Tigers & Saints Both Looking for Banner Years

The LSU Tigers are entering their 114th season. The New Orleans Saints, their 41st.

Two teams. One college, one pro. Both united by the unbreakable bonds of a state that loves its football.

Going on five decades now, the Tigers and Saints have given fans their share of incredible highs and crushing lows, surprisingly potent contenders and impotent pretenders.

But in all that time there has never been a season like this. Not going in, anyway.

If expectations are built on the foundation of recent past performances, there is plenty of reason for all the excitement from Nicholson Drive to Poydras Street.

“At LSU we have high expectations coming into every season,” said Saints and former Tigers wide receiver Devery Henderson. “But it’s kind of funny, we’re like that here now with the Saints and it’s good to be part of both of those.”

LSU is coming off an 11-2 record, a No. 3 final national ranking, and a 41-14 stomping of Notre Dame in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. The Saints went 10-6 last season, winning the NFC South and advancing to the club’s first NFC Championship game before falling to the Chicago Bears.

The Tigers aren’t rated as the team to beat — just the team to get there — which is for all practical purposes just as good. Most preseason polls have LSU at No. 2, its highest preseason ranking since opening at No. 1 in 1959. That projects the Tigers into the BCS National Championship Game, just down the road on Jan. 7 in the Superdome.

That could be about the time the Saints launch their run at the NFC title and a long-awaited trip to their first Super Bowl, which this season will be played Feb. 3 in Glendale, Ariz.

Both LSU coach Les Miles and Saints coach Sean Payton know they have good teams.

Still, neither coach is letting his team get too comfortable.

“The first thing (people are) going to want to ask is, ‘Hey, aren’t you going to be the national champions, the SEC champions,’ ” Miles said.

“The reality is, that’s (putting the) cart before the horse. We’ve got a long schedule of hard work, a lot to accomplish before we can talk about championships. The expectation is there. The hard work and the want is there. But you can’t win a championship until you’ve won a bunch of games.”

Winning games in bunches hasn’t historically been the Saints’ forte. Counting last year’s 10-6 regular-season mark, the Saints have won just 10 or more games six times and enjoyed only eight winning seasons overall. Only twice in their history have the Saints enjoyed back-to-back winning campaigns.

“What has happened in previous years isn’t necessarily a predictor of what will happen this season,” New Orleans coach Sean Payton said. “I think we have smart enough players to understand that this is a different team and a different season. Our strength of schedule is going to be tough right off the bat. We are playing the best team in our league from a year ago in game one (Indianapolis). We will have to be sharp right from the beginning and I think they understand that.

“They also understand the areas we need to improve in to be a better team. It’s kind of a ‘show me’ league, and this year we will have to start all over again.”

Despite losing a school-record four first-round draft picks, the Tigers' reputation is based on a nucleus of returning players like defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, linebacker Ali Highsmith and wide receiver/kick returner Early Doucet. The Saints bring back the engine of their high-powered offense, led by quarterback Drew Brees, running back Deuce McAllister and Mr. Everything Reggie Bush.

“I look at both teams and I like their makeup,” said former LSU and New Orleans running back Hokie Gajan, now a fixture on Saints radio broadcasts. “Especially LSU with the great defense and the talent on offense.”

Amid all the rampant and giddy optimism, you can bring LSU and Saints fans back to earth by reminding them of two seasons where the balloon burst on an epic scale.

At LSU, it was 1989. In New Orleans, 1980.

In 1989, a No. 7 preseason ranking and talk of national championship followed LSU to College Station for a season-opening showdown with Texas A&M. LSU’s national championship hopes lasted as long as it took the Aggies’ Larry Horton to race 92 yards for a touchdown with the game’s first kickoff.

“I look back at the guys we lost and the guys we replaced them with and we just weren’t as good,” said Tommy Hodson, LSU’s senior quarterback that season. “We just weren’t as good as we were in ’86 and ’87.”

In 1980, the Saints were coming off an 8-8 season that represented their best record ever to date. Expectations were for the Saints to make that long-awaited playoff run the next season, exemplified by a preseason series on WBRZ called “The Contenders.”

Turned out the Saints were pretenders. Loss after numbing loss mounted until New Orleans wound up 1-15. It wouldn’t be until 1987 before the Saints would finally make the playoffs.


