kiner had some nice carries late in the game as he finished with 49 yards on 10 touches. The Tigers managed only 77 total yards rushing in the game. *Johnson and Nussmeier spread the ball around to several different receivers. Jaray Jenkins totaled 52 yards on four grabs.. Jack Bech added 41 yards on four catches.. and Malik Nabers finished with 30 yards on four catches and a touchdown. *On defense Damone Clark had a fantastic game, finishing with a career high 20 tackles. He also added 2.5 TFL, and 1 sack. No doubt he was the player of the game... "I'm so proud of Damone Clark." Orgeron said. "He's playing like an All-American. So proud of Damone. He's all over the field making tackles. He's a tremendous leader. He's having a fantastic year and we're very proud of him." Jay Ward and Micah Baskerville both added 9 tackles each, while B.J. Ojulari had 7 tackles and a sack. Next the Tigers have a bye week before traveling to Tuscaloosa to take on Alabama on November 6th.. TBA Da Boot Sports
10/22/2021 By: Terrill J. Weil BATON ROUGE, LA: LSU heads to Oxford to take on the #12 ranked Ole Miss Rebels (5-1, 2-1 SEC) in the yearly Magnolia Bowl. Expect the crowd to be a bit more hostile on Saturday afternoon, not only because of the historical rivalry between the two schools, but also Coach O's history with the Rebels. Rumor has it that Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin is very interested in the LSU opening and that he may try to impress by putting on a 'job interview' display for Scott Woodward on Saturday. The Tigers have some momentum coming into the contest after last week's big 49-42 win over Florida at home. Many feel like this LSU squad will continue to play hard and with more intensity due to the announcement that their coach won't be returning next season. Sitting at 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the SEC, there's still plenty to play for. Going into this ball game there's cause for concern for the LSU defense who didn't exactly slow down the Gators offense last week surrendering 488 total yards and 42 points, and now will face one of the most explosive offenses in the nation. The Rebels average 553 total yards and 43.67 points per game. It's reported that Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral may not play Saturday after taking a beating last week against Tennessee while passing for 231 yards and rushing for a season high 195, but Orgeron isn't buying it. "We practiced for Matt the whole week." said Orgeron. "I know the competitor that he is. He's going to play. That's my gut feeling." Corral has completed 66.30% of his passes for 1728 yards with 14 touchdown passes with only 1 interception so far, while adding 544 yards on the ground with 8 rushing touchdowns. If Corral ends up not playing, either freshman Luke Altmyer or John Rhys Plumlee will get the start. Both are similar style quarterbacks who are very capable of leading the offensive attack. The Rebels average 262 yards rushing per game, with Corral as the team's leading rusher. But Ole Miss also has a dangerous three headed monster at the running back position with Henry Parrish Jr., Snoop Conner, and Jerrion Ealy. The Tigers will need to find a way to slow down the Rebels running game if they have any chance to pull out a victory. If the Tigers can continue to run the football they way they have over the last two weeks, the chances are high that we may be looking at another fun SEC shootout. The Ole Miss defense has struggled against the run all season long and the Tigers will need to move the ball on the ground to eat up clock and keep the explosive Ole Miss offense off the field. Look for Jake Peetz to call a great balanced offensive attack again this week against the Rebels. If Matt Corral is healthy and plays, I think this one could get ugly for the Tigers. However, if he doesn't play or tries to go not 100%, I look for this game to be a close one. I have to give the nod to the Rebels due to their speed, athleticism, Lane Kiffin's play calling, and the home field advantage.... PREDICTION: Ole Miss 49, LSU 45 Da Boot Sports 10/20/2021 By: Terrill J. Weil BATON ROUGE, LA: The day after LSU and Ed Orgeron came to an agreement to part ways at season's end, Orgeron was back to his normal weekly routine holding his 'Tell the Truth Monday' press conference. After praising