By PATRICK MEEHAN, Centenary Sports Information Director

The Centenary football team made history Saturday, winning its first NCAA game since the 1940s. The volleyball and soccer teams also picked up wins and the men’s golf team made a strong showing in tournament play.

FOOTBALL

Sophomore defensive lineman D’Qavion Lemons, a Southwood alum, was named to the D3football.com Team of the Week following an outstanding performance in the Gents’ 36-17 victory at Austin College on Saturday. Lemons is the second Gent to earn a spot on the prestigious national team this season after freshman DB Jacob Wilson made the team in Week One.

Lemons, who also was named the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week on Monday, had a stellar performance Saturday night, recording a team-leading eight tackles and a team-best two sacks, including two tackles for loss. He also forced one of four fumbles by the Gents’ defense, which recovered three.

Centenary achieved a milestone Saturday night recording their first NCAA victory since the 1940’s. The Gents (1-2, 1-1 SCAC) play this Saturday at East Texas Baptist University in Marshall, Texas.

MEN’S GOLF

The men’s golf team finished in a tie for third place Tuesday in the UMHB Invitational hosted by the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor at Sammons Park Golf Course in Temple, Texas. The Gents shot a 22-over par 582 to finish in a three-way tie with host Mary Hardin-Baylor’s “A” and “B” teams. Centenary shot a 13-over par 293 in Tuesday’s final round after a 9-over par 289 in Monday’s opening to finish in a tie for second place at the par 70, 6,597-yard course.

Senior Andrew Bennett of Airline finished in a tie for second place at 3-under par 141 after shooting rounds of 71-70 to lead the way for the Gents. Bennett, who won the individual title at this same tournament last season, finished in a tie with Gettysburg’s Myles Cunningham III and they each finished two shots behind individual champion Patrick Kilcoyne of Gettysburg (5-under par 139).

Sophomore Aubrey Snell, a Parkway grad, rocketed up the leaderboard on Tuesday with a 6-under par 66 to finish fifth. Snell, who shot a 5-over par 78 on Monday, recorded his fourth-career top-10 finish, giving him three top-five finishes in his young career.

MEN’S SOCCER

The Centenary men’s soccer team scored a pair of goals late in the second half to break a 1-1 tie on its way to a 3-1 victory over the East Texas Baptist University Tigers in a non-conference match at Cornish Soccer Field in Marshall, Texas. The Gents (4-2-1) and Tigers (5-3) were meeting for the ninth time and Centenary now leads the all-time series 4-2-3. Senior Ron Masti, sophomore Fernando Santos, and freshman Nathan Uduojie each scored goals for the Gents and freshman keeper Sebastian Lutin recorded five saves.

Masti gave the Gents a 1-0 lead with a goal in the 32nd minute, his third goal of the season, with the assist credited to sophomore midfielder Jacob Ramsey – the first of Ramsey’s career.

ETBU tied the match at 1-1 in the 50th minute, but Santos found the net for his first goal of the season in the 72nd minute to break the tie. Uduojie padded the Gents’ lead with a score (his fourth of the season) in the 83rd minute, off an assist from midfielder Emiliano Mondragon.

The Gents will open Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference play at home at 7 p.m. on Friday against the University of the Ozarks Eagles at Atkins Field.

WOMEN’S SOCCER

The Ladies got their first win of the season Sunday with a 1-0 shutout over the Wiley University Wildcats in a non-conference contest. Sophomore midfielder Shona Carlton scored her first-career goal breaking a scoreless tie in the 80th minute following a corner kick from sophomore midfielder Sarah Crenshaw.

Sophomore goalkeeper Zoe Keller went the distance and had four saves in the goal for her first career shutout and the Ladies’ (1-4-1) first since a 1-0 win last season over Belhaven.

The Ladies and Wildcats will meet in a rematch at 4 p.m. Wednesday in Marshall, Texas.

VOLLEYBALL

The volleyball team got its first win of the season Tuesday, taking a 3-0 sweep of the Wiley University Wildcats in a non-conference match Tuesday in the Gold Dome.

Centenary (1-10) won the match 25-20, 25-22, 25-16 and their top offensive effort of the season tallied season highs in assists (30), aces (14), digs (60), and tied their season high in kills (34).

Statistical Leaders: Aces — Reign McArthur (4, career best); Assists: Kristi Hinze (17); Digs: Daly Nagot (15, tied season high); Kills: Aaliyah Barnett (9, season high).

The Ladies, 0-2 in conference play, will host Austin College (9-6, 2-0 SCAC) in their first conference match at noon Saturday in the Gold Dome.

Contact Patrick at pmeehan@centenary.edu  

By RON HIGGINS, Journal Sports

BATON ROUGE – There’s eight weeks between LSU’s women’s basketball team opening preseason practice on Monday and the Nov. 4 season-opener here vs. Eastern Kentucky.

For Tigers’ fourth-year head coach Kim Mulkey, starting her 40th season as a college basketball coach – her 25th as a head coach – it’s always one of her most enjoyable times of the year.

If there’s anything that keeps the 62-year-old Mulkey’s competitive juices flowing, even with four national titles (3 at Baylor, 1 at LSU) and 723 coaching victories on the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2020 inductee’s resume, it’s the annual challenge of piecing together a new team.

“I just have a lot of energy,” Mulkey said in a press conference before Monday’s practice and reveal of a 13-player roster boosted by four experienced transfers including three guards. “If you have the energy, if you’re putting a product on the floor, that’s competitive, and your health is good, what else am I going to do in life?

“It’s fun for me to get up every day and still feel like contributing something to this game. I feel like I’m probably one of the old dinosaurs that’s been able to adapt (to college sports changes such as the transfer portal and NIL deals). I’ve been able to adapt without changing my philosophies on the floor, with discipline, with defense, with rebounding and those things.”