“It’s never automatic,” Hodson said.
Neither will be replacing four No. 1 draft picks for LSU.

“I hope we (LSU) can be as good as we were (last season) or better,” Hodson said. “But it’s hard to replace those guys. You’ve got to have depth, and I think we do.”


Injuries have often torpedoed potential, reminds Gajan.

“Injuries excluded, they both have a chance to line up and play for a championship,” Gajan said.

“But injuries play a part. If that happens, all bets are off.”

For now, the certain bet is that expectations for the Tigers and Saints are as high as they’ve ever been.

Seth Adams Named Starting Rebel QB

The competition to find out which Ole Miss quarterback will start the Memphis game is over.

Rebel coach Ed Orgeron said senior Seth Adams, a Holly Springs native, will start the Sept. 1 game against Memphis in the Liberty Bowl. Adams has been taking snaps with the first team during preseason camp.

Despite Adams being the No. 1 starter coming out of the spring, Orgeron said there would be an open competition for the quarterback spot held in preseason camp between Adams, 2006 starter senior Brent Schaeffer and redshirt freshman Michael Herrick.

“Since we opened the quarterback position in the spring, Seth has been the most consistent, both in the spring and in fall camp,” Orgeron said in a statement released this morning. “Our quarterback position will be treated like any other position on the team. You have to earn your starting spot on a daily basis. We are expecting Seth to make progress as a quarterback in our offense.”

The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Adams came to Ole Miss in January 2006 as a walk-on from Hinds Community College, where had transferred from Delta State. Adams, who has since earned a scholarship, will be the first former walk-on to start at quarterback under Ole Miss offensive coordinator Dan Werner, who has also coached at several schools including Miami, Louisiana Tech, Murray State and James Madison.

Adams appeared in six games last season as Schaeffer’s backup and completed 17 of 31 passes for 177 yards. He did not throw a touchdown or an interception. Adams logged extensive playing time against LSU and Mississippi State when he replaced Schaeffer in the second half.

The first action for Adams during the 2006 season came against Wake Forest when he completed eight of 11 passes for 84 yards and a long of 19 yards and was named Rebel QB Club Offensive Player of the Week. He also saw limited playing time against Vanderbilt and Arkansas.

In 2005 at Hinds, Adams ranked third in individual passing in MACJC, averaging 214.3 yards per game while completing 102 of 202 passes for 1,500 yards with 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

His 125.2 pass efficency rating ranked fifth in the Region 23 standings. He also rushed for one touchdown in a season cut short by Hurricane Katrina. The Bulldogs finished the 2005 campaign 3-4 overall under Adams’ direction.

BoSox Sweep ChiSox

CHICAGO -- John Blake, the Red Sox media relations director, looked up from his laptop computer at the end of the fifth inning, right after Julian Tavarez had struck out the side for the first time this season, and casually announced to those within earshot, "Yankees lose."

As if the Red Sox needed anything else to go their way on a day they completed a historic four-game sweep of the White Sox, 11-1, to take a 7 1/2-game lead over the Bombers with five weeks and 31 games to play.

Even before the Sox won -- scoring double-digit runs in four straight games for the first time since 1950 -- and the Yankees lost in Detroit yesterday, Clay Davenport of Baseball Prospectus, simulating the rest of the season a million times, had the Red Sox making it to the playoffs 99.6 percent of the time, with their chances of winning the division at 95.8 percent. Those numbers only got better on the eve of what had once loomed as a showdown series starting tomorrow night in the Bronx, with the Yankees still having to play the Tigers again tonight.

Feel good to have that kind of lead -- not to mention those odds -- heading into Yankee Stadium?

"It feels better playing the way we're playing," said Mike Lowell, who had 10 hits in the series and knocked in seven runs. "We're playing really well. We're getting great pitching performances, we're swinging the bats really well, and playing good defense. That combination, with our talent, is tough to beat . . . If we play this way in New York, we'll be fine."

The Sox, to a man, shied away from talking about the possibility of putting away the Yankees this week.

"Got to keep playing," said David Ortiz, whose two-run homer after Dustin Pedroia's two-run single off Javier Vazquez in the fifth broke open a 1-1 game. "We've got a month still, right? Anything can happen."