the team and coaches for their huge win over Florida, Coach O briefly mentioned the challenge that lies ahead this Saturday against the Ole Miss (Rebels? Black Bears? Land-Sharks?), then would answer questions from the media. Below is a video of the press conference for your viewing.. GEAUX TIGERS!! Da Boot Sports 10/18/2021 LSU Sports Information By: Michael Bonnette BATON ROUGE – Record-setting LSU running back Ty Davis-Price has been named the Southeastern Conference Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in the win over Florida, the league office announced on Monday. Davis-Price shares the SEC Offensive Player of the Week award with Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral. The honor is the second in as many days for Davis-Price as he was named the Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week on Sunday. Against Florida, Davis-Price set the LSU single-game rushing record with 287 yards and three touchdowns on 36 carries in leading the Tigers to a 49-42 win over the 20th-ranked Gators. Davis-Price, a junior from Southern Lab in Baton Rouge, became the first player in LSU history to rush for more than 200 yards against the Gators. Davis-Price’s 287 rushing yards were the most ever against a Florida defense, breaking the previous mark of 238 set by Georgia’s Heisman Trophy winning running back Herschel Walker in 1980. It also stands as the 10th-highest single-game rushing total in Southeastern Conference history. Davis-Price scored on runs of 18, 40 and 25 yards as he averaged a staggering 8.0 yards per carry on 36 attempts. The 36 rushing attempts tie for the sixth-highest total in LSU history, while his 8.0 yards per carry set the school mark on a minimum of 30 carries in a game. The Florida contest marked the second straight 100-yard game for Davis as last week against Kentucky, he rushed for a then-career best 147 yards and two TDs against the Wildcats. In seven games, Davis-Price leads the Tigers with 574 yards and five touchdowns. His 82.0 yards per game rank No. 6 in the SEC. Da Boot Sports 10/18/2021 By: Terrill J. Weil BATON ROUGE, LA: The day after LSU announces that Ed Orgeron will not be back to coach the Tigers in 2022, a couple of young men have decided to go in a different direction. Aaron Anderson a 2022 class 4-star recruit from Edna Karr has decided to reopen his recruitment. "I feel like it's best for me to reopen my recruitment because Coach O was the main reason I committed to LSU," Anderson said. "We had a special bond outside of football & he really made me feel like I was his family." In other news sophomore receiver Koy Moore has announced that he will enter the NCAA transfer portal. Moore has 71 yards on five catches so far in 2021 as he has seen his playing time dwindle this season. Da Boot Sports
10/17/2021 LSU Sports Information By: Michael Bonnette BATON ROUGE – LSU and head football coach Ed Orgeron will part ways at the conclusion of the 2021 season, director of athletics Scott Woodward announced on Sunday. Orgeron, who is in his sixth season as the Tigers’ head coach, will coach for the remainder of the 2021 schedule. Since leading LSU to the 2019 national title, Orgeron and the Tigers have gone 9-8, including a 4-3 mark in 2021. Last year, LSU went 5-5, the school’s first non-winning season since 1999. “We have very high standards for all of our sports programs at LSU, and we will stand proudly behind our expectations of competing for SEC and national championships year in and year out,” Woodward said. “Our last two seasons have simply not met that standard, and based on our on-field results and our evaluation of the potential for future immediate success, it is time for a new direction.” Since taking over as head coach of the Tigers four games into the 2016 season, Orgeron has led LSU to a 49-17 mark, with 20 of those victories coming against teams ranked in the Top 25. LSU has beaten 13 Top 10 teams under Orgeron, the second-most of any coach in school history. Orgeron is the fourth-winningest coach in LSU history trailing only Charles McClendon (137 wins in 18 years), Les Miles (114 wins in 12 years) and Bernie Moore (83 wins in 13 years). His 74.2 winning percentage ranks among the top five in school history, while his four bowl victories trail only McClendon and Miles, who each won seven bowl games. In 