HAMMOND, La. – The reigning Southland Conference champion Southeastern Louisiana University football team came out on the wrong end of a 14-13 defensive struggle versus Tarleton State in its nonconference finale Saturday afternoon at Strawberry Stadium. 

In a game that featured no scores for nearly three straight quarters, SLU (0-5) pulled within one on a nine-yard touchdown pass from Zachary Clement to Darius Lewis with just over five minutes remaining. However, the tying PAT was mishandled and the visiting Texans (4-1) were able to run out the clock from there. 

Southeastern outgained Tarleton State, 410-203, but committed three turnovers and came up empty on three red zone possessions. 

Saturday’s contest was the finest effort to date for the Lion defense, limiting a Texan offense that was averaging over 50 points a game versus FCS competition. Herman Christophe IV led SLU with 10 tackles, while Coryell Pierce contributed seven stops and a sack. Tyrone Legette recorded his second interception of the fall for the Lions, as he and Markell Linzer were each credited with two pass breakups. 

Eli Sawyer handled the majority of the work under center for the Lion offense, finishing 18-for-29 for 199 yards and two interceptions. Clement led SLU with 70 yards on 11 carries, while also completing four of five passes for 41 yards and a score. Harlan Dixon finished with 100 total yards (29 rushing, 71 receiving) for Southeastern, while Lewis and Bauer Sharp each found the end zone. 

Kayvon Britten led the Tarleton State offense with 87 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. TSU’s defensive effort was paced by Jalen Carr and Kyle Taylor with nine tackles apiece, while Blake Smith had a pick six for the Texans.   

After Southeastern forced a Texan punt to open the game, TSU scored on the Lions’ first offensive possession. Smith stepped in front of a Sawyer pass and returned the pick 23 yards for a touchdown and an early 7-0 lead. 

SLU answered on its next drive. On a fourth-and-short inside the red zone, Sharp broke through the line and raced in for a 19-yard touchdown run to knot the score at 7-7 with 7:55 remaining in the opening quarter. 

A big hit on Jacob Logan by Taylor resulted in a Keldric Williams interception to end the next Southeastern drive near midfield. Five plays later, Britton streaked in to the end zone from 15 yards out to give TSU a 14-7 lead with 53 seconds left in the opening period. 

Southeastern drove deep into Texan territory on the opening drive of the second quarter. However, on fourth-and-short from the TSU 10-yard line, Sharp was stopped and the Lions were turned over on downs. 

After the two teams traded punts, SLU appeared to tie the game. KK Reno stripped TSU quarterback Victor Gabalis and returned the fumble 40 yards for the apparent tying score. After a lengthy review, the call was overturned and it was ruled an incomplete pass. Later in the drive, Legette stepped in front of a Gabalis throw to thwart the Texan drive. 

Southeastern was poised to get points on its final march of the second quarter. The drive stalled just inside the red zone, but Riley Callaghan’s 35-yard field goal try missed wide left and the Lions went into the break trailing by seven. 

The Lions again had a scoring opportunity on its first drive of the third quarter. After moving into the TSU red zone, Clement was stripped on a keeper by Steve Albert Jr., who pounced on the loose ball at the Texan 20-yard line. 

The two teams traded punts for the next seven drives before SLU finally found the end zone to cap a nine-play, 68-yard drive, but couldn’t convert on the game-tying extra-point try. The TSU pair of Britten and Derrel Kelley III grinded out three first downs to sap Southeastern of its remaining timeouts. Facing a fourth-and-one from just inside Lion territory, the Texans went for it and Britten surged forward for a four-yard gain to ice the win. 

After two straight home games, Southeastern will return to the road, traveling to No. 8/9 UIW for a 4 p.m. Southland Conference contest Oct. 7 in San Antonio, Texas. The game will be televised on ESPN+ and can be heard live on the Southeastern Sports Radio Network (Kajun 107.1 FM, The Highway 104.7 FM, The Boss 103.7 FM/WFPR 1400 AM).

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Best Bets is back! 

Hunter McCann and Michael Shingleton are back again this week, to give you the Best Bets for College Football and the NFL!

Week 5 of College Football:

LSU -2.5

Georgia -13.5

Kansas +17.5

Week 4 of the NFL!

Jaguars -3

Dolphins +3

Cowboys -6.5

For an in-depth analysis of all these picks, tune into Hunter every Saturday on Sports Shorts Radio, 10am-Noon, on ESPN 104.5!