LSU returns four starters from its 2023-24 team that finished 31-6 and lost to Iowa in a regional final, ending its defense of the Tigers’ 2023 national title.

It’s somewhat a reset since forward Angel Reese, the SEC’s scoring and rebounding leader in each of her LSU seasons the last two years and one of the most dynamic yet polarizing athletes in the women’s game, moved on to the WNBA.

Besides Reese’s early season drama sidelining her via an alleged suspension by Mulkey, LSU came up just short last season of a second straight trip to the Final Four because of a season-ending injury in November to sophomore forward Sa’Mayah Smith and inconsistent point guard play at a position that lacked depth.

While returning starters shooting guards junior Flau’jae Johnson (14.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg) and sophomore Mikaylah Williams (14.5 ppg, 4.9 rpg) and senior forward Aneesah Morrow (16.4 ppg, 10.4 RPG) are the heartbeat of the team, it’s Mulkey’s transfer portal shopping that may make the Tigers again a Final Four contender.

Mulkey lost three players to the transfer portal – struggling starting point guard Hailey Van Lith and little-used freshmen Angelica Velz and Janae Kent – and replaced them with a foursome of transfers with a combined 198 college appearances and 117 starts.

Three are guards – senior Shayeann Day-Wilson (Miami/Duke), junior Kailyn Gilbert (Arizona) and sophomore Mjacle Sheppard (Mississippi State) – and junior forward Jersey Wolfenbarger (Arkansas) who Mulkey recruited in her previous head coaching stop for Baylor.

Also, LSU’s lone true freshman is guard Jada Richard, a 5-7 scoring, playmaking whiz from four-time state champion Lafayette Christian Academy where she was the 2024 Gatorade Louisiana Player of the Year and LSWA Miss Basketball, just like Bossier City’s Williams was a year earlier at Parkway High.

“You’re going to notice there are good guards, quickness, kids that can get up and down the floor,” Mulkey said. “We have more depth at the guard spots.”

LSU’s inside game, featuring Smith, returning starting center 6-6 Aalyah Del Rosario, is in a bit of disarray to start the preseason. Smith is coming off knee surgery and Del Rosario is recovering from bone spur surgery in her ankle.

For leadership, Mulkey will be leaning on the fearless and tireless Johnson (“I don’t think she ever gets tired,” Mulkey said) and Williams, who was last season’s SEC Freshman of the Year.

“I’m challenging her (Williams) to take it to take it to the next level and become more of a leader,” said Mulkey, who scheduled a Dec. 8 date vs. Grambling in Bossier City’s Brookshire Grocery Arena as a homecoming game for Williams. “That’s probably not fair, because she’s just a sophomore, but under the circumstances of what we have on our team, she may have to do more of that at an earlier age.”

Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com

By RON HIGGINS, Journal Sports

BATON ROUGE – If favored LSU wins Saturday night in Tiger Stadium vs. South Alabama, it will enter its first open date with a 4-1 overall record.

It’s only one win short of most preseason predictions and expectations. The Tigers are currently ranked No. 13 in the AP poll and No. 14 in the coaches poll after starting the season No. 13 in the AP and No. 12 in the coaches.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

Hardly.

LSU has yet to play well for an entire game on both sides. The Tigers have been favored vs. their first four opponents but have trailed in three games because of slow offensive starts and fundamental defensive lapses.

Also, defensive starters linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. (torn ACL) and tackle Jacobian Guillory (torn Achilles) are out for the year as is reserve running back John Emery Jr. (torn ACL).

Nobody will mistake LSU as a College Football playoff contender, but Tigers’ head coach Brian Kelly has been content with his team’s baby steps.

“This has really been about building our team, getting to know our team, know our strengths and our weaknesses, the things that we have to be better at in all phases of the game,” Kelly said at his weekly in-season Monday press conference. “But at the same time, we’re developing some of those younger players so that when we have to call on them, we can get the kind of play necessary to win SEC games.”

Junior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier and senior defensive end Bradyn Swinson, the Tigers’ most consistent players on both sides of the ball, were named the SEC’s Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week respectively after they led LSU to a 34-17 victory over UCLA last Saturday.

Nussmeier’s 352 passing yards and three TDs and Swinson’s two sacks and a forced fumble were performances that have been the norm for that duo.

Offensively, the Tigers scored on the first possession against the Bruins but couldn’t maintain its fast start.

Defensively, LSU allowed UCLA to convert 4 of 7 third-down situations, including a third-and-goal game-tying 11-yard TD pass with eight seconds left in the first half.

In the second half, the Tigers’ offense had two 90-yard plus TD drives and the defense held UCLA to 64 yards total offense.

A positive step for new defensive coordinator Blake Baker was not allowing long-distance plays.

Nicholls State’s Collin Guggenheim and South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers ran through the heart of LSU’s defense on 67 and 75-yard quarterback keeper TDs on successive weekends and the Gamecocks’ Raheim Sanders scored on a 66-yard run around left end against a misaligned defense.

“The ones that you don’t accept at any level are the big play runs right where you don’t have structure to your defense and you don’t have the levels,” Kelly said. “They can’t happen.”

LSU’s challenge this weekend is making defensive adjustments to replace Perkins, who Kelly said made opposing offenses have to account for his whereabouts.

“You’re playing against a guy (Perkins) that can wreck your day,” Kelly said, “so you lose that piece right away. But there’s 10 other players that make that thing happen, and I think it really helps now that our guys understand all 11 have to work harder and have to work together to be the kind of defense we want to be.” 

KNOW YOUR ENEMY 

No. 14 LSU (3-1, 1-0 SEC) vs. South Alabama (2-2 1-0 Sun Belt), Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, Saturday, 6:45 p.m., SEC Network 

Last game for Jaguars: Beat Appalachian State 48-14 last Friday in Boone, N.C. The Jags rushed for 320 yards and scored on their first four of five possessions. 

