Saints, LSU victorious as Nicholls suffers

New Orleans Saints:

Quarterback: So much for the lockout, Drew Brees has no rust at all. Just more than a week after torching the Packers, Brees took out his 0-1 anger on the Bears’ defense in a stellar show of accuracy and decision making.

GRADE: A+

Halfbacks: Both Mark Ingram and Pierre Thomas had solid rushing games against a tough Bears front. We’d sure like to see Ingram carry the ball more securely after inexplicably losing the football late with the Saints salting away the clock.

GRADE: C+

Receivers: If any other team in the NFL lost a guy the caliber of Marques Colston, an immediate impact would be felt. In New Orleans, the show keeps chugging along toward the end zone. With the stud wide out on the shelf, Devery Henderson and Jimmy Graham picked up the slack to keep the Saints moving.

GRADE: A

Offensive line: It’s not easy to keep the Bears’ hungry defensive line out of the backfield. The Saints did that and more Sunday, even getting a push of their own to keep the chains moving in the running game. A good rebound performance after a poor showing in Green Bay.

GRADE: B

Defensive line: Jay Cutler was hit. He was sacked. He was battered, bruised, pounded and obliterated Sunday in the Dome. Sure, the Bears have a weak offensive line. But to sack anyone six times in one game is just unbelievable.

GRADE: A+

Linebackers: Jonathan Vilma left the game with an undisclosed injury. With Vilma nixed, the Saints’ backers struggled to contain Bears’ halfback Matt Forte, who has become a monster for the Windy City’s squad.

GRADE: C+

Defensive backs: The way a sack occurs is two-fold. The first is pressure, the Saints got lots and lots of that Sunday. The second is coverage. The Saints weren’t perfect there, but were serviceable in what was a much better showing than the team’s struggles against Green Bay.

GRADE: B

Special Teams: This group deserves an F for even thinking about trying a swinging gate play on fourth down and the team in field goal range. But a penalty nullified what would have surely been a failed effort, which means I have to be easy on this group … at least for one more week.

GRADE: B+

Coaching Staff: With more than a week to prepare, it was easy to figure out the Saints’ offense would be ready for the Bears’ defense. What was the shocker of the day was how well the Black and Gold’s struggling defense played against the Bears’ offense. Jay Cutler will see Saints in his nightmares for weeks. Couldn’t have happened to a bigger chump-stain. What a good, solid game plan for Sean Payton and staff.

GRADE: A

OVERALL GRADE: One can look at Week 2 of the NFL season two ways. Optimists can say that the Saints rebounded and easily beat a very good Bears team. That’s a fair argument. Pessimists can say that the Carolina Panthers nearly beat the Packers with a rookie quarterback, so maybe the Packers’ loss is worse than it looks on the surface. I tend to lean in the middle. The Saints are still very, very good, even though obvious flaws in the team’s secondary need to be fixed … NOW.

TEAM GRADE: B+

LSU Tigers:

Quarterback: Through three games, Jarrett Lee has three touchdown passes. It took Jordan Jefferson 12 games to get to the whopping sum of four. LSU’s better under center now than they’ve been since Matt Flynn, folks.

GRADE: B+

Halfbacks: Spencer Ware pummeled the bodies and ultimately the pride of the Bulldogs’ defense, getting more than 100 yards on 22 carries. Michael Ford wasn’t half bad, either for this budding LSU group.

GRADE: A-

Receivers: For the second-straight game, Rueben Randle looked like a go-to receiver. Imagine how good Odell Beckham could be in the coming weeks when he’s in the slot and Russell Shepard’s getting the attention of the more polished cornerbacks on the field.

GRADE: B+

Offensive line: Jarrett Lee’s jersey stayed relatively clean as the Tigers rushed the football fairly easily. Sounds like a good, solid recipe for a group that is quickly becoming an anchor of this 2011 offense.

GRADE: A

Defensive line: Mississippi State came into the game ranked as one of the top handful of rushing offenses in America. Against LSU, they ran the ball 34 times for 52 yards. The LSU front is just a giant brick wall, a brick wall that also runs a 4.4-second 40-yard dash.

