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Hi, everybody.

My name is Victor Hall, and it is indeed a pleasure to welcome you to Game Notes.

It's a new era here at LPB as we celebrate our 50th birthday this year.

We are taking a deep dive into sports coverage on LPB.

We've had the pleasure of bringing you the induction ceremonies from the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame over the summer from Natchitoches.

And now we kick off a football season here on game those where we promise to bring you the best in coverage of 11 schools from around the state, no matter where you went to school, whether you're a Jaguar, a tiger, a bulldog.

We plan on having you covered here on Game Notes.

Take a look at the coverage from the I-20 route in North Louisiana all across the I-10 route, and of course, stopping at Northwestern State on I-49 and then down south with Tulane, Nicholls and Southeastern on the North Shore.

We have the coverage for you, and we look forward to doing it all season long, pregame and postgame here on game notes.

But you know, I can't do things by myself here with football.

So it's my pleasure to introduce you to my analyst and broadcast partner.

He played his college career at the University of Nebraska.

He entered the NFL through Saint Louis with a pit stop in Dallas, before he made his way to New Orleans and played the rest of his career as a New Orleans Saint.

And of course, with Sean Payton, Drew Brees and company.

He won the Super Bowl with the Saints, called it a career, and he and I have had the pleasure of working together now for about ten years, covering the Saints and now covering college football.

Let me introduce you to my partner, Scott Shanley, who will be joining us here on Game Notes to cover football here in Louisiana and on LPB.

It's great to see you, sir.

How are you?

Welcome to not only I love it, I love it.

Anytime we're talking football, it's a good time back.

It's always going to be a good time.

And you know and you've you've seen it because you've played at the highest level.

The talent and the level of talent at the college football level here in Louisiana.

So many people want athletes here because there's so many stories to tell.

There are tons of stories.

You can go down the long list of of legends that have come out of this state in terms of football, whether it's the high school level, the college level, the NFL, they have every all three levels of football here in state Louisiana and just the legends.

And I'm excited to get to be a part of it.

Cover some of these guys, cover some of the programs, bring some, shed a light on all the hard work that's being shut out throughout the state.

Guys getting up early, lifting weights, guys going to class, coaches spending long hours, overnight in the office, getting ready to prepare for a game.

So I'm excited to cover.

They've all been done in a fall camp.

They're about ready to kick off the season, which is why we are so excited to kick off game notes here on LPB.

Coming up on the season preview edition of Game Notes, a lot to talk about with the stories.

Let's start in Baton Rouge.

With the high expectations for LSU and the fourth season of the Brian Kelly era, do the Tigers have a path to the playoffs?

We'll talk about that in Ruston.

The Bulldogs from Louisiana Tech are saying goodbye to conference USA and hello to a new conference, which is actually their old conference.

And we have two new head coaches debuting this season.

And one is a very familiar face and a very familiar place.

Some of the stories we will cover here in the next 60 minutes on game though, so let's get things started.

And while the season is about to kick off, let's actually focus on the postseason for a moment.

No, not in Baton Rouge.

Let's go over Claiborne Avenue down in New Orleans and focus on the Tulane Green Wave.

As we kick off things here on game notes.

It's the second season for John Summerall.

He went 23 and 4 in 2 seasons at Troy, nine and five last year with the Tulane Green Wave, who made it to the championship game of the American Conference before they lost to Army this year.

There are a lot of expectations for the Green Wave, and Summerall knows he has a lot of new faces and a lot of new places.

A very new team, returning starters on offense.

We have two.

Okay, so that's a little bit daunting.

Defensively, we're way more experienced.

We've got three returning starters okay.

So like much more stable situation on that side of the ball okay I love the way he deadpanned that yeah we got much more because of three.

But Scott look at this though from ESPN s Playoff Predictor.

When you talk about teams out of the power conferences behind Boise State is Tulane.

But that's almost a 25% chance of making it into the playoffs with the fact that they have five total returning starters.

That says a lot about how the culture has changed down in the water.

Absolutely.

That graphic says a lot.

I think every every coach and every player wants to go from we need to prove people wrong, to prove people right.

And this this program has gotten themselves after the USC win a couple of years ago.

They are now trying to prove people right.

When it comes to playoff talk.

Expectations are high.

Everybody wants expectations.

So to your point, the culture, the culture.

Coach, listen to Coach Summerall talk.

I feel like playing bass in his voice and listening talk.

He talks with the presence.

He commands a group, a locker room.

So I think he has no problem instilling his culture because of the respect they have for him.

And his track record speaks for itself.

Yeah.

Let me give you some numbers here.

From 1999 to 2021, Tulane averaged four wins a season, and in 21 they went two and ten.

In the last three years, Tulane has won 32 games, and they've made four straight American Conference championships now.

They fell short last year against Army.

But to your point now it is all shifted where hey let's hope we win five wins.

Now they don't want to get to losses.

And they've been consistently getting to the championship in their conference.

Yeah well what they've done well as they've recruited well but they've they're doing the little things well.

They're playing good run defense.

They're running the football.

They're controlling the line of scrimmage.

I think that's where the biggest difference in the football program has been the last three years.

They're able to line up against most teams in the country and and play at the line of scrimmage.

That's where games are won and lost.

On Saturday, they had the number two scoring offense in the American one year ago, the number two overall defense in the conference.

And that was only behind Army in the rankings there.

Another thing that Summerall has done well look he lost eight starters to the portal.

And that is a that is not going away right in college football.

So you know what he did.

He went out and got 20.

Now he lost eight good ones but he got 20.

And all of them have experience.

So it's not like you got a lot of rookies in that class.

You replace talent with talent.

Now you just got to get them in the system.

Yeah.

And that's that's the nature of the game.

Some people like the new nature of the game with college football.

Some people don't.

But I'll tell you this, it gives you an opportunity when you do lose players to go and put yourself.

When Coach Summerall goes out there and in the portal, there's tons of players all across the country who may be second or third string or who want to go to Tulane and play.

Or maybe they fallen out of favor at the other program.

They've been out.

So I think it says a lot when you can go out and get that number of players in the portal, it speaks volumes about where you are as a program and who wants to play for you.

As you heard coach say, he has two returners on offense, three on defense in terms of starters.

So you know he will be looking to see who is going to emerge as a leader.

That's going to be one of the big things to develop this Green Wave team.

One of my least favorite things I ever hear people say is like, we don't have enough leaders.

Well, that's our job as coaches to develop guys to be leaders.

And so that's an incumbent upon us to do.

So.

And I say it, every day probably I think good teams can be coach led, but great teams like championship caliber caliber teams have to be player led.

And I'm calm for the group a guy I like our locker room, I like the makeup of our leadership group, and I look forward to watching them lead our team this year.

And of course, you're used to teams seeing a leader come from the quarterback position.

It's a very interesting battle.

Scott.

There are four players down there now battling for the starting role as their starting quarterback did go to the portal on the left for another school.

What makes it interesting is that one of those players, Brendan Sullivan, who was expected to be one of the leaders, well, he's battling an ankle injury right now.

So they're looking elsewhere.

And it could be Jake Retzlaff.

Yeah Jake Russell came from BYU.

But I think the other thing that you like in this in this quarterback battle everybody likes have familiarity.

But I think when you have redshirt senior you have guys who have played a lot of football.

So you're choosing between you're letting this battle play out with guys who have a ton of experience.

That always makes you feel comfortable going to sleep at night.

As a coach, Retzlaff threw for almost 3000 yards at BYU and 20 touchdowns.

And after their latest scrimmage, here was the talk about the quarterback play.

Every player has different strengths and weaknesses.

So what we cater around whoever the quarterback is may look a little different.

You know, depending on if they're needed in the game plan.

And so Jake is at a place where he could do enough of what we've had in for a while.

You know, he's he's it started to slow down a little bit foreign.

It felt good to get out there and do that scrimmage.

Still, it's fun to run through the motions.

And so game day is not the first time it's good a game.

You saw that stuff.

And where I'm going to be on here today.

What part of the field on that stuff?

Just it's fun.

Russell I was late to the game in terms of getting the two Lanes campus, but he is now right in the middle of that battle.

As you take a look at Tulane schedule, well, they'll open up with northwestern.

You've got South Alabama.

And that Duke game will be interesting because their quarterback they used to be at Tulane is now at Duke.

Then they have that big 1st September 20th.

That'll be against a ranked Ole Miss team.

That'll be quite the challenge for the way yeah.

Every coach every player kind of goes through the schedule when they get it and fan base, you kind of look for those measuring stick games you get down South.

Alabama is a good team.

Week two you go to Duke, Ole Miss.

Those are type measuring stick games.

Early in the season where you're trying to see where your program is.

Take a look on the right side of your screen at UTSA and at Memphis.

Within about a nine day schedule against two of the top teams in the American not name Tulane, Tulane will face both of them and face them on the road.

So if they can survive that early storm, they can make their way.

But those are two back to back road games.

That'll be very tough.

It's really important for any program to start fast, especially a program that we just talked about it, the number of new guys on the team.

You have a new quarterback, you've lost a ton of guys in the portal.

You need to start fast.

That's where you galvanize team.

That's where the team chemistry comes.

Winning early creates a lot of wins late in the season as well.

From New Orleans, we go down west down I-10.

Let's make a stop in Lafayette.

Focus on the raging Cajuns from the University of Louisiana.

You talk about expectations.

There are expectations there to see them be very successful and win in the Sunbelt Conference West.

Can they get that done?

Well, their coach is talking about picking up the pieces from last year and getting off to a solid start in 2025.

I think after a year like last year, when you come up a little bit short, it does 1 or 2 things.

I think it either develops a sense of complacency.

You know, I'm saying, hey, we almost got there, you know, worked really hard and just kind of what we are, or it drives you to do more, drives you to work harder and relentlessly pursue what you really want.

You know, I'm proud of last year.

But we're not there yet.

And that's the first thing I told this team in January.