Series record and last meeting: First meeting between the Jaguars and Tigers 

South Alabama head coach: Major Applewhite (17-13 overall in 3 seasons, 2-1 in his first season at South Alabama) 

THIS AND THAT 

Appearance fee paid by LSU to South Alabama per game contract: $1.65 million and 400 complimentary tickets 

Early betting line: LSU by 21 

Number of Louisiana natives on South Alabama roster: 7 

Number of Alabama natives on LSU roster: 0 

Number of transfers on South Alabama roster from 4-year schools: 36 players from 29 schools including 17 players from 11 Power 4 Conference schools 

SOUTH ALABAMA PLAYERS TO WATCH

QB Gio Lopez (57 of 92 for 843 passing yards, 9 TDs, 0 interceptions, RB Fluff Bothwell (359 rushing yards and 6 TDs on 37 carries, WR Jamaal Pritchett (26 catches for 354 receiving yards, 4 TDs, LB Blayne Myrick (34 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 PBU), CB Amarion Fortenberry (13 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 interception, 3 PBU), PK Laith Marjan (5 of 6 FG, 17 of 18 PAT), P Aleski Pulkkinen (9 for 38 yards per punt, 3 fair catches, 5 inside the 20). 

THREE AND OUT

1. Where does South Alabama play its home games?

A. Ladd-Peebles Stadium

B. The Florabama Dome

C. Hancock Whitney Stadium

D. Tommy Hicks Memorial Coliseum

2. How long has South Alabama been an FBS (Division 1-A) football member?

A. Since 2012

B. Since 2016

C. Since 2009

D. Since 2019

3. What Baton Rouge high school did South Alabama head coach Major Applewhite graduate from where he was also a star quarterback?

A. Glen Oaks

B. Catholic

C. Broadmoor

D. Belaire

ANSWERS: 1. C. 2. A 3. B

Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com

BATON ROUGE – There were numerous reports of fans feeling faint in Tiger Stadium during LSU’s 34-17 victory over UCLA here Saturday afternoon.

In the first half, the reason was that 92-degree heat baked everything that wasn’t in the shade.

In the second half, it was because the Tigers’ defense, after their typically uneven first half, held one of college football’s worst offenses scoreless. Then, LSU’s offense cranked out consecutive touchdown drives of a season-high 14 plays for 96 yards and 11 plays for 92 yards followed by an 8-play, 32-yard drive for a field goal.

That’s a combined 33 plays for 220 yards, 2 TDs (one rushing, one passing) eating 15:15 of game clock, or possessing the ball for just more than a quarter.

Dare you say it, LSU third-year head coach Brian Kelly? Your team played. . .

“Complementary football,” Kelly said.

All on one field from the same team for two consecutive quarters. Feel free to call 911 and lose consciousness. No sun required.

On Sunday, the Tigers (3-1) moved two spots to No. 14 in the Associated Press and jumped three spaces to No. 13 in the AFCA Coaches Poll. You could say with little argument that LSU is overrated at this point considering none of its wins against a weak early schedule haven’t been four-quarter masterpieces.

What is difficult to remember – probably even at times for Kelly who is almost at a loss for words about his team’s inconsistent play-to-play execution – is that his squad is a work in progress.

Last year’s 10-3 Tigers had Heisman Trophy-winning QB Jayden Daniels, the nation’s best dual signal caller with four seasons of experience as a starter (the first two at Arizona State, the last two at LSU).

After the first four games a year ago, LSU was 3-1 with Daniels accounting for 372.3 of the Tigers’ 530.1 yards (338.3 passing, 191.8 rushing) total offense per game. Armed with veteran wide receivers Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas, LSU had already made 29 plays gaining 20 or more yards with 15 plays over 30 yards including 8 TDs.

Daniels’ running ability spread defenses from sideline to sideline. The Tigers could score in a blink.

This season, new offensive coordinator Joe Sloan (who was LSU’s QB coach last season) re-tooled the offensive scheme to fit the skill set of new starting QB Garrett Nussmeier, who only leaves the pass pocket to escape pressure.

With four of five offensive line starters from last season, LSU’s offensive personnel reflects its stats – 418.5 yards total offense (314.8, 103.8 rushing) — with a patient and probing scheme, lots of shorter pass routes and running backs who often have more receiving yards than rushing yards.

Nussmeier is tied for second nationally in TD passes (13), ranks second in completions per game (28.25) and seventh in passing yards per game (311.75 ypg).

LSU’s rushing attack, dead last in the 16-team SEC and 102nd nationally averaging 103.8 yards, will likely not be better than any team remaining on the Tigers’ schedule. LSU’s next five opponents (including next Saturday’s Tiger Stadium visitor South Alabama) are all ranked in the top 20 nationally in rushing.

Though the Tigers have just 19 plays so far of 20 yards or more with just five 30 yards or more and 5 TDs, the offense aside from some blue zone (inside the opponents’ 5-yard line) failures, has been mostly on-schedule.

“Coach Sloan does an unbelievable job of putting us in the right position to make plays,” Nussmeier said. “He does an outstanding job of understanding how teams are trying to attack us.”

Defensively under new coordinator Blake Baker, whose strong suit is masking coverages and blitzing, the Tigers are getting closer to becoming a constant stonewall.

But for the moment, it’s not usual for LSU’s defense to make two consecutive plays and then an awful one on third and/or fourth down to keep opposing drives alive. UCLA forged a 17-17 halftime tie by converting 4 of 7 third downs and 1 of 1 fourth downs.

“The mistakes are maddening,” Kelly said.

It’s not like LSU defenders aren’t being coached.