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BATON ROUGE - LSU freshman linebacker Whit Weeks has made an early impact for the LSU Tigers since being inserted into the starting lineup.

"Last week against Mississippi State. In the first play, I couldn't feel my legs because it was my first start. So I was really nervous, of course. And then this week, here at home, I knew it was gonna be a totally different ballgame because it's a different level here than anywhere else," Weeks said of his early playing time as a Tiger.

The freshman from Watkinsville, Georgia was thrust into the starting line-up due to an injury to fellow linebacker Omar Speights, but Weeks has been making the most of his time, including an early start to his college career when he early enrolled in the Spring.

"Thank goodness I came in January because if I wouldn't have come in January, I probably still wouldn't know.  Spring ball all the meetings we got in March and April and even May really is what helped me learn and then all the extra meetings I got with all the assistants and GA really helped me learn because it's totally different than high school."

Weeks who starred on both offense and defense in high school is adjusting to life in college where there's more to know and more to do even before the ball is snapped.

"In high school, you got two coverages, here you got so many coverages. You have to know so many different assignments you got to know. So it's a totally different ballgame."

Weeks has had an early impressive showing as he led the Tigers in tackles on the road at Mississippi State and then set his own career high with nine tackles last week against Arkansas.

"Coming in, in fall camp, you know, I was running with the twos not really run with the ones but I knew that if my time came I'd, you know, make the most of it," Weeks said of his learning curve and early production.

It certainly doesn't hurt that his older brother West Weeks is also a Tiger linebacker and there to help show him the ropes, even if the two did get after one another as brothers growing up.

"Playing with my brother's awesome. I mean, back in high school my sophomore year his senior year was the most fun I've ever had playing football. And I knew whenever I made a mistake, he was right there to help clean it up. So it was really easy playing with him. And you know, growing up with him, we have good chemistry out there on the field too. I love playing with him and that's one of the main reasons why I came here."

Having a chance to hit other football players who aren't your brother but alongside your brother is something that both have been working towards all their young lives.

"As little boys, we were pretty rough. We would fight all the time. I mean, I don't know how my mom survived because she was always screaming as she was driving because you're right in the backseat, we get after it. And out on the field plan together. We'd roughhouse."

The Tigers are hoping both Weeks brothers can continue to "roughhouse" the opposition as their careers continue.

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BATON ROUGE - You've got plenty of chances to watch the defending national champions this coming women’s basketball  season as the SEC announced it's broadcast schedule on Wednesday afternoon and LSU will be featured in 17 televised games on the ESPN and its networks this upcoming season.

LSU lands on the main network at least five times with the remaining games on either ESPN2 or the SEC Network.

Every one of LSU’s conference games except for one will be televised.

All of LSU’s home games will be available to watch online with SEC Network + and their two non-conference road games at Southeastern and Coppin State will have streaming options as well.

A television announcement for LSU’s season opener against Colorado at the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Series in Las Vegas will be made at a later date.

LSU Women’s Basketball 2023-24 Season Television Schedule:

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MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton called Sunday’s 70-20 loss to the Miami Dolphins embarrassing — something that will be tough to rewatch on tape for the players and coaches — in a postgame news conference that lasted less than five minutes.

Denver gave up nearly 800 yards of total offense, including 350 yards rushing, and were overpowered by the Dolphins on both sides of the ball. Now they’re 0-3 for the second time in four seasons with few positives to take away from Sunday’s output.

“We knew we were playing a real good offense,” said Payton, only in his third game as Denver’s coach, “but we’ve got to look closely at what we were doing. When somebody runs the ball up and down the field like those guys did, and throws it up and down the field, it’s not acceptable.”

It was Denver’s most lopsided loss since the NFL and AFL merged in 1970. The Broncos lost 59-14 to the Raiders on Oct. 24, 2010, with Josh McDaniels as coach.

The Dolphins finished two points shy of the NFL’s regular-season record set in 1966 when Washington scored 72 points against the Giants, and they likely would have broken that record if coach Mike McDaniel had elected to kick a chip-shot field goal instead of kneeling on the ball in the final minute.

McDaniel said after the game that he didn’t feel it was necessary to go for the field goal.

“That doesn’t have a bearing on the overall season outcome,” McDaniel said. “The message that I thought it would send wasn’t really in line with how I view things ... that’s not really what I’m about.”

