The Reveille 9-9-21

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HURRICANE

HAV C

Students from Southeastern Louisiana are ‘tired of living through historical events.’

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MATTHEW HINTON / Associated Press

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Vehicles head slowly east on the Interstate-10 twin spans leaving New Orleans while only a trickle of cars heads west back into the city before landfall of Hurricane Ida in New Orleans,

NEWS

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ENTERTAINMENT

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OPINION

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As Louisiana faces its worst COVID surge, students return Yik Yak has taken LSU by storm and become the new must- “The yard was a hellscape, Mimi’s pecan tree was ripped to campus with little to no restrictions. Classrooms are have app on campus. The anonymity and LSU-specific from its roots and took a good chunk of the yard with it and Maw Maw’s water oak went down as well.” content make the app helpful but also disorderly. more crowded than ever.

L SU Re ve i l le.co m @l s u r e ve i l le

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‘EPICENTER OF CHAOS’

BY DOMENIC PURDY @tigerdom16 Lauren Leonard is no stranger to hurricanes. The Houma native’s memories of hurricanes date back to 2005, when Hurricane Katrina devastated Southeast Louisiana.

Leonard, a digital advertising senior, still never comprehended the destruction a hurricane could cause – until Hurricane Ida. Hurricane Ida made landfall near Port Fourchon as a Category 4 storm on Aug. 29 – the 16-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina – with sustained winds of 150 mph. It was the fifth strongest storm to strike the continental United States, wreaking havoc from Louisiana to New York.

“When you see these news stories about tragedies that happen to people, you think, ‘that’ll never happen to me,’” Leonard said. “But when it’s you it’s almost hard to fully understand. I’m seeing pictures on the news of buildings I would go to every day or streets I would drive down and I’m like, ‘oh, that’s what they went through.’”

LSU students from across Southeast Louisiana expressed difficulty in comprehending Hurricane Ida’s destruction. As power outages persist in the hardest-hit areas, like Terrebonne Parish, Lafourche Parish and the River Parishes, students and their families are left unsure about the future while they begin to rebuild.

University classes resumed after about a week-long hiatus to allow students to return from evacuation sites and assess damages in their homes. Many students, though, said returning to campus wasn’t their top priority.

“School is the last thing on my mind right now,” Jonah Brock, a Prairieville native, said. “I have a million other issues we have to go through with my whole family [besides] work or school.”

Though the town neighbors Baton Rouge, last-minute shifts in Hurricane Ida’s direction made the storm more devastating than expected for Prairieville, with the first hurricane-related death reported there after a tree fell on a house, according to the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Sleeping during the storm was a test of patience for Brock, who evacuated to his aunt’s house only a few miles away from his house.

He was kept up by thoughts of debris slamming into his room – right next to where a fallen tree ended up destroying his front patio and a large portion of the roof at his family’s home.

The earliest estimate for the house to be livable is four months, he said.

“It’s gonna be a while until we get back on our feet and are able to move back into our own house,” the history sophomore said. “This whole semester I will be dislocated.”

Within a day of Hurricane Ida leaving the state, the university

announced make-up days for the week of missed classes, either on Saturdays or during fall break.

New Orleans native and political communication sophomore Ryan Castellon heard the news days later, while he and his family stayed in Mississippi. He said he understands why the university made the decision to announce make-up days but wishes the university budgeted for more weather-related cancelations in

ping. Calls from family asking to change his plans soon flooded his phone.

Castellon’s family always treated evacuation as a last-resort option, even during Hurricanes Katrina and Gustav – though as he put it, “this storm was different.”

“All of the sudden, I’m driving back to New Orleans, only to leave the next morning for a random place in Mississippi until [Sept. 1],” Castellon said.

MATTHEW PERSCHALL / The Reveille

Three workers sit on Aug. 30 near the fallen pieces of roofing at the LSU School of Music on Infirmary Road. the future.

“Sometimes there are actions taken to prepare for severe weather, but it doesn’t really seem like the university prepares for the inevitable weather closures that happen every year and we all know are coming,” Castellon said.

