Bleacher Report - Articles by Connor Hennessey

Oh Great: ESPN Moves from Charlie Weis to Les Miles

Connor Hennessey — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:22:00 -0500

So, is Charlie Weis going to get fired? Lately, no one cares.

It's all about Les Miles. Is he going to get fired?

Well he isn't.

Want to know why? It's because Miles's buy out for this year is $13 million. LSU's athletic department does have that, but why spend it? Give the man a chance. The clock management gaffe from last week is really his major mistake since arriving at LSU in 2005.

LSU plays Arkansas this weekend, or Ar-KANSAS as Miles calls it, this weekend. For Les to be fired, LSU will have to fall to Arkansas and lose its bowl game as well. Not gonna happen. LSU will win out this season, in my opinion, and will beat Arkansas 35-31. Yes my pick is four points in the Tigers' favor.

Tune to ESPN Saturday at six, when the Razorbacks of Arkansas take on the Fighting Tigers of LSU. Should be a good one.

All fans making the trip to Baton Rouge, be safe and enjoy the game. It should be fun. God bless, and as always, GEAUX TIGERS!

Tiger Athlete Spotlight: Trindon Holliday Is the Big Man on Campus

Connor Hennessey — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:31:45 -0500

Trindon Holliday is one of the fastest men in the world, and is a dual athlete for Louisiana State University. Holliday competes in both football and track at LSU, and excels in both. Trindon is the Fighting Tiger athlete under the spotlight this week.

Trindon Holliday is a 5'5", 161-pound senior whose full name is Trindon Jerard Holliday, born April 27, 1986, in Baton Rouge to his mother Gwendolyn Richardson. Holliday attended Northeast High School in Zachary, LA.

While at LSU, this dual athlete is majoring in business. He is currently the fastest man in all of college football.

In high school in 2005, Holliday posted the nation's fastest indoor times in the 55- and 60-meter dashes. He won a 2A state title in spring 2005 by winning the 100- and 200-meter dashes.

On the football field, he accumulated over 4,000 yards rushing and 60 touchdowns while playing for Northeast High.

At LSU, Trindon Holliday has played football since fall 2006. He has rushed for a total of 639 yards, and has had 1,552 total return yards in his college career. He has scored six total touchdowns as an LSU Tiger.

Holliday has run track for the Tigers since spring 2007, and his specialty is sprints. His main events are the 60-meter and 100-meter dashes. Over his tenure at LSU, Holliday is an individual national champion, a five time all-American, a two-time SEC Champion, and also has received All-SEC honors five times.

Trindon broke Xavier Carter's school record for the 100-meter dash as he captured the SEC title in 2007. Since running a 10.08 second 100-meter dash, Trindon Holliday has broken his own record many times.

For the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008, he came up just short when he advanced to the semifinal round and finished 11th in his first Olympic trials experience.

His next football game is tomorrow in Oxford, Mississippi, versus the Ole Miss Rebels. Last time LSU played in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Holliday ran a kickoff back for a touchdown. LSU-Ole Miss is scheduled for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff on CBS.

Since his arrival on campus at LSU, Trindon Holliday has become a huge fan favorite in both football and track. Fans love watching Holliday scamper around the field while dodging defenders. He is pretty much unstoppable when he finds a hole.

His days are now numbered as an LSU Tiger, with only one more home game in Death Valley. He has three more games in his college career, and is looking to make his mark on the football field for the Bayou Bengals.

This is the third article of a series called "Tiger Athlete Spotlight". This series will feature a different athlete in each article who is a current member of any Louisiana State University athletic team. The next athlete under the spotlight will be veteran Tiger Basketball player Tasmin Mitchell.

Tiger Athlete Spotlight: Rahim Akil Alem

Connor Hennessey — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 02:02:02 -0400

Rahim Akil Alem, number 84 for the LSU Tiger football team, is possibly one of the best on the Tiger defensive line. Alem is definitely a force to be reckoned with in the SEC West.

Rahim Alem is a 6'3", 263-pound senior, who starts at defensive end of LSU. He was born in New Orleans, LA, to Al and Patti Jones on February 25, 1987.

He grew up in the Crescent City, and went to St. Augustine High School. At St. Augustine High, Alem was a blue-chip defensive end rated the second best recruiting prospect in Louisiana in 2004. He recorded almost 80 tackles and eight sacks during his senior season in high school.

His family relocated to Baton Rouge in 2005 when Hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck the Gulf Coast, but Rahim was already at LSU for his first year of college. He is majoring in African-American studies at LSU. Upon graduation, he will be one of many student athletes who have received their degrees during the Les Miles era at LSU.