There's more work to do.

You know, we're confident and we're excited about 2025, but there's more work to do.

Well, what about that work and what needs to be done?

Well, when you take a look at the divisions in the West Division, Louisiana is picked to win it in the Sunbelt Conference for 2025.

James Madison on the eastern side.

Pick to win that one.

You see Texas State.

They're about to say goodbye to the Sunbelt Conference.

They are picked second in that Western division.

But you heard Michael Desormeaux talk, Scott, about picking up the pieces, being satisfied, being happy but not satisfied.

What he's talking about there is they went ten and four last year.

They finished seven and one in the conference.

The only loss was to South Alabama.

But then they had Marshall in the Sunbelt Conference championship, got blown out 31 to 3, then went to a bowl game.

Lost to TCU 34 to 3.

So three straight bowl losses.

They're getting there.

But now it's ready to take that next step that they want to do that they fell short one year ago.

Sure you always want to win those bowl games because they will jump you into the next season.

They jump you into that spring ball with a fresh feeling and looking forward to the next season.

But I think the impressive thing to me is you were six and seven, then you were six and seven, then you were ten four.

You showed a huge jump, a huge, huge jump in your growth as a program.

And I think just like we talked about Tulane, expectations are sky high because of you.

You've seen that growth in year three under this coach.

Yeah.

And you talk about those back to back 6 or 7 seasons.

Remember.

That's when Billy Napier, who had all the success at Louisiana, thought he might be going to LSU instead went to Gainesville.

He's now the head coach at Florida.

Desormeaux takes over now coming off a ten and four season looking to build on that even more.

An interesting situation there for their leadership.

So many teams.

There's one team in Louisiana that has a quarterback coming back.

We're going to talk about them in a moment.

But so many schools are looking for new quarterbacks.

And that's also the situation in Lafayette for the raging Cajuns their quarterback in a way Scott full circle.

His name is Walker Howard.

And he was highly recruited out of Lafayette High School to Saint Thomas.

More went to LSU.

They had a guy named Jayden Daniels.

Then I got to go nuts.

Meyer had to play over here to play, so he went to Ole Miss.

Didn't work out there.

Well, now Walker Howard is back at home in Lafayette and looks like he might take over as a starting quarterback.

And look who he might be throwing to a former LSU teammate in Shelton.

Sam.

So that's quite the One-Two punch for guys who didn't have it work out in Baton Rouge.

They went an hour west and now they have a chance to shine for the cage.

It's a cool story of seeing Walker Howard go back close to home, getting to play in front of friends and family like that, being right there and then having this wide receiver connection.

There is something to be said about the chemistry that develops between a wide receiver and a quarterback, things that you just can't replicate time on throughout practice.

Just having that experience, whether it was at LSU or wherever it was previously to that, that chemistry and timing that a quarterback and a wide receiver can develop.

If those two can develop that, that'll be huge for the kids.

They also have coming back in the backfield.

Quite the one two punch Bill Davis veterans 800 yards last year and nine touchdowns.

And Perry just under 700 yards last year about six yards a carry.

So for Walker Howard or whoever takes over quarterback if it is Howard being new to the program and getting in, it's always nice to be able to hand it off after some experience.

And you got two of them back.

Yes, absolutely.

A quarterback's favorite person on the field, besides your offensive line is a running back.

You get that running game going.

Now you can play action pass.

You bring up those defenders out of the secondary, and now you can throw those balls over the top of the defense.

But I think the running game will be pivotal for this team to set up.

When you're breaking a new quarterback, you you've lost a lot of receivers as well.

That running game needs to get going early to give your offense some confidence.

And on the defensive side of the ball, they were second in the Sunbelt Conference.

I struggled a little bit against the run, but they've got some experience coming back on that defensive front as well for the Cajuns.

We'll see how they can get things done.

Let's take a look at the schedule for Louisiana Ragin Cajuns and see if they will open up with rice.

And they've got an in-state game with McNeese before they go to the SEC.

And they will take on Missouri on the road.

Then they will get into the the meat of the schedule, if you will.

You see, Texas State has picked right behind them in the West.

They will be at home against them, but they will be on the road at South Alabama.

The team that beat them one year ago.

But you can see with the schedule and the players back, if they get that quarterback situation settled, a lot of expectations for another year of success for the Ragin Cajuns in the Sunbelt Conference.

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Hello everyone!

I'm so excited to be joining you for the game notes.

Fall preview I am so delighted to introduce you to Victor.

He is LPB Sports correspondent and award winning veteran sports journalist and Scott Shanle.

He is a former New Orleans Saints linebacker and super Bowl champ.

Welcome gentlemen.

Yeah, super excited about this.

And I know our viewers will be too.

So you know Louisiana football.

Oh my gosh.

Fans are going to be so excited about this because we recognize that LPB has a dream team with you all.

And why not deliver that to our viewers with game notes?

The first of its kind really giving the attention, much needed attention to college football in Louisiana.

Yeah, well, you're very kind.

First of all, it's good to see you Karen and it's great to have this guy next to me for the covers.

But you're right, with LPB for 49 years now, turning 50 this year of being Louisiana storyteller.

Why not add sports to the mix?

Because as we know, there are stories to be told and he could tell them at the highest level.

Having won the Super Bowl with the Saints.

But I think that's what's so exciting is with the number of college players, high school players, I try to make it as a small percentage that then get to the next level and then even smaller that get to where he was able to.

But those stories of getting from high school to college and the stories they develop with all the major college football teams we have playing in the state, I think that's what's going to be most fun, is getting to tell those stories while covering a sport that we know.

Everybody in Louisiana has to play well, of course.

And Scott, of course.

What?

What better person to participate in that story telling?

What drew you to this project?

Just talking football.

I mean, since I was little, football was my passion playing the sport.

I was fortunate enough after I was done playing to get paired up with Vick and and worked with him for a number of years and continue to talk about football.

Once I was too old to play football.

It became talking about football.

So I realized at a young age that my passion was the sport.

And so I'm fortunate enough to get to continue to do that and to shine the light on so many other young men who are putting through that work and those long hours in that grind to play the same sport.

And this isn't your first rodeo in sports broadcasting.

We do want to point out, right?

Yeah, I've been with about ten years.

We covered the Saints and LSU football.

We've seen a lot of magical runs and I'm just excited.

Now.

We get to we get to shine the light on the other programs throughout the state of Louisiana.

You mentioned earlier, there's so much there's so much talent in this state, so much great football.

And then we get to be along for that ride and cover it.

All right.

Well, we are going to take a look at some of the many, many ways that all of you can support LPB and show your love for our new show, Game Notes.

let's take a look.

Be a champion for LPB by becoming a member right now, and you will be supporting LPB as Louisiana Storyteller.

For $15 a month, receive the Game Notes combo which includes LPB's, game notes, hat, two game notes, Koozies and LPB tailgate blanket, and an LPB umbrella for $8 a month.

Choose the official and exclusive Game Notes hat or for just $6 a month, receive two of LPB game notes.

Koozies.

We also have a special credit card offer for a donation of $250 or more on a credit card.

You will receive a wooden footballs serving platter, perfect for parties and tailgating, and a set of four mignon faget g featuring your choice of designs.

The classic Louisiana Fleur de Lis LSU purple and gold Southern University Jaguars or Tulane Green Wave glasses.

At any level, you will also receive visions.

LPB Monthly Program Guide and Passport, the streaming service for the very best of PBS and LPB.

There is no place quite like Louisiana.

The food, music, nature, people, and traditions are just a few of the things that make our state such a treasure, not only to those of us lucky enough to call it home, but to the world.

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Victor, you and I have covered many Louisiana sports legends through the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and of course, our ongoing series Behind the Glory.

And we were building an audience of sports fans.

And let's face it, sports is an Louisiana's DNA.

And we're we're just given the viewers what they want.

Yeah.

You know, a Hall of Famer, Lynn Rollins was in the Hall of Fame, does the interviews for all the athletes that go into the Hall of Fame.

And we hear those segments about what they've done in their career.

And those segments are great.

In the Hall of Fame is great because we get to see so many great Louisiana athletes.

Scott, who have spent their career here, whether it's on the coaching sideline or whether it's on the field or on the gymnastics mat, that ceremony in and of itself is great because we pay tribute to their career.

I think what's fun about the show, Karen, that we're going to do now with game notes, we're telling those stories while they're developing.

Right.

So many players hope to get to where he got and win a ring.

Maybe.

Maybe not.

But if not, they still have stories to be told.

And unlike the Hall of Fame, we have to wait till your career is over so we can develop some of these stories and watching.

Whether it's a coach or player, we can watch them develop and grow right in front of our eyes throughout the entire state.

And Scott, speaking of that, watching, you know, there are parents and grandparents that are going to watch this show because, you know, they want to see how their how their sons and daughters are doing in the sports world and college sports.

And a lot of times they don't get that platform to really see what their team is doing and what their son is doing out there on the on the floor.

Yeah, there's no question.

And I think that's a responsibility we don't take lightly.

I think when we get to watch these these programs and these kids, like I said, these kids wake up at 4 or 430 in the morning, they work out and they grind all offseason just to get to this moment for those for the few minutes on the field.

So if we can shed a light to all that hard work and put a spotlight on some of the some of these kids, it's it's a rewarding feeling to do that.

And the universities that typically don't get the press coverage we're bringing that we're shining the light on these kind of universities and their college football programs that sometimes fly under the radar.

Underappreciated.

Yeah.

We talk about the South Louisiana heat.

I can tell you, having been in Ruston two weeks ago, standing on their field that southwest I hate is just as hot on the north.

There is a lot of heat weather out there in August practicing, and those guys were sweating the same way, putting in the game plan, getting ready to go.

So yeah, stories aplenty throughout the state that we know that passion will fall on wherever they go.

And that's what we want to bring to, you know.

And LPB is known as Louisiana's storyteller.

And sports is the greatest human interest story of all.

It has everything.