LSU Provost Matthew Lee said the university announces makeup days as quickly as possible to give students, faculty and staff time to adjust their schedules.

“Our accrediting body requires that we adhere to a specific number of student contact hours, and so when we lose days we generally have to make them up,” Lee said. “We are using days from fall break, but also recognize that some students and faculty may have already had plans.”

Those make-up days will be conducted virtually, Lee said.

Castellon had originally planned to stay in his Baton Rouge apartment, waiting out the storm by doing laundry and nap-

He said damage to his home was minor compared to that of Katrina: some water puddled on the floor and shingles here and there flew off the roof. Their shutters were ripped to shreds by the winds.

Though students from Terrebonne Parish had less fortunate experiences returning to their homes, where power isn’t expected to be restored for the majority of residents until Sept. 29, Houma, its largest city, experienced some of the worst destruction from the hurricane.

“That was so hard to see the places that don’t look remotely the same anymore. I’m not looking forward to the emotional toll going back will take,” Leonard said. “I almost feel guilty being [in Baton Rouge] now.”

Mass communication junior Tyler Johnson was surprised to see his childhood home in Houma only sustained minor damage in comparison to the rest of the

city, where roads are “untouchable” due to downed power lines.

Half his roof was damaged, with only a few trees scraping the exterior.

“I’ve seen pictures of buildings completely torn in half,” he said. “My friend’s neighbor, his house was completely cut in half.

It’s like a dollhouse you can open up.”

For Johnson, who continued to work at Lighthouse Coffee in Baton Rouge while half the state was without power, the scariest part of the storm was the cellular and Wi-Fi outages that disconnected him from his loved ones for days.

“It was mainly just worry because I would talk to them for five minutes and then not talk to them for two days,” he said. “It freaked me out because for days I wouldn’t know if [my girlfriend or parents were] okay, if anything happened because there was no service.”

Though students may not have to deal with as bad of damage to their Baton Rouge residences, the toll of repairing their childhood homes and assisting family in recovery will be the main source of their worry.

Castellon said he’ll likely have to become accustomed to his parents living out of state instead of only an hour drive away in New Orleans – something that he said will add to his anxiety in helping with recovery despite his apartment near campus remaining unharmed.

“There’s a sort of doubled anxiety in living in two places that are both directly in the path of the storm,” he said. “It passed through New Orleans and [then I had to] worry about my apartment in Baton Rouge.”

As power shut off across Southeast Louisiana, the gas stations that people rushed to keep their generators running – the places Castellon called “the epicenter of anxiety” – became emblematic of the anxiety people were feeling during the hurricane. Wait times at some gas stations grew as long as four hours, according to recounts from students.

Despite weeks of uncertainty behind them and more to come, students from across Southeast Louisiana said they see the best of humanity in their hometowns, even as lights remain dim from dwindling generator power and trees continue to lie in roads and on roofs.

Leonard said her grandfather’s friends have been cooking all day for their neighbors and strangers in need. When fixing his roof, her father was met with helping hands from complete strangers passing by.

“Seeing the humanity that has come out of my own community and the other communities in Louisiana, that’s what makes me love Louisiana so much,” Leonard said.

Corbin Ross contributed to this report.

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NEWS

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CROWDED CLASSROOMS Students complain about overcrowding, lack of COVID-19 mitigation measures

MATTHEW PERSCHALL / The Reveille

LSU sophomores (in order from left to right) Ben Huval, a finance major, Charles Cherry, a finance major: Seth Crowton, a general business major and Sam Ethridge, a pre-med student sit on Aug. 26, one next to the other in the Business Education Auditorium.

BY BELLA DARDANO @BellaDardano As students arrived on LSU’s campus for a fully in-person semester for the first time in over a year, they were greeted with crowded classrooms, buildings with no air conditioning and intense summer heat.

Students immediately raised concerns about the spread of COVID-19 in “elbow-to-elbow” classrooms.