In spring of 2006, Alem legally changed his name to Rahim Akil Alem. His name given at birth was Alfred Marvin Jones Jr, meaning he was named after his father. Al. Rahim's name change was to honor his African-American heritage, and had nothing to do with religious conversion.

Rahim Alem also has a brother on the Tiger football team, Chad Jones, who is a starting safety for LSU. Chad is a Junior who had to move schools midway through his high school career due to the hurricane.

Alem recorded 29 total tackles last season, and appeared in every game. This season, Alem has started every game, and had recorded 16 total tackles. All of these statistics are not including the Tiger loss to Florida in Baton Rouge last weekend.

This season is Rahim Alem's final season as a LSU Fighting Tiger, and looks to make an impact in the SEC all season. Hopefully, this stellar athlete will make an impact in the conference by winning some awards like the Nagurski award, which was won by former tiger Glenn Dorsey in the 2007 season.

If Alem doesn't get any awards, he can always just show off his BCS Champion ring. He is one of many current LSU players that were a part of that Championship team.

LSU suffered their first loss of the 2009 season last weekend to the Florida Gators. The Tigers are off this weekend, and the Auburn Tigers travel to Baton Rouge on Oct. 24th. The game is scheduled for a 6:30 pm kickoff somewhere on the ESPN family of networks, either ESPN or ESPN2 most likely.

This is the second article of a series this season called "Tiger Athlete Spotlight". This series will feature a different athlete in each article who is a current member of any Louisiana State University athletic team.

Tiger Athlete Spotlight: Why LSU's Chad Jones Is the Biggest Beast in the Bayou

Connor Hennessey — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:56:14 -0400

First it was in the Box, now across Nicholson Drive under the lights on Saturday night. Chad Jones has done nothing but amaze fans since his arrival on campus at LSU.

Chad Jones is a 6'3", 231-pound junior who plays both baseball and football for the LSU Tigers. Lately, Jones has put his focus more on football, though he did make many appearances in the 2009 college baseball postseason for baseball coach Paul Mainieri.

You know you are very talented when you can skip out on most of spring football practice due to baseball and still start at safety for Les Miles and the Tiger football team.

Jones grew up in New Orleans, La., but relocated to Baton Rouge in 2005 when Hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck the Gulf Coast.For high school Jones took junior and senior years in Baton Rouge at Southern Lab High School. He was born to Al and Patti Jones on Oct. 5, 1988, in New Orleans. He has an older brother, Rahim Alem, who is also his teammate on the LSU football team.

Jones was drafted by the Houston Astros in Round 13 of the 2007 MLB First-Year Player Draft but opted to stay in school. He has played both baseball and football for LSU every year he has been on campus and has had decent playing time so far in both sports.

Jones was a member of the 2007 football team who defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2008 Allstate BCS National Championship Game in New Orleans. Also, he was a member of the 2009 LSU baseball team who defeated Texas in Omaha for the College World Series championship last summer.

In the 2009 baseball season, Jones appeared as an outfielder as well as a pitcher. He threw for a earned-run average of 2.70, pitched 6.2 innings, and struck out seven batters in 2009. Coach Paul Mainieri referred to Jones as his "secret weapon."

On the other side of things, Jones is also very talented in the gridiron. He recorded 22 solo tackles in 2008, one interception, and forced two fumbles. This season, Jones has recorded 13 solo tackles, two interceptions, and returned a punt for a score.

He had arguably the best game of his career last week in Starkville, where he returned a punt 93 yards for a touchdown, made seven tackles, and made two clutch plays late in the game. He saved the game in Starkville for LSU in a very impressive fashion.

The LSU Tigers travel to Athens to take on the Georgia Bulldogs this Saturday. The Tigers are one of the few unbeaten teams left in the country. Fans are still waiting for Miles to prove he deserves the No. 4 ranking that his team is currently holding.

This is the first of a new series this year called "Tiger Athlete Spotlight," where every week of the year a different LSU Fighting Tiger athlete is being featured. Next week the spotlight will be focused on LSU football defensive end Rahim Alem, who is the brother of this week's featured athlete, Chad Jones.

LSU Football: Who Will Be The Quarterback For The Tigers in 2008?

Connor Hennessey — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 20:07:20 -0400

The question still buzzing around the state of Louisiana is this: "Who is going to be under center for LSU this season?". That question most likely will not be answered until the Tigers open the season at the end of this month against Appalachian State in Baton Rouge.

Head coach Les Miles had this same problem going into the 2005 season. Coach Miles had the choice to either give Matt Flynn or JaMarcus Russell the starting quarterback position.

