1.  The LSU defense will have its hands full with Ole Miss’ Dexter McCluster.

2.  McCluster said his performance last week reminded him of a scene in a movie in which time slows down.

3.  Tailback Brandon Bolden is also playing well for the Rebels right now.

4.  With all the talk of “The Blind Side,” this writer reminds folks that Michael Oher almost when to LSU, not Ole Miss.

5.  The Outback Bowl is still hoping to land LSU.

6.  In basketball news, a knee injury to Alex Farrer was more serious than initially thought and the fifth-year senior will be out for the season.

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1.  Les Miles says Jordan Jefferson will likely start at quarterback this weekend.

2.  Les Miles has kept Jefferson away from the media this week.

3.  Jefferson’s teammates like what they’ve seen from him in practice this week… and they say the coaches seem “a little more comfortable” knowing that their starter will be ready.

4.  Ole Miss has held four SEC opponents to under 300 yards of total offense.

5.  The LSU defense is bracing for Dexter McCluster.

6.  In basketball news, LSU will face #12 UConn next Wednesday in the semifinals of the preseason NIT.

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* LSU is “enjoying a good week of practice.”  Ole Miss will be a “great challenge.”

* Asked what makes Larry Porter a good coach, Miles said that there are a number of members of his staff who could be head coaches.  He said of Porter: “Great natural instinct, knowledgeable and has all the people skills you’d want.”  (Porter is a candidate for the Memphis job.)

* “Center, quarterback and tight end” are all practicing this week and should be ready to go on Saturday.

* Jarrett Lee “played well enough for us to win.”  “He made some improvement.”  “I don’t know that restoring confidence is necessarily what needs to happen.”

* Dexter McCluser has “great speed, great anticipation for cuts.”  “It’s more corral than penatrate” when it comes to defending him.  “Our athleticism helps that.”

* Miles doesn’t think there’s much argument that the SEC is THE — if not one of the — most competitive conferences in the nation.  “It’s a great league.  It’s a lot of fun to compete in.  You know one thing — victories are earned.”

* Miles thinks Ole Miss has improved.  “I think they have a better feeling for what their identity is.”

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1.  Chad Jones will keeping close tabs on Dexter McCluster this weekend.

2.  This writer believes McCluster is everything LSU wants their own Russell Shepard to be.

3.  Defensive tackle Lavar Edwards looked good in his first start last Saturday.

4.  Tailback Keiland Williams is trying to end his career on a high note.

5.  Mississippi’s Jevan Snead seems to be finding his groove as the season winds down.  (That’s because McCluster has been carrying more of the load… as we pointed out earlier this week.)

6.  Snead is nursing a bum ankle that he injured on a fourth-down sneak last week.

7.  LSU will be heading to Madison Square Garden for the NIT preseason semifinals after dispatching Western Kentucky 71-60 last night.

8.  Bo Spencer poured in a career-high 28 points for the Tigers.

9.  For those folks — like me — who thought Trent Johnson’s team would take a step back after losing so many veterans, it might be time to start paying attention to what’s happening on the Bayou.  Yes, it’s early, but Western Kentucky is a darn good basketball team and LSU licked ‘em.

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1.  Les Miles doesn’t like (or understand) fans who boo.  Neither do I, for that matter.

2.  LSU’s defense has had trouble containing shifty running backs.  They face Dexter McCluster on Saturday.  Uh-oh.

3.  As we told you earlier this morning, Jordan Jefferson is expected to play against the Rebels.

4.  Miles is “excited to get him back and throwing and moving around.”

5.  In basketball news, Storm Warren’s 12 rebounds and six put-backs helped LSU survive a night in which they went 0-for-15 from beyond the arc.

6.  Trent Johnson says Warren “has a nose for the ball.”

7.  The Tigers’ win over Indiana State propelled them into a second round NIT game with Western Kentucky tonight.

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1.  A beat-up LSU offense couldn’t find its groove against Louisiana Tech.