2019, Orgeron led LSU to the most dominant season in college football history as the Tigers beat seven Top 10 teams – the most in any season in the history of college football – on its way to claiming the school’s fourth national championship. Behind the play of Heisman Trophy quarterback Joe Burrow, LSU shattered the Southeastern Conference record book, averaging 48.4 points and 568.4 total yards per game. Orgeron’s 2019 team won 12 of its 15 games by double-figures, including all three postseason games – a 37-10 victory over No. 4 Georgia in the SEC Championship Game; a 63-28 win over No. 4 Oklahoma in the national semifinals; a 42-25 victory over No. 2 Clemson in the national championship game. The 2019 season came on the heels of a 10-3 mark in 2018 when the Tigers capped that year with a 40-32 win over seventh-ranked UCF in the Fiesta Bowl. In his first full season as LSU’s head coach in 2017, Orgeron led the Tigers to a 9-4 mark with victories over No. 21 Florida and No. 10 Auburn and a berth in the Capital One Bowl. Orgeron was elevated to interim head coach of the Tigers four games into the 2016 season and had an immediate impact, directing LSU to a 5-2 mark with three wins over ranked opponents. He was named head coach on Nov. 25, a day after LSU beat No. 22 Texas A&M. LSU closed out 2016 with a win over Louisville in the Capital One Bowl. Individually, LSU has produced four national award winners. including the 2019 Heisman Trophy winner in Burrow, 12 first team All-Americas, and 39 NFL Draft picks – 10 of those being first rounders – under Orgeron. Da Boot Sports 10/17/2021 By: Terrill J. Weil BATON ROUGE, LA: Its been reported by several sources that LSU and Ed Orgeron have come to an agreement to part ways. Ed Orgeron will finish the 2021 season as the team's head coach but will not return in 2022. Since winning the national championship in 2019, Orgeron's record is 9-8. He will be owed a buyout of nearly $17.8 million, according to the terms of his contract. Apparently the deal was made last week before the Florida game was played. In 2019 Orgeron had it all come together between players and coaching staff in route to a 15-0 national championship season that arguable could be called the best ever. Since then, the program has struggled not only on the field but with several off the field problems. So the search will now begin for Athletic Director Scoot Woodward for Ed Orgeron's replacement. More to come... Da Boot Sports 10/16/2021 By: Terrill J. Weil BATON ROUGE, LA: The Tigers played their most complete game of the season, beating #20 Florida 49-42 on a beautiful, cool day in Tiger Stadium. Led by junior running back Ty Davis-Price who set a single game rushing record with 287 yards rushing, LSU was able to score a season high 49 points, as someone finally found the switch for the ground game and flipped it on. The defense faced a tough challenge against a Dan Mullen coached Gators offense, giving up 42 points, but recorded 5 TFL, 2 sacks, and intercepted 4 passes returning one 37 yards for a touchdown. It was a much needed win for a team looking to turn their season around. The Gators would draw first blood on a nice 6 play, 59 yard drive ending with Dameon Pierce taking it in from seven yards out. Neil Farrell was able to get his hands up to block the extra point. 6-0 Gators with 7:55 to go in the 1st quarter. LSU would begin a drive from their own ten yard line with 4:38 left in the quarter and slowly move the ball down the field with a nice mix of run and passing plays. Ty Davis-Price was a work-horse on the drive, running with a punishing style, as he finished off the 13 play, 90 yard drive with an 18 yard touchdown run. Davis-Price rushed the ball six times for 52 yards on the drive. With Cade York's PAT, LSU would take a 7-6 lead with 14:29 to go in the half. The Gators began the next drive hoping to answer the score, moving into LSU territory. On 3rd and seven from the Tigers 38, Emory Jones would throw down the near sidelines. The ball would be tipped into the air and land in Micah Baskerville's hands, who returned the ball 54 yards to the Florida 28 yard line. Max Johnson wasted little time. On 1st and 10 from the 28, he would find Jaray Jenkins across the middle for a 28 yard touchdown. With the PAT, the Tigers increased their lead to 14-6 with 8:31 left on the clock. Anthony Richardson would enter the game at quarterback for Florida on the next possession and on his first snap he would be intercepted by Jay Ward at the Florida 47 yard line. Ward returned the ball 26 yards to the Gators 21, setting up the LSU offense with a 1st and 10 deep in Florida territory. It took LSU four plays to increase their lead as Max Johnson would roll to his left and hit Jaray Jenkins in the end zone for a five yard touchdown. 