Tiger Roar - Scooter Hobbs covers LSU Football, Basketball, and Baseball

Hobbs Here

Next Page
Scooter Hobbs Archive
9/29	Column: Miles Won't Say It (Yet), Harris Is LSU's Quarterback
	BATON ROUGE — Fret not, LSU fans. Believe me, Brandon Harris is now the Tigers’ starting quarterback. Les Miles knows it. Harris knows it. I’m sure Anthony Jennings, if he hadn’t figured it out already, knows it by now. Miles was just being Miles postgame Saturday night when he hemmed and hawed and finally deferred to further film study before deciding if Harris is to be anointed as the present and future of the offense. Sometimes it may seem that there is no method to Miles’ Mad Hattedness, but there is a certain protocol. Mainly, if at all possible, no kid ever gets thrown under the bus. Continue...
9/22	Column: It's Going To Be A Wild And Crazy Ride
	BATON ROUGE — The couple of dozen or so LSU fans who stuck around Tiger Stadium for the unexpected drama of a conceivable Hail Mary at least walked away with one glimmer of hope on an otherwise sobering night. “At least we found our quarterback.” It should be so simple. But good luck with that anyway. Still, it’s worth a shot to see what true freshman Brandon Harris might do full time with an LSU offense that, more than anything, really needs a strong dose of the 21st Century. Never mind that starter Anthony Jennings was probably the least of LSU’s problems in a 34-29 loss to Mississippi State, a debacle that had the feel and the smell of something much worse. Continue...
9/21	Column: Ending Aside, LSU Could Be In Trouble
	BATON ROUGE — Perhaps there’s a spot waiting at the Heisman awards banquet for Dak Prescott and — who knows? — maybe this is the year that Mississippi State wins the SEC championship for the first time in, oh, 73 years and crashes the very first College Football Playoff. I wouldn’t go betting the house on it or anything. But you wouldn’t swear against it if you were in Tiger Stadium Saturday night. The Bulldogs, shoot, they looked like they ought to advance straight to the NFC South. Maybe, these are THOSE Bulldogs. Of course, any of the above would be quite out of character and it’s quite possible, as usually happens, that the Alabamas and Auburns of the world will catch up with them, reality will set in and the cowbells will get another holiday in the Liberty Bowl. But you couldn’t prove it by LSU. Continue...
9/21	LSU Notes: Mississippi State Dominates LSU
	Tiger Stadium, stunned most of the night, was suddenly rocking after LSU defensive end Danielle Hunter picked up Dak Prescott’s fumble and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the second half that pulled the Tigers to within 17-10. But on the ensuing possession, with the crowd begging for a stop on third-and-3, Prescott danced and weaved and most notably stiff-armed one Tiger en route to a winding 56-yard touchdown run that pretty much settled things. Continue...
9/20	Tigers Begin Play In Rugged SEC West
	BATON ROUGE — On paper, you might even wonder what all the fuss is about. True, No. 8 LSU (3-0) opens Southeastern Conference play tonight against West Division rival Mississippi State, but if you subscribe to the rankings, the Bulldogs (3-0) are merely the sixth best team in the division. But, of course, this is a division where’s it’s all relative — mainly a division where five of the nation’s top 10 reside. “There’s nowhere in the country like the SEC West is right now,” said Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen. “When you look at the percentage of quality teams. I don’t know if you find anywhere that is like that.” Even for Mississippi State, playing LSU is, by ranking, only its fourth-toughest division opponent and the lightest touch the Bulldogs will have over the next three games — their next two opponents are No 6 Texas A&M and No. 5 Auburn. For that matter, LSU coach Les Miles would like to see a recount on the Bulldogs, who have waxed three straight opponents, but are still only among the “others receiving votes” in both polls. Continue...
9/17	Column: Will The Real LSU Offense Show Up?
	OK, gather around. Grab some popcorn if so inclined. But get comfortable. This is going to be interesting, maybe even telling. This is the week we find out if Les Miles is being sly and coy and Mad Hatter mischievous or if it’s just that incredibly stubborn side of his brain taking over again. This is the week you find out what LSU’s offense really wants to be when it grows up. The Tigers can’t hide behind Sam Houston or Sun Belt Conference hors d’oeuvres any longer. LSU will have to play it straight when Mississippi State comes to Tiger Stadium Saturday night. Maybe even show all their cards on offense. Or have we seen them already? Continue...