Classes are being held at 100% capacity this semester, unless the university experiences a 10% or higher COVID-19 positivity rate, according to LSU’s mitigation protocols. Some rooms have additional desks lined up against the walls, exceeding the normal capacity of the rooms and overcrowding students.

Computer science senior Raquel Hodgeson said when she arrived on campus Monday, August 23, she was faced with

crowded classrooms that had little to no room available for social distancing. Classes were either completely full or had very little space to spread out, she said, which made her feel unsafe and unable to focus.

“My first day of one of my classes was with like 90 people.

I didn’t hear a word because I was so distracted,” Hodegson said. “I do pretty well in my classes but I’m worried that even if I do go in person and do ev-

erything right, I will still not do that well because I am so distracted by feeling uncomfortable and unsafe.”

Mechanical engineering senior Ben Bishop recalled a similar experience. He said students have to put in extra effort to find a socially distanced seat in class and that “you almost might be better off showing up late” to have a better chance of getting a seat away from others.

Bishop said although he is

vaccinated and feels he would be fine if he were to catch the virus, he worries for the safety of others in his family.

“My dad had a liver transplant a few years back and is immunocompromised as a result, and due to family activities there are things that I have to do with him that I can’t avoid doing,” Bishop said. “So it’s not just a risk to me, it’s that I know

see CLASSROOMS, page 4

ACADEMICS

Honors course asks hard questions about rape and consent

BY DOMENIC PURDY @tigerdom16 The Roger Hadfield Honors College offers seminar courses ranging from Global politics to classic lit. One course is an eerie reminder of the role rape plays in modern American life, especially on college campuses like LSU. Assistant professor of communication studies Ashley Mack uses the lens of communication to consider how American culture frames sexual violence in both media and institutions in a course titled Rape & Consent in American Culture.

“We’re interested in understanding how rape and consent are culturally constituted,” Mack said “[It’s about] how we use communication to make sense of what we understand something like rape or consent to be.”

A major question that drives the class is parsing out why rape is tolerated despite a majority of people seeing rape as the worst thing to ever happen to someone, Mack said.

“Why is it that we still con-

done rape? Why is it that people who are victims of rape feel that people don’t believe them? Why do they feel that they can’t come forward?” they said. “All those things are communication problems with how sexual violence is symbolically negotiated in culture.”

A large part of the course’s content is centered around understanding how the conversation on sexual violence is framed in all facets of American life.

Understanding the intersections between inequities like racism, sexism and heteronormativity are essential to understanding how sexual violence is communicated, Mack said.

“And we have to understand the ways that those public framings about sexual violence impact how social institutions like LSU, the federal government, the criminal justice system and religious bodies attempt to stop sexual violence or cover it up,” Mack said.

Mack’s course has been offered in one form or another on campus since spring 2016 when they taught it under the depart-

ment of communication Studies before transitioning it to the Honors College for the fall 2020 semester.

Some students who have taken Mack’s class in past semesters found it eye-opening to see how pervasive the issues the course highlights are. One student found the course to be more than just an honors credit when she took it during the fall of 2020.

“The way that Professor Mack designed this section helped me realize all the times that I’d experienced these in real life and also helped me to stop blaming myself for harassment that I’d endured,” political science junior Delaney Ferrer said.

Ferrer originally had another course in her schedule but when the class she wanted was full, she took Mack’s class despite feeling there was nothing else she could learn about the topic.

That notion was wrong, she said.

“Even though I thought I knew a lot about the subject before, I came out of the class with loads of information that I have since shared with my friends and basically anyone who will listen to

me,” Ferrer said.

Students taking the course a year later during this semester have experienced a similar desire to educate themselves on real issues such as these, even just a week into the semester.

“As women, we see, read and hear about sexual assault and rape happening so frequently that it is really scary,” mass communication sophomore Piper Naudin said. “I hope to some degree that by further educating myself, I can also better protect myself in a physical, mental and legal sense.”

Students have also praised Mack’s ability to make uncomfortable conversations about sexual assault and harassment easier to have. Mack’s classroom is a safe space to discuss these issues in a constructive manner, Ferrer said.