21-6 Tigers with 6:51 to go in the first half. After being out-played the entire 2nd quarter, Florida would take the momentum into the locker room as Emory Jones threw a 42 yard Hail Mary pass into the end zone on the final play of the half and had it answered by Justin Shorter. LSU would lead 21-13 at the break. Florida received the 2nd half kickoff and faced 3rd and 9 from their own 26 yard line. Emory Jones fired a pass that was intercepted by Dwight McGlothern who returned it 37 yards for a touchdown. 28-13 LSU with 14:12 to go in the 3rd. It looked like the Tigers had Florida going three-and-out on the next possession, but a unsportsmanlike penalty called on Cordale Flott on 3rd down would give the Gators new life. With Anthony Richardson back in the game at quarterback for Florida, they would take advantage of the foolish LSU mistake. Richardson would end the drive with a five yard touchdown run, while also running for a successful 2 point conversion to cut the LSU lead to 28-21 with 11:01 to go in the quarter. The Tigers offense would finally get on the field in the second half and they would electrify the fans with a 3 play, 75 yard drive that would only take :53 seconds. On first down, Johnson would hit Brian Thomas Jr. for an 11 yard gain. Next Johnson would find Malik Nabers for a 24 yard gain down to the Florida 40 yard line. On the next snap, Ty Davis-Price would run untouched up the middle, sprinting his way into the end zone for the score. 35-21 Tigers. The Gators would pull even with LSU after scoring on back to back possessions. Richardson would find Shorter in the end zone for the score from 5 yards out, to end a 6 play, 75 yard drive. 35-28 with 7:59 left in the quarter. Then after a quick three-and-out by the Tigers, Richardson would lead the Gators on a 6 play 65 yard drive that evened things up at 35-35, after he hit Pierce for a 11 yard touchdown pass. After allowing Florida to even up the score, the Tigers would start their next possession from the 25 with 3:45 left on the clock and continue the drive into the 4th quarter. Ty Davis-Price who had a monster ballgame, would score on a 25 yard touchdown run to put LSU back up, 42-35 with 14:27 to go in the contest. The Gators refused to go away and would answer by scoring their fourth straight touchdown, going 75 yards in 13 plays, with Richardson hitting Jacob Copeland down the far sidelines for a 33 yard touchdown to once again tie things up. 42-42 with 9:14 left. With the score knotted up, the Tigers would start their next possession from their own 32, riding the Davis-Price express for a 10 play, 68 yard scoring drive that ended with Max Johnson finding Jaray Jenkins on a swing pass for a 1 yard touchdown to regain the lead 49-42. Davis-Price rushed for 48 yards on the drive with Josh Williams adding a 24 yard burst. With 3:30 left to go in the game, Florida would begin their final drive at their own 25 yard line. Facing 2nd and 10 from their own 37, Anthony Richardson would throw deep down the near sidelines, but Damone Clark would make a huge interception at the LSU 30 yard line to slam the door shut. Ty Davis-Price would grind out the final 1:59 for a huge LSU victory. *Max Johnson who finally had the aid of a running game, had a solid performance finishing 14-24 for 133 yards passing and 3 touchdowns. *Ty Davis-Price has been a man on a mission the last two weeks. He put the offense on his back and carried it to victory, breaking a single game rushing record with 287 yards on 36 carries and 3 rushing touchdowns. *The receivers played well together as a group once again. Jaray Jenkins led the team with 4 catches for 50 yards and 3 touchdowns. Makil Nabers added 36 yards on 3 grabs, while Brian Thomas Jr. contributed 24 yards on 2 catches. *The defense was led once again by Damone Clark who had 11 tackles, and an interception. BJ Ojulari finished with 9 tackles and a