Tag: Baton Rouge

Notre Dame apparently too stuffy of a place for Brian Kelly

Sorry you had to work harder with the Irish, Brian.

We get it. We know you don’t want to hear about Brian Kelly anymore. He’s part of Notre Dame’s past and just want to leave him there. But some things are just hard to ignore.

Kelly, entering his second season as LSU coach, was in Nashville for the annual SEC Media Days. Even though he’s been gone for the Irish for over a year-and-a-half now, he simply can’t avoid questions about his former employer. It seemed inevitable that someone would pose one, and it came while he was interviewed by SiriusXM College Sports Radio. When asked to compare coaching the Irish as opposed to the Tigers, he said this:

“Well, I don’t think you have to wear a tie every day at the job if you know what I mean. It’s a little bit more relaxed from that perspective. That’s not good or bad, but there is a much more relaxed [feeling] because you’re in the south. You’re around people that are very easy to get along with. Not that they were hard to get along with, but there are rules you have to follow in an environment like Notre Dame. And you can’t cross those lines. So there is a little bit of a difference there.

Well, excuse Notre Dame for wanting everyone to look and dress proper, Mr. Kelly. We’re not sure what you expected from a Catholic university with high academic standards, but we guess everyone has their thing.
Not only that, but Kelly doesn’t seem to like traveling far for recruiting either:

“I would say the biggest one other than that small narrative that I gave you is that I had to be on a plane and I had to pull the best player out of California, out of Texas, out of New Jersey. I don’t have to do that at LSU. The best player in the state of Louisiana, if we do a really good job recruiting him, he wants to be a Tiger. That’s a difference that, more than anything else, allows you to really focus on what’s important within your program and that is the state of Louisiana and player development.”

Based on this, maybe Kelly never was comfortable with Notre Dame being a national school and having to do everything to keep that reputation going. But it’s OK because not everyone embraces the national spotlight. Sometimes, it’s best to stay regional, which he seems to enjoy in Baton Rouge. Good for him, we guess.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Lindy’s projects Notre Dame to face Brian Kelly, LSU in Peach Bowl

Imagine the hype for this one.

How crazy would it be for Notre Dame to face Brian Kelly and LSU only two years after Kelly bolted for Baton Rouge? Well, at least one projection has it happening. Bryan Driskell of Irish Breakdown has flipped through the annual college football preview published by Lindy’s Sports and learned that the magazine is projecting an Irish-Tigers matchup in the Peach Bowl. This would mark the Irish’s first appearance in this particular New Year’s Six bowl.

While this obviously would mean the Irish have come up short in making the College Football Playoff, it would generate just as much hype as if they had. With the Tigers not currently showing up on any future regular-season schedules, a bowl game is the only possibility for these programs to meet for the foreseeable future. To have it happen when emotions still are a bit raw over Kelly’s decision simply needs to happen. You know you want it, so let’s wish it into existence unless a national championship becomes possible.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

18-year-old Louisiana baseball star may have been attacked by shark

Robbins’ teammates and friends have held a vigil for him in Baton Rouge.

Cameron Robbins, a baseball star in Louisiana, had just graduated high school and was preparing to go to LSU in the fall. To celebrate, he went on a sunset cruise in the Bahamas on a tourist ship called the Blackbeard’s Revenge, where another passenger apparently dared him to jump overboard.

According to an account by Inside Edition, Robbins jumped. When the boat crew threw a life preserver down to him, Robbins reportedly swam away from it and disappeared moments later. That’s led to speculation a shark may have attacked the teen.

“A life preserver was tossed in the water after he jumped off the ship, but he swam away from it. And the next moment, he was gone. There is speculation Cameron may have been trying to get away from a shark after video captured a shadowy image in the water. A shark sighting could also explain why the Louisiana teenager simply vanished in the water.”

Robbins’ teammates and friends have held a vigil for him in Baton Rouge.

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LSU vs Kansas State History: The lone matchup in the series

LSU and Kansas State last met on the Bayou in 1980

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When LSU takes the field against Kansas State on Tuesday night, it will only be the second time in the history of the sport that has happened.

These two squads haven’t met in over 40 years, with the first and last time coming on September 13, 1980.

