LSU FAN ZONE

LSU Tigers News, Schedule, Pictures and Players

Fan photos from the game!

Upload your own now!

Florida vs. LSU - The crowds outside the stadium

Continue reading to watch the University of Florida marching band

Continue reading "Florida vs. LSU game day videos" »

Les Milespress conference Oct. 13, 2008

After five official visits stretching from the East to the West Coast, Country Day forward Eddie Ludwig decided to remain close to home.

    The Class 1A All-State Outstanding Player for 2007-’08 made an early verbal commitment Monday, picking LSU instead of four out-of-state colleges.

    Ludwig, a 6-foot-7, 195-pound senior, led the Cajuns to the Class 1A state finals in each of the past two seasons. After averging 13.5 points as a sophomore, he increased his average to 23.2 points per game along with 13.5 rebounds as a junior.

    Ludwig also visited Wake Forest, California-Berkley, Davidson and Vanderbilt and made an unofficial trip to Tulane. He is academically qualified with a 2.8 grade-point average.

    “He felt like he wanted to stay in state,” said Country Day Coach Mike McGuire. “He had really liked LSU his whole life. I was not surprised he picked them. And they wanted him badly.

    “(LSU) Coach (Trent) Johnson loved his mobility and his skills.”

    Ludwig was the District 10-1A MVP and was selected to the All-Metro team as a junior. The Cajuns finished 29-12 and 25-15 the past two seasons. He will be eligible to sign during the early period in November.

BATON ROUGE -- One day after the Gators chomped through his Tigers for a 30-point victory, LSU Coach Les Miles said he would welcome a rematch.

Not a replay, Miles made clear. There doesn't appear to have been any way LSU, which dropped to No. 13 in the Associated Press poll Sunday, could have dug itself out after an avalanche of 20 unanswered points sank LSU into a pit before a near-record crowd at The Swamp in Gainesville, Fla.

"First I want to say I think Florida put a heck of a game together and played well," Miles said. "We didn't play as well as we are capable, really in all three phases, and it's my job to get that fixed."

Continue reading "Les Miles says LSU football will bounce back" »

OK, so there's the Associated Press, the Coaches' poll and the BCS rankings, but none have the enthusiasm, or maybe sarcasm, as the Times-Picayune rankings. We'll give you a brand of humor with these picks - usually with a crazy pick at No. 25 each week - or in our quips about a certain team. Don't get too worked up about it, though, nobody goes to a bowl or stays home from a bowl based on our poll, it's all in fun.

Continue reading "The Times-Picayune's Top 25 college football poll" »

The LSU Tigers aren't used to rankings outside of the Top 10.

They aren't accustomed to blowout losses either.

The team's 51-21 loss to the Florida Gators in Gainesville Saturday night was not without consequences, as the Tigers tumbled out of the Top 10 in both major polls.

Continue reading "LSU football drops out of Top 10 in both polls" »

Here I was, all set to talk about LSU's big win and its place in the national championship picture and Charles Scott's Heisman campaign ... and then the first half happened.

The Gators' domination of LSU in the first half tonight in Gainesville (the Tigers' late touchdown drive notwithstanding) put a major damper on thoughts of an LSU upset in very quick fashion.

Predictably, the Gators used a short passing attack to build their 20-6 lead at the break, but what transpired from there is what was really shocking.

Continue reading "College football weekend wrapup: Ugly weekend for all sorts of Tigers" »

GAINESVILLE, FLA. -- A blazing fast and emotional Florida team crushed LSU 51-21 Saturday night, a victory that complicated the picture for both the Southeastern Conference and the national championship.

The loss was the most lopsided of LSU Coach Les Miles' four-year career with the Tigers, and No. 4 LSU (4-1, 2-1 SEC) is sure to plummet in the rankings, while still retaining control of its destiny in the SEC's Western Division. On the other hand, No. 11 Florida (5-1, 3-1) is sure to see its stock rise and continues to aspire to national championship hopes.

Continue reading "Florida routs LSU in SEC battle" »

GAINESVILLE, FLA. -- No apologies necessary.

Not for Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, who felt the need to do so two Saturdays ago when Ole Miss shocked Florida 31-30 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. And not for LSU, which was pulled apart by the Gators in The Swamp on Saturday, Florida's 51-21 victory being the kind of one-sided beating rarely exchanged between strong, highly ranked, familiar foes.