“It is such a prevalent issue worldwide, and I don’t believe we talk about it enough,” Naudin said. “I am hoping that this class will help me and others learn to talk about a very difficult and heavy topic that I think most people are very uncomfortable

talking about.”

The course is taught in the heart of campus in Coates Hall following a series of scandals that left the LSU community questioning their own culture of rape and consent.

Mack found that a good number of their students relate the class to what’s happening on campus through their own personal experiences or through people they know.

“Students know that it’s happening here, even if LSU prior to the past year haven’t publicly admitted that it was a problem here,” Mack said.

Even after the highly publicized Husch Blackwell investigation into the university’s Title IX violations, Mack wants their students to know that rape isn’t an issue unique to Baton Rouge.

“It happens here and in very specific kind of ways. But it’s also happening at Tulane, Loyola and LSU Shreveport in very nuanced and specific ways to those communities,” Mack said. “It’s a prevalent and substantial social

see HONORS, page 4

Thursday, September 9, 2021

page 4 CLASSROOMS, from page 3 that I’m a potential risk to others.”

Biology junior Sam Dreuil said almost all of his classes are extremely crowded and he thinks he could still contract COVID even though everyone is wearing masks.

Many students feel the risk is preventable by allowing online participation in classes and thereby decreasing the number of in-person attendees.

Some professors in larger, overcrowded classrooms have started offering a hybrid option after the first few days of class.

The current policy for switching classes to hybrid format says “only courses enrolling 100 or more students are allowed to opt into teaching a hybrid format during peak infection times.

Courses under 100 students must remain at full capacity.”

It’s unclear if professors with less than 100 students are checking with the university before providing a Zoom option.

There is an avenue to apply for accommodation for faculty with personal COVID-related health concerns, although some elderly professors have reported their requests were denied.

According to a statement from Tammy Millican, Executive Director for Facility Services, LSU has a total of 810 rooms

used for academic classrooms, class labs and computer classrooms.

Clay Benton, senior associate registrar, said that LSU is using “approximately 475 instructional spaces” for the fall semester.

In addition to packed classrooms, the Manship School, Tureaud Hall and Stubbs Hall had broken air conditioning units on the first few days of classes. The issues were resolved within the week. “there was absolutely no air flow in [Tureaud Hall] because of AC being out,” Said animal science junior. “It was extremely hot, especially since I had just walked over half a mile to class because of the awful parking issues.”

“Facility Services staff immediately responded to calls on Monday regarding the temperature in Tureaud,” Millican said. “They discovered that the HVAC control air compressor had failed. Our staff ordered a replacement and installed a temporary air compressor that will be used until a replacement is delivered.”

Millican also said in her statement that “equipment can still unexpectedly fail,” although preventative measures are performed frequently.

Kevin Doucette also contributed to this report.

HONORS, from page 3 problem.”

LSU’s issues with rape and consent were brought to the forefront during last year’s investigation. They are emblematic of Greek life and drinking culture on college campuses across the country, Mack said.

Both Mack and their students feel the course is just as important in the wake of Husch Blackwell as at any other time. Some believe a course like this should

be a requirement for all students.

“Most students, every time I’ve taught it, said they feel surprised to see a class like this at LSU but feel it’s needed,” Mack explained. “Others have said things like that it should be a required course at LSU or that they have learned so much about how to communicate about some of these issues and how to challenge claims that people make in response to rape.”

Mack hopes their course, if nothing else, helps students bet-

ter understand the inequality and communication problems inherent to the conversation about sexual violence. They feel learning about these issues is an important first step to change but until the culture responsible is dismantled, no lasting change will come.

“Nobody would ever say rape is okay, yet we seem to say it a lot in the way that we act,” Mack said. “So why does that happen?

That’s the important question for students to consider.”

MATTHEW PERSCHALL / The Reveille

LSU professor Dr. Ashley Mack begins a lecture on Aug. 26, during class in room 202 of Coates Hall.

FIND YOURSELF HERE. DISCOVER OPPORTUNITIES IN TIGERLINK Visit the TigerLink website to uncover a world of events, clubs, and ideas to connect you to the LSU experience!

