Football Preview
All you need to know about the Saints, LSU, and Tulane
By Fletcher MackelLSU
LSU will embark upon the defense of its national championship with one big question: Who’s playing quarterback? The most high profile position at one of college football’s most high profile programs is currently vacant!
But believe me, not knowing which player is going ‘under center’ is a good thing for the Tigers. The starting quarterback job will go to either Harvard University transfer Andrew Hatch or redshirt freshman Jarrett Lee.
My money is on Hatch earning the starting nod.
Hatch and Lee are battling to lead the Tigers because last spring, Coach Les Miles made a decision that showed he truly knows the difference between confidence and arrogance. An arrogant coach would have kept troubled quarterback Ryan Perrilloux. An arrogant coach would have believed he was the guy who could straighten out Perrilloux. An arrogant coach would have allowed one player to be bigger than the program.
Miles showed confidence in dismissing Perrilloux from the team. Don’t think for one second that it was easy giving the boot to one of the most physically gifted athletes to ever step foot on campus. Don’t think that Miles didn’t at least consider looking past all the arrests and the off-field distractions Perrilloux caused. But in the end, Miles did the right thing when he kicked his problematic superstar off the team, and in doing so, he announced to everyone that he truly has confidence in every player on his roster. And Miles should be a confident man, because besides the uncertain situation at quarterback, the LSU Tigers are as gifted and dominant as they ever have been at every position on the field.
Defensively, LSU welcomes back five starters. Senior defensive ends Kirston Pittman and Tyson Jackson are the best defensive end combination in all of college football. Defensive tackle Ricky Jean-Francois is already being touted as a first round draft pick, and linebacker Derry Beckwith moves from the outside to the middle to anchor a front seven that will be better than the group that dominated Ohio State in the BCS Championship Game.
LSU lost Craig Steltz, Chevis Jackson, and Jonathan Zenon in the secondary, but with the emergence of Chad Jones at safety, Jai Eugene at cornerback, and with the addition of super recruit Patrick Johnson, the secondary should be fine.
The 2008 offensive line is arguably the most talented and experienced LSU has ever fielded. Seniors Herman Johnson and Brett Helms were voted first and second team All-SEC in 2007. Junior Ciron Black was also voted first team all-conference and is considered a first round draft pick.
Benefitting from such massive men up front will be running backs Keiland Williams, Charles Scott, and Richard Murphy. Murphy had a breakout spring scrimmage, but I envision Williams earning most of the carries this year. By the time SEC play rolls around, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear Williams’ name being mentioned in the Heisman Trophy watch. Chad Jones will more than likely return punts, and after emerging as one of the top specialists in the SEC, diminutive wide receiver Trindon Holliday will handle all kickoff returns.
Speaking of Holliday, look for him to also earn playing time in the receiver rotation alongside Brandon LaFell, Demetrius Byrd, and Terrance Tolliver.
When LSU takes the field on August 30th in Tiger Stadium against Appalachian State, history will be made. The game will mark the first time a defending national champion opens play against the defending national champion from an NCAA subdivision. LSU, of course, won the BCS National Championship while Appalachian State won the NCAA Division I-AA National Title last season.
LSU Season Schedule
Saturday, Aug 30 Appalachian State 5:00 pm
Saturday, Sep 6 Troy 8:00 pm
Saturday, Sep 13 North Texas 8:00 pm
Saturday, Sep 20 at (15) Auburn TBA
Saturday, Sep 27 Mississippi State TBA
Saturday, Oct 11 at (13) Florida TBA
Saturday, Oct 18 at South Carolina TBA
Saturday, Oct 25 (2) Georgia TBA
Saturday, Nov 1 Tulane 8:00 pm
Saturday, Nov 8 Alabama TBA
Saturday, Nov 22 Mississippi TBA
Saturday, Nov 29 at Arkansas
SAINTS
Did you know that each year in late July and early August ALL Saints fans come down with an illness?
Seriously.
Experts believe the illness is heat related. Because of the stifling conditions in our area, members of the ‘Who Dat Nation’ start believing unequivocally that the Saints will win the Super Bowl.
These people must be crazy because of the heat!
Full disclosure: I’m one of these people.
A born and raised New Orleanian, I annually predict the Saints to finish the regular season 10-6 overall and have them making a deep run into the post season.
So, are all Saints fans temporarily going insane with the heat, or does this 2008 squad really have a chance to duplicate (or better) the magical run of 2006?
Let’s start with where Head Coach Sean Payton’s team left off eight months ago.
The 2007 Saints fell victim to the dreaded sophomore slump. The team finished 7-9 overall and missed the playoffs. The defensive secondary got burned by opposing receivers so often that fans wondered if guys like Jason David and Josh Bullocks were wearing weighted down boots. With Deuce McAllister injured and Reggie Bush failing to emerge as an every down back, the running game was nonexistent. Even the kicking game, led by Olindo Mare was flat out embarrassing.
In an effort to return to the playoffs and make a Super Bowl run, the Saints focused on defense during the 2008 off-season. On top of signing defensive end Will Smith to a contract extension, the Saints traded a draft pick to the New York Jets for linebacker Jonathan Vilma. Free agent cornerback Randall Gay and defensive end Bobby McCray were added. In the draft, the Saints took 2 defensive players with their first two picks. University of Southern California defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis was the team’s first round selection and should compete for playing time immediately, and cornerback Tracy Porter from Indiana University has been impressive in rookie mini camps and should earn significant playing time.
Offensively Deuce McAllister says he’ll be 100% to start the season. McAllister is recovering from surgeries on both knees. If Deuce’s prediction is correct, his return as the team’s ‘work horse’ would allow Reggie Bush to return to the ‘trick pony’ role he played as a rookie in 2006. Also, even if Deuce is healthy, look for second year back Pierre Thomas to earn significant playing time. Veteran kicker Martin Gramatica and rookie Taylor Mehlhaff should do fine handling the kicking duties.
