What will we remember from September?
Ryder Cup rudeness. Too many obnoxious sickos in the gallery, and a rude awakening applied by the European dozen and captain Luke Donald to the PGA of America, which puts together the USA side.
LSU’s dessert serving of humble pie. In recent seasons it’s come as the appetizer, in the first game. This year, it hit last week when Ole Miss dumped the Tigers out of the top 10.
Evangel’s emergence. The Eagles showed last Friday that they are capable of flying high in District 1-5A, ending Airline’s 13-game league win streak, 51-49.
Parkway’s steady path. The Panthers are 4-0, 2-0 in 1-5A, averaging 58 points against less than top-flight competition. Friday brings Byrd, which gave Evangel fits in a second-half rally two weeks ago, with games against Airline and Shreve looming.
Not to count out Calvary as a state championship contender. The Cavs beat the top-ranked team in Class 4A, Franklin Parish, and will be adding to their 66-game District 1-2A streak.
Louisiana Tech is legitimately bowl bound. The Bulldogs’ defense has a different coordinator in Luke Olson, but the same harsh bite.
Northwestern State is still recovering from having its program shut down in October 2023. The Demons have the country’s youngest roster and will again next season. They’ve tasted winning, beating Alcorn in the opener, but will have to overachieve to get more W’s this fall.
Grambling is tough to read and Tiger Nation is tough to please. Losing the State Fair Classic to Prairie View was discouraging but not disastrous. Just like in Natchitoches, the players believe in their second-year head coach and that gives these two teams a fighting chance most Saturdays.
Centenary players are bought in to coach Byron Dawson, but the Gents need to shore up their defense to finish near .500 in their second season of Division III football.
Back to golf: the USA’s recent Ryder Cup rough patch came at the hands of a tremendous lineup from across the pond and brilliant strategy and preparation by captain Luke Donald and his staff. It is also due to the Europeans being much more accustomed to foursomes and four-ball dynamics than the Americans.
Junior golf in the U.S. doesn’t provide nearly as much experience in those formats as the boys in Europe get. The PGA Tour dropped the World Match Play Championship, leaving the Zurich Classic in New Orleans as the only event that is not purely individual stroke play.
Also, enough of pulling names out of a hat to captain Team America. How about going with guys who have been real standouts with long successful records in international matches, like our own David Toms, Fred Couples, or Justin Leonard, all with Ryder Cup magic as players on their resume. Tiger Woods? Not a team guy. Not very good in the Ryder Cup, either.
Speaking of Tiger(s) …
LSU fans are in agony as they consider a list of offensive flaws that have no quick or easy remedies.
Again, the offensive line is substandard. Why? Last year there was some legit NFL talent in the lineup. This year it’s mostly highly-touted recruits. Whatever the mix, the ailing rushing attack is worsened by Garrett Nussmeier’s refusal to tuck it and run occasionally.
This year he may have a legit excuse. Who knows how limited he really is from this mysterious torso injury. We do know he cannot throw like he did last fall.
Why not sit Nussmeier against overmatched Southeastern, and give Mississippi State transfer Michael Van Buren a live-game look while resting the starter?
Does his long-term contract prevent a palace coup that would oust Brian Kelly any time soon? Yes. LSU supporters have raised millions for NIL but not easily.
And that’s a big part of the frustration. The people who wrote the checks are, more deeply than ever, invested in the Tigers’ success.
Money can’t buy happiness. It just provides a better chance.
Bonus note for LSU loyalists to worry about: you’re probably going to hear Jay Johnson’s name in the MLB manager pool. Eight teams already have openings and several others could soon. College coaches including Tennessee’s Tony Vitello and Vanderbilt’s Tim Corbin are getting mentioned as teams look at the success of Milwaukee Brewers manager Tim Murphy, a former Arizona State coach.
Johnson just got a raise over $3 million and a long contract extension after winning a second College World Series in three years. Not saying he’s got eyes on the big leagues, but a different challenge might be intriguing.
In a similar situation, in a different sport, in a different time, Nick Saban couldn’t resist that jump. Now, if Kelly gets ushered out of Baton Rouge, we’ll hear Saban is the top choice to take over.
No chance. Saban already has all the money he could want. He’ll only coach the Aflac Duck from now on.
Contact Doug at sbjsports@gmail.com