9/16	Column: It's A Jungle Out There
	BATON ROUGE — Not sure what LSU accomplished with its opponent or its game plan Saturday night, but in the forced glee of the afterglow head coach Les Miles was proclaiming his Tigers rip snorting ready to dive headfirst into the SEC schedule. He’s funny like that, you know, in an odd sort of way. But, uh, coach, have you been paying attention? Are you sure? Did you check the polls Sunday morning? No? Well, it’s worse than usual. The Tigers, though still a bit of mystery in my mind and at best a work in progress, find themselves No. 8 this week. And that’s all fine and good, somewhat encouraging, you might say, for such a young team. Continue...
9/14	Tigers Methodical In Final SEC Tune-Up
	BATON ROUGE — Nothing flashy. And LSU wasn’t even particularly sharp for long stretches Saturday night. But if the idea was to get in a final prep for the start of Southeastern Conference play without alarming any future opponents, then it was mission accomplished as the 10th-ranked Tigers yawned out a 31-0 victory over outmanned UL-Monroe. “Basically we were patient and did the things we were supposed to do,” LSU coach Les Miles said. It wasn’t always easy — and many of the fans weren’t quite as patient as their team when the Tigers muddled through the early stages in a semi-stupor. Not that the game was ever in any doubt. Continue...
9/14	DULY NOTED: LSU 31, UL-M 0
	PLAY OF THE GAME: LSU faced third-and-22 from the ULM 35 late in a sputtering first quarter when QB Anthony Jennings scrambled away from a rush a lofted a 23-yard pass to John Diarse to pick up the first down at the 12-yard line. PLAYER OF THE GAME: Probably WR Travin Dural again, who had six catches for 79 yards, including two long ones that kept scoring drives alive. But LSU spread the offense out over most of the roster this game. Continue...
9/14	LSU Rests Some Wounded Starters
	BATON ROUGE — LSU had two new starters at linebacker Saturday with Deion Jones and Duke Riley at the outside spot, replacing Kwon Alexander and Lamar Louis, both of whom had minor injuries last week. Les Miles had said, however, that both would play. Davon Godchaux also started at defensive tackle in place of Quintin Thomas. Alexander and Louis didn’t play, although Miles said they could have if needed. Riley led LSU with eight tackles. Continue...
9/10	Column: LSU Needs To Go All-In With Jennings — For Now
	As much good, family fun as a bona fide quarterback controversy can be, I’m not sure LSU has one right now. Not that the Tigers wouldn’t love one, even if quarterback “controversies” are often cleverly disguised as mere quarterback “competitions.” And it could still develop. The duel between sophomore Anthony Jennings and Brandon Harris is, as they say, on-going. They are even still listed on the official depth chart — which often reads like whimsical humor — as “and/or” between the two. And it might even be premature, at this point, to refer to Jennings as “The Man.” The Tigers might even go all-in, throw caution to the wind, and try their hand at the tricky two-quarterback system. Continue...
9/9	Column: Hold The Heisman Pose... Please
	BATON ROUGE — Maybe it’s not the worst thing in the world when your “growing pains” shift from the playing field to the end zone. Les Miles can take solace in that, at least. But surely most parents can sympathize with the LSU coach, who these days finds himself running what amounts to a college football nursery school/day care center. Helping matters, Miles does seem to have been assigned to the “gifted” class. There are advantages to that. Maybe it was naive, youthful exuberance that allowed the Tigers to take a Sam Houston State somewhat seriously Saturday night — more veteran teams often don’t, as history has shown over the years. So the Tigers did what they should have done to the Bearkats, and anybody who wanted to leave the stadium early could safely do so. Still, they have their own set of problems, it turns out. Continue...
9/7	All LSU From Start To Finish
	BATON ROUGE — Maybe McNeese gave LSU a Southland Conference wakeup call all the way from Nebraska Saturday. Something surely got LSU’s attention as the Tigers took their own dip into the Southland Conference after McNeese scared the corn out of Nebraska earlier in the day. Maybe it put them on full upset alert. But the Tigers dominated from absolute start to inevitable finish against Sam Houston State in rolling to a 56-0 victory. For a while it looked like Tiger Stadium added its new south end zone upper deck just to hold all the extra points. Continue...