JaMarcus Russell was elected the starter, and ended up being the number one overall draft pick to the Oakland Raiders in the 2007 NFL Draft. Flynn finally got his turn at the quarterback position in the 2007 season, and led his team to the Allstate BCS National Championship, defeating Ohio State 38-24 to make LSU the first team to win two BCS titles.

This season is a bit different than the Russell-Flynn situation. There are four quarterbacks on the LSU roster that are available for the starting job. One of those players, Jordan Jefferson, could possibly be redshirted because it is his first year with the LSU program. The other three canidates for the starting job are: sophomore Andrew Hatch; redshirt freshman Jarrett Lee; and redshirt freshman T.C. McCartney.

Andrew Hatch is arguably the best for the starting position because he is now entering his third season as a Tiger, and is more familar with the LSU program. Also, Jarrett Lee is said to be very talented as a quarterback. If Jordan Jefferson is not redshirted he could also get the start, but it is not likely. I feel that this contest is between Lee and Hatch for the most part.

No matter who the starter is on August 30, Demetrius Byrd will still be the number one guy going out to catch the passes. Byrd is joined by Brandon LaFell, Jared Mitchell, Terrance Tolliver, and Ricky Dickson among others.

Last week in a press conference, when asked about the quarterback situation, and if there could be a two quarterback system this season, Les Miles replied, "I really think that it might well it's difficult for a young guy like Jefferson to come in here and accommodate the offense and, I don't know that I see them exactly the same. I think that he's improved. He's much more seasoned, ready to play in games."

Also at that press conference, Coach Miles was talking about the first day of camp, and he said, "We're not ready to play a game, there is no way we're ready to play a game, but if we work like we did today, we will be ready to play and certainly have the opportunity to play well as the season goes forward.”

According to Miles, the Tigers have a little work to do before they open their season on August 30.

The LSU Tigers are sure ready for a great season in the SEC, and also look to defend their National Title. They open their season against Appalachian State on August 30, 2008, and that game will be aired on ESPN at 4pm (CT).

College Football: LSU Tigers Have an Interesting Season Coming in 2008

Connor Hennessey — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 18:31:16 -0400

Since winning the National Championship on January 7, 2008, the LSU Tiger football team has had it's ups and downs.

In April, Coach Les Miles had to make one of his hardest decisions he has ever made as the LSU Tiger football Coach. After QB Ryan Perrilloux failed a drug test, Coach Miles decided it was the final straw, and dismissed Perrilloux from the team.

Tigers fans are now asking the same question they were asking before the 2006 season: "Who is going to be playing quarterback for the Tigers?"

LSU has many options. They can play junior Andrew Hatch, who may not be strong enough to be a starter in the SEC, or they can play the talented freshman Jarrett Lee.

Once again, LSU will be on ESPN for their first game of the season.

Last season, they showed the world they meant business, pounding Mississippi State. This year is a bit different.

For the first time in NCAA football history, the defending National Champion of Division I-A Football will be playing the defending Champ of Division I-AA. On August 30th, Appalachian State will roll into Tiger Stadium to try to upset another highly-ranked team in their own yard.

This coming season for LSU will be a tough one. Here's a look at the Tigers' schedule for 2008. Home games are in bold:

August 30- Appalachian State
September 6- Troy
September 13- North Texas
September 20- Auburn
September 27- Miss. State
October 11- Florida
October 18- South Carolina
October 25- Georgia
November 1- Tulane
November 8- Alabama
November 22- Ole Miss
November 28- Arkansas

In 2008, LSU has tough road trips to Auburn and Gainesville. Remember, LSU has not beaten Auburn on the road since 1999. That is about to change. LSU also has Florida on the road. Also remember, Florida almost beat LSU in Baton Rouge last year, and they could be a better team this season.

Also, two important home games to keep in mind are Georgia and Alabama. In my eyes, I feel Georgia is going to win the National Championship, because they are a very strong team and are even better than they were last year.

LSU is going to be a very young team, and will still make it to the BCS, but not the championship.

When Alabama rolls into Tiger Stadium, it will be the first time Nick Saban has faced LSU on the visiting sideline since he went to Alabama. If you want to learn how to boo, get some tickets to the LSU-'Bama game in Baton Rouge.

LSU has some games that should be blow-outs like North Texas, Troy, Tulane, and Mississippi State.

I feel that if you are debating whether or not to get season tickets for Baton Rouge this season, wait until next season. This home season will be rather boring until Alabama, Georgia, and Ole Miss roll into town.

Tigers fans, get ready for one heck of a season. I'm looking forward to it!

You can get updates on scores, and also dates and times for any LSU Sporting event on www.lsusports.net.

LSU Baseball: What a Wild Ride It's Been

Connor Hennessey — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 20:46:37 -0400

Who would have thought—LSU is going to a NCAA Super Regional. If someone would have said that about two months ago, they would have been slapped in the face for saying such a ridiculus thing!