It has heart, grit, stamina, drama, you know, challenge out all of the elements of a great story.

You can find an athlete's story.

You want to see how somebody day is going to watch a football fan game.

You want to talk about the peaks and the peaks and valleys of emotions.

Just watch somebody trying to follow their favorite team for three hours.

There's no doubt about it.

It's not only here in this state doesn't just last Saturday.

It's all week long waiting for the next game.

If you lose, they're waiting a whole week to get to that next win.

If you win, everybody's feeling good for that whole week.

So I think that's the other thing that make it special in this state.

Football is king.

And let me tell you talk about perfect timing.

So we are coming up on our 50th five zero 50th anniversary here at LPB.

And what greater way to celebrate than to introduce this new show Game note to our viewers and continue to build on this valuable, a very popular sports program that we've started here?

Yeah, some people were asking me about that with LPB turning 50.

I said, that's not a birthday gift for us.

It's our birthday gift.

We want to give back to everybody else.

Because LPB hasn't had the opportunity to do force a lot of states public broadcasting, they do, and they do it on the high school level.

They do some of the college level with what we're able to do for a first of its kind in this state, with so many stories, whether you're up in the Shreveport area, down in New Orleans, Hammond, all the way to Lake Charles, we've got it covered, has plenty to do.

Well, and speaking of gifts, we have some gifts that we'd like to show to you.

Thank you.

Gifts for your support for our mission here at LPB.

Take a look.

Be a champion for LPB by becoming a member right now, and you will be supporting LPB as Louisiana Storyteller for $15 a month.

Receive the Game Notes combo which includes LPB's, game notes, hat, two game notes, Koozies and LPB Tailgate blanket, and an LPB umbrella for $8 a month.

Choose the official and exclusive Game Notes hat or for just $6 a month, receive two of LPB's game notes Koozies.

We also have a special credit card offer for a donation of $250 or more on a credit card, you will receive a wooden footballs serving platter, perfect for parties and tailgating, and a set of four mignon faget glasses featuring your choice of designs as the classic Louisiana Fleur de Lis, LSU purple and gold Southern University Jaguars or Tulane Green Wave glasses at any level.

You will also receive visions LPB's monthly program guide, and Passport, the streaming service for the very best of PBS and LPB.

that's Blake Baker is is, in my opinion, elite in the field of defensive coordinators, we needed to give them some more tools.

And I know that we have not played the kind of defense necessary to win a national championship.

I think we put a roster together in this off season along with young players that have taken lumps along the way as they developed and and given Blake now the tools, to play championship level defense.

That of course, is LSU head coach Brian Kelly.

And you hear his concern and his focus on getting the Tigers defense more improved for 2025.

And here's why he was focusing on that total defense 11th.

How about 14th in yards allowed per play.

Almost six yards per play.

Do the simple math two plays.

You already got a first down.

If you're the opponent 14th in scoring defense.

On and on.

You see the numbers last in rushing touchdowns allowed.

And you see interceptions.

So you need to take the ball away.

They didn't do it very well.

You need to stop the run.

They didn't do that very well.

So Scott you can see why Brian Kelly is opening up and putting his focus on the fact that this defense, if you're going to run the SEC Gantlet and we know it is, and we'll talk about that in a moment.

That defense has to improve for the Tigers in 2025.

Yeah.

Everybody talks about offense in college.

And it's fun to watch extremely fun to watch and put up the numbers.

But you need to play solid defense especially in the SEC conference week in week out.

It's a gantlet from week one to till the end of the season.

So I think the one thing about looking at that graphic for me is it's about stopping the football.

Yes, and preventing points, but taking the football away, not enough produced turnovers, not not enough ball disruption defensively to get that ball back to your offensive side of the guys and get it back to your playmaker at quarterback.

You heard him say they're that they've got defensive players coming back that took their lumps.

How much can that be a positive this year because you're going to take lumps.

Yeah.

But he talked about how they took a lot but now they're back.

How can those lumps help this defense this year.

Yeah.

As a player you're looking to grow.

Every offseason you're going in and you're trying to say what can I improve.

Whether it's watching more film, whether it's getting bigger, faster, stronger in the weight room, taking care of your body nutritionally and eating right.

So I think when you go through those lumps and you don't have the success that you want to as a, as a team and as an individual, it gives you that that offseason motivational power to go, to go through and say, I can be a better version of myself.

There's one lump that this defense did not have to take, because there's one player that had the chance to leave, and he opted to come back, and he might single handedly change the way teams play on the other side of the ball.

His name is Harold Perkins.

He had the opportunity of going to the NFL.

Tiger fans will remember he was injured a year ago.

It was the day game that everybody talks about against UCLA, and they lost Harold Perkins for the season.

But Harold Perkins has decided to come back to Baton Rouge Scott.

And what does that mean for this defense?

Because it seems no matter where he's lined up, he's a problem.

It's a game changer.

And you heard Coach Kelly talk about more tools in the toolbox.

Having this guy on the field will fix a lot of problems and it'll take the football away a lot.

But what he really does, and I'm glad they finally tried to figure out where they want him to play.

We've seen him play off the ball some his first year he was on the ball.

This guy is dynamic when he's near the line of scrimmage.

Offensive linemen do not want to see this guy line up towards him.

He's one of the best pass rusher.

He's got a lot of Micah Parsons center for the Dallas Cowboys.

He's that type of athlete.

He's a game changer.

He keeps offensive coordinators up at night knowing how to protect wherever he's lined up.

Here's what Kelly had to say about Perkins back for one more year in Baton Rouge.

He made that choice.

We didn't make it for him.

We gave him the data and the information and and he looked through it and made the best decision for him, and he felt like it was to come back.

Now, you don't come back unless you have the expectations that you're going to be a dominant player.

He's got the ability to do so.

He's the best athlete I've probably ever seen in my whole life.

So if you let Harold be Harold, he'll be a superstar.

And it's not it's not going to be hard for him to be a superstar.

And what weeks is going along that same train?

He's been banged up a little bit in camp.

It should be ready to go when the season starts.

And you take a look at the preseason poll in the Southeastern Conference and you see where LSU sits behind Texas, who they will not face this season.

Georgia, who they will not face, they will face Alabama.

And then LSU comes in fourth.

So we talk about the expectations.

And now that mega conference Scott, when you see 16 teams LSU would like to be a little higher.

Tiger fans would like to see him a little higher, but they know they can get there if they can take care of business.

But there's the Gantlet look at all the ranked teams in this column.

That is a Gantlet.

The one thing I almost think this LSU team is flying under the radar just a little bit.

And that's crazy to say because LSU hardly ever flies under the radar.

I think they're flying under the radar because of the quarterback situation.

They have one of the top three quarterbacks in the country.

We just saw Harold Perkins.

We said Harold was one of the best athletes he's ever seen.

I think weeks is one of the most outstanding linebackers in college football.

So those two together on the defense side, I think the defense is going to be much better and it's going to come down to the offense.

Can they run the ball consistently enough so that Nurse Meyer doesn't have to do all the work?

It's all.

And let's focus on that topic a little more, because Baton Rouge had a scare a couple of weeks ago in fall camp, it was erroneously reported that Nurse Meyer was down with an ACL injury and everybody stopped breathing.

If you if I no, no, don't tell me that.

But remember in his second year, Joe Burrow, Heisman Trophy winner, right.

Second year, Jayden Daniels, Heisman Trophy Meyer is going into a second year.

He doesn't want those.

He's a look don't compare me to them.

I want to be me.

But here's the fact.

Second year he's the most experienced quarterback, one of the best, like you said, in the country.

And maybe he can be enough to guide that offense to the success that they want to have.

Yeah, this season certainly going to going to rely on his arm and his leadership abilities and he'll take some chances.

He'll do that a little bit like Brett Favre of Tony Romo those guys.

But he makes a lot of plays because he's willing to take those chances.

I think the guys around him elevate their level of play because of the confidence and the swagger that he plays with.

So it's all about staying healthy, keeping him clean, putting together a good running game so that teams just can't tee off on him in the pass game.

Aaron Anderson might be the next wide receiver stand out as many have come through LSU, and he might be the go to guy for Nuss Meyer, who is ready to take charge and use the experience.

According to Brian Kelly, to get the job done.

Now, I would tell you that experience is going to be his best teacher in the SEC, having obviously played a year in the SEC and has seen what what needs to happen on a consistent basis is most important.

But he brings that individual trait that coaches love because he wants to be taught, he wants to be coached, he wants to be coached hard.

You know, there's no hiding from the turnovers.

You know, and I think it's it's more of an understanding of, you know, the way I am as a player, as an anticipation passer.

You know, there's going to be some interceptions.

The ones that I need to eliminate are the ones that don't need to happen.

The ones where I'm trying to do too much, the ones where I'm trying to make a play when I don't need to.

He took a big step being a leader.

Like, more of a vocal leader, less lean.

Not like not just lean on offense, but leading the whole team and disguise them for him.

Like he can do whatever he want to do as long as he continues to put the work in, you know, you've got Anderson healthy, you've got Chris Hilton.

There's a lot of weapons that knows.

Meyer will have a take a look at this.

Scott setting the high bar and Meyer in his first year.

So this is quarterbacks in their first year.

Look at what he did in his first year and the rankings first across the board.

Now you got to come back and try to top that.

If he gets the support he might be able to.

But what this tells you is he has the skills to get it done.

He absolutely has a skill.

You see year one in the SEC to put up those type of numbers.

And a lot was put on him in year one.

I think that's why if you can get some help around him, it'll only improve his game is about he you heard him say, just take care of the football.

Don't don't make those two aggressive plays.

That's what makes him a great player though I think guys around him.

You heard Chris Hilton talk about the first year as a player.

When you're starting, you're just trying to prove to everybody, I can do this, I can play, I can help you guys win games.

Year two.

As a quarterback, you're becoming a leader.

You're trying to help elevate everyone else's game.

