9/3/10 6:30 am CST

Good morning, Tiger Fans. The LSU Tigers football team will be departing Baton Rouge later this today for Atlanta, Georgia, and will have a walk-through practice this afternoon. The team will enjoy an evening meal together and a movie.

The Tigers will be playing North Carolina in the Georgia Dome at 7 p.m. and ABC will televise the contest. I cannot recall a season-opening game that has drawn as much hype as this one.  There is no doubt that Les Miles is starting to feel pressure from Tiger fans and alumni because of being 8-8 the last two seasons in SEC games, and because of several coaching blunders, mostly in clock management, the last two years. I believe that Miles has corrected the clock management situation and will go at least 6-2 in the SEC this season. I also believe that with only five to six seniors in the starting lineup, the future looks good for LSU football.

While we are all aware that LSU is 7-1 in games played in the Georgia Dome, the Tigers are also 8-4 in games covered by ESPN, and ESPN will be hosting GAME DAY this Saturday from outside the Georgia Dome from Atlanta Centennial Olympic Park starting at 8 a.m CDT on ESPNU. ESPN has done interviews with Kelvin Sheppard, Patrick Peterson and Jordan Jefferson leading up to the contest and will feature LSU head coach Les Miles miked-up during the Big Cat Drills that none of you will want to miss.

There is still no official word on how many UNC players will miss the game because of possible NCAA violations. I am hearing four to 16. My guess is about six to eight. LSU will have at least four players who will miss the game, including three starters in Deangelo Peterson, Ryan Baker and Karnall Hatcher (Hatcher was listed as a co-starter before going down with a injury last week). Chris Tolliver, the number four wide receiver on the team, will also miss the game. As many as 15-16 true freshmen and redshirt freshmen will make the trip and expect to see some playing time for LSU. Two walk-on fullbacks, James Stampley from Baker and Connor Neighbors (5'10", 237, freshman from Huntsville) are expected to see playing time in the game with Stampley starting.

In recruiting news, LSU is well on its way to having a top 5-10 recruiting class for 2011 and is off to a great start for the 2012 class. Avery Johnson, the younger brother of LSU All-American-candidate cornerback Patrick Peterson, announced Wednesday that he was going to follow his brother's footsteps to LSU. The highly touted WR, (6'2-180) committed to the Tigers after mulling over offers from USC, Alabama, Miami, Florida, North Carolina and Florida State. The Jr. receiver at Ely high school in Pompano Beach, Florida was on the reception end of 50 balls for over 700 yards last season. Tigers' assistant coach, Billy Gonzales was instrumental in securing the pledge from Johnson. Johnson is likely to be a five-star recruit and might very well be the top player in Florida for the 2012 signing class.

Below are my high school picks for this week. As a rule I post my high school picks on Thursday, but I went on a two-day fishing trip Wednesday and Thursday and forgot to post my picks. I know that a few of the games were played Thursday night, but I will post my original predications. I regret the error.

Week One high school picks. There will be some outstanding games played this week including a few longtime rivalries such as Winnfield versus Jonesboro-Hodge. The 2010 contest will be the 83rd meeting between the two teams and the 66th consecutive year the two teams have faced each other, with that streaks beginning in 1945. The overall series record shows just how close the series is, tied at 40-40-2. For Winnfield, those wins and losses represent the most wins and losses they have against any opponent. Only 44 points separate the two when the combined scores of all the games that have been played are added up, with Jonesboro-Hodge scoring 1,327 points in the 82 games and Winnfield scoring 1,371 points Winnfield has an overall 23-16-1 record in home games against Jonesboro-Hodge, but has a commanding 16-7-0 record in home games played in Stokes-Walker Stadium, which opened in 1964. Jonesboro-Hodge holds a 24-17-1 record against Winnfield in games played on their home field. Winnfield and Jonesboro-Hodge have opened the season against each other 25 times, with Winnfield winning 15 of those season-openers and Jonesboro winning 10. The above information came from the Winnfield High webpage which is one of the best in the state, in my opinion.