2.  LSU’s play-calling and lack of use of Keiland Williams is raising questions on the Bayou.

3.  Williams did well when he did get the football.

4.  Quarterback Jarrett Lee started in place of Jordan Jefferson and nearly threw some more pick-six interceptions to go with last year’s record number.

5.  The defense needed a half to wake up on Saturday, too.

6.  The Tigers need to forget about Tech and move on to Ole Miss (and Dexter McCluster).

7.  In basketball news, the Tigers will face a stiff challenge tonight in the NIT Season Tipoff Tournament.

8.  Trent Johnson is worried because Indiana State’s Princeton-like system “exploits inexperience.”

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Senior running back scores two touchdowns in second half to stave off Bulldogs
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BATON ROUGE - Perhaps it is because LSU is celebrating its 100th homecoming tonight. Perhaps it is because so many remain enraged over the officiating at Alabama. Whatever the reason,  there seems to be a livelier buzz surrounding LSU vs. Louisiana Tech…
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1.  LSU still has a shot at Orlando or Dallas as postseason destinations.  (Technically, if Bama or Florida lose in the regular season and then in the SEC title game, LSU still has a shot at a BCS bowl, too.)

2.  LSU will be facing quite a bit of in-state talent when they battle Louisiana Tech tomorrow.

3.  Despite a 3-6 record, this writer believes Derek Dooley has Tech on the right track.

4.  According to this notes column, Les Miles would like to see the SEC foot the bill for some hi-def monitors in their replay booths.

5.  In basketball news, Trent Johnson’s second squad opens the season against Louisiana-Monroe tonight.

6.  Johnson knows that his team is undermanned, but he says there’s “not a sense of panic.”

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1.  LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson was back at practice yesterday, but Les Miles didn’t declare him the starter for Saturday just yet.

2.  If Jefferson can’t go, Tiger fans will be eager to see what kind of improvement Jarrett Lee has made in the past year.

3.  A caller during a radio show told Miles that he should have gone into a tirade over the controversial interception call on Saturday and that he needed to “stand up” for the Tigers.

4.  Miles believes his team is better equipped to end this season on a winning note.

5.  This notes column covers a number of Tiger injuries.

6.  In basketball news, ESPN gave high marks to LSU basketball’s early signing class.

7.  Trent Johnson is working with Tasmin Mitchell on his leadership style.

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Notes from Les Miles’ teleconference:

* Miles opened up his comments by saluting America’s veterans and mentioning the tragedy at Ft. Hood.

* “Last week was a long time ago. … We’re not looking back.”  Miles said his players have had a good attitude this week.

* Miles expects Jordan Jefferson “to be improved,” but he wouldn’t talk too much about his availability in today’s practice.

* Miles has enjoyed coaching his dual-sport athletes and doesn’t “see any short-comings at this point.”

* This year’s team is “more responsible” than last year’s team.  “I think the leadership’s good.  I look forward to the back end of the season.”

* Miles expects his backups to play as well as his starters.  “We’re fortunate that we have that mindset and that our players do as well.”

* LSU likes being able to change the tempo on offense with a no-huddle attack.  “I think it benefits our quarterbacks in an opponent’s stadium as well.”  It also puts pressure on the opponent substitution-wise.

* “I don’t think there’s any way that you can win championships without defense.”  If you don’t have a quality defense in the SEC, you’re not going to win. 

* There is also a necessity to run the football in the SEC.

* Miles wouldn’t say if he liked having a non-conference game late LSU’s schedule or not.  “That’s how it is.”  He said that he simply looks forward to playing then next game, whether it’s a conference game or not.

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1.  LSU can go in a couple of directions in trying to replace injured tailback Charles Scott.

2.  Keiland Williams could finally become the Tigers’ go-to back.

3.  Even though it might mean more playing time, Williams is saddened by the injury to Scott.

4.  It will be brother-against-brother when LSU faces Louisiana Tech this weekend.

5.  Tech has shown some offensive punch of late… but I’d guess that’ll end on Saturday.

6.  According to this notes column, as long as Jordan Jefferson’s ankle is healthy, he’s got nothing to worry about from backup Jarrett Lee.