9/7	Hits & Misses: LSU 56, Sam Houston 0
	PLAY OF THE GAME: It didn’t take long. On LSU’s first offensive play of the game following Dwayne Thomas’ interception, the Tigers’ Travin Dural streaked past the Sam Houston secondary and took a perfect pass from Anthony Jennings in stride en route to a 94-yard touchdown reception. It was the longest touchdown pass in LSU history. It broke the previous school record of 82 yards, which came in 1978 when Steve Ensminger connected with Carlos Carson. Ensminger is now LSU’s tight ends coach. Continue...
9/6	Sam Houston Brings Up-Tempo Style For Tigers' Tune Up
	BATON ROUGE — When LSU’s Les Miles looks at Sam Houston State, he doesn’t necessarily see a Southland Conference team that might be overwhelmed coming into newly expanded Tiger Stadium tonight for the No. 12 Tigers’ home opener. “We see a TCU receiver that’s very ... was one of the best receivers that TCU had last year (when LSU opened the season against the Frogs) and is now with this club.” The Bearkats’ LaDarius Brown, a 6-2, 220-pound receiving specimen, isn’t alone. Sam Houston might be a on a bigger stage than usual for an SLC team, but Tiger Stadium is the kind of environment many of them envisioned coming out of high school. The Bearkats, who went to the FCS national championship game in 2011 and 2012, feature 23 transfers from a total of 17 different FBS schools, including the likes of Baylor, Texas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Missouri, Oklahoma State. “There’s not going to be a lot of underdog stories and stuff in the locker room,” first-year Sam Houston coach K.C. Keeler said. “LSU is a good football team, but we think we’re a good team, too. We just need to line up and play.” Continue...
9/6	Column: Slim Pickings In The SEC This Week
	May Day! May Day! Alert the SEC Network. This was never supposed to happen. Not now. Not with 24/7 programming to fill. Or maybe, other than finding work for Tim Tebow, this is why the SEC Network was founded. After a opening week of pretty good games, who in their right mind would want to televise any of this week’s SEC schedule? Expect an angry memo from the SECN to be on commissioner Mike Slive’s desk bright and early Monday morning. I know you have to take a deep breath every now and then, but ... really. Then again we don’t judge them, we just pick them. Continue...
9/4	Miles Pleased With Freshmen, Expects More To Play
	In all his born days as a coach, LSU’s Les Miles had only had it happen to him once before. Oh, but kids do the darnedest things. So, after a sloppy first half Saturday in the season opener against Wisconsin, LSU couldn’t even get the kick off out of the way before being assessed a 5-yard penalty ... for delay of game. Miles had decided it was time to see Cameron Gamble’s strong leg to kick off the half, but as the true freshman was taking in the moment, soaking in the sights and sounds of his first appearance on a college football field, the yellow flag came a cropper. Miles pleaded his case to the officials, whom he thought had started the clock a hair too soon. Continue...
9/3	Column: Come On, Let's Overreact To Week 1
	Finally, we have some actual games to talk about. So let’s jump right in, figure out the rest of the season right now. Sure, it’s dangerous. Even ESPN proclaimed last weekend to be Overreaction Saturday, probably as a warning against fast-forwarding through the schedule and assigning W’s and L’s based on a debut weekend. And you know the old standard — a team will show its most improvement between Week 1 and Week 2. Now I personally have found that to be an old wives’ tale, never scientifically documented. Just as often, it seems, that biggest improvement comes between Week 6 and Week 7, and it can just as easily come between Week 4 and Week 5. Week 8 to Week 9 always bears watching. And sometimes the first game is as good as it’s going to get. Continue...
8/13	Column: SEC Network Figures To Be A Channel Changer
	Having done due diligence in studying up on the SEC Network for you, I can safely report to you that much of it is mind-boggling, particularly the cash money involved. Continue...
8/12	Foster Back Where He Started At LSU
	BATON ROUGE — LSU’s third-string quarterback is best known for the circus catch he made in the Texas A&M outfield. It was a game-saver for the Tigers — the clutch catch of the season — in baseball. Now the multi-sport Tiger is back where he started at LSU on the football field. He’s not likely to start at quarterback this year — freshman Brandon Harris and sophomore Anthony Jennings have a spirited competition in place for that honor — but he’s happy to be back in helmet and pads. “It started off a little slow, I’m just knocking the rust off and throwing the ball again,” said Foster, who hasn’t played in a live football game since his senior year at Barbe in 2010, and hasn’t even practiced the sport since the following fall of 2011. Continue...
Next Page