It was just Jerry Stovall’s second game as LSU’s head coach after losing 16-0 to Bobby Bowden’s No. 13 ranked Florida State the week before.

Kansas State was led by head coach Jim Dickey, still about 10 years away from when Bill Snyder would eventually take over the program.

The quarterback for LSU was sophomore Alan Risher in his first year as the starter. In this game, he was 10-12 for 94 yards, adding a touchdown on top of that. Risher had some success on the ground too, running for 51 yards.

Kansas State had a coach’s son at quarterback. Darrell Dickey, who was 10 of 17 for 134 yards. It wasn’t enough to get on the scoreboard though, as LSU shut out Kansas State to get the 16-0 win.

It was the first game Stovall ever coached in Tiger Stadium and the first win of his career. LSU went on to finish season 7-4 but declined an invitation to the Peach Bowl because much like they are today, they were dealing with a lot of injury issues.

Stovall didn’t go on to have much success at LSU as a coach. He had a great career as a player, but his contract was bought out following the 1983 season.

Longtime Kelly assistant Mike Elston staying with Notre Dame

The defensive line coach is staying, too.

Brian Kelly reportedly tried to lure both Marcus Freeman and Tommy Rees with him to LSU, but to no avail. The two decided South Bend was where they wanted to be, and Freeman even was named Kelly’s replacement. Now, it appears defensive line coach Mike Elston, whose days with Kelly go back to Cincinnati, doesn’t want to pull up stake either:

Elston, who also serves as the Irish’s run game and recruiting coordinator, is the latest in a series of assistant coaches who have chosen not to follow their old boss to Baton Rouge. Based on everything that has transpired quicker than anyone could have anticipated, everyone who coached below Kelly feels more at home than Kelly apparently did. It’s going to make Kelly’s effort in rounding out his LSU staff all the more interesting.

The remaining coaches at Notre Dame seem like a family, and it’s only fitting that they want to keep that family together for as long as possible.

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Alabama’s all-time record against LSU

The Alabama-LSU matchup is something we all look forward to each season. Here is a closer look at Alabama’s all-time record against the Tigers of LSU.

Ever since Nick Saban arrived in Tuscaloosa, the Alabama and LSU matchup has been one of the most anticipated each season.

Even before Saban arrived the rivalry was one of the best in the SEC, Saban added just a little extra flare.

In Saban’s first season at Alabama, LSU got the best of Saban and the Tide, winning 41-34 in Tuscaloosa. The next season, Saban took a more talented team to Baton Rouge and beat the Tigers in Death Valley 27-21 in overtime.

In Saban’s tenure at Alabama, the Crimson Tide owns an 11-4 record over the Tigers of LSU. One of those wins, of course, was for a BCS National Championship in January of 2012.

One of the most famous games between the two programs is what is known as ‘The Game of the Century’, a matchup that LSU won 9-6.

The two schools first met way back in November of 1895 when LSU beat Alabama 12-6.

Overall, Alabama owns a resounding 54-26-5 series advantage over the LSU Tigers.

This Saturday the two teams will renew their heated rivalry inside of Bryant-Denny Stadium at 6:00 p.m. CT on ESPN.

Stay tuned to Roll Tide Wire for all the latest on the Crimson Tide!

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Stacey Blackwood on Twitter @Blackwood89.

Twitter reacts to cancellation of NCAA women’s golf Baton Rouge Regional

The Twitter reaction to the cancellation of the NCAA Women’s Regional in Baton Rouge was swift.

NCAA representatives have said little to explain their decision to cancel the NCAA Women’s Regional in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, after deeming the University Club playable but “not playable at a championship level.”

Golf Twitter has filled the silence.

In the 24 hours after the championship was canceled, video footage circulated of NCAA Committee representative Brad Hurlbut, the Director of Athletics at Fairleigh Dickinson, delivering that line. When players object, Hurlbut initially tries to respond before abruptly turning, along with three other individuals, and marching back up a set of stairs.

Multiple Golfweek attempts to reach Hurlbut went unanswered. On Thursday afternoon, Julie Manning, chair of the NCAA Women’s Golf Committee, broke the NCAA’s silence when she appeared on Golf Channel.