7.  In basketball news, guard Alex Farrer will be out for the rest of the calendar year with a dislocated kneecap, which is a blow to the thin LSU roster.

8.  Trent Johnson will be giving away 250 tickets to students for next week’s LSU-Indiana State game.

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1.  LSU has several holes to fill thanks to a rash of injuries.

2.  The big story out of Baton Rouge today is Les Miles’ decision to not complain about a non-interception call in Saturday’s fourth quarter.

3.  “I looked at the television feed, and I do not know what the instant replay officials are looking at,” Miles said.  “I defer, and I’m going to understand that in fact these guys are doing everything they can to get it right.  I’m going to figure that if there’s an issue, they’ll get it fixed.”

4.  Miles did joke about the call when a reporter at his press conference said, “If that wasn’t an interception, then I’ve never seen one.”

5.  Aside from the officials, Miles also spent some time explaining/defending some of his second-half decisions.

6.  Miles said Brandon Taylor was LSU’s best option to replace an injured Patrick Peterson during the loss to Alabama.

7.  LSU players still want to finish strong.  Of course.

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1.  LSU will have to regroup mentally and physically from Saturday’s loss at Alabama.

2.  The biggest loss might have been tailback Charles Scott who will miss the rest of the season.

3.  Despite the loss, LSU moved up in the BCS standings.

4.  Penalties proved costly for the Tigers in Tuscaloosa.

5.  Randy Rosetta of The Baton Rouge Advocate writes that SEC officials are losing their credibility.

6.  Glenn Guilbeau of Gannett Louisiana writes that LSU wouldn’t have beaten the Tide even with the questionable interception call.

7.  LSU’s players weren’t talking about conspiracies after the game, they simply said that they were beaten on the field.

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Scoring expected to be at a premium in SEC West duel
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1.  Kicker Josh Jasper might be called upon quite a bit against Alabama’s stingy defense.

2.  So far, LSU’s special teams units have been up to the challenge.  (Which seems to be out of the norm for SEC teams this year.)

3.  LSU fans will need to keep their eyes on the Tide’s Mark Ingram and Rolando McClain tomorrow.

4.  Brandon LaFell and Terrance Tolliver are easily the conference’s best one-two punch at the receiver position.

5.  Don’t expect the quarterbacks – one who takes too many sacks (Jordan Jefferson) and the other who struggles in the red zone (Greg McElroy — to outshine the defenses tomorrow.

6.  The Tigers’ offense has been improving, but it will get its toughest test from Alabama.

7.  Les Miles wants to see more of tailback/fullback Stevan Ridley in LSU’s attack.

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1.  Jordan Jefferson says he has to try to be perfect against Alabama’s defense.

2.  Patrick Peterson is looking forward to his one-on-one battle with Julio Jones.

3.  Linebacker Kelvin Sheppard is having a breakout season for the Tigers.

4.  Here’s an odd fact: the road team in the Alabama-LSU series is 27-11-1 since 1970.  That’s hard to believe.

5.  According to this notes column, Les Miles says he’s been playing “Sweet Home Alabama” at practice this week.  He also says that he doesn’t know the lyrics which I find impossible to believe.

6.  Facing Terrence Cody this week, center T-Bob Hebert knows he’ll have to stay low and drive with his feet.

7.  Miles believes his team might actually need to slow down a little bit in practice.

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Notes from Les Miles’ teleconference:

* LSU is “relatively healthy.”  The team has practiced well this week.

* Jordan Jefferson is getting better because he’s getting more and more on-field experience.   He’s taking advantage of coverages better.

* Terrance Tolliver “comes off the practice field spent.”

* Asked if the Nick Saban versus Les Miles talk has died down, Miles said he’s never given any though to that and it’s always about Alabama and LSU to him.

* Alabama is “good, capable and well coached.”  Miles did not get into specifics when asked to explain what he’s concerned about in facing Bama.  He did say it’s hard to find weaknesses on Alabama’s team.