Continue reading "Loss doesn't doom LSU's hopes in West" »

GAINESVILLE, FLA. -- LSU players have tried to rub out the
memory of their last visit to The Swamp.

Instead, the first half of Saturday's 51-21 loss to Florida was like dejà vu.

Continue reading "LSU Tigers stumble out of blocks against Florida Gators" »

Florida put up the most points against LSU since the 1993 Gators got 58 in Tiger Stadium to wipe out the Tigers.

It was the worst LSU loss since a 31-0 loss to Alabama in 2002 and will give LSU coaches, players and fans something to think about for a week. The Tigers didn't appear ready to play at the start and Florida jumped all over them for a 17-0 first quarter lead, which could have been worse.

It's only the second time a Miles-coached LSU team has been dominated like this. Georgia beat LSU 34-14 in the SEC Championship Game in 2005.

If Florida keeps scoring this will easily be LSU's worst loss under Les Miles. The previous worst was a 34-14 loss to Georgia in the 2005 SEC Championship Game. It's already the most points allowed by a Miles coached LSU team.

A dropped pass by Brandon LaFell killed LSU's drive and then Florida came back with another score to make the lead 20 again.

This time, Tim Tebow piched the ball on an option play and Jeff Demps ran 42 yards through the LSU defense for the touchdown. LSU needs points in a hurry now.

LSU's defense is getting a bellyfull of Tim Tebow. He ran 2 yards for a touchdown after picking up 4 on a crucial third and 3 play. In three games against LSU, Tebow has six touchdown passes and three rushing touchdowns - and this one isn't over with.

The Tigers haven't been able to get a sack on Tebow and still haven't forced a turnover. They have to make something happen to win this game.

It was looking like lights out for LSU but now we have a typical LSU-Florida game. The Tigers drive 80 yards to score on Andrew Hatch's 3-yard run and LSU is a touchdown from the lead, brimming with momentum.

Trfindon Holliday scooted 19 yards to the 3 just before the touchdown. The Tiger defense still has to put the brakes on Tim Tebow and Co. but they are in the ballpark.

Spurred by an odd ruling on the kickoff, LSU got itself back into the game - sort of.

Jarrett Lee threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Chris Mitchell with five seconds left in the half to cut the lead to 20-7. That gives the Tigers some momentum and they get the second half kickoff, so at leas they have something to work with after an otherwise miserable first half.

The Tigers also used a trick play, a hook-and-lateral from Lee to Brandon LaFell, who pitched the ball to Trindon Holliday. The play covered 16 yards and got the Tigers close enough for the touchdown.

LSU finally got a drive going and then committed its second turnover. Charles Scott fumbled the ball away to the Gators, mainly due to a poor handoff from quarterback Andrew Hatch. Hatch appeared to put the ball high on Scott's chest.

The LSU defense will have to make another stand to keep the game from gettinhg out of hand. It needs a sack or turnover, something it doesn;t have much of all season and none tonight.

After an interception of quarterback Jarrett Lee, LSU's defense finally got its back up and stopped Florida at the LSU 39. The Tigers forced three consecutive incompletions. Good coverage by Patrick Peterson on first down and an all-out blitz on third down helped. But it didn't hurt that Percy Harvin couldn't hold on to a pass from Tim Tebow.

LSU needs a big play or a turnover on defense after making a season's worth of mistakes in the first quarter.

Already a tipped pass for a touchdown, a dropped pass, a mixup between receiver and quarterback and now a 15-yard facemask penalty on a second and 12 play. It helped Florida drive to another touchdown and a 17-0 lead.

Here's how bad LSU's luck is. The Tigers stopped Tim Tebow on a third-and-goal run but the Gators were penalized before the snap for delay of game and LSU could not decline the penalty. Florida scored on the next play.

LSU's offense has three yards and no first downs.

Getting behind early at Florida is a sure recipe for defeat and LSU is right there, 10-0. A 70-yard tipped pass resulted in a touchdown and then the Tigers' defense dodged a bullet by holding Florida to a field goal after the Gators had a first and goal at the 8-ytard line.

LSU stuffed Florida on its first two plays but Danny McCray tipped a third-and-12 pass into the hands of Percy Harvin, who ran the rest of the way for the shocking score. Harvin scored on a similar play against Ole Miss.