Maybe it is too early to be talking about a magic number -- at the moment it's 25, meaning any combination of Sox wins and Yankee losses totaling 25, and Boston is a division winner for the first time since 1995. But consider the improbable ways in which the Red Sox rolled over Chicago yesterday, while becoming just the fourth team since 1900 to score 10 or more runs four straight times in a series, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

J.D. Drew homered for the first time in more than two months (51 games and 166 at-bats). Newcomer Bobby Kielty, filling in for sore-backed Manny Ramírez, started a rally with a bunt, then homered for the first time in almost a year. Ortiz hit his third first-pitch home run in three days. And Tavarez made the Sox look brilliant for giving him the start originally scheduled to go to Jon Lester.

The Red Sox outscored the White Sox in the series, 46-7, almost matching the 46-10 beating the Bears laid on the Patriots in Super Bowl XX. Does that warrant a "Wow?"

"I don't know if I'm a big 'Wow' guy," manager Terry Francona said. "Maybe at the end of the year. But I'll tell you what, we did a good job. It's gratifying. Fourth game [of a series]? Not an easy one to win."

The Sox completed their first four-game sweep here since Aug. 3-5, 1968, at old Comiskey Park, when Hawk Harrelson was wearing Nehru jackets and batting cleanup for Boston, instead of biting his tongue and broadcasting for the bad-beyond-belief White Sox.

"I think if you tried," Chicago manager Ozzie Guillen said, "you can't be playing on the level we are."

Guillen wasn't exactly humbled by the outcome, however, cheekily bringing up the White Sox' three-game sweep of the Red Sox in the 2005 Division Series on their way to winning the World Series. "They swept us this time," he said. "I swept them in the big one. That's when it counts."

When this trip began, the Sox were four games ahead of the Bombers, matching the narrowest lead they've held over the Yankees since April 24. By taking six of seven from the Devil Rays and White Sox, with Jonathan Papelbon striking out the side to end yesterday's game, the Sox have tacked on 3 1/2 games, giving them their biggest bulge since Aug. 2, when they led by eight.

Tavarez made a spot start Aug. 19 -- his first in 18 days -- to allow Francona to line up his rotation the way he wanted, and gave up just two hits in six innings to the Angels in a 3-1 loss. Given the start yesterday because the Sox preferred to send Lester down in order to have a second lefty (Javier Lopez) in the bullpen, Tavarez gave up a solo home run in the second inning to Jermaine Dye, matching the home run Drew hit off Vazquez in the top of the inning, but gave up just one more hit and did not allow another runner beyond first base in his six innings of work.

"He has the rare ability to do stuff like that," Francona said. "There are not many guys who can sit in the bullpen for a long time, then give you a chance for six innings. I'm proud of him. He should be proud of himself."

Kielty followed his four-RBI performance Saturday by dropping a bunt that curled inside the third base line for a hit with one out in the fifth. Coco Crisp followed with a base hit, and though Julio Lugo then forced Crisp, Lugo subsequently stole second and scored when Pedroia lined a full-count pitch to center for two runs. Ortiz hit Vazquez's next offering into the center-field seats, and it was 5-1.

Drew walked to open the sixth and two outs later, Kielty, hitting from the left side, slugged his first home run since last Sept. 19, when he was with Oakland, and a four-run eighth, fueled by two White Sox errors, had the Sox making history while leaving the White Sox bewitched, bothered, and bewildered.

The confusion extended to at least one member of Chicago's electronic media, who addressed Francona as "Tony."

Francona answered the question, then pushed away from his desk. "Tony's done," he announced.

But are the Yankees?

"They're still in it," Lowell said, in an indirect allusion to the wild card. "If you can guarantee me that winning the division gets you to the World Series, I want to win the division. I want to be the team that gets to the playoffs and is playing hot."

Dorsy, Jackson Named to Walter Camp Watch List

Dorsey, Jackson on Walter Camp Watch List
BATON ROUGE -- Two LSU defenders – senior Glenn Dorsey and junior Tyson Jackson – have been named to the Walter Camp Football Foundation 2007 Player of the Year Watch List, the organization announced on Wednesday.

The Walter Camp Player of the Year Watch List consists of 35 players across the nation, including just nine players on the defensive side of the football.