Other outstanding games to be played in week one are Acadiana against a very good Northside team, St Thomas More and Sulphur, Dutchtown and Lutcher, Patterson and East St John, L.W. Higgins-Shaw, Calvary Baptist- Farmerville.

5-A
Haughton 21 Airline 20
Byrd 24 Ruston 21
Neville 28 Ouachita 20
Pineville 28 West Ouachita 14
Natchitoches 13 DeRidder 12
Captain Shrev 27 Parkway 21
West Monroe 35 Leesville 7
Acadiana 24 Northside 20
Barbe 28 Tioga 13
Lafayette 20 Terrebonne 13
LaGrange 28 Washington Marion 20
St. Thomas More 28 Sulphur 20
Carencro 27 Capitol 20
Comeaux 21 South Terrebonne 13
New Iberia 20 Tara 14
Westgate 28 Breaux Bridge 26
Catholic BR 35 McKinley 7
Central 33 Port Allen 20
Denham Springs 20 Broadmoor 13
Assumption 21 Live Oak 20
Walker 28 Morgan City 14
Zachary 20 West Feliciana 19
Destrehan 28 Helen Cox 20
Dutchtown 28 Lutcher 27
Patterson 29 East ST John 27
Hahnville 35 John Ehret 28
St. Amant 20 Couvington 14
Hammond 28 St Thomas Aquinas 20
John Curtis 35 Mandeville 6
Ponchatoula 27 Independence 20
Slidell 14 Holy Cross 10
St Paul 24 Karr 20
Rummel 35 H.L. Bourgeois 17
Central Lafourche 35 Warren Easton 13
Thibodaux 35 McDonogh 20
Chalmette 17 John McDonogh 14
L.W. Higgins 27 Shaw 20
St. Aug 28 West Jefferson 13
Jesuit 34 Lakeshore 13

4-A
Abe line, Texas 28 Franklinton 20
Benton 28 Sterlington 14
Minden 28 North DeSoto 13
Bastrop 35 Arcadia 6
Delhi Charter 28 Franklin Parish 13
Alexandria 35 Buckeye 13
Grant 28 Montgomery 21
Sam Houston 20 St. Martinville 14
Crowley 21 Sam Houston 20
St. Louis 31 Mansfield 13
Beau Chene 20 Church Point 14
Cecilia 34 Avoyelles 12
Eunice 32 Opelousas 14
Notre Dame 20 Teurlings 17
St John 28 Belaire 14
East ST John 35 Istrouma 12
St Michael 34 University 10
St. Charles 35 Woodlawn BR 13
South Plaquemines 28 Belle Chase 27
E.D. White 21 Vandebilt 17
Riverdale 34 Crescent City 20
Salmen 21 Slidell 20
O.P. Walker 28 J.S. Clark 14

3-A
St. Frederick 27 Loyola 24
Caldwell 20 Jena 13
Carroll 21 Lake Providence 14
Wossman 28 Madison 14
Rayville 27 Oak Grove 19
Westlake 34 Marksville 21
Vidalia 26 Block 20
Iowa 34 Abbeville 21
Erath 27 Berwick 12
Kaplan 20 West St Mary 13
Ville Platte 28 North Vermilion 13
Rayne 13 Rosepine 12
Catholic New Iberia 29 Jeanerette 19
Franklin 20 CCMC 17
Baker 22 East Iberville 16
Parkview 35 Christian Life 13
Redemptorist 44 Southern Lab 12
Brusly 28 Donaldsonville 14
Livonia 35 Albany 20
St James 34 West St John 20
Amite 21 Kentwood 20
Newman 34 Bogalusa 14
Springfield 19 Loranger 14