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Homecoming Court 2018 visits the field pregame

ENTERTAINMENT

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YIK YAK: THE “GOSSIP GIRL” OF LSU

BY MADELON DAVIS @MadelonDavis

Yik Yak has taken LSU by storm and become the new must-have app on campus.

Yik Yak, which relaunched this year after shutting down in 2017, allows users to anonymously post anything that comes into their head. Are then only shared to those in a five mile radus making content locally relevant. The anonymity and school-specific aspects of Yik Yak at LSU draw similarities to “Gossip Girl,” a show where anonymous posts about people and school activities create drama among students.

The main features available to users are the ability to upvote, downvote or comment on a post depending on your reaction. This app can be used for pure entertainment, as it allows people to post whatever their heart desires.

“I think it’s hilarious, and it’s a fun way to joke around with random people,” said psychology senior Zoë Kim.

Being able to post whatever you want while staying anonymous comes with a downside: Since no one knows users’ identity, some get a feeling of power that they can say whatever they want, even if it will hurt someone else. A lot of the comments can come off as comical, but many comments feature vulgar language or could possibly hurt someone’s feelings or both.

Navy Coggins, a pre-med kinesiology junior, has become familiar with the harmful side of Yik Yak. Coggins downloaded the app, due to its popularity but then it soon turned ugly once he realized people were posting about him.

“It was really weird to see hundreds of anonymous people saying things about me on the app,” Said Coggins on his experience. Anonymity breeds this kind of behavior in people. It’s so easy to hide behind a screen, and because messages aren’t tied to any particular account, it allows people to say whatever they want without the fear of repercussions.” Coggins decided to take this opportunity to-

bring light to how words can affect someone’s mental health.

“I was tired of people never taking into account how their actions contribute to people’s depression, anxiety and even potential suicide,” said Coggins.

After all of this happened, he decided to post on his Instagram about how people should take into account other people’s mental health when posting on social media.

“I saw my post as an opportunity to finally show people that what they’re saying on Yik Yak might not be taken as a joke if they targeted the wrong person,” said Coggins.

Many still enjoy using this app because a majority of the post are harmless and are just there for everyone’s entertainment.

“Personally, I think it’s really entertaining and always gives me a good laugh. However, some of the posts are a little harsh and it might make people feel bad,” said kinesiology pre-pharmacy senior, Emma Roehm.

Yik Yak can also be a quality, constantly-updated information source.

“The app manages to be chaotic, entertaining and informative all at once,” said construction management senior Jason Babb.

Since school has just begun, there are some tips for how to be a successful LSU student. While these tips may have a funny twist to them, they still provide insight on subjects parking availabilty.

Users of the app give reviews on courses and inform students where to find cheap textbooks, both of which are helpful to college students.

This app has the potential to be useful while still being interesting because it gives you an entertaining introduction to the LSU world.

I am excited to see what happens with this app over the course of the school year. I wonder if it will blow up like TikTok and become everyone’s gathering place for entertainment and information, or if it will slowly fade off and be a memory of the past.

FASHION

L.a. to LA: gameday fashion at season opener against UCLA

BY MADELON DAVIS @MadelonDavis

COURTESY TJ POLK (LEFT) & RILEY BROWN (RIGHT) / The Reveille

LSU students take pride in their outfits and want everyone to remember them by what they wear.

Gameday fashion at LSU is unlike any other university.

We take casual and fancy, mix those together and the result is something no one could’ve seen coming. LSU fans’ outfits had a home game vibe with a twist of Los Angeles fashionat the UCLA game this past weekend.

Many LSU fans had on trendy outfits while incorporating cowboy boots, making the perfect game-day fit. Once inside the stadium, there was no denying what team you were cheering for.

Not only did the colors differentiate the two teams, but the styles of outfits also made it obvious who you were rooting for. LSU students dress up and dress out for every game day, the UCLA game being no exception.