“What’s maddening is we have the players, the skill and the talent,” Tigers’ linebacker Whit Weeks said. “You have to get your feet and eyes right, put yourself in the right position and do your job. You don’t have to do somebody else’s job. You’ve got 10 other dudes besides yourself out there on the field that can make plays.”

LSU’s defense is increasingly countering its handful of bonehead, asleep-at-the-wheel busts with effective blitzes from every direction. It’s resulted in much-welcomed tackles for loss (23 for minus 120), sacks (12 for minus 91), QB hurries (15) and turnovers gained (6 with 4 fumbles and 2 interceptions).

Senior defensive end Bradyn Swinson, who’s second in the SEC and tied for fifth nationally with five sacks, likes the complementary football the Tigers have played in their decisive second halves the last two weeks in wins.

“The more that we (the LSU offense and defense) are connected, that’s just feeding off each other energy,” Swinson said. “I feel that’s what we’ve been missing for a long time.”

The first four games have clearly established the 2024 Tigers’ identity. Few, if any victories, will come easy in a league that has teamed ranked in five of the top six spots in the national polls.

Kelly hopes incremental improvement on both sides of the ball will offset occasional mental mistakes. He knows exactly what he has on his roster. No miracles are waiting in the wings.

“Nobody is getting traded,” Kelly said playfully in his UCLA postgame press conference. “Those are the guys we’re going to work with, and we’re going to just keep coaching them, we’re going to keep working with them, and they’re going to turn the corner in terms of listening and trusting, and we’re going to keep working on how to put them in a better position as coaches.”

Buckle up. There’s plenty of exhilaration and aggravation left in the season.

Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com

By RON HIGGINS, Journal Sports

BATON ROUGE – LSU’s next man up” mantra will be severely tested.

It was confirmed Sunday night that Tigers’ junior linebacker Harold Perkins Jr., a projected first-round pick in the NFL’s 2025 draft, tore an anterior cruciate knee ligament in Saturday’s win over UCLA and is out for the season.

He’s the third LSU player this month to sustain a season-ending injury, joining reserve running back John Emery Jr. (torn ACL) and starting defensive tackle Jacobian Guillory (Achilles tear).

Perkins, who had 17 tackles and 1½ tackles for loss for the 3-1 Tigers, started the first two games this season at weakside linebacker which is his projected position in the pros.

In the last two games, he started at strongside linebacker as new defensive coordinator Blake Baker sought to put Perkins in various spots where he could rush the passer.

A 5-star recruit who was rated as the fourth-best high school player in the Class of 2022 by ESPN, Perkins burst into the national spotlight as a true freshman for his pass rushing that wrecked offenses.

During three weeks, he earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors vs. Ole Miss and followed with back-to-back SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors vs. Alabama and Arkansas.

Starting just eight games, he was named All-SEC first team and a freshman All-American. He finished the year with 72 tackles and led LSU in tackles for loss (13) and sacks (7½).

Last season as a sophomore, then-LSU defense coordinator Matt House had Perkins start the season at middle linebacker. He struggled dealing with offensive linemen outweighing him by 100 pounds and House quickly moved him to different spots to take advantage of his speed on the edge of defenses.

Still, he led the team in tackles for loss (13) for the second straight year and finished with 75 tackles and 5½ sacks.

Just before the start of this season, he was awarded by the LSU coaching staff the coveted No. 7 jersey, which annually goes to the best playmaker on the team.

LSU head coach Brian Kelly, not knowing the extent of Perkins’ injury immediately after the 34-17 victory over the Bruins, speculated what the Tigers would do if Perkins had to miss playing time.

“We can still stay in our buffalo package,” Kelly said. “We can go back into our dime package, dropping (safety) Major (Burns) down. So, we’ve got a lot of options there.”

LSU starting linebacker Whit Weeks said after the win that losing Perkins would be a blow.

“We’re definitely gonna have to step up, because he has become a very vocal leader this year,” Weeks said. “He’s the guy that’s firing us up in the huddle and getting everything right.

“We’re gonna have to rely on somebody else to do that for us, but we’ve got a bunch of leaders on defense.”

LSU plays its last of four non-conference games this Saturday at 6:45 p.m. in Tiger Stadium vs. South Alabama. After an open date, the Tigers play their last seven SEC games in eight weeks starting by hosting unbeaten No. 5 Ole Miss on Oct. 12.

Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com

By RON HIGGINS, Journal Sports

BATON ROUGE—Every football Saturday, LSU head coach Brian Kelly hopes his team solves lingering problems without creating new ones.

He also knows he’s running out of time. The 16th-ranked Tigers (2-1 overall, 1-0 SEC) are three weeks away from playing No. 5 Ole Miss on Oct. 12 here to start a gauntlet of the Tigers’ final seven SEC games in eight weeks.

It’s why in the next two games (both at home) against UCLA (1-1 overall, 0-1 Big Ten) on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and South Alabama next Saturday at 6:45 p.m. before an open date, it’s imperative LSU plays up to the role as a sizeable favorite.

And that means solving the Tigers’ bugaboo of excruciating slow starts. In 10 of LSU’s 30 games under Kelly, they’ve trailed by double digits in the first half.

They are 6-4 digging out of such holes, and Kelly certainly isn’t blind to the problem.

“We have `start fast’ signs in our (practice facilities) hallways” he said. “We talk every day about starting fast. So, it’s one of those things you have to look at what does our practice preparation look like? Do we start fast in practice and preparation?

“For the last two weeks, we have gone 11-on-11, ones versus ones (starting offense vs. starting defense) in the first 15 minutes of practice. We’re backing up all those things with actionable items relative to what we’re doing. Last Saturday, we got to the stadium 30 minutes earlier than usual.