Russell Wilson completed 23 of 38 passes for 306 yards and an interception. He had a 12-yard TD pass to Courtland Sutton on Denver’s second possession, but the Broncos’ offense was largely stagnant. Sutton lost two fumbles.

Denver finished with 363 total yards, converting on just 3 of 12 third-down attempts.

“From a leadership standpoint, I think the biggest thing we have to do is learn everything that we can from the film,” said Wilson, who had never started his career 0-3. “Learn what we did well. Learn what we didn’t do so well.”

The Broncos had two touchdowns wiped away by penalties in the second quarter. Receiver Brandon Jones was called for offensive pass interference to wipe away a 7-yard TD catch by Sutton, then Jones was flagged for an illegal shift that erased Jerry Jeudy’s 6-yard TD catch.

Only the Green Bay Packers (27) have been penalized more than the Broncos at 26.

“I think the best thing we can do is come back on Monday and have the best film session we can have,” Wilson said, “have the best work ethic we can have. Everybody is giving their all, but there is more that we can do and we’ll make sure we do that.”

Receiver Marvin Mims Jr. scored on a 99-yard kick return in the fourth, which made it 63-20.

Payton said that while usually the team would move on to the next game quickly, this one will take a few days of examination and reflection.

Denver plays at Chicago next week.

“Get off the mat and get ready for next week, right? That’s the No. 1 thing,” Payton said.

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BATON ROUGE - LSU's Jayden Daniels earned SEC honors this week after leading the Tigers to a 34-31 win over Arkansas.

In Saturday's win, Daniels became just the sixth player in FBS history to pass for 10,000 yards and rush for 2,000 yards in a college career. The honor is the fourth of his career and the second for the senior in 2023.

He shares this week's honor with Spencer Rattler of South Carolina. 

Last year, Daniels earned SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors after wins over Ole Miss and Alabama. 

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BATON ROUGE - LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels was sporting a custom shirt during warmups Saturday dedicated to safety Greg Brooks who is out indefinitely after doctors found a brain tumor this week. 

On Monday, coach Brian Kelly announced that Brooks would be sidelined due to a medical emergency. Days later, Kelly explained that Brooks had a vertigo episode and after an MRI doctors noticed a large tumor in Brooks' brain. 

The safety had emergency surgery and it is unclear when he will be back on the field with the Tigers. 

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BATON ROUGE - The LSU Tigers drop one spot in the latest AP Top 25 poll released Sunday, Sept. 24.

After LSU's hard-fought victory against Arkansas Saturday, they have fallen a single spot. The Tigers are now ranked No. 13.

See the full list below.

1. Georgia

2. Michigan

3. Texas

4. Ohio State

5. Florida State

6. Penn State

7. Washington

8. USC

9. Oregon

10. Utah

11. Notre Dame

12. Alabama

13. LSU

14. Oklahoma

15. North Carolina

16. Washington State

17. Duke

18. Miami

19. Oregon State

20. Ole Miss

21. Tennessee

22. Florida

23. Missouri

24. Kansas

25. Fresno State

The Tigers are now preparing to play against Ole Miss in Oxford next week. Kickoff is at 5 p.m.

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Best Bets is back! 

This time with a new set of hosts, as Hunter McCann and Michael Shingleton dive into the weekend's biggest matchups, that could make you some extra spending cash! 

Week 4 of College Football:

Ole Miss +7

Oregon State/Washington State Over 58.5

Notre Dame +3.5

Week 3 of the NFL!

Falcons/Lions Over 46.5

Patriots -2.5

Vikings -1.5

For an in-depth analysis of all these picks, tune into Hunter every Saturday on Sports Shorts Radio, 10am-Noon, ESPN 104.5

 

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NEW ORLEANS - Marcus Maye, an early standout in the Saints' stellar defense through two weeks, will be sidelined for three games due to a violation of the league's substance abuse policy.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on the NFL's decision Wednesday. 

Saints safety Marcus Maye has been suspended without pay for the next three games for violating the NFL Policy on Substances of Abuse.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 20, 2023

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LSU's highly anticipated match-up with Ole Miss will air at night on national TV.

The Tigers will take on the Rebels at 5 p.m. Sept. 30 on ESPN. Currently, both teams are ranked in the AP Poll, with the Tigers at No. 12 and Ole Miss at No. 15. 