The Tigers were not much of a team in the beginning of the season—at all! However, in the past month, the LSU Baseball team has clinched an Southeastern Conference Championship, swept a NCAA regional, and currently holds a 22-game winning streak dating back to April 22nd.

The team who will next try to break that amazing streak is UC-Irvine. UC-Irvine rolls into Baton Rouge to face the Tigers in the first game of the NCAA Super Regional.

The game will be held at LSU's home stadium, which is also known as "Alex Box Stadium." Days are numbered for "The Box", because it will be gone by next fall. Yes, I said it—Alex Box Stadium is to be demolished at the end of the LSU Baseball season.

There indeed have been many memories made in The Box—and many more will be made in the next few weeks as the LSU baseball team looks to win another College World Series title.

The Tigers will be playing UC-Irvine June 7, 8, and 9. LSU and UC-Irvine will be playing a best-of-three series, and the winner will punch their ticket to Omaha.

If LSU wins this weekend, they will face either North Carolina or Coastal Carolina in the College World Series.

The super-regional games will be televised on CST, as well as ESPNU. Also, the games will be replayed on ESPN2 later at night.

If you are in Baton Rouge this weekend, tickets may be hard to come upon, but you can hear the game on Eagle 98.1 FM. The Voice of the Tigers will be broadcasting every game all the way to the end.

Hopefully, this week and weekend is safe and fun-filled for everyone who is at the NCAA regionals and super-regionals.

GEAUX TIGERS!

MLB: Why Do Officials Always Think Athletes are Cheating?

Connor Hennessey — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:54:37 -0400

In the Major Leagues today, the talk of steroids is always an issue. If a pitcher throws a no-hitter, or a good game, officials immediately bring up steroids.

Why does the talk of steriods always come into play? Major League Baseball is so corrupted these days because officials always jump to conclusions, and assume that an all-star athlete is cheating.

Houston Astro Miguel Tejada recently confessed that he was not really the age the league thought he was. Tejada confessed that he lied about his age when he entered the league, and that he is older than they think he is. He confessed because the talk of him possibly using performance enhancing drugs came up around the league.

In an interview with ESPN, the reporter brought up the age issue with Tejada. The reported actually presented Tejada a copy of his birth certificate and began to harass him with questions like, "Is Miguel your real name?" and "How do we know you haven't lied about more things?" Tejada felt that the reporter was out of line asking those things, so he kindly ended the interview.

Does it matter how old Major League players are? There is no age limit in the league. It is a player's personal decision whether or not to tell the league his real age.

It is not against the rules to be a certain age—so why do we have to harass Miguel Tejada?

I never hear talk about Peyton Manning or Kobe Bryant possibly using steroids. Why not harass them?

MLB All-star Roger Clemens is still fighting with MLB officials over whether or not he used steroids while in the league. Now Clemens is being investigated by Congress to see if he lied under oath.

If it is proven that Clemens used steroids, the pitcher could serve jail time for Perjury charges. Just because Clemens' former trainer, Brian McNamee, says that he injected Clemens with steroids and HGH in the past does not mean he did. McNamee could be lying, but the league all of a sudden investigated Clemens and mentioned him in the Mitchell Report.

What, just because Roger Clemens is one of the best players to ever go through the league, he has to be cheating? He can't just be really good? How is that fair to Clemens?

The season before, former San Fransisco Giant Barry Bonds, broke Hank Aaron's all-time home run record—and sure enough, he was harassed by baseball officials about steroids.

Did anyone bother to ask the question,"Is Barry Bonds just a good batter?" No, they didn't ask themselves that question...they just had to say he cheated.

After Bonds broke the all-time home run record of 755, someone in the post-game conference asked Barry if the record was tainted. That is in no way their business to ask Barry Bonds that question.

Why does it have to be tainted? Did anyone congratulate Bonds? The only congratulations Bonds got was, "Is your record tainted?". That isn't right!

Just because he hit more home runs than anyone who has ever played in the league doesn't mean he cheated.

In my personal opinion, I think that athletes should be allowed to take whatever drugs they want. It is their body, and if they want to ruin it, they should be allowed to. If they want to run the risk of losing parts of their reproductive organs just so they can throw a little harder, or hit the ball a little further, so be it.

It is their body, and as such the way they treat it is their personal business.

MLB should just leave these athletes alone, or they will fall apart. The United States has the best professional baseball league in the world. That is why there are so many foreign players in the league—Daisuke Matusaka from the Red Sox, and Ichiro with Seattle are both Japanese.