And I think that's the role he's in this year because he can play.

He's going to play on Sundays, but now it's about raising the elevation or elevating the play of the guys around him.

As you talked about earlier, try to get that good running game.

Brian Kelly and his staff got the number one recruiting class out of the portal.

That's a new era.

We talked about already in college football.

But you get those new guys if you can get them together in this system.

The talent is there.

The expectations are there.

Is this an LSU team that will be waiting for a bowl game in December, or is this a new team you think it's going to be playing in the playoffs in December?

Personally, I think I would be shocked if this team is not in the playoffs.

And every year you talk about if this team can stay relatively healthy, injury free, the defense, I think is going to be much improved.

Again, you have one of the top quarterbacks in the country.

It's constantly mentioned Arch, Manning, Nuss Meyer and Clyde Klubnik out of Clemson.

Those are the three guys everybody talks about.

You have that guy.

A lot of teams are searching for that guy, and because of that, I think this team will be in the college football playoffs.

You mentioned the quarterback at Clemson.

They're going to see them in the first game.

In fact, that's what they'll kickoff on the road in Clemson a quite a quarterback battle between the two.

But look at this before the end of September.

You're on the road at a ranked Clemson team.

You're home against a ranked Florida team.

And then you're on the road at Ole Miss before you get out of the month of September.

So you can't afford to stub your toe early.

Quite the challenges before you get to that first bye week there in early October.

But the stage is set.

The talent is there now.

We'll just wait and see if the Tigers can get it done.

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Hello everyone, I'm Karen LeBlanc.

We are taking a break from the fall debut of Game Notes to talk more about LPB's new sports program.

All right, so debut we're watching right now.

But tell us how this works.

When does it air and what can we expect?

So you're saying the debut, the episode number one of game notes right now is we're giving it basically a season preview.

If you are looking forward to the season on the regular time slots.

Game notes will air on Saturday mornings at 10 a.m. here on LPB.

That will move to the digital tier and then post game notes.

Well guess what?

That's our wrap up show on Sunday.

Yet at the post game the pre game post game notes will be Sunday night.

It'll air from 6 to 7 p.m. on LP B, and then it'll replay again from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. and then it will also move to the digital tier.

So the website and LPB passport, our YouTube page.

So every weekend we'll get you ready for games on Saturday morning.

And then we'll wrap it up on Sunday night.

Now here's my question.

It's got to be tough to decide which teams to focus on when.

So how does this work?

How many teams per show are you?

Are you highlighting?

Well, on our pre-game on on game notes on Saturday mornings, we're going to try to do as many as we can, if not all of them, depending on time and depending on who we have to focus on.

But the post-game notes will be a little different because of the length of the the availability we have.

We will wrap up every team that plays now with college football.

As you know by week's right, there might be some weeks we got 2 or 3 teams sitting on maybe watching because they're not playing.

All right.

So Scott, does that mean you're literally going to be glued to the TV all Saturday into the night to be ready for for post game notes on Sunday?

Yeah.

What what a life.

Oh yeah.

Football all day.

Right.

You got to pay attention to some good football all day long.

It's going to be a lot of fun.

Like.

Like Victor said, there's going to be some weeks where some teams aren't playing.

We're going to try our best to try to shed a light on pregame show, post game show, and let everybody in the state of Louisiana know what's going on out there, because there's a lot of great football.

There is a lot of great football and a lot of great human interest stories, too.

So I'm assuming that you're also going to be focusing on the athletes as well, right?

The teams himself.

But the athletes for some of their stories.

Absolutely.

We'll talk about the highlights, but we'll talk about some of the players, whether it's a players like a southeastern for example, in Hammond with the Lions, they have six players who are playing in their sixth year.

In this day of the transfer portal.

And NIL that doesn't happen.

You've got 18 players that are in their fourth year.

You have new coaches Matt Viator over in McNeese, Tommy Ribeacke taking over down in the bayou for Nicholls.

Colonel.

So there's coaches stories.

There's player stories.

There's highlights.

But it's those behind the scenes stories that make the teams what they are.

We'll focus on those.

And this is such a natural fit.

You guys have chemistry but you have work history together.

This is not your first time hosting a sports show together.

No, I've been the copilot.

This guy can land any plane.

He's the best in the business.

I'm fortunate to work with him.

And it's going to be a lot of fun covering college football with them.

This year.

It's so great to have.

I mean, the A-Team here, right?

I mean, two of the most esteemed, established veteran, athletes and sports journalist here.

So we are so lucky.

I'm going to gosh, in Louisiana, we love food.

We love music, we love Mardi Gras and we love football.

And this is our love letter to college football.

And it is really interesting times to to be launching this show, because Nil has become such a big influence on college sports.

So I'm intrigued.

Just interested to see how you kind of kind of weave that into the storyline.

Well, and we are too, because when you talk about the players, like we did with the preview show, the show you're watching right now, so many teams are trying to to get adjusted to so many new players to.

Tulane as an example, lost eight players to the transfer portal, but they went picked up 20.

There's 20 players that have to get used to John Summerall system.

So we're excited to see how it's going to fit in.

There's no doubt it's a divisive topic at the watercooler.

People are either old school or college football.

They like it the way it was, or they do like the new transfer system in that if your team isn't isn't the best one year, you can go out and get a lot of new recruits just like that overnight.

So it's a very divisive topic, but also it's college football and I don't think it's going where it's here to stay.

It's going to be really fascinating for you.

You know, making that transition from college football to pro football, not having NIL you know?

Oh, definitely a different time.

It's definitely a different time.

I've always kind of been in favor of the name image likeness thing.

I don't know if they ever expected it to go as where it's gone, but at the same time, I think it gives an opportunity for boosters and alumni and things like that to get back to their program to help support the product they're seeing on the field every Saturday.

Speaking of name, image and likeness, you can show your support for LPB with some game Notes merch as part of our thank you gifts.

Be a champion for LPB by becoming a member right now, and you will be supporting LPB as Louisiana Storyteller for $15 a month.

Receive the Game Notes combo which includes LPB's, game notes, hat, two game notes, Koozies and LPB Tailgate blanket, and an LPB umbrella for $8 a month.

Choose the official and exclusive Game Notes hat or for just $6 a month, receive two of LPB's game notes Koozies.

We also have a special credit card offer for a donation of $250 or more on a credit card, you will receive a wooden footballs serving platter.

Perfect for parties and tailgating, and a set of four Mignon Faget glasses featuring your choice of designs.

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You Victor.

You've said this on camera and off camera, but sports really is about heart and that's what the show will be.

It's the passion of football and it's bringing it here.

So excited to be sitting here.

And this is something that we've talked about.

Oh, a year and a half to two years.

And we've worked together for ten years covering the Saints.

And we've talked about doing something like this to want to cover all of these stories and the sports.

And LPB gives us an avenue because we reach statewide.

So, you know, you could be on Louisiana Tech, a tech graduate for maybe you live in Slidell, you can't get back to Ruston or you're McNeese graduate.

You're up in West Monroe.

You can't always make it down to Lake Charles.

We're able to bring it to you because this platform gives us a statewide reach to tell the statewide stories.

I can tell you a number of times over the past ten years, we've sat there at our desk and said Grambling had a huge win or Tulane had a huge win.

It just went down the list of the 11 schools that were covering the state, but we didn't get a chance to talk about them.

Now we have that platform to bring that light to the school.

And to your point, it's the connection to that you're building, right?

Bringing people together.

This is really a show that connects communities statewide.

Absolutely.

Through our food and football.

That Louisiana was the first thing I came to.

I was going to say football first, but I thought of food first beca it combines the communities.

It's like some of these some of these towns, you go out in Louisiana, turn the lights off when you leave the town.

These high school football games and the the passion of football.

I always had a coach who said, with football, you can't be a toe dipper.

You can't just be kind of end, you got to be all in.

And that's players and fans in this state.

They're all in.

And it's a it's a cool thing to see such a great time to have this program, for viewers around the state.

Now, of course, LPB is all about people and purpose.

We invite LPB viewers who may not actively follow sports to tune in, because at the heart of any sport are the stories about the athletes, their families, and the college and universities spirit and what these traditions mean.

So we're going to head back to the show with all that in mind, to continue our debut of game Notes Be a champion for LPB by becoming a member right now, and you will be supporting LPB as Louisiana Storyteller for $15 a month.

Receive the Game Notes combo which includes LPB's, game notes, hat, two game notes, Koozies and LPB tailgate blanket, and an LPB umbrella for $8 a month.

Choose the official and exclusive Game Notes hat or for just $6 a month, receive two of LP's game notes Koozies.

We also have a special credit card offer for a donation of $250 or more on a credit card, you will receive a wooden football serving platter.

Perfect for parties and tailgating, and a set of four Mignon glasses featuring your choice of designs.

The classic Louisiana Fleur de Lis, LSU purple and gold Southern University Jaguars or Tulane Green Wave glasses at any level.

You will also receive visions.

LPB█s monthly program guide and Passport, the streaming service for the very best of PBS and LPB.

On behalf of the Sun Belt presidents, the chancellors, the directors of athletics, I would like to officially announce that Louisiana Tech has accepted our offer to join the Sunbelt Conference.

And that was the big announcement this summer up in Ruston, where Louisiana Tech is going back home, saying goodbye to conference USA and hello once again to the Sunbelt Conference.

With Texas State leaving the Sun Belt Conference, they officially extended the invitation and Louisiana Tech accepted it.

And that means it gets much more regional from Louisiana Tech and returns to a conference where they used to play and compete and have a lot of success.

Louisiana Tech president Doctor Jim Henderson talked about what this now means for their program and for Bulldog fans.

This is one of those moments in an institution's history.

And this is not hyperbole.

I don't think they will look back on ten years from now as a watershed moment, not just for Louisiana Tech, but for the Sunbelt Conference, for the state of Louisiana, for the regional economy, and daresay for collegiate athletics as a whole, because regionality and renewing rivalries is where we should all be focused.