“We’re going to keep finding ways to put our guys in that position, but at the end of the day, we got to play at a higher level, and we got to coach our guys at a higher level. That’s going to get us off to a better start.”

Though the Tigers had to battle back for a 36-33 road win at South Carolina in LSU’s SEC opener last Saturday, there were some improvements in two noticeably weak areas.

Despite allowing two huge TD runs of 75 and 66 yards that accounted for over a third of South Carolina’s 398 total offense, LSU’s defense was disruptive for the first time this season.

With different defenders blitzing from all directions, LSU had a season-high nine tackles for loss including five sacks, forced four fumbles and recovered two, and got its first interception of the year.

“I love how we’ve got a lot of different blitzes, different looks and different packages,” said LSU senior edge rusher Bradyn Swinson, who had three sacks vs. South Carolina and was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week. “You just got a whole bunch of guys that are just dogs on the field that are (lined up) in different spots on different plays. When the other team sees that, it’s like “I ain’t seen that before.’ ”

Kelly knows the next step in the Tigers’ defensive evolution is the elimination of big plays.

“We’ve done a good job in so many other areas that it gets glossed over by (allowing) the explosive plays, and rightly so,” he said.

“What we haven’t had is consistency. We do a good job for a number of plays, and then we don’t. We need consistency play in and play out where every play you do your job and not somebody else’s.”

LSU’s rushing attack, which averaged 90.5 yards and just 3.9 per attempt in the first two games, got a boost from hard-running true freshman Caden “Bull” Durham. He ran for 98 yards and two TDs on 11 attempts vs. South Carolina getting most of his yardage after making tacklers miss at the line of scrimmage before breaking more tackles downfield.

Durham became the first LSU true freshman to rush for two TDs in an SEC game since Leonard Fournette vs. Florida in 2014. He’s also the first LSU true freshman to rush for two TDs in his SEC debut since Charles Scott vs. Mississippi State in 2006.

“It’s amazing for him to come into his first SEC game and perform the way he did,” LSU sixth-year senior starting running back Josh Williams said of Durham. “He was a big spark plug for the offense. He picked up the energy on our sideline.”

LSU’s offense should get another energy injection vs. UCLA because Kelly said junior wide receiver Chris Hilton will make his season debut after being sidelined the first two games with a bone bruise.

Hilton, considered the Tigers’ best deep threat, was a starter before he got hurt.

“You can’t be out almost a month, and then just and here’s Chris Hilton tearing it up,” Kelly said. “He can’t come in and pick up where he left off. It’s going to take a few weeks for him to get back into action. But he’s going to help us, and he’s going to be a main player in what we do before the season’s over.” 

GO FIGURE 

0: Games played by UCLA in the state of Louisiana 

2-0-1: LSU’s Tiger Stadium record vs. Big Ten Conference teams 

4: First-time visiting teams this year to Tiger Stadium (Nicholls State, UCLA, South Alabama, Oklahoma) 

14: UCLA’s road games lifetime against five SEC teams (excluding new members Texas and Oklahoma) with a record of 4-8-2 

1987: The last season LSU played a Big Ten team in Tiger Stadium, battling Ohio State to a 13-13 tie 

91: Career receptions for LSU’s Mason Taylor, the most any tight end in Tigers’ history

Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com

By T. SCOTT BOATRIGHT, Lincoln Parish Journal

GRAMBLING — Grambling State football coach Mickey Jackson expects an electric atmosphere when Jackson State visits for a 6 p.m. kickoff on Saturday at Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium.

It’s always that way when these nearby rivals meet. With Grambling kicking off the Southwestern Athletic Conference season at home on a two-game win streak, it’s expected that home fans will turn out in droves and Jackson State’s following will be significant.

GSU enters the game at 2-1 and is riding a two-game win streak while Jackson State also stands at 2-1 with wins over Lane and SWAC rival Southern following a season-opening loss at ULM.

The teams didn’t meet last year, but JSU has won two straight over the G-Men since falling to Grambling 44-21 in 2019.

“We understand what kind of atmosphere we’re getting into,” Joseph said. “We’re playing a good Jackson State team. A well-coached football team with good players and a great tradition, so we’re happy to have them here. Everybody’s going to have to do their job.”

Grambling is coming off a hard-fought 35-28 overtime win at Texas A&M-Commerce last weekend. Grambling rallied for a final-minute score in regulation and won in the first OT with a TD and a game-ending interception one play later.

“Any time you take a team on the road — I don’t care if it’s middle school, high school college or NFL —  it’s difficult because they’re not in their normal surroundings,” Joseph said. “So to take our young team — our transfer portal and high school team — and take them on the road in a tough environment to play in, is tough.”

Joseph hopes that winning two straight games, including that tough one last week when starting quarterback Myles Crawley was benched for a series early in the second half before leading his team to the comeback victory, will provide some momentum for his G-Men heading into Saturday’s game against Jackson State.

“We asked them to play 60 minutes and they had to play more than 60 minutes because the game went into overtime,” said Joseph, who will be coaching his first SWAC contest. “At halftime we told them not to look at the clock or the scoreboard but just play, and they did. We’ve got to clean some things up, but it’s always a tough situation when you take a team on the road and play one of the Southland (Conference) schools.

“It was time to show some grit. It was time to show it’s not over until there’s nothing but zeros on the clock. They played hard and I was proud of the way Myles came back in, but we have to come out better after the half. I’ve got to do a better job of preparing them to do that.”

One thing Joseph will be looking for other than a win is fewer penalties called against the G-Men. Through three games, Grambling has been flagged 35 times for 257 lost yards, including 10 penalties for 66 yards last week at TAMC.

“We’re never going to be happy with penalties but sometimes you have to take the aggressive ones,” Joseph said. “It’s the non-moving ones that are the ones that hurt the most, and we have seven of those (against TAMC). So we can’t line up offsides, we can’t have illegal procedure penalties and those kinds of things.