* If LSU plays the way they can play, “we’ll be happy with the outcome.”

* Rolando McClain does a good job of getting his teammates into the right positions.  “A very bright player who understands the intricacies of the game.”

* Miles expects both offenses to “move more slowly than they’d like.”

* Julio Jones is “a tremendous receiver.”  “There’s no difference in the plays that he makes… from a year ago.”  “They use him run and pass.”

* LSU is getting more confident on offense.  “I feel like there’s a commitment to excellence there and a comfort with what’s being called.”  “We’re getting better.”


*

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1.  Nick Saban likes the improvements his Alabama team made during their open week.

2.  LSU’s defense is preparing for a physical Tide offense.

3.  Cornerback Patrick Peterson will be put in charge of slowing down Bama receiver Julio Jones.

4.  The Tigers will also have to stop Heisman candidate Mark Ingram.

5.  Ingram looks to improve over his five carry, six yard performance against LSU last year.

6.  Kelvin Sheppard is the first Tiger linebacker since 2002 to record three consecutive double-digit tackle games.

7.  The Tide feel their offense is ready to get rolling again.

8.  On the other side of the ball, Tiger center T-Bob Hebert will have to deal with massive nose tackle Terrence Cody.
 
9.  Les Miles isn’t playing down the significance of this week’s game.

10.  In basketball news, Trent Johnson has decided to hold closed-door scrimmages against Division I teams (like South Alabama last weekend) rather than open exhibitions against small colleges.

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1.  The coaches say Saturday’s game is about LSU versus Alabama, not them.

2.  This writer feels the game won’t be hyped as Coach versus Coach.

3.  But this writer — correctly, in my opinion — says the game still IS about Les Miles versus Nick Saban.  (Miles will not even say Saban’s name, which this writer says, “may show more inferiority than gamesmanship.”)

4.  Regardless of the focus of the hype, the Tigers are ready for a big-game atmosphere in Tuscaloosa.

5.  Ciron Black says he loves “going to Alabama because it is hostile.”

6.  Stevan Ridley hopes he’s played his way into LSU’s tailback rotation.
 

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1.  LSU’s linebackers continue to improve and thrive.

2.  Freshman Thomas Parsons made a nice impact at fullback against Tulane.

3.  With Tulane behind them, LSU can finally focus on Alabama and the Game of the Year in the SEC West.

4.  Miles tries not to talk about Nick Saban… possibly because some LSU fans still prefer their past coach to their current one.

5.  This writer believes LSU’s “stock is clearly rising” while “Alabama is backsliding.”

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Tigers roll over Wave in perhaps the final game of historic series
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Ending storied rivalry least of Tigers’ issues
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1.  LSU’s turnover-forcing defense is one of the best in the SEC.

2.  The Tigers’ defensive starters even forced their way back into the Auburn game to try to make a meaningless, late-game stand.

3.  Offensive lineman Will Blackwell has had three different stories written about him this week.  Here’s the latest.

4.  LSU is a 35-point favorite to win their 18th in a row against Tulane.

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1.  Former Tiger player and coach Jerry Stovall talks about the LSU-Tulane rivalry that starts coming to a close this weekend.

2.  Here’s another story on offensive lineman Will Blackwell… who has helped the resurgent LSU running attack.

3.  Receiver Terrance Tolliver is having a breakout season for the Tigers.

4.  According to this notes column, Jordan Jefferson was back at practice yesterday after missing time earlier this week with a respiratory illness.

5.  Jefferson’s stats got a boost from his performance against Auburn.

6.  Freshman Russell Shepard was glad to get into the end zone last Saturday.  “I went from having 160 touchdowns (actually 98) in high school to struggling to get touches, so it was an amazing feeling.  I went from being a high school sensation to waiting my turn — waiting for anything.”

7.  In basketball news, LSU held a scrimmage last night that ended in a 46-46 tie.

8.  Bo Spencer and Garrett Green looked good in bouncing back from injuries.

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