Well, Scott, to Doctor Henderson's point, you take a look at their opponents on the left side, which will be the new Western Conference in the Sun Valley, the Western Division.

And look at the distance now, 30 minutes down I-20 to you all, Monroe, you only have to drive 2.5 hours.

Basically the Lafayette the longest drive will be to Troy.

Compare that to right now in conference USA.

They're playing New Mexico State and they have to play UTEp.

You're in Texas, you know that's a day and a half travel just to get over there.

Right.

But to his point this brings them much closer with those rivalries.

Look I know you played in Nebraska and I remember back in the day it was Nebraska.

Oh, you.

And it was Nebraska.

Colorado.

They've tried to force other opponents, let's say LSU by itself.

They want it to be Texas A&M or they want it to be Arkansas.

We know it's developed as Alabama.

But you see these teams, there are some naturally geographically built in rivalries that now the fans can get behind and the players can get behind.

That builds a new emotion and a new focus on the field.

And that's abnormal.

With all the conference realignment that have been going on, you see teams getting farther away from their rivals, and now you get to be put right in the middle of everything.

And seeing that list, there's no shortage of rivalries that can spread out of that.

When you have that many teams, five, six teams right down the road and you're playing them year in and year out.

So I think when you look at it just seems like a natural fit, a good fit for Louisiana Tech and where they are with their program and the rivalries that that can come from it.

Yeah, they've had five straight losing seasons, but things have been on the turnaround.

Getting there with Sonny Cumbie as head coach five losses last year by less than seven points.

Which tells you you're right there in the mix now they've got to find a way to get over the top and get a couple of those ls into the other column.

Yeah.

And they've done some good things.

They had the number one ranked defense last year in conference USA.

So this conference USA opponents will be glad to see that Bulldog defense leave the conference.

But it's about putting together, like we said before, a running game will help your defense putting together a good offensive line.

Protect your quarterback, returning quarterback and Evan Bullock is an outstanding player, getting receivers around him and then getting this offense going to help that defense.

When you look at what Louisiana Tech we told you at Tulane earlier about that power index, well, conference USA did not do a preseason poll, so to speak, but they did have a bowl percentage of teams that they have a chance will get to the postseason and out of the conference.

Well, Liberty, that leads the way right there with Western Kentucky.

But look Louisiana Tech there's really they're basically saying we've got four teams that we think are going to make a good shot.

And Louisiana Tech at 75% is right there with the top four teams telling you what they think about the experience and what Sonny Cumbie is doing up there in Ruston.

For them to have a successful season and have a chance to go bowling this year.

Yeah, you said it right there.

I think to me, the reason those odds are what they are is because there's a lot of belief in their head.

Coach Tony Cumbie was an outstanding player in college football.

He's a great he's been a really good head coach.

He's made some stops at some big time programs.

I think there's a lot of faith in him to take this program where they want to go.

Returning quarterback I talked about earlier and Evan Bullock last year as a freshman, just stepped out of high school on to campus and played really well as a true freshman.

So I think there's there's a lot of expectations because you do have those two things in place.

You have a really good head coach, you have a really good quarterback.

Despite the losing season one year ago, they did have the chance to go bowling.

You're right.

There was one of those quirks of the bowl situation.

Who qualifies automatically?

Who has an opening?

While the Independence Bowl needed a team to face Army.

Remember we told you earlier, Army got past Tulane, they went to the Independence Bowl.

Well, they needed a team.

They went down the street.

Now, Louisiana Tech didn't have a full period to practice and get ready.

And yes, they lost to Army, but they had a chance to go bowling.

They did get some of those extra practices, especially with new offensive quarter Tony Franklin.

And now installing his offense.

And head coach Sonny Cumbie talked about what that experience, despite the loss meant to his Bulldog team.

We wanted our kids to have that experience because we're quite honest.

There was one player on the team that had been to the Independence Bowl previously whenever they played Miami, and that was it.

And then it had been to a bowl game.

And so now for our players to see what they have been missing just from that experience that the Independence Bowl presented our team, just the, the and really when you think about team building, that's what those three days were when that game was finished.

Despite the result, our players had an unbelievable bowl experience and they want to get back to another one.

I think it's a great point.

You had one player, they've been bowling, now you've got a whole squad that went bowling.

Forget about the win of the loss, it's bonus football.

You had a chance to practice and experience what it's like to get there.

As you now take a look at their schedule and Louisiana Tech will open back to back state opponents at home against the Lions from southeastern, where Frank self will bring his team up to Ruston.

Then they go to Baton Rouge for quite the battle with LSU.

And then you'll see once they get past a couple of the opposite games on the right side of your screen, you'll see the rest of what they will face.

We saw Liberty in the percentages they have the what they will face now for the rest of their schedule in the C USA.

Yeah, I think the one thing about that schedule is obviously go to on the road LSU in week two, but three of the first four games are at home.

You have a chance to to win some games at home, get your crowd behind you, get some momentum behind you.

And like I said before, when you can win those games early on in the season, it just it snowballs into confidence and players become something they never thought they could become when it comes to winning and that winning feeling.

And once you experience, especially early in the season, you don't want to experience anything less.

Speaking of experience, early in the season, we'll go 30 minutes east on I-20.

Let's go to Monroe for the Warhawks.

And you on Monroe, who one year ago under head coach Brian Vincent in his first season, started five and won one of the best starts I've seen in years, didn't finish the way they wanted to and finished the season five and seven, but they came out exploding and it was an experience that he hopes will carry over into year to year.

Head coach Brian Vincent.

This is the eighth program that I've been a part of rebuilding.

The whole key is to keep it, keep your team together, to keep those guys in that locker room together.

We never had negativity.

We never pointed fingers.

Everything within that program falls on my shoulders, and I accept that.

But what we did is we had the highest retention in the Sunbelt, and that's something that I'm very proud of.

I'm proud of our staff.

I'm proud of our town.

I'm proud of our fans because everybody plays a role in that.

All right.

So let's talk about that highest retention there because again five and one you lost the last six games.

Still it was our best record since 2019.

Now you've got the retention.

You've got the players coming back that tasted that five and one star.

What will that mean to a program when you're still trying to build.

But you say, hey we saw what could happen.

Now we got to fix the mistakes on the back end.

Yeah I think you make your motto finish strong.

It's easy.

You always want to start fast.

And we've talked about that already.

But you want to finish strong.

Can we do the right things day in and day out, even after you reach that those dog days of the season where maybe things aren't going right.

So I think after that point of having that success, can you get back?

And that's where leadership, that's where your culture kind of takes over and your players in the locker room say, even though we didn't win a game, we thought we should have won, let's get right back and believe in our technique and our fundamentals.

Yeah.

When you look at the Sunbelt conference predictions, they're not predicted to finish very high.

And actually he actually says, I like that.

I like where we are.

And you might say, well, that sounds strange.

We know why.

Because you had a team that had that experience.

We just talked about from a year ago, the highest retention in the conference coming back.

Yet he still thinks everybody's sleeping on the Warhawks.

So just pay attention to the mentality and what he's building there in year two with the Warhawks.

And yes, he has a lot of guys coming back.

However, Scott, we should focus on the one player who's not coming back because it's a big one.

And I mean, it was a lot of offense.

His name is Ahmad Hardy.

He was the running back for the Warhawks, one year ago, and boy was he productive 1350 yards, 13 touchdowns while the portal got to him.

And he's now a Missouri Tiger playing in the SEC.

By the way he has some of the best touchdown celebrations you're going to see in college football.

Every one of them here is different.

But the point is he was a one man wrecking crew.

Now he's gone.

So now it's going to be more of a team effort instead of always handing it off to one guy.

Yeah, you said it perfectly.

It's tough to replace that kind of production.

This guy is going to be played on Sundays.

You just look at he's dynamic, he's explosive.

So to lose a guy with that much production 13 touchdowns, it's going to come from a total team.

A group effort.

So wide receivers, tight ends, running backs, you got to find ways to, to make up for this amount of production that you're going to lose because you an outstanding player, no doubt.

And that's one thing they've been talking about is the running back room and how they've been producing so far this season.

Because he said a lot of stuff that I kind of agree with.

And, I just feel like this is a perfect opportunity as a running back and as somebody who wants to showcase their talents.

I do the side that you, Allen, was a perfect spot.

Oh, very elusive, very agile.

Versatile.

I can do pretty much anything that you ask me to do.

I just want to showcase that we have to let everybody know that I like our room.

This is going to be more of a this won't be a one guy, a one man show, kind of like it was last year, because we've got a lot of quality backs that can all play big roles in this in this season.

There you go, Scott, to your point about everybody contributing.

And Nick Reynolds came from South Alabama.

So he's going Sunbelt to Sunbelt as he makes the transfer and looks to contribute here with you on Monroe, who will open on the Thursday night against Saint Francis before they go to Tuscaloosa.

Big game against Alabama.

Number eight in the country before the bye.

And then you'll see their schedule as I get in the conference play on the right side.

They'll finish up back to back road games at Texas State and at Louisiana, which means you're going up against the number two and number one teams in the Western Conference to close out the year.

And both of them are on the road.

Yeah.

And I think the biggest key for this team you talk about the offense side of the ball losing an outstanding running back.

But defensively they were the number one pass defense in their conference last year.

It's about improving the run defense.

If they can improve the run defense that that'll help everybody on this team.

All right let's focus on the Swac now.

Two teams in Louisiana in the Swac the Southern Jaguars and the Grambling Tigers.

We'll get the Grambling in just a moment.

But let's focus in on Baton Rouge and take a look at the predictions in the Swac conference.

Because the Southern Jaguars once again out of Baton Rouge over there on the bluff pick to win it in the Western Division.

Jackson State's pick to win it on the eastern side.

And you see Grambling down there pick fifth.

Don't sleep on Grambling Tigers and Mickey Joseph.

We're going to talk about them here in just a moment.