sack. Micah Baskerville and Cameron Lewis each had 9 tackles. Dwight McGlothern made a huge play with a 37 yard interception return for a touchdown. Next up the Tigers will head to Oxford on Saturday, Oct. 23rd to take on the Ole Miss Rebels. Kickoff is set for 2:30pm and will be televised on CBS. Photos Below By: Jonathan Mailhes Photos Below By: David Chivatero Da Boot Sports 10/15/2021 By: Terrill J. Weil BATON ROUGE, LA: I just read an article posted on Facebook that really pissed me off. It was written by a DJ from a radio station in Lafayette and he really should stick to playing music. Don't get me wrong, the guy has a right to his own opinion, but I totally disagree with him 100%. He's telling LSU fans to be carefully over the next few weeks because the future of the football program is in their hands. EXCUSE ME!!! WHAT?... HOW?... Fans have NO responsibility as far as the future of the LSU football program by impressing recruits. Fans are fans. They're not coaches or recruiters. Fans are nothing more than paying customers. It is the responsibility of the school's AD and the head coach to do their job by putting an exciting, competitive product on the field to draw customers into the stadium. If LSU wants to charge top dollar for a poor, mediocre product, then the fans will quit coming. It is what it is. I'm not going to pay $12 to go see a movie at the theater that sucks! Why would anyone pay $90 a ticket to go watch their favorite team play sloppy football and get out-coached week after week? For those who still choose to attend, they have every right to boo the coaching staff if what they're watching is painful. It cost families a small fortune for tickets, gas, parking, concession, and souvenirs to attend one of these games. Not to mention having to deal with ridiculous traffic after the contest. Everyone knows LSU has a very rich football tradition and that Tiger Stadium is an incredible venue. Recruits know what Tiger Stadium is like when the program is playing at a high level. When the program is struggling, many of them are hungry to come in and be a huge part of helping turn things back around, bringing the fans back, converting Tiger Stadium back into Death Valley. Recruits care about the success of the program. They understand that their success will fill a stadium. It's the coaching staff's responsibility to host a recruit while selling the program's history and future. It's the athletic director's responsibility to hire the right head coach who will put and keep a competitive, successful product on the field. That my friend is what draws top recruits to your school and puts fans in the stadium. It starts at the top, NOT with the fans. Da Boot Sports 10/13/2021 By: Terrill J. Weil BATON ROUGE, LA: The injuries to the 2021 LSU Tigers continue to mount as Eli Ricks has now been lost for the season due to a shoulder injury. Ricks was expected to return on Saturday for the Florida game, however, the All-American cornerback and his family opted to go with surgery now to correct the problem. I can't remember when a LSU football has been hit with so many injuries and horrible luck in a season. *First quarterback Myles Brennan is lost to a broken arm from a freak accident while on a fishing trip. *Glenn Logan had been lost all season until this weekend with a broken foot. *Then the injury bug hit the offensive line with minor injuries keeping the unit from playing together until a few games into the season. *John Emery Jr. was lost for the season due to an academic situation. *Andre Anthony was lost for the season with a knee injury. *Derek Stingley Jr. gone for the year with an injured foot. *Kayshon Boutte lost for the season with an ankle injury. *Eli Ricks lost for the year with shoulder surgery. *Ali Gaye is out for the Florida and possible longer. *Major Burns is out and will not play against Florida. *Joe Evans will not play against Florida. The Gators are a 10 point favorite in the contest, and should win if they avoid costly turnovers and don't throw any more shoes. The Tigers have a banged up defense. Look for Florida to have success on the ground like Kentucky did last week. Injuries to the LSU secondary will allow the Gators to make enough big plays in the passing game to make the difference. Look for the LSU offense to continue to struggle running the football this