Ole Miss vs. LSU
5 p.m. on ESPN pic.twitter.com/iY6hzTZPvv

— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) September 18, 2023

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BATON ROUGE - The LSU Tigers move up in the latest AP Top 25 Poll after another blowout victory against Mississippi State.

The Tigers are now ranked No. 12 in the AP Top 25 Poll released Sunday, September 17.

This comes after LSU beat Mississippi State 41-14 Saturday.

See the full poll below:

1. Georgia

2. Michigan

3. Texas

4. Florida State

5. USC

6. Ohio State

7. Penn State

8. Washington

9. Notre Dame

10. Oregon

11. Utah

12. LSU

13. Alabama

14. Oregon State

15. Ole Miss

16. Oklahoma

17. North Carolina

18. Duke

19. Colorado

20. Miami

21. Washington State

22. UCLA

23. Tennessee

24. Iowa

25. Florida

LSU will be hosting Arkansas next week, kickoff is at 6 p.m.

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STARKVILLE - Right out of the gate, Mississippi State was no match for No. 14 LSU. Quarterback Jayden Daniels and wide receiver Malik Nabers were the one-two punch for the Tigers who accounted for 521 total yards on Saturday at Davis Wade Stadium, resulting in a 41-14 win in the SEC opener.

Completing his first 13 passes of the game, Daniels recorded his ninth career 300-yard passing game, and his fourth at LSU, finishing 29-of-33 for 352 yards and two touchdowns.

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BATON ROUGE - Two of the biggest names in LSU sports are also two of the biggest moneymakers in collegiate athletics -- and are the focal point of a new cover story by Sports Illustrated.

Basketball star Angel Reese and gymnast Olivia Dunne are noted by the magazine as two of the top-10 earners in the country by way of NIL -- Name, Image, Likeness -- income.

Reese's profile skyrocketed in the past year as the LSU Tigers won their first basketball national championship. Dunne -- part of a gymnastics Final Four squad this year -- has claimed a top spot among athletes engaged in social media.

The report in SI is part of a deeper dive into the relationship between sports and finance.

The cover photo features a caption that reads: Generation NIL -- Why the LSU Women's Program Rules the New College Sports Economy.

It reads, in part: On3, which tracks NIL deals, ranks LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne as the No. 3 earner in the country—after only Bronny James and Shedeur Sanders, sons of star athletes LeBron and Deion—with an estimated valuation of $3.2 million; Reese eighth, with $1.7 million; and Johnson 19th, at $1.1 million. Those numbers are likely low.

The Tigers have four of the six top female athletes as ranked by NIL proceeds.

The full article is posted on sportsillustrated.com.

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Aaron Rodgers has a torn left Achilles tendon, according to a person familiar with the diagnosis, and the 39-year-old quarterback likely will miss the rest of the New York Jets’ season.

An MRI on Tuesday confirmed the four-time NFL MVP’s injury, the person told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because the team didn’t announce it. Coach Robert Saleh was scheduled to speak to reporters on a video call later Tuesday.

NFL Network first reported Rodgers tore the Achilles tendon, confirming the Jets’ fears. Torn Achilles tendons typically take several months of recovery due to the extensive rehabilitation needed.

“Concerned with his Achilles,” Saleh said after the Jets’ 22-16 overtime win over Buffalo on Monday night. “MRI is probably going to confirm what we think is going to happen, so prayers tonight. But it’s not good.”

On his fourth regular-season snap in a Jets uniform, Rodgers tried to avoid a rushing Leonard Floyd, who wrapped up the quarterback and spun him down to the MetLife Stadium turf. Rodgers stood up after a few moments, looked over to the Jets’ sideline and then sat on the turf — seemingly knowing he was seriously hurt.

He needed help from trainers to get to New York’s sideline, where he was taken to the blue medical tent to be examined. Rodgers then got on a cart to go to the locker room, hopped off near the tunnel and limped inside.

Zach Wilson replaced Rodgers just 3:45 into the game and finished 14 of 21 for 140 yards with a touchdown pass to Garrett Wilson and an interception in the victory.

The third-year quarterback will now start for the Jets on Sunday at Dallas – and the foreseeable future.

Wilson praised the work Rodgers did with him during the offseason and training camp, helping him feel “a lot more prepared” to take the next step in his development.