COURTESY EMILY GRAHAM/ The Reveille

Thursday, September 9, 2021

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Thursday, September 9, 2021

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LIFE

A toppled over trash bin sits on Monday, Aug. 30, the morning after Hurricane Ida struck South Louisiana, in the parking lot of the East Campus Apartments near the LSU UREC.

GOES ON

MATTHEW PERSCHALL /

The Reveille

A Bobcat sits empty Monday, Aug. 30, with leaves in its bucket, the morning after Hurricane Ida struck South Louisiana, near LSU Memorial Tower on Tower Drive.

MATTHEW PERSCHALL / The Reveille

Roofing from the LSU School of Music sits on the ground Monday, Aug. 30, 2021, the day after Hurricane Ida hit South Louisiana, near a side entrance on Infirmary Road.

On Aug. 29, the 15th anniversary of the infamous Hurricane Katrina making landfall, Hurricane Ida hit southeastern Louisiana. After the storm, millions of residents found themselves without power or running water, and communities had to work together to protect one anoher. Fortunately for LSU, the campus did not lose power, and staff members quickly got to work recreating a sense of normalcy.

MATTHEW PERSCHALL / The Reveille MATTHEW PERSCHALL / The Reveille

The Fairy Garden remains mostly upright on Aug. 30, in LSU’s Enchanted Forest near the Student Health Center.

A staff member dumps leaves and branches into a trailer Monday, Aug. 30, the morning after Hurricane Ida struck South Louisiana on Dalrymple Drive.

MATTHEW PERSCHALL / The Reveille

A member of the LSU staff blows leaves Monday, Aug. 30, 2021, as part of the hurricane cleanup the morning after Hurricane Ida struck South Louisiana, on Dalrymple Drive.

OPINION

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Reflections on perseverance from the eye of Hurricane Ida EVAN ON EARTH EVAN LEONHARD @evan_leonhard I was four years old when Hurricane Katrina laid siege to New Orleans, my hometown.

The infamous storm and its immediate aftermath are a bifurcating moment in both the city’s history and the lives of many who inhabit it. Everyone over the age of 30 seems to have a story about how life in the city changed for them after Katrina—homes destroyed, careers rerouted, families separated and iconic cultural institutions closed or altered forever.

For my peers and me, the storm is our creation myth, the primordial mist from which the world around us came to be.

The only New Orleans we know is post-Katrina.

Too young to grasp the gravity of our predicament, these early memories of displacement are actually quite pleasant, spent in Baton Rouge surrounded by family. It never crossed my mind

that we were all refugees, fleeing what was then a nearly leveled, waterlogged shantytown. It most certainly never crossed my mind that my own home would be destroyed, split in two by a toppled oak tree.

This little bubble of naïve serenity was popped, however, when my father brought me to visit our old home as repairs were underway. He wanted me to witness catastrophe being confronted and dealt with accordingly.

This was life, a harrowing introduction to the fragility of human endeavor and the Sisyphean reality that, in the face of inevitable hardship, one has little choice but to persist.

While I, a toddler, was obviously not grasping the totality of this insight at the time, my family’s ethos of moving forward despite disaster would make an indelible mark on me as I watched stormbattered wreckage be restored to a home that I would spend the rest of my childhood in.

I remember the ruins and I grew up in what became of them.

Exactly 16 years later, I cannot

help but consider all of this as I once again find myself caught up in the chaos of storm dodging.

However, circumstances were a bit different this time around.

Ida’s projected path seemed impossible to gauge with any remote certainty. In the day leading up to landfall, the areas predicted to bear the brunt of the weather were shifting almost by the hour.

My options for sheltering in place were split between my offcampus apartment in Baton Rouge and my aforementioned childhood home in New Orleans. I spent the early hours of Aug. 28 tracking the news and frantically deliberating with family about which was the better prospect.

With the latest weather updates and parental reassurance on my side, I hastily made out for the Crescent City just in time for sneaky Ida to swerve eastward.

I had evacuated into the storm.

All I could do at this point was board up the windows and pray for the best.

Within twelve hours, the view from my back window could have been J.M.W. Turner’s “Snow Storm”

come to life, a whirling grey blur dotted with a diverse assortment of locally sourced projectiles.