If MLB officials continue to think everyone is cheating, players will not want to play in the league anymore. If no one wants to play in the league, Major League Baseball will fall, and America's past-time will die.

College Baseball: Ole Miss Takes Down LSU Friday Night

Connor Hennessey — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 05:14:21 -0400

In Oxford,Mississippi yesterday the Ole Miss Rebels beat LSU 2-1 in the first game of the three-game series. LSU led 1-0 in the third inning by the way of a homer over the right field wall.

The Rebels came back in the to win the game in the eighth inning when Bret Basham led off for the Rebels and hit a home run to take the lead. Designated hitter Fuller Smith was right behind Basham's home run with a double. The Tiger pitcher Daniel Bradshaw walked left fielder Logan Power. That was the last straw for Tiger coach Paul Mainieri, and Bradshaw was replaced by Paul Bertuccini. The next batter, Cody Overbeck, was hit by the pitch, loading the bases.

Later in that inning, the first baseman Matt Smith lined into a double play to end the inning.

The Ole Miss starting pitcher Lance Lynn earned the win for the Rebels, while the Tiger starter Jordan Brown got the loss, though he pitched arguably the best game of his career.

Brown pitched seven full innings, which was his longest outing this season. In last night's game Brown held Ole Miss to one run, six hits, no walks, and eight strike outs.

The second game of this three game series is Saturday afternoon at 4:00 PM. The game will be held once again at Oxford-University Park on Swayze Field. The action can be heard on LSU Sports Radio Network on Eagle 98.1 FM in Baton Rouge. Go to www.lsusports.net for more information and network affiliates for your area.

Enjoy the game and Geaux Tigers!

SEC Basketball: Tigers Welcome Trent Johnson to Basketball Program

Connor Hennessey — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 16:23:03 -0400

On Thursday, former Stanford Men's Basketball coach Trent Johnson was announced as the new leader of the LSU Fighting Tiger Men's Basketball team. Johnson is the first full-time African-American head coach for Men's athletics in Louisiana State University history.

Johnson is replacing the former Tiger coach, John Brady, who was asked to step-down as the LSU Head Coach on February 8. Brady now has taken over the head coaching position at Arkansas State University.

Johnson was the Stanford Cardinal head basketball coach for four years, and in those four years had a record of 80-48 and 87-71 in Pac-10 play. He was named the Pac-10 coach of the year for the 2008 season.

Before his job at Stanford, Coach Johnson was the coach at Nevada. In his last season at Nevada he brought the Wolf Pack to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the first time in school history, tying the school record for most wins in a single season at 25.

Trent Johnson has no ties to LSU or even the state of Louisiana. He attended Boise State University and finished in the top-ten in scoring and rebounding. During his final season the Broncos won the Big-Sky tournament and went on to the NCAA Tournament. Upon graduation from Boise State, Johnson received his Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education.

Personal Bio:

Trent Johnson was born September 12, 1956 in Berkeley, California. He grew up in Seatle, Washington and graduated high school from Franklin High School. Trent and his wife Jackie have two children, Tinishia and Terry. Tinishia is 24 and their son Terry is 21.

College Coaching Career:

Utah: Assistant Coach from 1986-89
Washington: Assistant Coach from 1989-92
Rice: Assistant Coach from 1992-96
Stanford: Assistant Coach from 1996-99
Nevada: Head Coach from 1999-04
Stanford: Head Coach from 2004-08
LSU: Head Coach from 2008-Present

Trent Johnson was announced as the new men's basketball coach by LSU's future Athletic Director Joe Alleva. Alleva will become LSU's Athletic Director on July 1,2008. He will be taking over for the current Athletic Director, and Tiger Baseball legend, Skip Bertman.

Tiger Fans are anxious to see the outcome of Coach Johnson's first season. Johnson is ready to get this started in Baton Rouge and in some people's eyes the future looks bright with Johnson under the controls.

In my personal opinion Trent Johnson is a great hire for LSU. Actually, anyone would be better than John Brady, but Tiger Nation is glad to have him.

NCAA Women's Basketball: Three Lady Tiger Seniors Drafted in the 2008 WNBA Draft

Connor Hennessey — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 15:55:35 -0400

After a disappointing loss to Candace Parker and the Tennessee Lady Vols, on Sunday night, three LSU Lady Tigers participated in the 2008 WNBA Draft.

LSU's big center, Slyvia Fowles, was drafted as the second overall pick in the draft to the Chicago Sky. Fowles who scored 24 points against Tennessee, will be joining her Lady Tiger team-mate Quianna Chaney in Chicago.

Chaney, the 5-11 guard from Baton Rouge, was selected fifth overall in the second round of the draft, as the 19th overall pick.