“The hardest part is now putting it into a game and I’ve got to be able to do that,” Wilson said Monday night. “Going into this week, it’s applying everything that he’s kind of helped walk us through and being able to watch him and the coaches, how they’ve handled this offense. I’ve got to be able to handle that efficiently.”

Rodgers, who spent his first 18 seasons with Green Bay, was acquired by the Jets in April and immediately raised expectations for the frustrated franchise.

He gave the Jets their most accomplished quarterback since Brett Favre, who was acquired from Green Bay in 2008 — clearing the way for Rodgers to become the Packers’ signal caller.

Rodgers, who repeatedly has said he won’t be one-and-done with the Jets, agreed in July to a restructured contract that gives him $75 million in fully guaranteed money over this season and next.

But now, he’ll have to focus on a lengthy recovery and rehabilitation process, which could make his playing future uncertain.

The situation evoked eerily similar memories of 1999, when Vinny Testaverde — who, coincidentally, was the Jets’ honorary captain Monday night — ruptured his Achilles tendon early in New York’s season opener against New England.

Like this year’s squad, those Jets had Super Bowl aspirations after going to the AFC championship game the previous season. New York instead finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs.

With Rodgers likely out for the season, New York will not give up a first-round draft pick to Green Bay next year as part of the trade’s terms. It will remain a second-round pick that could have become a first-rounder if Rodgers had played 65% of the Jets’ plays this season.

The Packers also received the 13th overall pick, a second-rounder and a sixth-rounder in this year’s draft in exchange for Rodgers, the No. 15 overall pick and a fifth-rounder this year.

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BATON ROUGE - LSU's next home game will be another late kickoff in Tiger Stadium. 

The Tigers will take on the Arkansas Razorbacks at 6 p.m. Sept. 23 in Death Valley. The game will be televised on ESPN. 

LSU vs. Arkansas
Saturday Night in Death Valley pic.twitter.com/avMzpTBMJ0

— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) September 11, 2023

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BATON ROUGE - The LSU Tigers held their position in the latest AP Top 25 Poll released Sunday.

LSU remains ranked No. 14 after dominating Grambling with a 72-10 victory Saturday.

See the Sunday's AP Top 25 Poll below:

1. Georgia

2. Michigan 

3. Florida State

4. Texas

5. USC

6. Ohio State

7. Penn State

8. Washington

9. Notre Dame

10. Alabama

11. Tennessee

12. Utah

13. Oregon

14. LSU

15. Kansas State

16. Oregon State

17. Ole Miss

18. Colorado

19. Oklahoma

20. North Carolina

21. Duke

22. Miami

23. Washington State

24. UCLA

25. Iowa

The Tigers are now preparing to face off against Mississippi State on Saturday, September 16 in Starkville, Mississippi. Kickoff is at 11 a.m.

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BATON ROUGE - Much like last week against Alabama State, the Southern offense started off blazing hot but could barely muster a sizzle the rest of the way against SWAC rival Jackson State on Saturday.

After taking on early lead on a Harold Blood touchdown pass to August Pitre, the Jaguar offense would score just one more touchdown the rest of the way in the 27-14 loss to Jackson State.

JSU's Desmond Moutrie knotted the score with a 15-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter. Jackson State took the lead for good on Rico Powers' 63-yard catch-and-run score later in the quarter.

 Andre Hunt raced 75 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter to put the finishing touches on Jackson State's 27-14 victory over Southern on Saturday night.

Hunt's run came on the first play from scrimmage after the Jaguars had closed to within 20-14.

The Tigers (2-1, 1-1), the defending champions in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, picked up their fourth straight win over Southern (0-2) in the Jaguars' conference opener.

Irv Mulligan's 21-yard touchdown run put the Tigers up 20-7 with 9:01 remaining in the third quarter.

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BATON ROUGE - No. 14 LSU with a complete domination of Grambling in the first ever meeting between the two schools 72-10 on Saturday night. Quarterback Jayden Daniels threw for a career high five touchdown passes in the first half, two of which going to wideout Brian Thomas. Zachary native Chris Hilton, who did not play a down on offense against Florida State, scored his second career touchdown on a 47 yard pitch and catch from Daniels in the first quarter.

Freshman running back Kaleb Jackson also scored his first two collegiate touchdowns in the win.

LSU finished with over 600 yards of total offense.

Next up for the Tigers is a trip to Starkville on Saturday to open up SEC play, facing Mississippi State at 11 a.m. CT kick on ESPN.

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