Manning addressed, among other things, the decision to cancel and why the tournament couldn’t run into another day.

“Very difficult to ask these golf courses to give up the courses to commit further than we’ve asked of them on the front end in the bidding process,” she said on the latter topic. “In the end, we did follow our procedure and our manual that was put together decades ago and fortunately never thought this has happened. It has not happened until this year.”

Roughly an hour earlier, Miami head coach Patti Rizzo appeared on SportsCenter to discuss the events in Baton Rouge.

The commentary continues on social media. Below are some of the reactions:

Lewis, who is married to Houston women’s golf coach Gerrod Chadwell, had a vested interest as Houston was the No. 8 seed in Baton Rouge.

Martin Piller played college golf at Texas A&M.

Madison Kerley formerly played for Arizona State.

Beth Wu formerly played for UCLA.

Karen Stupples is an analyst for Golf Channel.

And perhaps most exciting of all for the 12 teams who didn’t advance to the national championship…

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NCAA Baton Rouge Regional controversially scrapped without one single shot hit

The NCAA Baton Rouge Regional was canceled Wednesday when the course was deemed “not playable at a championship level.”

(Editor’s note: This story will be updated…)

As the tournament committee made its way down the steps at LSU’s University Club, Houston coach Gerrod Chadwell started to shake. Could it be that for a second year in a row, his team’s season would end with a parking lot conversation without hitting a golf shot?

“Look, this is one of the most gut-wrenching decisions and announcements that I’ve ever been a part of,” said NCAA Committee representative Brad Hurlbut, the Director of Athletics at Fairleigh Dickinson, outside the clubhouse at the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional around 11:30 a.m. CDT.

“Even though the course is playable, it’s not playable at a championship level. Therefore, the top six teams that were seeded will advance, along with the top three individuals that were not on those six teams.”

At this point, in a video obtained by Golfweek, screams of “Are you serious?” and “You just said it’s playable,” rang out as the committee marched back up the stairs toward the clubhouse without another word.

Golfweek has been unable to reach Hurlbut for comment after multiple attempts. The NCAA has yet to release a statement on Wednesday’s decision.

“What is championship condition?” asked Purdue senior Inez Wanamarta on the ride to the airport. “Doesn’t it prove even further if it’s in really difficult conditions who should advance?”

Miami senior Renate Grimstad dropped to the ground in a puddle of tears, as did so many other players.

“It hasn’t rained all day,” said Tulsa coach Annie Young. “We could easily be through nine right now, maybe more.”

Not a single shot was hit on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday at LSU’s University Club. The top six seeds automatically advanced to the NCAA Championship, set for May 21-26 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona:

  1. LSU
  2. Mississippi
  3. Baylor
  4. Oregon
  5. Maryland
  6. Alabama

For days now, several coaches have maintained that there were windows of time in which golf could have been played. Miami coach Patti Rizzo walked all 18 holes on Tuesday afternoon and said that maybe four or five bunkers were in bad shape. She did not see any of the maintenance crew working on the golf course during that time. She suggested to the committee that the par-4 seventh hole be shortened to a par 3 to adjust for the standing water in the fairway.

Young, who has served on NCAA committees for several years, like Rizzo, felt that the decision-makers in Baton Rouge were unprepared. Young was one of several coaches who noted that she hadn’t seen a single pump on the golf course.

“Everybody is kind of in a state of shock,” said Rizzo after walking the course on Tuesday afternoon. “Is this a conspiracy or something? Why are we not playing?”

In fact, in Sunday’s coaches meeting the committee reminded coaches that if they couldn’t get in 18 holes of golf that the teams would advance off of seeding. Chadwell wonders now why they didn’t start playing on Sunday when weather wasn’t an issue.

Officials told coaches that the event couldn’t be pushed back to Thursday due to stipulations in the event’s manual.

“This place has zero business hosting another regional,” said Chadwell, who said zero effort was made to adjust as it became clear that the tournament couldn’t be played in a normal fashion.

“You find a way to get it done.”