“So we’re just going to keep working on those things as we’ve been doing in practice. So we’re got to do a better job of getting the defensive line to stay back (before the ball is snapped. We had seven or eight (penalties in the first half and only two or three in the second. There’s never going to be a perfect game, especially when it’s on the road and they’re not your (conference) officials.”

Joseph has been looking for more rushing yardage from his Tigers but knows those might be hard to get against a Jackson State defense that held Southern to under 50 yards on the ground last weekend.

“They play good football in Jackson,” Joseph said. “They’ve been playing good football there for a long time. I remember when I came into the conference in 1998, and they’ve always had a really good defense.

“So we’ve got to find some things that we can do and take advantage of. But mainly we’ve got to execute. We’ve got to block and we’ve got to execute. We haven’t done that in the last two games for 60 minutes. So we’re looking to come out and do that for 60 minutes. The kids know (Jackson State) is going to be a tough defense, so we have to get them prepared as coaches, get a good game plan and smooth it out as the game goes on.”

Joseph also knows Grambling’s defense will have to be prepared to face a JSU offense that is well-balanced and does many things well.

“I think you’ve got to play hard and do your job,” Joseph said. “That’s what they do over there, but if we come out and do our job, then I think we’re going to be good. You’ve got to do what the scheme asks you to do. 

“We understand that they’re a very talented offensive team with the backs, the receivers, the quarterbacks and the line. They’re equipped across the board, so we’re going to have to be on our A-game. We understand they’re skill-heavy with really good football players.”

Contact Scott at tscottboatright@gmail.com

JOURNAL SPORTS

NATCHITOCHES – The compliments came for the Northwestern State football team following its most recent home game – a six-point loss to Prairie View A&M on Sept. 7.

Two weeks later, as the Demons return home in Turpin Stadium to face Weber State at 6 p.m. Saturday on ESPN+, first-year head coach Blaine McCorkle is looking for a homonym – specifically a complement.

“We’ve got to help each other out in all three phases,” McCorkle said. “That’s one thing last Thursday night in Mobile (against South Alabama) we had to force ourselves to do. The offense had to get away from its game plan a bit to slow the game down, and we had to adjust some things in the kick game to protect our returns. One of the things we have to do as we grow and mature as a program is learn to play complementary football, help each other out and put together a true four-quarter team effort.

“If the defense gets a turnover, we have to capitalize. If the offense gets in a bind, the defense has to find a way to flip the field position. Those are all things that are really important. We’re making progress, and we’ll get there. That’s part of the growth process as you build a program.”

In the Demons’ Week 3 loss at South Alabama, Northwestern failed to force a turnover for the first time this season while committing four turnovers themselves. In the first two games, the Demons (0-3) were a plus-3 in turnover margin and had scored 21 points off their four forced turnovers.

Winning the turnover battle against Weber State (1-2) would aid the Demons in slowing down the No. 11 rushing offense in the Football Championship Subdivision.

The Wildcats average 206 yards per game on the ground, playing to type for a Big Sky Conference team. With nine days to prepare for Weber State following a loss at South Alabama, the Demons have kept their focus on complementing one another.

“(McCorkle) brings it up in almost every meeting and practice,” linebacker Danny Sears said. “He brought it up after the (South Alabama) game. That’s a huge part of the game – going from scoring to having a three-and-out to having a touchback on special teams. It all comes together. You’re only as good as your other side of the ball. It’s an important part of the game, and he’s made it a pretty big point.”

Stopping the run will be a pivotal point for the Demons, who limited Prairie View to 98 rushing yards in their lone FCS vs. FCS game of the first three weeks.

Meanwhile, Northwestern allowed more than 300 yards rushing in each of their two games against FBS opponents, including 363 at South Alabama in an 87-10 loss.

“We have a chip on our shoulders now, as we should,” Sears said. “If you’re not angry about what happened last week, you’re not doing this for the right reasons. Coach McCorkle has a great Bible quote for us. You’re allowed to be angry, but you can’t sin with that angriness. You should be angry. You’re allowed to be. Now, we have to go play with that angriness.”

In the Demons’ first home game, they played in front of the largest Turpin Stadium crowd since 2021, providing a homefield advantage.

A repeat of that atmosphere would provide yet another complement for which McCorkle has searched.

“Two of our first three games have been in FBS stadiums with a little bigger crowd and atmosphere, but the game we had against Prairie View two weeks ago was just as loud and exciting a homefield advantage as the two FBS stadiums we played in,” he said. “I challenge the people – if you came to the game two weeks ago and had a good time and you like watching good football – come back again this week. These kids still need you in their corner.”

By PATRICK MEEHAN, Centenary Sports Information

SHERMAN, Texas — The Centenary football team collides with another 0-2 team but must do it on the road Saturday as the Gents will face the Austin College ‘Roos in a Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference contest set for 6 p.m. at Jerry E. Apple Stadium.

The Gents (0-2, 0-1 SCAC) are playing their second-consecutive road game after falling 31-8 at Texas Lutheran University last Saturday in Seguin, Texas.

The ‘Roos (0-2, 0-0 SCAC) lost at home to Rhodes College by a score of 49-13 last weekend after opening the season with a 26-20 loss at Kalamazoo on Sept. 7. AC  will be opening league play on Saturday. Centenary fell 43-20 to Hendrix College in its season opener at home.

“We are diligently preparing to face an Austin College team that brings back 14 starters from last season,” said Centenary head coach Byron Dawson.

“Our focus must remain entirely on improving week by week. The goal remains unchanged: to master the fundamentals and play together as a cohesive team. We need to learn from our past mistakes and continue improving week by week.”

The Gents are averaging 251.0 yards per game of total offense have not found the end zone frequently yet.