weekend. The loss of Kayshon Boutte is a huge one. The rest of this young receiving corp must make big plays all night long if the Tigers will have any chance to pull out a victory. LSU can't afford to turnover the ball at all and must find ways to get the ball into the end zone, avoiding the need to settle for field goals. PREDICTION: Florida 31, LSU 20 Da Boot Sports 10/11/2021 By: Terrill J. Weil BATON ROUGE, LA: Well, as of 12:30pm on Monday, Ed Orgeron is still the head coach of the LSU Fighting Tigers, as he held his weekly "Tell the Truth Monday" press conference. With the team sitting at 3-3 overall and 1-2 in SEC play, coming off of their worse defeat of the season, I figured that Scott Woodward would have seen enough. Orgeron mentioned that no one as spoken to him about his job status at all. Florida comes to Tiger Stadium on Saturday with a 4-2 record. Maybe a loss to the Gators will be the straw that breaks the camel's back. Time will tell... I still feel like the change needs to happen now. Not at season's end. A good friend of mine, Billy Embody with GEAUX24/7 thinks it may happen during the bye week after Ole Miss game to give the interim head coach time to make his adjustments leading into the Bama contest. Dan Mullen will bring his team into Death Valley focused on winning to take the momentum of a two game winning streak into their contest with Georgia next weekend. They could be catching the Bulldogs at the right time as Georgia will play Kentucky this Saturday. Florida is ranked 3rd in the country in rushing the football, averaging 273 yards per contest. That's bad news for a banged up LSU defense after giving up 330 yards rushing to Kentucky last week. The Tiger defense will be without Derek Stingley, Ali Gaye, Major Burns, and Joe Evans. However, Eli Ricks is expected to return and Glenn Logan will see his first action of the season. Florida quarterback Emory Jones has thrown for 1,144 yards while completing 68.2% of his passes (107-of-157), with nine touchdowns and seven interceptions this year (190.7 yards per game). He’s also carried the ball 75 times for 479 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 79.8 yards per game. Running back Anthony Richardson has rushed for 311 yards on 21 carries (77.8 yards per game), with two touchdowns on the ground this year. Jacob Copeland has 21 catches and leads the team with 370 yards (61.7 per game) while scoring three touchdowns. The LSU offense could find some success against Florida if they can sustain the running game that they put together in the second half of last weekend's game. Right now the offensive line is the healthiest they've been all season. They will need to continue to open holes for the backs and give Max Johnson more time to throw the football. But whatever the offense is able to produce on Saturday, they will need to do it without the team's leading receiver Kayshon Boutte who has been lost for the season with an ankle injury. The video of Coach O's Monday press conference is below for you to view... GEAUX TIGERS!!! Da Boot Sports 10/10/2021 By: Terrill J. Weil LEXINGTON, KY: LSU came into Lexington hoping to turn things around after falling to 3-2 last weekend. Instead they were handed their worse defeat of the 2021 season as Kentucky made a statement to the rest of the SEC that they are for real, beating LSU 42-21 in dominating fashion. The Wildcats won the battle at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball all night long, physically pounding on the LSU defense until they had nothing left, while the Kentucky defense made the plays needed to keep the LSU offense scratching and clawing all night long. Once again the Tigers were outplayed and out coached. It's very likely that Ed Orgeron has coached his final game as the head coach of the LSU Fighting Tigers, less then two years after winning a national championship. Kentucky would win the coin toss and elect to defer, allowing the Tigers to begin the first drive of the ball game at their own 25 yard line. Max Johnson would complete a couple of nice throws to convert two 3rd down conversions setting up LSU close to mid-field. But on 2nd and six from the Kentucky 47, DeAndre Square would come unblocked blind-siding Johnson, sacking him for a nine yard loss, causing a fumble on the play. Kentucky recovered the loose ball to set up a