LSU looks shaky. Jai Eugene fell down on a play where Harvin picked up 25 yards and wide receiver Brandon LaFell dropped a pass right in his hands.

LSU has a huge game against Florida on deck, and we've got it covered. Stay tuned for our live chat, starting at 6:30 tonight, and check out the gameday links below in the meantime.

LSU Gameday Links

• Live updates from Gainesville
• LSU-Florida preview
• NCAA scoreboard
• LSU photo galleries
• Fanzone forum

------------------------ Continue reading "LSU vs. Florida live game chat" »

GAINESVILLE, FLA. -- There are so many numbers floating around tonight's LSU-Florida game, it's as if it came wrapped in a baseball boxscore.

It is the first time since 1990 college football's past two national champions have played each other, and both No. 4-ranked LSU (4-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) and No. 11 Florida (4-1, 2-1) still nurse aspirations of finishing this season No. 1.

Continue reading "LSU Tigers, Florida Gators playing the numbers game" »

GAINESVILLE, FLA. -- It should be easy to say that if Ole Miss can walk into Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and strut out with a 31-30 victory over Florida, LSU surely can do the same. That if LSU can win with an untested quarterback at Auburn for the first time in 10 seasons, when Auburn was ranked No. 10, then the Tigers can go on the road and play as well or better against the Gators.

Continue reading "LSU Tigers have their hands full today" »

The Vitals

Kickoff: 7 p.m., Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Fla.

Continue reading "LSU Insider: Tigers (4-0, 2-0 SEC) vs. Florida (4-1, 2-1)" »

With so much going on in the New Orleans sports community, it's easy to lose sight of things.

That's where NOLA.com comes in. David Gladow offers a weekend preview of sorts every Friday at 1 p.m. in the form of a live chat with the New Orleans community.

Want to talk about the Hornets' offseason moves or the upcoming Saints game? Want to vent your frustrations over Tulane or LSU? This is your time to sound off. Send in your questions and comments, and Dave will touch on your hot topics every week.

Continue reading "Live chat: Friday sports talk" »

Continue reading "Video preview: LSU vs. Florida" »

It's the game of the year in the SEC. Well it is for this week, anyway. When LSU goes to Florida Saturday, big things will be on the line for both teams.

Can LSU stay undefeated? Can Florida get a big win it desperately needs to shake off that Ole Miss loss? Can LSU continue to the run the ball effectively? Can Florida's young team grow up in a hurry?

Ask these and other questions today on our LSU football chat with Times-Picayune beat reporter Jim Kleinpeter.

Chat time is 2:30 p.m. because Jim will be en route to Gainesville this morning. We'll start taking your questions around 2.

Continue reading "LSU football chat: Tigers vs. Florida" »

In case all you college football playoff proponents haven't been paying attention, the 2008 playoff has been under way for almost a month.

Continue reading "College football is heating up week by week" »

BATON ROUGE -- Florida quarterback Tim Tebow had bigger worries this week than getting "taken out" by an LSU defender Saturday. Like his cell phone number getting into the hands of LSU fans again.

When LSU defensive tackle Ricky Jean-Francois made his infamous verbal gaffe earlier this week, Tebow brushed it off. He'd heard worse and had worse done to him.

Continue reading "LSU football doesn't expect a lot of talk from Tebow" »

LSU vs Florida Preview

Receive live game experience and score updates as NOLA.com's Eugenio Hernandez III travel's to Gainesville for this Saturday's LSU/Florida game. You can also read game updates courtesy of the Times-Picayune at www.nola.com/lsu/ and watch the game live on CBS. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. CT.

Follow NOLA.com on Twitter

What's Twitter? Click her to find out!

The Florida depth chart shows not one senior among the starting 11 defenders. Could that be an area LSU might exploit?

"Yeah, in a way you do, they do have some young players on their team, and we've looked at that," LSU redshirt freshman quarterback Jarrett Lee said.

Continue reading "LSU Tigers look to attack young Florida Gators' defense" »

LSU Coach Les Miles said he isn't that worried about redshirt freshman Jarrett Lee making his first road start in one of the toughest college football environments for visitors in the country.

Lee, making his second overall start, has been going through all of the normal preparation in practice, including piped-in crowd noise and silent counts.