A professor of mine once used the example of being outside during a hurricane to illustrate Kant’s notion of the sublime, a profound experience of beauty that is as incredibly awe-inspiring as it is deeply disturbing.

To say the least, the example proved effective.

I opened the door to a powerful blast of wind, a startling but admittedly refreshing reprieve from the powerless house’s increasing stuffiness.

Naturally, the typically bustling street had long been abandoned as incoming traffic was promptly replaced by airborne debris. Loose foliage whizzed past my patio. Objects hurdled into my roof with loud thwacks.

The madness held strong for hours. We hunkered down in our cave-like living room, quietly listening as the familiar voices of WWL buzzed faintly from a crank radio on the counter. It spewed increasingly ominous updates as Ida slowly clawed her way across the

southeastern edge of the state.

We took each serving of bad news with mouths agape and frenzied exchanges of looks.

A major transmission tower collapses across the river. LaPlace is inundated with ungodly amounts of water. It could be weeks before power is restored.

If the weather itself was not proof that disaster had struck, reports of these other tragedies certainly were.

A neighbor of ours phoned in on–air with the striking assertion that this was the worst weather she had ever experienced firsthand. I certainly shared the sentiment as I had never come close to seeing anything this bad, but she had stayed for Katrina.

This was all followed by the hosts declaring Ida as comparable, if not worse, than its 16-year-old predecessor, another bifurcating moment after which the city may never be the same. Of course, this all seems a bit extreme as the scope of Ida’s aftermath becomes clearer in retrospect; but I

see REFLECTIONS, page 9

Football season can’t distract us from unresolved Title IX issues SULLY’S SCOOP CLAIRE SULLIVAN @sulliclaire Two months into the 2020 football season, USA TODAY published a bombshell Title IX investigation that detailed years of mishandling of sexual and domestic violence reports at the university.

The report conjured rage across Louisiana. Students protested the administration, lawmakers led numerous Louisiana Senate committee hearings and the press searched deeper into the university’s past.

That pressure culminated in a university-commissioned report by law firm Husch Blackwell in March.

The report implicated several highranking athletics employees in severe violations of Title IX. Now, as the 2021 season begins, advocates and student leaders continue the important work of holding the administration accountable, but much of the public attention has simmered.

From the beginning, the university treated these disturbing

revelations—many of which the administration had known for years, Husch Blackwell found—as an inconvenient public relations problem. University leaders, desperate to evade responsibility, claimed those responsible for these terrible injustices were already gone and waited patiently for the public to look away.

As football ramps up, our community cannot forget the unresolved Title IX issues that exist in athletics and beyond.

In the last year, Head Football Coach Ed Orgeron has been credibly accused of covering up rape and sexual harassment allegations against former player Derrius Guice.

In a crushing season opener Saturday against UCLA, Orgeron led the Tigers to a devastating 2738 loss.

Only one of these facts threatens Orgeron’s job at the university, and it’s not the sexual misconduct cover-ups.

When these allegations first emerged last year, the university made no public indication that an investigation would be launched

into the claims against Orgeron.

One of the most powerful men on campus had been accused of serious Title IX violations, and athletic directors didn’t pause for a moment.

But then of course, the univer-

sity is well-experienced in ignoring unethical behavior in football coaches.

Former coach Les Miles was reported several times for sexual harassment, but “the university never did anything about it,” employees

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Josh Archote

Deputy News Editor

Cecile Girard

Opinion Editor

see TITLE IX, page 9

JALEN HINTON / The Reveille

Mass communication sophmore Carley Oakley wears a mask with a dollar bill covered in “Title IX” on March 8 during the Tigers Against Sexual Assault sit-in at the Football Operations Center on Skip Bertman Drive.

Editorial Policies and Procedures EDITORIAL BOARD

told Husch Blackwell. The university had no documentation of the reports of Miles’ disturbing behavior in the Title IX Office or human resources department.