2-A
Farmerville 28 Calvary 21
Homer 33 Red River 20
Lakeside 21 Plain Dealing 14
North Caddo 22 Northwood – Shreveport 14
Haynesville 27 Springhill 20
Winnfield 20 Jonesboro 14
Carroll 21 Lake Providence 20
Ouachita Christian 31 Mangham 14
Menard 20 Bunkie 13
ST Mary 27 Lakeview 14
Many 27 Oakdale 12
South Cameron 14 DeQuincy 13
East Beauregard 26 Oberlin 21
Pickerling 20 Logansport 13
South Beauregard 21 Merryville 20
Iota 20 Vinton 14
Kinder 7 Elton 6
Lake Arthur 14 Hamilton Christian 12
Port Barre 20 Mamou 14
Pine Prairie 22 LaSalle 21
Riverside 20 White Castle 14
Loreauville 21 Welsh 14
Catholic NI 28 Jeanerette 7
Dunham 20 Opelousas Catholic 16
St Edmund 20 Sacred Heart 19
Brusly 22 Donaldsonville 20
Pine 13 Lutheran 12
Springfield 28 Loranger 26
Cedar Creek 20 Grambling 14
Delhi 15 Ringgold 13
Grant 33 Montgomery 20
Gueydan 20 Basile 14
Delcambre 27 False River 13
Westminister 32 Vermillion Catholic 21
Newman 31 Bogalusa 14
South Plaquemines
St John 28 Bellaire 14
West St John
Central Catholic Morgan City

Reader comments: To all LSU alumni and fans in the greater Charlotte area. The LSU Alumni Carolinas Chapter will be watching all LSU games this fall at a new location, Strike City, located downtown in the EpiCentre. We will have a separate room feserved for most of the games, parking will be free in the EpiCentre parking lot, Abita is on tap at the bar, and there will be a Louisiana themed food special every week. For more information, go to our website www.lsucarolina.com or send our chapter an e-mail at lsualumnicarolinas@gmail.com. We look forward to seeing plenty of LSU fans this fall. Geaux Tigers!

Reader comments: The MS Gulf Coast Chapter of the LSU Alumni Association will gather to watch the LSU v. UNC game on Saturday, September 4 at the Port City Café Sports Bar located at 2418 14th St. in downtown Gulfport, MS. All LSU fans residing along the MS Gulf Coast are encouraged to come cheer on the Tigers. The party commences at 7 p.m. shortly before kickoff. Specials include $0.25 wings and $1 Longnecks. For more information, please contact Jeff Bertucci at jeff@sojlaw.net. For directions please see www.port-city-cafe-ms.com/directions.html. Geaux Tigers!

Reader comments: The West Houston Katy LSU Alumni and Fans Association will hold their first TIGER FOOTBALL PARTY. When:Saturday September 4th; Where:Orleans Seafood Kitchen Westgreen

9/2/10 5:55 am CST

Good morning, Tiger Fans. Last night I listened to the Les Miles radio talk-show and I thought that Coach Miles did a good job answering questions from the callers. Miles said he was expecting up to 25,000 LSU fans to make the trip from Louisiana and that the team has had a great last two weeks of practice.

According to Coach Miles, LSU's defense had the upper hand at the start of Fall practice but the offense has really come on strong of late. Miles said he feels like the offense will perform very well in the game and gain 400 yards of total offense. Miles is hoping that Richard Murphy and Stephen Ridley will each rush for close to 100 and that Terrance Tolliver, Rueben Randle and Russell Shepard will have close to 200 yards in pass receptions.

Chris called and asked the coach how he was going to deal with bad calls this season because LSU had more than their share of bad calls last season. Miles' reply was that he and his assistant coaches could not comment on bad calls. Miles did say that he has a good relationship with the SEC director of officials and that they have worked hard to get things right.

Jerry called and asked Miles coach what he has seen different from this team than LSU teams of the past. Miles' reply was that this team comes to practice with smiles on their face and has great work habits. Miles had high words of praise for this year's freshman class.

Joshua called and asked Miles about a statement he made before the start of Fall practice that this year's team could win the national title. Miles reply was that the team's goal each year is to win the SEC West and play for the national title.