short field for their offense at the LSU 44. The Wildcats took advantage of the early turnover, driving 44 yards in nine plays, culminating with a 3 yard touchdown pass from Will Levis to a wide open Chris Rodriguez in the far corner of the end zone on 4th and goal. 7-0 Kentucky with 6:17 left in the first quarter. LSU, struggling to run the football, still managed to drive to the Kentucky 47, after Johnson would hit Deion Smith and Brian Thomas Jr. with a couple of nice completions to help advance the ball to the Wildcats 31. Facing a 4th and one at the 31, Johnson would miss a well covered Jack Bech to turn the ball over on downs to the hungry, fired up Wildcats. Kentucky then began to flex their muscles, as Rodriguez, on 2nd and eight would burst up the middle for a 17 yard gain. On the next play a wide open Justin Rigg would haul in a pass from Levis, and the big tight end rumbled 38 yards to the LSU 16 yard line. The 1st quarter would come to an end with Kentucky facing a 2nd and five at the Tigers 11 yard line. The Wildcats increased their lead to 14-0 on the first play of the 2nd quarter as Will Levis would find Wan'Dale Robinson in the end zone for a 11 yard touchdown pass. The drive covered 69 yards in five plays, taking 2:31 off the game clock. The first half would end with Kentucky on top 14-0.... Kentucky wasted no time starting the second half as they march 75 yards in seven plays easily against a lifeless LSU defense, scoring on a Will Levis 1 yard quarterback sneak. 21-0 Wildcats with 10:57 to go in the 3rd quarter. Trailing by their largest deficit of the season, the Tigers would answer Kentucky's scoring drive, with one of their nicest scoring drive of the season. The balanced attack had successful running plays mixed in with some nice throws by Johnson, as the drive would cover 75 yards on nine plays, ending with Ty Davis-Price punching it in from 1 yard out. The score was Davis-Price's first rushing touchdown of the season. 21-7 Wildcats with 6:43 left in the quarter. For the second drive in a row, the Kentucky offensive line simply man-handled LSU up front, as the Wildcats would again easily move the ball down the field. An exhausted Tiger defense would continue to miss tackles while being outplayed. Will Levis would score his second rushing touchdown of the ball game taking it in from five yards out. 28-7 Wildcats with 1:16 left in the quarter. After the Tigers turned the ball over on downs on the next possession, Kentucky would continue to pour it on a badly beaten LSU defense as the Wildcats again scored quickly in dominating fashion. This time it only took three plays for Kentucky to go 56 yards, with Levis finding a wide open JuTahn McClain streaking down the sidelines for a 25 yard touchdown. 35-7 with 12:07 left in the game. Max Johnson and the LSU offense would continue to battle and fight back. With the aid of a personal foul penalty on the Wildcats defense, the Tigers stuck quickly going 75 yards in only four plays, as Johnson would go deep to hit Malik Nabers in the end zone for a 41 yard touchdown. Cade York added the PAT to cut the Kentucky deficit to 35-14 with 11:03 remaining. LSU would again cut into the Kentucky lead on their next possession, fighting their way back into the end zone. Ty Davis-Price would punch it in from 2 yards out ending a 11 play drive that covered 78 yards. With 5:29 left in the contest, Kentucky now held a 35-21 lead. After a failed onside kick attempt by Cade York, Kentucky took the ball at the LSU 44 yard line, and proceeded to turned out the lights on the Tigers, going 44 yards in four plays to score again. Chris Rodriguez added the exclamation point to the Kentucky victory with a 18 yard touchdown burst up the middle, running it to what would be the final score, 42-21. Max Johnson was running for his life all game long, as Kentucky did a great job of bringing a solid pass rush, sacking him four times. Johnson finished the game, 22-38 for 261 yards passing with 1 touchdown pass. For the first time this season LSU was able to generate a running game. (Most of it in the second half). Ty Davis-Price had his best game of the year rushing for 147 yards on 22 carries and two touchdowns... He ran hard all game long, fighting for every inch... Kayshon Boutte led the team in receiving with 8 catches for 73 yards. Boutte left the game