“We are proud to continue the great work of Walter Camp and recognize the best college football players in the nation,” Foundation president John Barbarotta said. “This watch list is a great start to what is shaping up to be another exciting year of college football.”

Dorsey and Jackson are both key members of an LSU defense that ranked among the top five nationally in five categories last year, including a No. 3 ranking in total defense (242.8 yards per game) and No. 4 in scoring (12.6 points per game).

Dorsey, from Gonzales, La., enters his final season with the Tigers in 2007 with 110 career tackles, 14.5 tackles for losses and six sacks. Dorsey was a First-Team All-America selection a year ago.

Jackson, a junior from Edgard, ranked among the SEC leaders with 10 tackles for losses and 8.5 sacks in 2007. A Second-Team All-SEC pick in 2007, Jackson has 50 career tackles, 12 tackles for losses and 10.5 sacks to his credit.

The watch list will be narrowed to ten semi-finalists in early November. The 2007 Walter Camp Player of the Year recipient, which is voted on by the 119 NCAA Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors, will be announced on the ESPN/Home Depot College Football Awards Show in December. The winner will then receive his trophy at the Foundation’s annual national awards banquet on January 12, 2008 at the Yale University Commons in New Haven.

Last year’s recipient was Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith.

Walter Camp, “The Father of American football,” first selected an All-America team in 1889. Camp – a former Yale University athlete and football coach – is also credited with developing play from scrimmage, set plays, the numerical assessment of goals and tries and the restriction of play to eleven men per side. The Walter Camp Football Foundation ( www.waltercamp.org) – a New Haven-based all-volunteer group – was founded in 1967 to perpetuate the ideals of Camp and to continue the tradition of selecting annually an All-America team.

2007 Walter Camp Player of the Year “Watch List”

Anthony Alridge, RB, Senior, Houston
Travis Beckum, TE, Junior, Wisconsin #
Earl Bennett, WR, Junior, Vanderbilt
Yvenson Bernard, RB, Senior, Oregon State
Tommy Blake, DL, Senior, TCU
John David Booty, QB, USC
Colt Brennan, QB, Senior, Hawaii #
Jasper Brinkley, LB, Senior, South Carolina
Brian Brohm, QB, Senior, Louisville
Dan Connor, LB, Senior, Penn State
Chase Daniel,QB, Junior, Missouri
James Davis, RB, Junior, Clemson
Jarett Dillard, WR, Senior, Rice #
Glenn Dorsey, DL, Senior, LSU
Michael Hart, RB, Senior, Michigan #
Omar Haugabook, QB, Senior, Troy
Jonathan Hefney, DB/KR, Senior, Tennessee
P.J. Hill, RB, Sophomore, Wisconsin
Chad Henne, QB, Senior, Michigan
DeSean Jackson, WR/KR, Junior, California *
Lawrence Jackson, DE, Junior, USC
Tyson Jackson, DL, Junior, LSU
Ian Johnson, RB, Junior, Boise State
James Laurinaitis, LB, Junior, Ohio State *
Nate Longshore, QB, Junior, California
Mario Manningham, WR, Senior, Michigan
Colt McCoy, QB, Sophomore, Texas
Darren McFadden, RB, Junior, Arkansas *
Kalvin McRae, RB, Senior, Ohio
Matt Ryan, QB, Senior, Boston College
Ray Rice, RB, Junior, Rutgers #
Steve Slaton, RB, Junior, West Virginia *
C.J. Spiller, RB, Sophomore, Clemson
Tyrell Sutton, RB, Junior, Northwestern
Limas Sweed, WR, Senior, Texas
Aquib Talib, DB, Junior, Kansas
Pat White, QB, Junior, West Virginia

Cory Actis Named Candidate for Dave Rimington Trophy

Ole Miss’ Corey Actis was among 54 candidates named Thursday on the updated Watch List for the Dave Rimington Trophy, which is in its eighth year of recognizing the most outstanding Center in college football.



A former first team All-America at Bakersfield Junior College, Actis started all 12 games at center in his debut season with the Rebels. The 6-foot-5, 290-pounder helped pave the way for BenJarvus Green-Ellis to become the third 1,000-yard runner in Ole Miss history.