Fowles and Chaney's team-mate, Erica White, was selected two picks before Quianna Chaney as the third pick of the second round, or the 17th overall pick in the draft to the Houston Comets.

Fowles averaged just over seventeen points a game with about ten rebounds a game. "Big Syl," as her Lady Tiger team-mates call her only fouled out one time her senior season.

Quianna Chaney averaged just over fourteen points a game, and like her team-mate Fowles is very disciplined on the hardwood, and also only fouled out once this past season.

Finally, Erica White averaged almost eight points a game, and three rebounds a game. Unlike Fowles and Chaney, White did not foul out once during her senior season.

All three Lady Tigers are surely looking forward to lighting up the WNBA. Big Slyvia Fowles definitely can't wait until she meets her SEC rival Candance Parker somewhere down the road in the WNBA.

LSU Football: Tiger QB Ryan Perrilloux Suspended once again

Connor Hennessey — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 10:23:22 -0500

On Sunday, LSU Coach Les Miles announced that quarterback Ryan Perrilloux has been suspended indefinitely for failing to abide by team rules. Some team rules that Perrilloux broke include missing classes, workouts, and missing at least one team meeting. Coach Miles also said that it is not clear whether or not Perrilloux will be present in the beginning of Spring practices, which start in about a week on Friday February 29.

This is not the first time that Perrilloux has been suspended, and I won't be suprised if this isn't the last.

He was suspended last year after he was put under investigation by the Federal Government. He was supposedly attempting to use a counterfeit twenty dollar bill in St. John The Babtist Parish, near his hometown of Laplace, Louisiana. He was investigated by the FBI and the local Sheriffs Department in Laplace, but was never charged.

Another time last season, Ryan was suspended on a different occasion when he was caught trying to enter a casino with another persons ID. He was underage at the time.

Perrilloux also was left in Baton Rouge when the LSU team travelled to Tuscaloosa this past football season to play Alabama, when he was involved in a fight outside of a Baton Rouge nightclub.

Ryan Perrilloux is a great athlete and needs to get his mind on the right path.

If he could stay out of trouble he would get loads of playing time in the coming year, but the LSU coaches look at him as a thug, or criminal and they don't want a person like that representing the purple and gold.

If Ryan makes one more mistake at LSU then he should be removed from the roster and ban from the team, permanently! I don't care if he fails to follow team rules, or fails to abide by the state and federal laws, he should be should be removed from the team.

In addition to Perrilloux, LSU also has Andrew Hatch at quarterback and I will not be surprised if he gets the starting job this season, assuming Perrilloux is not on the team. Without a doubt, Perrilloux is the best choice to be the Tiger's signal caller in 2008, but he can't start if he is in jail.

My message to Ryan Perrilloux is this.

Ryan,get your act together and show your coaches, teamates, and fans that you are serious about playing football for the LSU Tigers.

If you do those simple things you can show the country the true talents that you really have, also you can get the starting position that you've always wanted.

You can't show your talents to the world, or be successful at anything if you are sitting the bench or sitting in a cell.

You are a great athlete and have a gift, show us that you are serious about what you do and don't put the gift you have to waste!

LSU Football: 2008 Recruiting Class

Connor Hennessey — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 13:22:50 -0500

Many college football fans are wondering what schools got which players on National Signing Day, 2008.

Head coach Les Miles and the LSU Tigers welcomed 26 guys, coming from six different states.

Eleven guys play on the defensive side of the ball, while the other fifteen players line up on offense.

The best recruit picked up by LSU has to be cornerback Patrick Johnson, who is the best high school cornerback scouted in the nation this year. Many Tiger fans hope that Johnson will light up the SEC with his defensive skills.

The second best recruit LSU picked up is a fullback from Bellaire, Texas, by the name of Kellon Theriot. Theriot is a 6'2", 225 pound beast that is looking to follow in the footsteps of Tiger senior Jacob Hester.

The Tigers also got Ryan Baker and Kyle Prator, who are both top-10 linebacker prospects. They are looking to take the places of seniors Ali Highsmith and Luke Sanders.

LSU is also getting defensive tackle Kirston Pittman back after the NCAA granted Pittman a sixth year of eligibility due to previous injuries.

Next season, LSU will be a young team defensively, but not on the offensive side of the ball. The Tigers will have Jordan Jefferson at quarterback, who is an incoming freshman, but they can also red-shirt him for this season.

They also have Ryan Perrilloux returning at the quarterback position if he can stay out of trouble with the law.

LSU will see many running backs return for 2008. Keiland Williams, Charles Scott, Richard Murphy and Trindon Holliday could all get touches at the running back position, but Jacob Hester truly will be missed.