Wanamarta called it the most poorly managed tournament she’s ever seen. She was disappointed in the committee’s communication with both players and coaches and felt that in a year in which schedules varied wildly due to a global pandemic, that going off of seedings felt especially unfair.

“We’re not asking to go to nationals,” said Wanamarta. “We’re just asking to be able to prove ourselves.”

Julie Williams contributed reporting.

MSU Recruiting: 2021 3-star safety Jah’Von Grigsby decommits from the Spartans

Michigan State has lost the commitment of Jah’Von Grigsby, a 2021 safety out of Louisiana.

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Well, MSU was due for some bad news after a very good weekend, I suppose. On Tuesday night, 2021 3-star safety Jah’Von Grigsby has officially decommitted from Michigan State Football and has reopened his recruitment.

Grigsby, who comes out of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was the No. 6 ranked player in the Spartans’ 2021 recruiting class so this is certainly a blow to Tucker’s 2021 class, but these ups and downs are to be expected in an environment where coaches and players aren’t able to visit in person as often as in years past.

Grigsby hasn’t given any insight into his thought process but did put out a message (in a since-deleted tweet) that was very gracious towards Mel Tucker and his staff and said they treated him well.

Whatever you do, if you are a Michigan State fan, please do not attempt to harass and bully this high school student for this decision. It happens almost every time a player makes this choice and it honestly makes me sick. Please be classy and respect the difficult process these players go through.

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The Athletic predicts LSU would have beaten Texas

The Athletic gave a prediction for the canceled Texas-LSU matchup, saying the Tigers would have beaten the Longhorns by double digits.

COVID-19 has taken away a lot in the sports world, especially in college football. The Big Ten and Pac-12 canceled their seasons, instead opting for a spring season beginning in January.

The ACC, Big 12, and SEC currently have plans in place to play a season. Nonconference matchups are still an option for ACC and Big 12 teams, while the SEC will be playing a 10 game, conference only schedule.

However, if the ACC and Big 12 teams want to play nonconference games, they must be at their home stadium. This left schools with no choice but to play smaller schools that had flexibility on their schedule.

Because of this, marquee matchups such as Alabama–USC, Texas-LSU, and Tennessee–Oklahoma were not only canceled but will possibly never be played.

From the perspective of Texas, losing the return trip to LSU is nearly catastrophic. While the Longhorns lost to the eventual national champions in 2019, the game itself was Texas’ most entertaining of the season.

Add in the electric atmosphere of Death Valley and the Sept. 12 matchup was staged to be the most exciting game of the college football season. Watching Sam Ehlinger lead the Longhorns into Baton Rouge in a marquee nonconference game would have shown where Texas stands on a national level.

This will leave people wondering what could have been from both teams.

Could Texas have declared themselves to be “back” and strive towards a national championship with a win?

Or would have LSU doubled up the Longhorns and proved they deserve to be taken seriously for a back-to-back championship run?

Stewart Mandel of The Athletic gave a prediction, saying LSU would have not only beaten Texas but done it by double digits.

I was at the game last year in Austin, when we first found out that this was not your grandfather’s LSU offense. Joe Burrow stole the show, but Sam Ehlinger wasn’t too shabby himself (461 yards, 5 TDs). I would have expected a better showing from LSU’s defense this time around, while Myles Brennan and Ja’Marr Chase showed that the Tigers, while not as otherworldly as in 2019, can still do some damage. LSU 28, Texas 17

Replacing Heisman trophy winner Joe Burrow is not going to be easy for head coach Ed Orgeron. Myles Brennan is going to take over and having the receiving combination of Ja’Marr Chase and Terrance Marshall is going to help.

However, Texas’ defense is going to improve from last season’s horror show. Chris Ash would improve the pass rush and the Longhorns’ secondary would have an easier time in coverage without Justin Jefferson terrorizing them.

Tom Herman’s squad may not have come out with a victory but another touchdown margin game seems more likely than all 11 point victory for LSU. Especially with Texas only scoring 17 points in Mandel’s prediction.

For a few years, a ‘what if’ question will arise when talking about the trip to Baton Rouge. With no rescheduling of the game insight, we may never find out.

Who knows, Texas could have used that win and started a national championship run. Just as LSU did last season.

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