Bryan called and asked about the strength of Richard Murphy and Stephen Ridley. According to Miles, they are very similar with Ridley being more of a power runner, and said that both catch the ball very well out of the backfield.

Robert called and asked why LSU did not recruit Texas harder than they do and gave Oklahoma as an example with 45 players on their roster from Texas. Miles' reply was that LSU recruits Texas very hard, especially the Houston area, but does not have to recruit Texas as hard as OU because of the talent level in Louisiana.

Jeannie from the live audience asked if the offensive linen had improved since last season. Miles said he really likes this year's offensive line and is expecting great things. Miles is very high on Alex Hurst and Will Blackwell and said the OL has more depth than 2009.

In other LSU football news, Les Miles picked up his first commitment for the class of 2012 in WR Avery Johnson (6'1-1/2, 185), the brother of Patrick Peterson. Johnson had offers from Florida, USC, North Carolina, Central Florida and Michigan.

"It didn't have anything to do with Patrick," said Johnson. "LSU is a great school with great atmosphere, great fans, a great stadium, great facilities and great academics."

I went fishing yesterday and caught 18-20 (a mixture of Bass and Bull Bream) and had a great time.

I close this update with some sad news. My dearly departed wife Joy's older brother, Ray Ardoin, passed away late Wednesday at the age of 80 years old.

9/1/10 5:55 am CST

Good morning, Tiger Fans. Only three days until kickoff - I hope all of you are ready for some action!

According to several reports, LSU star tight end Deangelo Peterson suffered an ankle injury in last Saturday's scrimmage and will likely missed two to three games. There has not been any statement out of LSU concerning his injury. Losing Peterson for any length of time will be a major blow to the offense as he undoubtedly one of the best pass receiving tight ends in the SEC. Peterson is the fourth LSU player to likely miss the North Carolina game. Ryan Baker, Karnell Hatcher and Chris Tolliver are the other three. Peterson's likely replacement is Chase Clement or Tyler Edwards.

It was first believed that LSU would have a big advantage over UNC because of Tar Heel players forced to miss the game due to NCAA infractions, which are not yet official, but with four LSU players out with injuries things have changed.

I will be in North Louisiana today and probably tomorrow doing a little fishing, and I am not sure that I will be able to pick up the Les Miles show, but I will do my best and hope to have a report on what the coach has to say. I believe Coach Miles is very confident that LSU will win the game. LSU offensive coordination Gary Crowton will be in the press box calling the plays on offense, and coach Billy Gonzales will be on the sideline next to Coach Miles. Defensive coordinator John Chavis will be on the sideline calling the defense. I look for LSU to blitz more from the defensive ends because of Sam Montgomery, Kendrick Adams and Barkevious Mingo's speed. I also believe LSU will play more man to man coverage with the cornerbacks, Patrick Peterson and Morris Claiborne, because of their speed. I expect LSU to occasionally blitz the safeties, Brandon Taylor, Craig Loston and Eric Reid.

According to reports, it is getting closer to official that LSU will open the 2011 season against Oregon in Cowboys Stadium. The two schools will get a fixed guarantee for participating in that contest. LSU is looking for a fourth non-conference opponent in 2012. The Tigers will play North Texas, Idaho and Washington at home. The fourth opponent will probably be an FCS school.