Continue reading "LSU brings in the noise for freshman quarterback Jarrett Lee" »

                The college football choices of two local schoolboy standouts were resolved Tuesday night when Destrehan defensive tackle Darrington Sentimore’s verbal commitment to Alabama became official and O. Perry Walker linebacker Kendrick James committed to Louisiana Tech.

                Sentimore, one of the nation’s top defensive line prospects at 6-foot-3, 265 pounds, initially committed to the No. 2 ranked Crimson Tide on Sunday, but Alabama associate head coach Burton Burns and Destrehan Coach Steve Robicheaux wanted to make sure the blue chip prospect had delivered his pledge personally to Coach Nick Saban before publicly acknowledging the commitment.

                “It’s official, it’s over,’’ Destrehan Coach Steve Robicheaux said Wednesday. “Darrington is officially committed. We got the official word from Burton. Darrington talked to Nick. Alabama is excited to get him. They think they’re getting a real good football player.’’

                Sentimore also had official offers Tennessee, Miami, Auburn, Arkansas, Michigan, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Texas A&M among others. Alabama projects Sentimore as a defensive end.

LSU also recruited Sentimore, who is not yet qualified academically, but opted to monitor his academic progress as a senior before making an official offer, Robicheaux said. That opened the door to Alabama and others as Sentimore tired of waiting for a LSU offer.

“I just saw something about Alabama and I feel I have a good chance to play early,’’ Sentimore said. “It’s also kind of close to home. They have a nice campus, a nice stadium and nice practice facility. They have it all.’’

“I think he likes the potential there,’’ Robicheaux said. “He likes the way the program is going. In his mind he thinks he could play early. He thinks it’s a good fit for him.’’

Sentimore attended Alabama’s football camp this past summer, but is yet to make an official visit. That is expected to happen once Destrehan’s prep season concludes. Sentimore said he also may attend the Auburn-Alabama game in Tuscaloosa on Nov. 29. He also said he plans no other official visits.

“As of right now, no,’’ Sentimore said. Asked what schools were in his final group, he said, “I never did have a second choice. It was Alabama all the way.’’

James’ pledge to Louisiana Tech Tuesday night represented another recruiting news lightning bolt. He is fifth player to commit to Coach Derek Dooley and the Bulldogs of the Western Athletic Conference.

                “That’s when my phone started ringing off the hook,’’ OPW Coach Skip LaMothe said. “I got calls from Colorado and Minnesota. They wanted to know if (the commitment) was solid. Kendrick surprised me. But he told me he just wanted to get it out of the way.’’

James, 6-foot-1, 220 pounds with 4.6-second speed in the 40, projects as an outside linebacker with Tech. He also had official offers from Colorado, Minnesota and Louisiana-Monroe, LaMothe said. LSU, Southern Mississippi and Tulane were others actively recruiting the three-year starter, who is one of the top players on the state’s No. 5 ranked team in Class 4A.

“They showed me the most interest,’’ James said of Tech. “I feel like I’ll have the opportunity to go up there and play early because of what they’re losing at linebacker. I got close with their coach, (recruiting coordinator) Terry Joseph, and the head coach, Coach Dooley. I like their academic program. They have a really good program in what I want to major in, electrical engineering.’’

James is fully qualified with a 3.1 grade-point-average and an 18 on the ACT, LaMothe said. James also could graduate early in December, but likely will remain in school to participate in track.

                James said he has not yet set foot on Tech’s Ruston campus, but plans to make an unofficial visit on Oct. 18 when the Bulldogs play host to Idaho. He plans to schedule an official visit for sometime after the conclusion of the prep season and take official visits to other schools.

James made unofficial visits earlier this year to LSU, Mississippi State, Southern Mississippi and Louisiana-Monroe and participated in the summer football camps of the latter three programs.

“I plan on still taking my visits,’’ James said, “but at the end I’m still going to choose Tech.’’

“Kendrick is a specimen,’’ LaMothe said. “He’s strong as hell. He’s 6-1, 220 and can flat out run. He’s a good character kid. He’s a good student. He’s a good student of the game. He’s a kid that will do anything for the team to win. He never complains. He’s always got that little smile on his face. But he’s very aggressive. He’s just the kind of kid that makes plays. He’s solid.’’