At the wide receiver position, LSU picked up five new players. Chris Tolliver, DeAngelo Peterson, DeAngelo Benton, Jhyryn Taylor and Timothy Molton will join Terrance Tolliver, Brandon LaFell and DeMetrius Byrd for the 2008 season.

All these wide receiver recruits were highly rated going into National Signing Day, 2008, and look to make some great plays in the SEC.

On the offensive line, LSU lost a few key blockers, but also picked up many talented linemen. LSU's O-line got Matt Branch, Thomas Parsons, and Greg Shaw, among others.

All of these recruits are pretty big, weighing over 250 pounds and standing over 6'5". LSU's offensive line will have some big boys protecting Perrilloux, so he can either run or throw the ball downfield.

In my opinion, the LSU Fighting Tigers will have a good season next year. Games to look forward to include Georgia, Alabama, Auburn, and Florida.

The defending National Champions will surely be a contender for next season's BCS National Championship Trophy.

Tiger fans are anxiously waiting for the season opener in Baton Rouge, when Appalachian State rolls into Tiger Stadium looking to shock another top ranked team on its home field.

We are all surely looking forward to the start of the 2008 college football season and hope it will be as good as last year.

LSU Basketball: John Brady's Tenure Must Come to an End

Connor Hennessey — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 18:34:49 -0500

If you have seen the LSU Tiger Men's Basketball team play this year you know they are pretty bad.

In Tiger fans' eyes, the reason the Tigers are so bad is because of their coach John Brady.

Brady has coached the Tigers for 11 seasons and taken them to the Final Four once because he got lucky.

LSU is 0-5 in the SEC and 7-12 overall so far this season. Those records are pathetic for a SEC school to have in any sport, but that is because their coach is pathetic.

Brady is just not a good coach because he does not discipline his players enough and lets them do what they want and that will not fly in Division I college basketball.

LSU fans have been calling for his firing for a while now but Athletic Director Skip Bertman just will not do it.

The Tigers have some good players like Garrett Temple, Anthony Randolph and Terry Martin, but Brady just does not know how to use that talent to his advantage.

After Arkansas beat LSU Saturday night, 68-52, that was the final sign that LSU needs to find a new coach.

One day, when Bertman wakes up and smells the losses, he will fire Brady, if LSU doesn't get rid of Bertman first. Bertman just needs to make the move now and fire Brady before the season progresses anymore, because it will just get worse.

He needs to let an assistant coach take over the team for the rest of the season and start a search for a new head coach after the season.

LSU needs to find a coach that will see the talent the players have and make them disciplined and they would be a lot better.

The big reason the Tigers are so bad is because they are under-coached and undisciplined.

Like said I earlier, the players don't work as a team and last time I checked, teamwork was a pretty important thing in basketball if you want to win.

Bertman angered many Tiger fans after the football season-ticket prices were raised significantly after the football team won the BCS National Championship in early January.

Mr. Bertman sure would impress Tiger fans by doing something good for the university and sending Brady out.

If he does not send Brady packing, the LSU Men's Basketball program will continue to get worse and worse every game.

It would be better for Brady and LSU if he was not the coach next season because obviously it isn't working.

I mean come on Brady, 0-5 in the SEC?

Tiger fans won't be surprised if Brady is not the coach of LSU anymore after this season and they most likely won't be too sad about that either!

LSU Football: Departing Seniors and Incoming Talent

Connor Hennessey — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 10:25:27 -0500

(Photo courtesy of www.lsusports.net)

The LSU Tiger defense played a huge role in winning the National Championship.

Senior Glenn Dorsey, possibly the best player in America, was the leader of the Tiger defense and opponents hated playing him.

But Dorsey isn't the only loss the Tigers will suffer next season.

LSU is losing eight starters from their defense next year—including players such as Craig Steltz, who had three interceptions in the LSU season-opener against Mississippi State in Starkville, and will be a huge hit in the NFL.

The 2008 Tiger defense will have a lot of talent—but not as much as the 2003 or 2007 National Championship defenses had.

Below is a list of the Tiger Seniors (bold are defensive starters):

WR Early Doucet
QB Matt Flynn
RB Jacob Hester
OL Will Arnold
CB Chevis Jackson
SS Craig Stetlz
DT Glenn Dorsey
P Patrick Fisher
LB Ali Highsmith
OT Carnell Stewart
OT Ciron Black
FB Shawn Jordan
DE Kirston Pittman*
TE Kieth Zinger
LB Luke Sanders
SNP Jacob O'Hair
QB Jimmy Welker
DE Anthony Zehyoue
WR Josh McManus
OL Cole Louviere
TE Mit Cole
DE Caleb Angelle
CB Jonathan Zenon
DB Donnie Chauncer
C Brett Helms
DE Tremaine Johnson
WR Quientin LeDay
S Curtis Taylor
DT Charles Alexander

*DE Kirston Pittman is in process of getting a redshirt year, because he missed the 2005 and 2006 seasons due to injuries.