Besides quarterback Drew Brees, the one position where Saints fans know they’ll see consistent excellence is at the middle linebacker position. That’s where defensive team captain Scott Fujita plays.
Despite the perception that athletes don’t like the media and vice versa, I consider Fujita a friend and have enjoyed not only covering his play on the field, but also getting to know him off the field. Another 80s movie buff, I sat down with Fujita to talk football (and a little film).
SAINTS Season Schedule
Pre-season
Thursday, Aug 7 at Arizona 8:00 pm
Saturday, Aug 16 Houston 8:00 pm
Saturday, Aug 23 at Cincinnati 7:35 pm
Thursday, Aug 28 Miami 8:00 pm
Regular Season
Sunday, Sep 7 Tampa Bay 1:00 pm
Sunday, Sep 14 at Washington 1:00 pm
Sunday, Sep 21 at Denver 4:05 pm
Sunday, Sep 28 San Francisco 1:00 pm
Monday, Oct 6 Minnesota 8:30 pm
Sunday, Oct 12 Oakland 1:00 pm
Sunday, Oct 19 at Carolina 1:00 pm
Sunday, Oct 26 San Diego 1:00 pm
BYE
Sunday, Nov 9 at Atlanta 1:00 pm
Sunday, Nov 16 at Kansas City 1:00 pm
Monday, Nov 24 Green Bay 8:30 pm
Sunday, Nov 30 at Tampa Bay 1:00 pm
Sunday, Dec 7 Atlanta 1:00 pm
Thursday, Dec 11 at Chicago 8:15 pm
Sunday, Dec 21 at Detroit 1:00 pm
Sunday, Dec 28 Carolina 1:00 pm
TULANE
It’s probably hard to believe that a Tulane football team that finished 2007 just 4-8 overall could slump even more in 2008...but buckle up Green Wave fans, because Coach Bob Toledo’s sophomore slump is coming!
I’m not trying to be mean - I’m a huge Tulane fan, but the dreaded sophomore slump just seems inevitable.
The main reason to believe four wins could be a high watermark for the Wave is the loss of Matt Forte. Forte is irreplaceable. A Slidell High School product, Forte finished a 2007 senior campaign by rushing for a school record, 2,127 yards and 23 touchdowns.
Forte was drafted by Chicago in the second round of last April’s NFL draft and is expected to start for the Bears this fall. Attempting to fill the void left by Forte is sophomore Andre Anderson. A 5’11, 190-pounder from Stone Mountain, Georgia, Anderson was the highlight of the Tulane spring game, rushing 19 times for 136 yards and a touchdown.
“[Anderson] rushed for over a hundred yards. He carried people, and broke away and showed some speed. I just thought he did a great job. He’s a workhorse. He’s got to work hard this summer to come back and be in great physical shape, which I know he will be, and he’s got to carry the load as a running back next fall,” Toledo said.
Even if Anderson emerges as a go-to guy for Tulane, who plays quarterback?
Anthony Scelfo played in all twelve games last year, starting in ten and throwing six touchdown passes. In the spring, Scelfo decided to concentrate on his baseball career and was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in June. Scelfo is no longer a member of the football team.
Sophomore Kevin Moore, junior Scott Elliott, and redshirt freshman Joe Kemp are now battling for the starting quarterback job. Moore seems to have a slight advantage over Elliot and Kemp, if for no other reason than he has the strongest arm and the most upside of the three.
In limited action in 2007 Moore completed 30-of-54 passes for 432 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Defensively, the Green Wave will be anchored by seniors Reggie Scott and David Skehan. A defensive end, Scott is the only Wave player capable of consistently creating havoc in opposing team’s backfields.
Skehan makes the switch from the defensive secondary to linebacker. A former walk-on from the Bronx, New York, Skehan has always had a nose for the ball and will have to be a fast learner at his new position if the Tulane defense is going to stop anyone this season.
“I’m concerned about some depth. We don’t have a lot of depth right now and we’re trying to develop some players. We just don’t have a lot of players. If we lose a few key players, it sets us way back. Hopefully, the freshmen coming in will give us that added depth, and hopefully, it’ll be some quality depth.” Toledo said.
Looking at the schedule, Tulane will once again embark on ‘pay-day’ games. Taking huge checks that come with going on the road to play teams in powerful BCS conferences, the Wave will open the season on the road against Nick Saban and the University of Alabama. The nonth of November starts with a game in Baton Rouge against LSU. Tack ‘Bama and LSU onto conference road games against UTEP, Houston, Tulsa, and Memphis, and it becomes fair to say that the Wave is in trouble.
The one bright spot for the Green Wave is homecoming on October 4th. Tulane will play Army in Tad Gormley Stadium in City Park. Having the annual homecoming game in the park should be mandatory. Fans tailgate, pack the stadium and enjoy a competitive game.
Tulane Season Schedule
Saturday, Sep 6 at Alabama TBA
Saturday, Sep 13 East Carolina 3:00 pm
Saturday, Sep 20 Louisiana-Monroe 3:00 pm
Thursday, Sep 25 Southern Methodist 8:00 pm
Saturday, Oct 4 Army 3:00 pm
Saturday, Oct 11 at UTEP 9:05 pm
Saturday, Oct 25 Rice 3:00 pm
Saturday, Nov 1 at (1) LSU 8:00 pm
Saturday, Nov 8 at Houston 5:00 pm
Saturday, Nov 15 UAB 3:00 pm
Saturday, Nov 22 at Tulsa 3:00 pm
Saturday, Nov 29 at Memphis 2:00 pm