Freshman quarterback Kody Fuentes sparks the Gents. He has completed 48 of 84 for 458 yards and a touchdown. Transfer receiver Kobe Chambers, a junior from Mississippi Valley State, has 14 catches for 173 yards.

Defensively, freshman linebacker Ronald Findley tops the Gents with 12 total tackles (11 solo). Sophomore Bryan Washington had an interception at Texas Lutheran which he returned 62 yards and finished with four solo tackles and six total tackles, good for second-most on the team.

Sophomore defensive tackle Kris Mesloh from Parkway High School also had a solid all-around performance for the Gents as he recorded six total tackles, blocked a field-goal attempt, and forced a fumble last week. Mesloh had four solo tackles and two assisted tackles, and a half-sack.

Freshman Delarrious Marshall from Green Oaks recovered a fumble and Haughton junior Demetrus Gladney Jr. made seven solo tackles, two for loss, and 1 1/2 sacks.

Austin College was picked to finish fourth in the preseason SCAC poll, only ahead of Lyon College. Centenary was third in the coaches’ preseason poll.

Live stats and live video are available for the game at the links below:

STATS: https://austin.prestosports.com/sports/fball/2024-25/boxscores/20240921_z7kb.xml 

VIDEO: https://fan.hudl.com/usa/tx/sherman/organization/6357/austin-college

By RON “MAD DOG” HIGGINS, Journal Sports

BATON ROUGE — I turned on my laptop Monday morning to find a suspicious file.

It read, “Skippywear.doc.”

I opened it to find a proposed line of merchandise, complete with sketches and descriptions promoting Skippy the Wonder Bichon.

There were Skippy sleep shirts with a picture of him snoozing that read “I love to nap on any day that ends in `y.’

There was a Skippy picture T-shirt of him picking games. The pic tagline read, “The Whizzzzz-zard of Odds.”

There was a Skippy dog walking vest that read “Release the Hound.”

There was a Skippy cap with a smirking logo of him with the inscription, “When in doubt, lift a leg!”

There was a talking Skippy fire hydrant for dogs training to relieve themselves. If a dog aimed correctly and hit the hydrant, a sensor played Skippy’s voice with self-affirmations like “You’re a whiz kid” or “You didn’t cry wee wee wee all the way home.”

“SKIPPY, where are you?” I yelled. “Get your little bichon butt in my office right now. WHAT IS THIS?”

“That’s my new line of merch called `Live Like Skippy,’” Skipper said sauntering to my doorway. “My creative team found my lifestyle – sleeping, eating, walking, whizzing, pooping, having my belly scratched and giving my older brother Buddy hell for being a suck-up lovable lap dog – is appealing to the masses.”

“Who arranged it?” I said “And who’s financing it?”

“My agent is your friend Doug E. Fresh in Natchitoches,” the Skipster said. “He’s a veteran public relations legend and one my biggest fans. He also arranged with the Journal bookkeeper to deposit your paychecks into my account. So, you are paying for this.”

“Well, your brand may be hot, but your picks went cold last week,” I said. “You were 4-6 and now 18-12 on the year. I was 9-1 and I’m now 24-6.”

“I don’t care,” the Skipperoo said. “I’m making bank off you.”

On to Week 4:

No. 16 LSU (2-1, 1-0 SEC) vs. UCLA (1-1, 0-1 Big Ten), Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, Saturday, 2:40 p.m. (ESPN) 

Betting line: LSU favored by 23½ 

The skinny: Time is running out for the Tigers to get their act together before SEC play resumes at home on Oct. 12 vs. No. 5 Ole Miss. LSU needs a resounding win this weekend. 

Mad Dog’s pick: Ti-gahs Afternoon Delight 48, California Dreamin’ 17 

Skippy’s pick: LSU 

No. 6 Tennessee (3-0, 0-0 SEC) at No. 15 Oklahoma (3-0, 0-0 SEC), Memorial Stadium, Norman, Saturday, 6:30 p.m. (ABC) 

Betting line: Tennessee favored by 7 

The skinny: The Vols have a chance to make a national statement in OU’s first-ever SEC league battle. The Sooners have played average so far. Have they been sandbagging? 

Mad Dog’s pick: Too Legit to Quit Vols 34, Later Sooners 30 

Skippy’s pick: Tennessee 

Arkansas (2-1, 0-0 SEC) at Auburn 2-1, 0-0 SEC), Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, Saturday, 2:30 p.m. ESPN 

Betting line: Auburn favored by 4

The skinny: For the last 12 football seasons spanning three coaches, Arkansas has won more than one SEC road just once. Auburn has lost to the only legit competition (Cal) on its exceedingly weak conference schedule. Against my better judgment. . . 

Mad Dog’s pick: Mr. Freeze’s Plainsmen 37, Six-Pack Sam’s Hogs 30 

Skippy’s pick: Arkansas 

Vanderbilt (2-1, 0-0 SEC) at No. 6 Missouri (3-0, 0-0 SEC), Memorial Stadium, Columbia, Saturday, 3:15 p.m. (SEC Network) 

Betting line: Missouri by 21 

The skinny: It’s the annual battle of two of America’s best journalism schools. Last week, then-unbeaten Vanderbilt’s (something rarely said after week two) effort was nothing to write home about. It had improved so much it actually took an opponent lightly (Georgia State) and got beat. 

Mad Dog’s pick: Mizzou J-School 51 (its number of Pulitzer Prize winners), Vanderbilt J-School Journalism 6 (allegedly its number of Pulitzer winners) 

Skippy’s pick: Vanderbilt 

Florida (1-2, 0-1 SEC) at Mississippi State (1-2, 0-0 SEC), Davis-Wade Stadium, Starkville, Saturday, 11 a.m. (ESPN) 

Betting line: Florida favored by 6 

The skinny: Florida third-year head coach Billy Napier is supposedly a dead man walking, no matter this weekend’s outcome. Let’s send him packing with a win. 