But we can talk about what southern has done, having won it a year ago, losing to Jackson State in the title game, back pick to win it again this season.

Terrance graves is the head coach and talks about his longevity in the Swac and success on the bluff.

I'm coaching.

I'm coaching the sons of of players that I coached and this is this is my 31st year and this what I've been coaching 33 years all together.

But I've been in the sweat for 31 years.

So, it's been a blessing.

It's been a great, a great time to be able to to see these young men grow up and become great fathers and great leaders and now coaching their sons.

And and they're bringing their sons on campus and they telling them, this is my coaching, you playing for my coach and things of that nature is a blessing.

And so, you know, I don't know of him, like you said, I don't know if I'm the most tenured, but I know I got to be one of the two Jaguar fans.

We'll hear a lot of the last names pronounced.

You know, their dads played to Tom's graves.

His point now he's coaching their boys.

How about this young man Kelby Givens?

Scott preseason Swac Defensive Player of the year.

Reigning defensive player of the year from year ago.

All Swac first team.

What's interesting as you see the highlights here, you'll see him line up on the right side.

Now he's on the left side.

Talk about what that means.

We talk about Harold Perkins earlier.

But this is a guy that can do it from any side either.

And on the defensive side of the ball.

Yeah, this guy is going to see playing time on Sunday as well.

When you have a player with this type of versatility, you can line up on the right side and left side.

You make offensive linemen, you make offensive tackles and offensive coordinator sweat because you have no control over where he lines up.

They're going to pick the guy that they want him to pass rush against.

And when you look down at these stats, 27.5 tackles for loss and 12 sacks, this guy is playing on the other side of the line of scrimmage and disrupting offenses.

Yeah.

Forced three fumbles.

He led the FCS in tackles for loss with 27.5.

You see his numbers there and high expectations for what he will do on the defensive side of the ball.

Offensively.

Saw the loss.

More than 70% of their touchdowns scored a year ago.

But they're going to be tough on the defensive side of the ball.

We'll see what they can match up there on the offensive end.

So from southern pick to win the West, we go up on I-20 and talk about the Grambling Tigers again.

They are picked finished fifth in the West.

They are in the second year of head coach Mickey Joseph, who had quite a run as an assistant at LSU, previously an assistant at Grambling.

Now he's calling the shots.

And last week I had a chance to catch up with him on campus and get a state of the program address with the head coach heading into year two.

Halfway through fall camp, year two for Mickey Joseph here at Grambling.

And the head coach joins us here.

Thanks for letting us in your office, coach.

Jeff, I appreciate your comment.

Absolutely.

It's good to see you give us an evaluation.

If you are.

You're halfway through fall camp season around the corner.

How has the progress been was coming together?

It's coming together.

I think the kids really are focusing on what we're telling them because we always say, you know, give us a focus and finish.

And I think they're trying to do that right now.

We just got to be more consistent with them as a coaching staff.

To get them to be consistent, we have to be consistent.

Tell a coach that all the time, but we have a good group of kids here.

We have the kids that they're really tight.

We have a really strong coaching staff here.

We work a lot of experience, so it's coming together.

I saw you at Media Day for Swac, me today, and you talked about owning last year, evaluating and now implementing the game plan for year two.

How is that implementation and going in terms of taking what happened last year and seeing the changes that are being made that you wanted to make?

Well, complimentary football.

We got to play cooperative football this year.

We got gotta we got to know when to run the ball.

We got to know when to throw it.

We got to work together.

And so that's what we're doing a better job of just working together as offensive staff.

Everybody knows what's going on.

Everybody has their responsibility and everybody's getting it done.

But we also got to make sure that we're doing what's best for the kids, that the kids can execute it because it's not what we know is what they can execute.

You have some big numbers.

When you hear a previous stop at Grambling.

For those who followed you at LSU, you put up some big numbers offensively.

Well, you're trying to get back to that same style of playing here, head coach in year two with those numbers, not really numbers.

I'm trying to get to the wins, okay.

You got to get to the win.

So you know and it might be a time on defense.

You know that we give up some yards and offense got out scoring.

So our job this year we always tell the team this on offense score one more point than your opponents.

And on defense let him score one.

Let them keep out.

One last point.

The players have stood out so far, man.

The people don't know that they expect to see from Grambling this year.

Anybody stand out so far through camp?

We have a good quarterback battle going on with, t satin.

And Frye, you know, kid from Jacksonville State.

The transfer of the South.

This is a really good quarterback battle going on.

You know really enjoying it when watching them.

And then at the running back position we brought Trey Bradford back.

We have Byron Eden Andre Andre Cruz you know Tony Phillips the kids this really playing really good.

But the kid McLendon is doing a great job.

You know running between tackles this game.

He's kind of fourth or fifth.

People forget about him.

But if he went anywhere else he probably be a starter you know.

So we're really young outside.

So Tyler Williams is doing a really good, you know.

And so my thing is to get Nick Howard just to be more consistent about what he wants to do because he's the leader of the group.

And we'll be getting Sean Dickerson back.

It'll be a nuff said about him.

And then also CJ's playing is CJ's banged up right now.

But C.J.

will be back and give us more to do a good job.

Yeah, I'm glad to hear you say running because I remember immediate, as you said, you're going to run the ball to run the ball to run.

You want to get back to that running game.

Yeah.

Because I think that we play we I know we play good defense.

I know we have a really good defensive line with Bryce Cage.

And you know Collison the guys that's inside.

And you got Marcellus.

We got a really good good group.

Guys on defense that can stop the run.

Then when you go outside you have Lindsey and Blake really at the corners position.

That's doing a really good job.

You're no stranger to football, but being in your second year head coach, we were talking about just a few moments ago, you're not only the head coach, football coach of a team, you're the head football coach of a brand.

Grambling is a national brand.

What does that been like and the adjustments that you have to make doing that, knowing what the Grambling name means not only in Louisiana but nationwide?

Well, like I said, I had to be.

My awareness is up to me.

How are we going to function here?

How are we going to how are we going to get through our problems that we do have in knowing that as a national brand, and how are we going to use the national brand?

And then when you put the junior helmet, you everybody's Super Bowl.

So we had to get through all of that.

And we said as a team that we're going to give everybody the Super Bowl.

We know how to function right now.

We know how to operate together because we come from two different worlds.

You know, I've been and I left this world and went to another world and had to come back to this world.

So I had to figure out and remember how we function as well and how we were successful.

And I figured it out.

We look forward to seeing you on game notes all season long.

I appreciate your time and I know they appreciate it.

Thank you.

We appreciate coach.

We appreciate coach inviting us into his office to talk a little Grambling football.

We look forward to talking to more coaches throughout the season.

Scott, as you take a look at the schedule for Grambling, Ohio State, how about that when you get past Langston going Ohio State.

But look at Prairie View.

They got to go to Vegas to play that game.

Then you go to New Orleans.

They got another game in Atlanta that goes back to being the coach of a brand, whether it's the band, the football team, everything that comes with the G. That's what it takes when you're the head coach of a brand.

Absolutely.

And I think it's important that Coach Joseph understands what he does.

And I love the hire.

When Grambling made this hire, I'm a little bit biased.

I grew up watching Mickey Joseph sports that number two for my Huskers and playing quarterback.

But I think Mickey Joseph as the head coach of this program, is the right guy for the job because he's one of the best recruiters in college football.

You saw the kind of guys he recruited LSU when he was there.

But kids trust in him.

They believe him.

They want to play hard to not let Mickey Joseph down.

So I think Mickey Joseph's the right guy to lead that brand.

And that G on the helmet.

Be a champion for LPB by becoming a member right now, and you will be supporting LPB as Louisiana Storyteller.

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Welcome back one last time during the game notes.

Fall preview everyone.

I'm Karen LeBlanc and I would like to thank Victor Howell LPB Sports Correspondent and award winning sports journalist, and Scott Shanle former New Orleans Saints linebacker and Super Bowl champ, for joining me.

Absolute Super Bowl champ, 2010.

When the Saints won the Super Bowl five years after Hurricane Katrina.

We're coming up on the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

So some some pretty momentous, moments in Louisiana's history.

What was that like for you in 2010, just five years after the city you played in was decimated by the hurricane?

I think it was special for guys like myself.

We had a lot of guys who were part of that team that weren't just drafted the year before the Super Bowl or two years, we were a part of that.

The rebuild, the 2006 of flying in and seeing homes still rebuilding and no restaurants open and places gutted.

So I think it was really special for that moment that we all saw that the rebuild of the city and the region to go to Miami and beat the Colts and to see how happy it made a city in a region.

Not many places get to experience that.

Well, I mean that really.

And it's these moments in time, right, that were really reflective because 20 years and it does bring back these milestones along that journey 20 years from now.

So, so great to have that perspective on the show.

Victor, I got to say, one of the things that LPB has done and we credit you for this, is expand our sports program and really speak to the viewers as Louisiana.

And we hold sports in our DNA.

As we've said over and over again, and that is what you're delivering with game notes.

And I do want to say, also thanks to the support of our LPB CEO, C.C Copeland, for supporting the show and and truly believing in it.

And, you know, he says, quote, LPB is committed to telling Louisiana stories, and many of those stories are found on the football field.

So true.

Well, the football game, as Scott mentioned earlier, it brings families together.

It brings communities together.

We've talked about doing this for the better part of a year and a half, two years, like we said earlier in the in one of the breaks.

It's been a year in the making just here at LPB.

But thanks to CC, thanks to the staff here at LPB.

Thanks for those who believed in it sight unseen because we're just seeing the debut, but it was the idea that we knew what we could deliver with the stories to be told and care.

And I have to tell you as well, I went on a personal mission, as Scott will tell you, on my own little statewide tour, to see all the campuses.

The feedback from the coaches that we've gotten and the players who thank us for doing it and are looking forward to it to the point where, say, hey, anything you need, you know, let us know.

I can't tell you how much I appreciate that.

We appreciate that.