twice with ankle injuries. A different ankle each time. He was carted to the locker room during the 4th quarter. Hoping for good new tomorrow after examinations and x-rays. Micah Nabors had a nice game with 66 yards on 3 catches and a touchdown, while Brian Thomas has 3 grabs for 43 yards. On defense Damone Clark lead the team in tackles with 14.. The defense struggled all game long as Kentucky was able to move the ball both on the ground and through the air as LSU was man-handled the entire contest. Kentucky rushed for 330 yards with Chris Rodriguez leading the way with 147 yards on 16 carries while Kavosiey Smoke added 104 yards rushing on 12 carries. Kentucky quarterback Will Levis had a fantastic performance, finishing 12-17 for 145 yards passing with 3 touchdown passes. He also hurt the Tigers on the ground rushing for 75 yards on 11 carries and two rushing touchdowns. LSU's defense only managed one sack and only three TFL, while Kentucky's defense totaled four sacks and had nine TFL..... I do believe that we all have seen enough. Something is broken inside of the LSU football program and Ed Orgeron has no idea how to fix it. It's time for the change to be made. Orgeron needs to be released tomorrow. Then promote Mickey Joseph to Interim head coach for the remainder of the season while Scott Woodward begins his search for the next LSU head man. Next up the (3-3) Tigers will host the (4-2) Florida Gators in Tiger Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 16.. Kickoff is set for 11:00am and will be televised on ESPN. Da Boot Sports 10/9/2021 By: Terrill J. Weil BATON ROUGE, LA: LSU travels to Lexington to take on the 16th ranked Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday evening at 6:30pm. The Tigers lead the all time series 40-16-1. LSU has won the last two games between both schools. However, the last time these two teams played in Lexington was in 2007, with Kentucky pulling off a huge upset, 43-37 in a triple overtime thriller. At the time LSU was ranked #1 and would go on to win the BCS National Championship at season's end. LSU will have their work cut out for them as the Wildcats have one of the best defenses in the country, ranked 8th nationally, allowing just 15.2 points per game. Kentucky only gives up an average of 104 yards rushing per game and only 180 yards passing. Kentucky's offense relies on a strong running attack led by running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. who leads the SEC with 124.2 yards per game. However LSU's run defense is one of its strengths, only allowing 119 yards rushing per game, but is last in the SEC in pass defense giving up 248 yards per contest through the air. Once again, the Tigers defensive front will need to control the line of scrimmage and slow down the Wildcats running game, while putting pressure on quarterback Will Levis. Kentucky isn't real explosive on offense but they are very efficient as they seem to make the big play when needed. I think LSU's key to the ball game is to finally establish some kind of running attack and that needs to be done with running back Corey Kiner, giving him as many carries as possible. Over the past two weeks Kiner has shown that he is the top playmaker at the position. Only leaving the field when a breather is needed. HELLO! Coach O! Did you hear me!???? If the Tigers can't establish something on the ground, the offensive line will need to do a better job of protecting Max Johnson against a defense that has problems getting to the quarterback. Johnson must also rebound from last week's struggling performance. He not only will need to have an accurate night passing, but make big plays with his feet as well. Ed Orgeron is sitting on a very hot seat. If LSU is unable to leave Kroger Field with a victory, especially if they don't show any improvement, don't be surprised if Scott Woodward makes a move on Sunday morning. A fresh start with new leadership may be just what this talented team needs to turn things around. I think Kentucky at home, will simply be too much for the one dimensional Tigers. Like last weekend, look for LSU to be out coached again, struggling in the second half with no running game, allowing the defense to wear down late. Kentucky wins a close one to go 6-0... PREDICTION: Kentucky 28, LSU 23 |
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