Mad Dog’s pick: Billy Napier’s $26 Million Buyout 31, Cowbell Clangers 21 

Skippy’s pick: Mississippi State

In other games: 

No. 11 USC (2-0, 0-0 Big Ten) at No. 17 Michigan (2-1, 0-0 Big Ten), Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Saturday, 2:30 p.m. (CBS) 

Betting line: Michigan favored by 5½

Mad Dog’s pick: City of Angels Trojan Hosses 35, Team Teen Wolf 28 

Skippy’s pick: Michigan 

North Carolina State (2-1, 0-0 ACC) at No. 22 Clemson (1-1, 0-0 ACC), Memorial Stadium, Clemson, Saturday, 11 a.m. (ABC) 

Betting line: Clemson by 8½ 

Mad Dog’s pick: Climpson Tigs 34, Raleigh Wolfies 24 

Skippy’s pick: Clemson 

No. 12 Utah (3-0, 0-0 Big 12) at No. 13 Oklahoma State (3-0, 0-0 Big 12), T. Boone Pickens Stadium, Stillwater, Saturday, 3 p.m. (FOX) 

Betting line: Utah favored by 1½ 

Mad Dog’s pick: Utah Salt Flats 35, Magic Mikes of Stillwater 31 

Skippy’s pick: Oklahoma State 

Illinois (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten) at No. 23 Nebraska (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten) Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Friday, 7 p.m. (FOX) 

 Betting line: Nebraska by 8½ 

Mad Dog’s pick: Corn-Fed and Bred Huskers 30, Illi-noise 21 

Skippy’s pick: Illinois 

Tulane (1-2, 0-0 AAC) at UL Lafayette (2-0, 0-0 Sun Belt West), Cajun Field, Lafayette, Saturday, 11 a.m. (ESPNU) 

Betting line: Tulane by 3½ 

Mad Dog’s pick: Willie Fritz’s Leftovers 42, Looziana 21 

Skippy’s pick:  ULL

Contact “Mad Dog” and Skippy at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com

By PATRICK MEEHAN, Centenary Sports Information Director 

Centenary’s first official football season continues on the road for the rest of the month, with a Saturday visit to Austin College, and all other fall sports are also competing away from home.

MEN’S GOLF:  Centenary finished seventh in the 2024 SCAC Preview to open its 2024 fall season on Tuesday at the White Bluff Golf Course in Whitney, Texas. 

The Gents, who were in eighth place after the opening round of the event on Monday were back at a familiar site where they competed last season in the SCAC Championships. Centenary finished at 51-over par 627 for the tournament after shooting a 26-over par 314 on Tuesday which was preceded by a 25-over 313 on Monday.

Senior Andrew Bennett, a native of Bossier City, paced the Gents as he tied for sixth place at 4-over par 148. Bennett shot a 5-over par 77 on Tuesday after a 1-under par 71 in Monday’s opening round.

Bennett claimed the 2024 individual conference title last season on the very course last April, becoming the first Centenary men’s golfer in the Division III era to win an individual conference title as he finished at 4-under par 212. Bennett finished in a tie with Texas Lutheran University’s Tobey Willis to earn his 10^th-career top 10 finish.

Sophomore Aubrey Snell, a Shreveport native, finished in a tie for eighth place, shooting a 6-over par 150 with consecutive rounds of 75 and recorded his third-career top-10 finish.

The Gents will next be in action in the UMHB Invitational at Sammons Park Golf Club in Temple, Texas this weekend.

WOMEN’S GOLF: The Ladies finished fifth at the 2024 SCAC Preview on Tuesday at plus 188 (764) on Tuesday in their season-opening tournament at White Bluff Golf Course.

The Ladies shot a team score of 379 and moved up from seventh place after Monday’s first round in which they shot a 385.

Freshman Haylee Crowder, a Haughton native, earned the Ladies’ top finish of the tournament at 15^th place as she shot a 21-over 93 on Tuesday to finish 37-over par 181. Crowder, in her collegiate debut on Monday, shot a 16-over par 88 and was tied for 12^th place.

The Ladies return to action next month as they will face Southern University in a dual match at Oakwing Golf Club in Alexandria on Oct. 14.

WOMEN’S SOCCER:  Centenary plays the Millsaps College Majors in a non-conference contest this afternoon at 5 at Harper Davis Field in Jackson, Miss. 

The Ladies (0-2-1) are coming off of a 3-3 tie against the Huntingdon College Hawks on Sunday afternoon in a non-conference match in Montgomery, Ala. The Majors (1-5-1) are 1-2-1 at home this season and crushed Tougaloo by a score of 12-0 at home on Sunday. Centenary and Millsaps met last season in Shreveport and finished in a scoreless tie.

The Ladies’ three goals scored on Sunday is the most by the Ladies since a 5-1 win over Austin College at home on Oct. 7, 2022.

Sophomore Zoe Keller made her first-career start in goal for the Ladies and went the distance, recording eight saves in her 90 minutes. 

VOLLEYBALL: The Ladies fell 3-0 to the University of Texas-Dallas Comets on Tuesday evening in a non-conference contest in Richardson, Texas.

The Ladies (0-8) will return to action on Saturday to open Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference play against McMurry in Abilene, Texas at 1 p.m.

The Comets won the first set by a score of 25-15, took set two 25-11, and closed out the sweep with a 25-12 win in set three. The Ladies finished with 26 digs, 14 kills, 12 assists, and one solo block while the Comets tallied 36 digs, 53 kills, 49 assists, and eight service aces.

Contact Patrick at pmeehan@centenary.edu