Football season mailbag

Football season is here and you guys have a lot of questions about what’s going on.

I wasn’t scheduled to do a mailbag for my column this week, but after getting an influx of questions, I decided to be a man of the people and give everyone what they wanted.

This week’s questions mostly center on football, but I did collect some from other topics, as well, including one that isn’t even about sports at all.

—

Q: How about those Colonels? The McNeese win was huge for that program.

A: I’ve been covering the team since 2010, and that is by far the single biggest win they’ve had since then. McNeese is a gatekeeper program in the Southland Conference. They aren’t atop the league like Sam Houston State and others, but they’re always a threat to win a bunch of games and make the playoffs. So to beat those guys was a huge step forward because it showed that the Colonels are approaching a new level for their program. Good for them. They deserve it.

Q: LSU’s offense has looked really good with Matt Canada at the helm. Will that continue against the big dogs?

A: You know, LSU fans make me laugh. The Tigers got almost 500 yards and 27 points in a big win over BYU and very few people were happy. Some said Canada ran the ball too much. Others took offense to all of the shifting and everything, saying that the Tigers wouldn’t be able to “trick” the top teams in the country. I say that’s hogwash and hot air being spewed from people who don’t know a damned thing about football. Running the football too much has never been LSU’s offensive problem. The problem Les Miles had was he ran the football out of formations where you had to run the football, which made the team predictable. When in a set with three and four receivers, you at least have the option to throw it down the field, which keeps the middle of the field free of defenders and which keeps Derrius Guice in space.

Q: Who will be LSU’s first tough opponent?

A: I mean, the easy answer is Saturday at Mississippi State, but I don’t think that’s going to be a challenge for LSU. I will go a little bit further down the schedule and look at the Tigers’ road game at Florida as being the team’s first true test. Maybe I’m sleeping on the Bulldogs and also Syracuse, but I like this football team an awful lot. I don’t think just any team will be able to challenge them. I think only an exclusive club of the top 15-20 teams in the country can beat these guys. And Florida is in that club – especially when playing in the Swamp.

Q: Who is going to win the Heisman Trophy this year?

A: It won’t be Lamar Jackson. He’s an outstanding player and he’s going to have unbelievable stats again this fall. But let’s be honest. He only won it last year because the crop challenging him was awfully weak. It’s not often that a player playing for a team nowhere near the national title picture wins the trophy. This year, I think there will be a much deeper pool, led by UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen, Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield and even running back Derrius Guice. If looking for a sleeper, don’t count out Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts. He will get passing and rushing yards in a lot of big games this year. If the floor falls out from under a lot of the contenders again this year, Hurts might be the recipient.

Q: It’s been two weeks. Who is the best local team?

A: I said Vandebilt before the season, so I will stick with them. But there are an awful lot of worthwhile challengers. Let’s start in Terrebonne Parish with the Terrebonne Tigers. Look, I’m going to be 100 percent honest. I didn’t think Terrebonne was going to have a strong season this fall. They lost a good bit of their contributing players from last fall and they have an awful young nucleus. But I was wrong. Keshawn James is the real deal and Terrebonne is going to hang around for the whole season. In Class 4A, I also like E.D. White and South Lafourche an awful lot. The Cardinals and Tarpons both have the same type of rosters. They are extremely run-heavy offensively, which shortens the game. They both also have opportunistic defenses, which allow for turnovers and big plays. South Lafourche beat Thibodaux Friday for a statement win. E.D. White has rolled past Central Lafourche and Erath.

Q: What was the best sports video game ever? I’m talking old school.

A: Modern times, it’s hard to bet against any NBA 2K game. The realism in those games is unbelievable. I guess the same can be said for anything in the FIFA series or even Madden. But you specifically asked for old school titles, so I will obey your wishes. For me, Tecmo Bowl was a great game. I can play that with my nephew even still today. Track and Field for original Nintendo is also pretty solid, as well. Don’t tell the Lafourche School Superintendent, but in ninth grade Honors English, we’d have 20 minutes of free time at the end of our class period to “get a head start on our homework.” Forget that. We always played Track and Field on the computer emulator. Now, the internet security at school is much tighter, so there’s no way to get an emulator on a school computer. That’s a darned shame. Those kids are missing out.

Q: What do I need to start a career in sports reporting?

A: Good question. The first thing I think you need is the mindset that you’re chasing a passion and not wealth. As a journalist, I make a decent living – enough to pay my bills and everything, but this is not a glamour job that pays out a six or seven figure salary. That’s the first thing. The second thing you need to have is a passion. I love sports. I am doing this job because I love it. Ask any of my friends or colleagues. Whether on or off the clock, I am talking about something going on in sports. If you have the right mindset and the adequate passion, chase it. A person can be taught to write. I sure didn’t know how to before I got to LSU. But I knew that I loved the games, which made it all doable. If you need any help, get at me in my email – casey@rushing-media.com.

Q: What’s the best place to eat in Houma/Thibodaux area? From Texas and looking to catch a Nicholls game soon.

A: Wow. Didn’t expect this one. There are so many. I can’t list just one because my boss would kill me because I may be offending advertisers. I like Big Mike’s, Peppers, Big Al’s, A-Bear’s and so many more. Google ‘top Houma restaurants’ and everything that pops up is worth the time and the money, I promise.

Q: Who is the guy no one yet knows, but who will be a fantasy football sleeper?

A: If I knew for certain, I’d be in Vegas somewhere playing for cash. But I will take a guess. I think Joe Mixon is an NFL-caliber back who has a chance to really break out and have a huge season – especially once the team clears out its logjam and starts to give him starter’s carriers. Outside of Mixon, I have a bunch of other guys that I really like, but none of them are really unknown. I think Marcus Mariota will be a great quarterback this season – one of the top fantasy guys. I’m also high on Jay Ajayi.

Q: What will the Saints be this fall?

A: I’m going 8-8. Nothing more. Nothing less. This will be Drew Brees’ last season with the team. •

Techmo Bowl

Follow Casey on Twitter for more. 

https://twitter.com/casey_gisclair