A California native, Actis was chosen as the Rebel Quarterback Club Trench Player of the Week for the Arkansas game and received the J. Richard Price Courage and Compassion Award in the spring, which is presented annually to the rising senior lineman who, in the opinion of his coaches, has demonstrated extraordinary courage and unusual compassion in their dedication to the team and to Ole Miss.

The Rimington trophy is presented by Canon, the Cornhusker Marriott in Lincoln, Neb., and Logitech. The award is presented by the Boomer Esiason Foundation. Esiason created his foundation in 1993 to support research and treatment of cystic fibrosis. Esiason and Dave Rimington were teammates on the Cincinnati Bengals from 1984-87. Rimington, the award's namesake, was a consensus first team All-America center at Nebraska in 1981 and 1982 during which he became the John Outland Trophy's only double winner as the nation's premiere college interior lineman.

The winner is selected by determining the consensus All-America Center pick from four existing All-America Teams: American Football Coaches Association, Walter Camp Foundation, Sporting News and Football Writers Association of America


Because the selectors of these four All-America teams can place Centers in a "mix" of offensive linemen that includes guards and tackles, their 11-man first teams can often have two Centers. The policy is to count all players that play primarily the Center position for their respective teams as Centers, even though they maybe listed as guards or tackles on the four All-America teams.

The Center with the most first-team votes will be determined the winner. If there is a tie with first team votes, the Center with the most second team votes will win. If there is still a tie, the winner will be determined by the Rimington Trophy committee.

The winner will be honored at an awards banquet at the Rococo Theater in Lincoln, Nebraska on January 12, 2008.

West Virginia University's Dan Mozes won the 2006 Rimington Trophy and is currently playing for the Minnesota Vikings. Other recipients include Minnesota's Greg Eslinger, Michigan's David Baas (2004 co-winner), LSU's Ben Wilkerson (2004 co-winner), Virginia Tech's Jake Grove, Miami's Brett Romberg, Ohio State's LeCharles Bentley, and Nebraska's Dominic Raiola.




2007 Rimington Trophy Watch List
Corey Actis Ole Miss Senior 6'5" 290 lbs.
Kenny Alfred Washington State Sophomore 6'2 "293 lbs.
Sete Aulai BYU Senior 6'0" 290 lbs.
Royce Blackledge Mississippi State Senior 6'4" 293 lbs.
Tim Bond Wyoming Junior 6'4" 296 lbs.
Jason Bosley Auburn Junior 6'2" 280 lbs.
Brett Byford Nebraska Senior 6'3" 300 lbs.
Antoine Caldwell Alabama Junior 6'3" 288 lbs.
Marcus Coleman Wisconsin Senior 6'6" 317 lbs.
Jim Cordle Ohio State Sophomore 6'5" 275 lbs.
Mike Dent West Virginia Junior 6'4" 285 lbs.
Alex Derenthal Temple Junior 6'4" 294 lbs.
Kyle DeVan Oregon State Senior 6'2" 310 lbs.
Rafael Eubanks Iowa Sophomore 6'3" 288 lbs.
Robby Felix UTEP Junior 6'3" 295 lbs.
Juan Garcia Washington Sophomore 6'3" 315 lbs.
Dominic Green Nevada Junior 6'3" 295 lbs
Blaine Guenther Air Force Senior 6'2" 270 lbs.
Kyle Gunther Utah Senior 6'4" 304 lbs.
Antron Harper Navy Senior 5'11" 272 lbs.
Brett Helms LSU Junior 6'2" 283 lbs.
Adam Hill Louisiana-Monroe Senior 6'1" 325 lbs.
Chris Joseph UCLA Senior 6'5" 282 lbs.
Steve Justice Wake Forest Senior 6'4" 280 lbs.
Adam Korby Idaho Junior 6'2" 292 lbs.
Robbie Krutilla Western Michigan Senior 6'3" 308 lbs.
Doug Legursky Marshall Senior 6'3" 308 lbs.
Scott Lenahan North Carolina Senior 6'1" 290 lbs.
Kory Lichtensteiger Bowling Green Senior 6'3" 300 lbs.
Jordy Lipsey Virginia Senior 6'3" 280 lbs.
Jonathan Luigs Arkansas Junior 6'4" 305 lbs.
Alex Mack California Junior 6'5" 295 lbs.
Tim Mattran Stanford Senior 6'5" 300 lbs.
Ryan McDonald Illinois Junior 6'5" 300 lbs.
Josh McNeil Tennessee Sophomore 6'4" 280 lbs.
Drew Miller Florida Senior 6'5" 297 lbs.
Trey Miranne Army Senior 6'0" 273 lbs.
Justin Paysinger San Jose State Junior 6'1" 295 lbs.
Mike Pollak Arizona State Senior 6'4" 300 lbs.
Robbie Powell Purdue Senior 6'5" 307 lbs.
Daniel Sanders Colorado Junior 6'3" 305 lbs.
Blake Schlueter Texas Christian Junior 6'3" 272 lbs.
Kevin Sheridan Boston College Senior 6'3" 295 lbs.
A.Q. Shipley Penn State Junior 6'1" 293 lbs.
Adam Spieker Missouri Junior 6'4" 310 lbs.
John Sullivan Notre Dame Senior 6'4" 290 lbs.
Ryan Tonnemacher Utah State Junior 6'3" 272 lbs.
Lafu Tuioti-Mariner Hawaii Junior 6'0" 279 lbs.
Kevin Tuminello Georgia Tech Senior 6'4" 290 lbs.
Cody Wallace Texas A&M Senior 6'4" 296 lbs.
Ryan Wendell Fresno State Senior 6'2" 285 lbs.
Austin Wilkinson Rice Junior 6'2" 270 lbs.
Eric Wood Louisville Junior 6'4" 301 lbs.
Ben Wyss Indiana Senior 6'1" 280 lbs.