Today I will start my college picks for the season. I do this just for fun and for my readers's enjoyment, and my picks are not meant to be used as a betting tool. I bleed purple and gold and I very seldom pick LSU to lose. In the last five years I have been 52-16 with my LSU picks. Okay, here we go with my college picks:

LSU 27 North Carolina 17
South Carolina 24 Southern Miss 20
Tulane 35 Southeastern 17
Alabama 48 San Jose State 0
Arkansas 45 Tennessee Tech 6
Auburn 24 Arkansas State 13
Florida 52 Miami Ohio 10
Georgia 33 ULL 17
Tennessee 38 Tennessee Martin 3
Texas A&M 30 Stephen F. Austin 10
West Virginia 28 Coastal Carolina 14
Louisville 31 Kentucky 30
La Tech 28 Grambling 14
Mississippi State 24 Memphis 14
Ole Miss 42 Jacksonville 10
Vanderbilt 17 Northwestern 13
Nebraska 45 Western Kentucky 0
Oklahoma 44 Utah St 17
Utah 20 Uconn 14
Oklahoma State 24 Washington State 20
TCU 33 Oregon State 31
Texas 54 Rice 10
San Diego State 38 Nicholls State 7
Notre Dame 28 Purdue 14
Ohio State 31 Marshall 14
Missouri 28 Illinois 24
USC 44 Hawaii 31
FSU 24 Stamford 20
UAB 17 Florida Atlantic 14
Tulsa 45 East Carolina 31
Michigan 23 Connecticut 20
Colorado 27 Colorado State 24
Clemson 34 North Texas 10
UCLA 33 Kansas State 27
BYU 28 Washington 24
Troy 32 Bowling Green 27
Boston College 35 WEBER 0
Virginia Tech 24 Boise State 13
Baylor 27 Sam Houston 13
Air Force 34 NWST 7

Reader comments: Reminder: The popular LSU and You show with LSU analysts Charles Hanagriff, airs Thursday's from 11-12pm (CST) on ESPN1420 in the Acadiana area and via the web at http://www.espn1420.com . Call in # is (337) 269-1077 or email any questions for the show at sportsnote@hotmail.com

Reader comments: Come join the LSU NE OK Chapter in the Tulsa area for the LSU vs. North Carolina Watch Party at our new location, The Fox and Hound (71st and S. Garnett). Kick-off is at 7 PM with our pre-game tailgate starting at 6:30 PM. The chapter will have Watch Parties at the Fox and Hound for all televised games. The times for the Vanderbilt game on Saturday Sept 11th and theMississippi State game on September 18th have been set for 6 PM. We will have our pre-game tailgate at the Fox and Hound for those games at 5:30 PM. We hope you can make it for one or more of these Watch Parties so you can feel the camaraderie of bunch of LSU fans cheering collectively for the Tigers in the Sooner state. If you have any questions about our upcoming Watch Parties contact Keith Huffman at president@lsuneok.com or check out our chapter's newly launched website at LSUNEOK.com.

Reader comments: The Central Virginia LSU Alumni Chapter will be having the UNC view-in at Bailey's Pub & Grill, 11581 Robious Road, Richmond, VA 23235 (804.560.4600). TV coverage starts at 8PM so please arrive around 7:30. Family and friends are invited to join us. We are giving Bailey's˙s a try to see if we like the place so we need as many Fighting Tiger fans to attend to get their feedback.

Reader comments: The Panhandle Bayou Bengals will host a Watch Party Saturday September 4th at Shooter's Sports Bar in Cordova Lanes, 2111 Airport Blvd., Pensacola. The Tigers play the North Carolina Tarheels with the kickoff at 7:00pm. All LSU Fans and Friends are welcome! For more information call: 850-206-7981 or email: at LSUPanhandle@hotmail.com

Reader comments: LSU Alumni Chapter San Antonio presents a Bayou Bengal Football Viewing Party @ The Broadway 50 50 Burgers & Cocktails @ 9837 West IH-10 (Colonade location), SAT 78230. 210-691-5050. Join LSU Alumni, along w/fanatic Tiger fans & friends of LSU for great Figthing Tiger Football 2010. The long wait is finally over! Do you bleed Purple & Gold? Saturday night Sept. 4th, 7:00 PM (CT) kick-off. Tigers & Tarheels battle in Atlanta, GA. We welcome all members of Tiger Nation to come & watch LSU Tiger Football televised live on ABC-TV. Wear your colors! "Come pass a good time." Geaux Tigers!