To help tell their stories, they've received it.

They know what it means to get the message across on LPB statewide.

And we're just fortunate that we could be here to be the ones to tell it.

And it really does perfectly align with our mission here at public television is to tell stories about Louisiana, the whole state.

You know, not just New Orleans not just Baton Rouge, but all corners of the state.

And that is what this show will do.

Perfect timing again to launch game notes.

We are celebrating our 50th anniversary here at LPB.

And what better way to do that than with expanded sports program that we are delivering with game notes.

So that's a present to viewers and a great way to acknowledge and celebrate our 50th anniversary as a Louisiana storyteller.

Now let's take another look at the thank you gifts for our supporters.

Be a champion for LPB by becoming a member right now, and you will be supporting LPB as Louisiana Storyteller.

For $15 a month, receive the game Notes combo which includes LPB's, game notes, hat, two game notes, Koozies and LPB tailgate blanket, and an LPB umbrella for $8 a month.

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We also have a special credit card offer for a donation of $250 or more on a credit card.

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One of the great things about game notes is we are, you know, introducing viewers to college athletes, some of which will become professional athletes.

What do you that's going to be really cool for you to to be able to show viewers kind of careers in the making, right.

There's no question.

First, people ask me most about obviously playing at the professional level, but a lot of these moments that happen for the professional level, we're getting to cover and see these college athletes in the grind and the and the daily routine, the routine they go through to get to the next level for some of them.

So I think it's a rewarding thing that we get to do that.

And when you were at the NFL level, you know, all the Louisiana athletes you either played with or went up against a lot while you were an athlete?

Yeah, yeah, tons of tons of guys.

We were down the list with Ed Reed.

Reggie Wayne you go down the long list of Louisiana athletes, we'd be here all day.

So it's a tradition rich state when it comes to the game of football.

And the cool thing is you just might capture some of those golden moments.

Right in the show.

Some of these career making, defining moments.

Absolutely.

And some of the schools that are playing the FCS level.

So LSU is the FBS for for their bowl series.

And of course, Garrett Nussmeier an early candidate to maybe be on the Heisman level.

But even we have players in the state and the FCS level that only, for instance, on the Buchanan list, which is player of the year or defensive Player of the year, not only in their conference but in the country.

So again, back to the stories that we can tell.

Those guys deserve the credit, deserve the accolades.

They're out there putting in the work and the effort, and that's why we want to bring this coverage to.

All right.

So now I've got a personal question for that reason.

Dig deep and reflect.

So Victor will start with you.

Does your family love sports as much as you do?

Are they even sports fans or are you just out there on your own?

Well, no, they do.

As you know, I'm an all girl dad.

I got four girls and now they're getting to the age where they want to go to.

The games are getting a little more into it.

Honestly.

I think they want to go tailgating more.

They like to have fun.

They want to see the band.

You know, they want to see all the colors and the pageantry around.

So they've grown into the lore.

But for the longest time it's been dad's working because I've been with this guy.

You know, when we were down covering all the teams and sports they played at night and it takes.

But yes, they're they're getting around to where they're enjoying a little more.

But I know you got out of your household.

Yeah.

For me I was kind of the odd man out in the other.

One of my parents are really sports people, but I grew up in a state that football was in Nebraska, and Nebraska was kind of the national champions at that time.

And for me, it was I watched the drive, the 49 versus the Bengals in the Super Bowl.

I remember watching on TV, and that moment was like, that's what I wanted to like.

It was it was that moment.

I'll never forget it.

And so I was it was very ingrained in football.

My brother followed me at the university.

Nebraska played safety there, and now he's coaching football outside of Houston at Cypress, Texas.

So it's it's definitely football is now in our family.

And I think I had a little bit to do with that I think so all right.

Well thank you all so much.

And of course, thank you.

Thank you for watching a preview of Game Notes tonight.

And thank you for all your donations and your support in our mission here at LPB.

Now, before we go, just a couple of reminders.

I want you to watch the debut drum roll of game notes Saturday at 10 a.m., and then be sure to tune in again the next day, Sunday at 6 p.m. for the post Game Notes show.

All right, before we go, here's one last look at our thank you gifts to you.

Be a champion for love by becoming a member right now, and you will be supporting LPB as Louisiana Storyteller for $15 a month.

Receive the Game Notes combo, which includes LP's, game notes, hat, two game notes, Koozies, an LPB tailgate blanket, and an LPB umbrella for $8 a month.

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We also have a special credit card offer for a donation of $250 or more on a credit card, you will receive a wooden footballs serving platter, perfect for parties and tailgating, and a set of four Mignon glasses featuring your choice of designs.

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You will also receive visions, LPB Monthly Program Guide and Passport.

The streaming service for the very best of PBS and LPB.

You know, have an opportunity to coach, you know, a group of of young men that that you never have.

Coach is always exciting.

This is a new coaching staff for me with some of the guys I have another opportunity to work with.

So I think, though, all those things and and having an opportunity to, to get back in Cowboy Stadium, which is, I haven't been there in a while, but kind of grew up in that stadium.

You know, my dad coached and played in McNeese.

And, you know, that's the only thing I really knew for, for most of my life was McNeese football.

And to get back in that hole and Cowboy Stadium and to be there again is really exciting for me.

Yeah.

Scott, what's all this new again?

Because Matt via tour is back.

He's been consulting with Napier.

And when Billy Napier was at Louisiana before he went to Florida, took some time off.

Now he's back as a head coach of McNeese.

And look at what he did when he was with the Cowboys.

Is 78 wins tie for a school record.

No losing seasons for Southland Conference titles.

He had three wins against FBS teams and five playoff appearances.

When A.D.

He's Troy was out looking for a new football coach.

He said, here's what I was asking myself.

Where can I find a coach to meet the standard that we have set here at McNeese?

And then here's what he decided.

Let's go out and hire the coach that set the standard.

And they did.

And Matt Viator is now back in McNeese.

Yeah.

And when you can bring back that standard and somebody who's familiar with it, it's special because they know what what every place has a different feel to it.

What do I need to instill someplace those are going to be a happy place.

Some people are going to be a a smash mouth place.

When you see that that cowboy on the side of the helmet, that logo.

To me, McNeese football is is hard.

Blue collar, run.

Run the ball down your throat.

Play good run defense.

And I think that's the style that every head coach, every team is going to take on the personnel of their head coach.

And I think that's the style you're going to see out of this team the last three seasons, four and seven, one and ten and then six and six.

And Matt Theater comes in and we'll take a look at the expectations for the Cowboys in the Southland Conference.

Now that he is back.

Incarnate Word remember they're the teams that won it a year ago.

They're picked to win it again.

There's McNeese right there in the middle of the pack.

But Viator has a proven record of success there in Lake Charles.

We talked about their last playoff appearance and the South and conference titles back in 2015 under Matt Viator.

They also have their new quarterback, Jake Strong.

Just this week was named starter for the Cowboys.

And Scott he's one that came from Texas Tech.

He's a transfer that comes in to Lake Charles.

But he brings some FBS experience now to the next level of McNeese.

And that always helps.

How many times have we talked when we preview teams about all of the transfer portal guys?

It's just the nature of college football.

But I think what it does is it gives you those opportunities to go out and get players from places like Texas.

Not everybody.

If there's one position, not everybody can play.

You don't want to be the second or third quarterback on the depth chart everywhere.

So you bring in a guy like that, you allow him to see if he can to galvanize the group, and you see who elevates the player around you, and then you kind of decide what are his strengths, what are his weaknesses, and what type of offense do we need to run around this guy?

It's tough to find a school right now that's riding a wave of momentum bigger than what McNeese is riding in Lake Charles in the last two years, Athletic director he thrower hired Will Wade is a basketball coach.

He only took the team to back to back conference tournaments and went to the NCAA tournament.

Then he got Alexander to lead the Lady Cowboys basketball team.

All she did was win the South and Conference.

Over in Hammond.

He hires Matt Theater to come back.

He was just named to the governor's Nil committee here in the state of Louisiana.

And one week before fall camp start over in Lake Charles, he had this announcement for the Cowboys.

As a result of this historic gift, a gift of $5 million that spans ten years, starting today, Pope Nation Cowboys Stadium is now Navarre Stadium.

That's right.

You heard it.

A $5 million gift to McNeese.

It's the largest in school history.

It's the largest in Southland Conference history.

So McNeese now enters the season.

Scott with their first game against Louisiana Christian at Navarre State.

And so a lot of excitement there building to Matt victories.

First season on his return Louisiana Christian at home.

They'll be down the road in Lafayette at Louisiana where Matt was doing some consulting work.

And you see, their schedule was certainly one of those teams you have to keep an eye on because Matt Viator has the experience.

There's no doubt about it.

I think when you when you hire that coach, you hire the right guy to run your team.

It puts everybody else on notice.

Everybody else who's getting those schedules in the offseason saying this team is not going to be an easy out.

We need to make sure we're on our PS and QS.

We have our T's crossing our eyes dotted when we play this team, because we have a guy who who knows what success looks like at McNeese.

As we told you, at the top of the program, there were two new head coaches.

That's one of them.

The second one, he's down in Thibodaux, the new head coach for the Nicholls Colonels.

I learned a lot from Coach Rebo, great friend, great mentor, and we're fortunate to be in a great situation in Tiverton with the progress that we made as a program.

And ten years, I would put up against anybody in FCS football, and our job is to make the same amount of progress in the next ten years.

So Tommy Wright back, he takes over for Tim Rebo.

And here's what he did down at Nicholls.

Look at this 57 wins is number one all time at Nicholls a very good winning percentage in the South and Conference.

Five straight winning seasons for the Colonels.

And Scott look at the bottom 2018 2019 and as recently as 2023, Nicholls taking home the South End Conference championship.

What we should know for Tommy Wright back, as you mentioned, want to live up to Rebo.

He was on a staff.

He's been his defensive quarter now coordinator.