GRADE: A+

Linebackers: The only source of offense for the Bulldogs was check-down passes to Mississippi State halfbacks and tight ends. Aside from that no-no, the Tigers’ linebackers kept the Bulldogs off balance and under siege the entire game.

GRADE: B-

Defensive backs: The Bulldogs just had no chance to hit passes down the field, absolutely none. The LSU secondary just wanted no part of anything the Bulldogs were trying to do on vertical pass routes.

GRADE: A+

Special Teams: Drew Alleman really made a bold statement Saturday, sinking four field goals in a road Southeastern Conference game. Mark me down as one guy who is a little more comfortable with LSU’s previously inexperienced kicker.

GRADE: A-

Coaching Staff: With Mississippi State having endured a grueling game with Auburn last Saturday, LSU knew stamina was on their side Thursday night. The Tigers just pounded and pounded and pounded until the Bulldogs couldn’t be pounded anymore, which led to LSU taking control of the game in the fourth quarter. It will be interesting to see if Les Miles will allow Jarrett Lee to throw the football more in the future with the senior beginning to gain confidence in his surroundings.

GRADE: B

OVERALL GRADE: I don’t care if you’re playing Vanderbilt or Alabama, getting a road win in the SEC is tough business. LSU looked conservative at times and sometimes even appeared to be shading their hand from the country, but a win is a win and let’s face it, the Bulldogs had no chance to score once LSU took control of the game, so why not pull back a little bit and keep a few tricks for the next game? Another dominant performance from a dominant team.

TEAM GRADE: A

Nicholls St. Colonels:

Quarterbacks: LaQuintin Caston and Beaux Hebert struggled to stretch the field against the UL-Lafayette defense. But can you blame them? They were sacked more than a half-dozen times. No quarterback can succeed under that pressure.

GRADE: B-

Halfbacks: On a really tough day for the Colonels, Marcus Washington emerged as a bright spot, nearly accumulating 100 yards on the ground. This kid’s a good, solid runner.

GRADE: A-

Receivers: With Caston and Hebert really struggling to avoid sacks, Nicholls’ receivers did the best they could to get open in a short amount of time. There’s just only so much you can do.

GRADE: C+

Offensive line: One week after playing relatively well against Western Michigan, Nicholls’ offensive line run blocked very well against the Ragin’ Cajuns. The pass blocking was not where it needs to be, however, and the Colonels’ offense paid the price as a result.

GRADE: C+

Defensive line: The Colonels’ defensive line wasn’t terrible against UL’s spread attack, but it wasn’t particularly dominant, either, allowing Alonzo Harris to dash for 76 yards on just 11 carries.

GRADE: C+

Linebackers: Where the defensive line failed to generate a large push, the Colonels’ linebackers did a good job squeezing the gaps to prevent big plays to be had. A very good showing from this underrated group.

GRADE: B+

Defensive backs: Facing a step up in competition, Nicholls’ defensive backs earned the high mark for the day, never flinching against the Ragin’ Cajuns. The unit limited UL to less than 50 percent passing, while also intercepting a pass.

GRADE: A-

Special Teams: This game was back and forth with neither team holding an advantage for much of the first half. The tide turned when the Cajuns blocked a Nicholls field goal and took it to the house for a touchdown. That’s a mistake you just can’t make against a more talented opponent.

GRADE: F

Coaching Staff: A week after being beaten soundly by Western Michigan, the Colonels really played a good ballgame against UL-Lafayette. If Nicholls could just improve in pass protection and sure up the few mistakes that always seem to cost the team points, special things would happen. Give it time. Give it time.

GRADE: B+

OVERALL GRADE: It’s been a while since Nicholls played this well against a Football Bowl Subdivision team. Sure, the final score wasn’t what the team hoped, but the Colonels were competitive. Heck, the team was only outgained by 55 yards against the Cajuns. If Nicholls plays this well all year, Southland Conference wins will be sure to follow this team wherever it goes.

TEAM GRADE: B