The Tigers are bringing back many players on defense including, Chad Jones, Harry Coleman, and Tyson Jackson. Jackson will be a terrific player next season, because he is very strong and explosive. However, one problem Jackson has is his horrible attitude.

Drake Nevis will be a sophomore next season and should wind up in Glenn Dorsey's old spot. Nevis is arguably the best replacement for Dorsey.

LSU is also trying to land the top two cornerback recruits in the nation. Pat Johnson, a top-rated cornerback, has verbally committed to LSU already.

As for Alonzo Lawrence, he has LSU high on his list of schools, but has not fully made his mind up on the issue.

LSU is also losing talent at the running back, quarterback, fullback, tight end, wide-receiver, and punter positions before next season.

But most people don't know that the Tigers are very deep in the backfield, with Keiland Williams, Richard Murphy, Charles Scott, and Trindon Holliday all returning.

The Tigers have a tough schedule next season—including Georgia at home, and Florida and Auburn on the road.

A very interesting game will be when Alabama comes to Tiger Stadium to take on the Tigers for the first time since Nick Saban left in 2005 for the Miami Dolphins.

There is no doubt in Tiger Fans minds that LSU will be contending for the National Title again next season and there will be another flag flying!

LSU Basketball: Tigers Welcome Arkansas into Maravich Center

Connor Hennessey — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 08:48:08 -0500

The 2007-08 LSU Men's Basketball season has not been the schools's best.

The Tigers have yet to win a game in the SEC.

Coming off an off week, the Tigers look to shut down the SEC West-rival Arkansas Razorbacks to earn their first win in the SEC.

The Tigers are 7-11 this season, and 0-4 in conference.

In their last game, LSU got their offense on a roll, scoring 76 points. How amazing...not!

LSU basketball this year has been completely flat, starting in the Maui Invitational. I would not be surprised if head coach John Brady is fired before next season, simply because he isn't producing. If LSU can't score 76 points in most of their games, that is pretty pathetic—if you ask me.

Honestly, I think LSU men's basketball should just quit before they embarrass themselves anymore.

One thing that has hurt the Tigers this season is injuries. Tasmin Mitchell, arguably the best player on the team, went out with an ankle injury early in the season and isn't scheduled to return.

The season for LSU Basketball has just been simply horrible. I don't think I have ever seen an LSU team in any sport struggle this much. They just aren't any good, at all. Their schedule isn't getting any better either, they play Auburn this coming up Wednesday, Alabama a week from tonight in Tuscaloosa, and then return home February 9 to play SEC powerhouse Tennessee. My picks for those three games are loss, loss, and...loss.

If LSU wins tonight against Arkansas, I will be surprised. I will be very happy for them, but I just don't see it happening. Like I said earlier, I wouldn't not be surprised if John Brady was not on the bench next year leading the Tigers—and quite frankly, I wouldn't be too sad about it. If LSU Athletic Director Skip Bertman had anything resembling a clue, Brady would have been gone after last season.

I am a true LSU Tiger fan, but their basketball team just isn't good this season, and there isn't a thing we can do but cheer and hope the rest of thw season doesn't go too badly.

Well, there's always next year—but hopefully, not for John Brady...

New Orleans Saints Hire Former Ole Miss Coach Ed Orgeron as D-Line Coach

Connor Hennessey — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 16:37:46 -0500

As most of you all know, the Ole Miss Rebels fired their football head coach, Ed Orgeron, shortly after the season ended.

Two of the main reasons for his firing have to be that he went 0-8 in the Southeastern Conference, and the fact that Ole Miss football has been completely flat for the past two seasons.

Former Arkansas head coach Houston Nutt was named the new head coach within days of Orgeron's firing.

But Saints Executive Vice President and General Manager Mickey Loomis announced on January 23 that Orgeron would take over as New Orleans Saints' defensive line coach.

Orgeron is no "newbie" to the football atmosphere; he has been around NCAA Football for the past 23 years. Prior to his three seasons as head coach at Ole Miss, Orgeron was the defensive line and assistant head coach at USC under Pete Carroll from 1998 to 2004, and played a key role in USC winning the National Championship.

Prior to USC, Orgeron had experience at many other schools, including Syracuse from 1995 until 1997, Miami (Fla.) from 1988 to 1992, Arkansas in 1986 and 1987, and also Nicholls State in 1994—always as a defensive line coach.

At Miami, he tutored eight future All-Americans, including Warren Sapp.

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