Lester Sent to Portland

Red Sox lefty Jon Lester was sent down to Double-A Portland today. Lester is 2-0 with a 5.67 ERA in six starts since being recalled from Pawtucket on July 23.

Lester will miss one start and is scheduled to return to start for the Red Sox on September 2.
Julian Tavarez is expected to take Lester's start on Sunday.

The team recalled lefthanded pitcher Javier Lopez from Triple-A Pawtucket.

Lopez is 2-1 with a 3.17 ERA in 17 appearances with Pawtucket this season. He has not allowed a run in his last seven outings with the PawSox, covering 3.1 innings. The lefthander will be making his third stint with the Red Sox this season and is 2-1 with a 2.87 ERA in 44 appearances.

Practice Heats up As First Game Approaches

BATON ROUGE -- LSU picked up the pace on Tuesday as the second-ranked Tigers continued their preparations for next week’s season-opener against Mississippi State with an extended workout here at the Charles McClendon Practice Facility.

The Tigers will conduct a morning workout on Wednesday before giving the players the day off from practice on Thursday.

“It was a good long (practice),” LSU coach Les Miles said. “We are obviously getting a lot of things done. Tomorrow morning we’ll give them another good go and then give them a break. We’ll let the players get off their feet and relax for a day and a half to two days. We’ll get some legs back and get into our game week routine.”

With the Mississippi State game being held on a Thursday, the Tigers will begin their game week routine starting on Friday.

Tuesday’s workout again had the Tigers practicing in weather that saw the temperatures near the 100 degree mark. Miles said it’s something that his team needs to get used to.

“The weather has been hot and that has benefited us,” Miles said. “You have to play in this (heat). You have to condition in it. The players need to recognize how it feels to perform in these conditions.”

The Tigers have used the first two days this week to begin its preparations for the Bulldogs as LSU has gone against the scout squad during team drills on both days.

“The tempo (of practice) has to be faster,” Miles said. “We can’t accept two-a-days’ style of practice. It’s got to be a quick, upbeat tempo. We really round them into shape these next three practices, and when they come back, the tempo will speed up yet again.”

Against Mississippi State, the Tigers will face a much-improved squad from last year’s team that posted a 3-9 overall mark. LSU beat the Bulldogs, 48-17, in week five last year in Tiger Stadium. Miles said his team understands the challenge of next week’s contest against Mississippi State.

“I know we are playing a quality team,” Miles said of the Bulldogs. “You don’t have to tell me. Our football team understands it too, playing at their place. There is enough warning just watching the film that we are preparing for a quality opponent.”

“Their defense will be sticky. Offensively, they have a veteran line and a big tailback, and they are playing at home in their first game. We expect that we will get their best shot.”