Now he has hired a new defensive coordinator.

But he's familiar with the city.

He's familiar with the students, the program.

Now he takes over to make it his own.

Coming from a very good program under Rebo.

And the good thing is the standard, he knows what the standard is.

He knows exactly a coach who goes out the door and says this much success.

He knows what a daily schedule looks like, what works and what doesn't work.

And I think that's really going to help his team.

There's going to be a whole lot of change.

And he'll he'll tweak things here, there things that he wants to do.

But there's going to be consistency.

And I think consistency is the key to winning long term in college football.

And you would like this.

Their defense was stout.

You being a defensive guy.

They allowed an FCS low six rushing touchdowns one year ago.

So people were not getting things done on the ground against Nicholls.

They only gave up 85 yards a game.

Rasheed Lovelace There's a name you need to remember a junior defensive lineman.

He's on the Buchanan Award list for National defensive Player of the year.

He's a preseason All-American.

He takes up a lot of space, but you can win on defense.

As we talked about earlier, start developing now on the offensive side.

Yeah, absolutely.

The one thing you talk about defense any any good defense usually has a really good defensive lineman.

They cause disruption.

They make linebacker play a lot easier and they make coverage guys a lot easier.

So yeah, if you can keep that defense going and then flip it over the offense and get the offense to play complementary football, this team is going to be dangerous.

Let's take a look at the preseason expectations for the Colonels from Nicholls and where they stand.

Right there.

Fifth, so just ahead of McNeese because we talked about Southeastern Louisiana coming up.

Nichols.

And we're going to get to Northwestern State in just a moment.

But there's those four schools here all bunched up there.

But it's Nichols leading the charge in terms of fifth place preseason prediction.

And again, with a team that understands winning because it was two years ago under Coach Rebo when they won the championship.

Also for Nichols of note, the college football season when it starts, guess where it starts.

Yes, there's one game overseas, but in the in the United States intimate with Nichols against the defending champs.

Coach.

Your thoughts?

First, what a great opportunity for our program in our community to be on that stage.

You mean it's a really is an excellent opportunity and one that everybody in the area is very excited about.

Football is very important in South Louisiana.

I think everybody knows that.

So for us to open the college football season there, I think really showcases that.

And then for us when we get to open up with the champs, and that's a big time challenge for us and who would want it any other way?

I mean, that's a great program.

Incarnate word has done a great job in the last four years.

They've been plays away from playing a for a national championship.

And that's the outlook we have for our program.

And so to get that measuring, game right out the back will be big for us.

Yeah.

How about that?

Week zero ESPN two nationally televised out of the Southland Conference against the defending champs in Incarnate Word in a game they'll be played down in Thibodaux.

That'll be a very exciting for your first year head coach.

First game nationally televised.

You're the first game in the country.

Let's kick off this season down with the country.

Yeah that's cool.

It's a really easy sell for for being a head coach and telling your team all the guys you want to watch, you play football, it's going to be on you.

Everybody's waiting for football season to kick off.

You have your TV on ESPN for for the nation to watch you play football.

It's not very hard to get your team motivated knowing that it's in store.

Well, let's stay in the Southland Conference and we'll go up to Natchitoches, where the demons from Northwestern State are playing ball.

You might think it's hard to be confident for a team that hasn't won a game in over two years.

But in the second year under Blaine McCorkle, confidence is what they have up there with the Demons at Northwestern State.

He likes the direction that this team is headed in 2025.

You know, there were times last year, if I'm very honest, you would walk in at team meeting room and it was hard to like like some guys in the room, right.

You know, and now I've got a group of guys that every day I walk in the room and they're hard not to love.

You know, we don't hide from the fact that we're going in this season with the longest losing streak in the country.

We're not scared to say that.

We know where we are.

We know where we have to go and to watch the drive in.

These guys work ethic every day, is really inspiring for me.

And they get me out of bed in the morning.

We just reference it a moment ago.

When you look at the predicted order of finish there, you see Northwestern State towards the bottom, just above UT Rio Grande Valley.

Look, we don't have to go over the whole story.

You might remember the tragedy.

A player was shot and killed off, on campus a few years ago.

They played one more game.

The focus wasn't there.

The tragedy for the players, the coaches they canceled that season.

Then the team went winless last year.

So we talk about the lack of success, if you will.

But then again, you talk about his confidence.

He says mentally this year they're in a much better state in terms of going into a season, coming off of what had happened.

They've put that behind them and now moving forward, the kids are coming back and he likes where they are headed.

Yeah.

And you look at a tragedy like the kids aren't robots.

They're human emotions.

It takes a while to overcome something like that.

So it's been a couple of years.

But at the same time, this this roster is a really young roster.

They have a ton of kids from the state of Louisiana.

82% of the kids from the state of Louisiana.

I think that makes it a special thing.

When you have a young roster like this, it means you have a hungry roster.

You have a lot of young guys who are trying to prove themselves, trying to prove to everybody that they can play at this level of football.

So a young roster is not necessarily a bad thing.

It can be a dangerous thing sometimes.

Yeah, guys have the experience.

They might not have the wins from a year ago, but the experience that's coming back, the 82% from the state of Louisiana and the players that they are bringing in, is all why McCorkle thinks this team is destined for success this season.

Here's his comments about helping build this roster.

I think we've done a really good job bringing in the right guys, these guys to my right.

After both transfers we brought in a year ago, Caleb from LA Tech and Cam from UL, and I think that, that's one thing I'm really proud of our staff is we've identified the right guys in the portal to bring in.

We're not going to make a living in the portal, but we're bringing in guys that are running to something and not from something.

And I think that's really helped our culture.

I love that comment.

They're not running from something.

They're running to something.

They're coming to Northwestern State to contribute and see what they can build there.

They will open up the season on a Thursday night against Alcorn State before they go on the road back to back Minnesota and Cincinnati.

Then they'll play a previous three in a row leading up to that bye week, and then we'll get into the home schedule and we can see what they'll do.

Yes, they might have the youngest roster in all of us, but they're ready to compete and we look forward to seeing the demons crack that win column for the first time in a couple of seasons.

Can't wait to see which week that is for the demons there in Natchitoches.

And then we wrap up our conversation from the Southland Conference, going to Hammond and the Lions under head coach Frank Celso in his eighth season as he leads the Southeastern Lions over there.

And yes, you look at the predictions for what they have.

They predict the third right behind Incarnate Word.

And Stephen Foster, now southeastern last year, lost two games by three points, one loss to Tarleton.

And in terms of these teams, by three points and one was to a ranked Incarnate Word team who wound up winning.

The conference beat southeastern by three.

But the Lions did not make it into the playoffs with those losses, something he's ready to change this season.

We preach all the time.

More games are lost than one, right?

And the two games that we lost by three Tarleton and UAW, both of them are national seeds.

And that's why we felt like we had the opportunity to go to the playoffs, because when you when you lose two game teams like that, if they're that they're that good and they give them a national seed, then that that reflects well on us.

And I think sometimes we do get overlooked.

It isn't about details.

It's about, like I said, losing.

There's more games lost and won and we got to take care of those things.

And you got two titles loose ends up and you can't go back.

There's no do overs.

And that's what we're looking do as far as going forward from that standpoint, there might not be any do overs from last season, but this young man is getting a do over.

Ian Connolly, Goodley he's a senior defensive back who had an outstanding season for the Lions two years ago.

Then he tested the transfer portal, stepped up Sunbelt conference, went to Troy.

But on bye weeks he kept going back to him and he wanted to see the Lions play.

He's a Covington young man.

Came back well Scott he is back at southeastern for one more go.

He left Troy to come back you see is already all Southland Conference first team.

That's a defensive leader that Frank was happy to have back on campus.

Yeah.

Preseason All-American.

If there's one position we talked about the defensive linemen changing the way you play defense, football.

Special defensive back.

I'll do the same thing.

If you remember back to the Deon Sanders days, you basically say, we don't have to worry about that side of wherever he's lined up.

So he has that type of impact on their defense.

He's a special player.

They've got a quarterback badly of a transfer from Sacramento State.

Carson Camp Kyle Lowe is a transfer in from Georgia State.

Frank Self is not afraid to use two quarterbacks.

And it's not.

You get a series and you get a series.

It might just be hey, it's 38.

I need to go for that kind of package.

So he'll use two quarterbacks.

And it's an interesting note 18 players for the Lions have four years of experience.

Six players have six years of experience.

So guys who had the opportunity maybe to leave but decided not to because they want to make that fourth playoff run in six years for the Lions.

Yeah, I think that's going to pay dividends.

Having that experience, having guys who have been around the campus for that many years gone through that many practices in that many meeting rooms, it allows you to have good leadership, is what it does.

Here we talk about costs, about developing culture.

It allows you to have guys who can show the younger guys the way and the way it's done there.

You'll see their big games could be at Incarnate Word when it comes for the conference play.

But look at how they start on the road at Louisiana Tech, and then they end the month of September at LSU before they get to Texas, Rio Grande Valley and start conference play, but again to Louisiana test for the Lions on the road at Louisiana Tech in Ruston.

And then in week four, they will make their way over to Baton Rouge and take on the Tigers from LSU.

Can't believe 60 minutes is over, but it is for now.

But we're just getting started on what it's going to be like all season long on game notes.

You ready?

You're a player ready to get going for game time.

I'm ready.

Fall can't get here fast enough.

I can't wait to watch these young men play.

Watch these coaches put together programs.

A lot of hard work.

There's a lot of hours put in from January through now, from the end of last season, they all wanted to pay off.

And as you can see, we have a lot of stories to tell and we can't wait to do it here with you.

I even made that catch right there on that fumble.

I can't wait to do it with you here on Game Notes.

We thank you for joining us for our debut in the season.

Preview of game Notes, and we'll see you next week when we start getting into the action for my partner Scott Shanley, I'm Victor Howell.

Thanks for watching us.

It's game time.

Get off the bench with us here on Game Notes.

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