The Reveille (USPS 145-800) is written, edited and produced solely by students of Louisiana State University. The Reveille is an independent entity of the Office of Student Media within the Manship School of Mass Communication. Signed opinions are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the editor, The Reveille or the university. Letters submitted for publication should be sent via e-mail to opinion@lsureveille.com or delivered to B-39 Hodges Hall. They must be 400 words or less. Letters must provide a contact phone number for verification purposes, which will not be printed. The Reveille reserves the right to edit letters and guest columns for space consideration while preserving the original intent. The Reveille also reserves the right to reject any letter without notification of the author. Writers must include their full names and phone numbers. The Reveille’s editor in chief, hired every semester by the LSU Student Media Board, has final authority on all editorial decisions.

Quote of the Week “Each morning I stitch a scowl over my smile.”

Fatimah Asghar

poet Nov. 20, 1990 — present

Thursday, September 9, 2021

page 9

REFLECTIONS, from page 8

TITLE IX, from page 8

think it sincerely reflects the eerie reminiscence experienced as Ida churned overhead that fateful Sunday night.

As the evening wore on, the storm showing no sign of letting up, I read Chris Rose’s “1 Dead in Attic” by candlelight. Sitting back with a book chronicling the devastation of Katrina as another storm barreled above me exactly 16 years later. This may seem dark—masochistic, even.

However, Rose’s book, while a grim and often pessimistic depiction of the city at its worst, is more fundamentally a story of how New Orleans regained its balance after Katrina. It’s a recounting of how the city met its match and rebuilt.

This set the tone for the next morning. The storm had finally sailed north and we were left to count our losses: the yard was a hellscape, Mimi’s pecan tree was ripped from its roots and took a good chunk of the yard with it, Maw Maw’s water oak was toppled. The roof needed some urgent repairs and, most alarmingly, electricity and running water were nowhere to be found for miles.

We were comparatively lucky, but there was still so much work to do.

Discussions of New Orleans and its hurricane-laden history, especially of Katrina as it’s portrayed in the mainstream media, always hang heavy on an

Athletics officials say the handling of accusations against Miles disgusts them, yet they’ve done nothing to properly adjudicate worrisome claims of Title IX mishandling by the current coach.

Miles got fired not after years of sexually harassing student employees, but after an unsuccessful football season. A similar future may await Orgeron should the Tigers continue a poor showing this year.

LSU Athletics’ priorities are painfully clear—football and revenue first, and everything else second.

Other abdications of accountability echo this concerning hierarchy of values.

Husch Blackwell found athletic administrators Miriam Segar and Verge Ausberry repeatedly mishandled Title IX reports.

Wide receiver Drake Davis told Ausberry in a 2018 text message that he had hit his romantic partner Jade Lewis, an LSU tennis player.

Ausberry, after receiving this direct admission of domestic violence, did nothing to report it. Husch Blackwell determined his reasons for not doing so were “not credible.”

This gross negligence by Ausberry and many other university employees enabled the continued abuse of Lewis and, in a worse but not unlikely scenario, could have killed her.

It would be difficult to overstate the seriousness of Ausberry’s

ABBY KIBLER / The Reveille

A damaged building sits vacant Sept. 3, five days after Hurricane Ida made landfall off of Airline Highway in LaPlace, La. understanding of catastrophe as something isolated, singular and somewhat haphazard. For many large–scale natural disasters and public tragedies, this may be true.

For New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, however, this is most certainly not, especially as the tropics are predicted to ramp up their output in the coming years. There is not, or at least there should not be, any sense that the worst is behind us, that we have weathered “the storm” once and for all, giving us the green light to reconstruct for posterity with our minds at ease.

The city perseveres and rebuilds even though there will inevitably be many more, probably stronger, storms down the road. In all likelihood, many of the things we rebuild and repair in the wake of Hurricane Ida will be knocked down again and again so long as the streets can keep their cobblestones above the rising Gulf wa-

ters.

That said, it seems reasonable to ask, as many have done so obnoxiously on social media, why stay? Why continue to live in a city that is and will be battered by storms ad infinitum?

The answer to this question deserves an article of its own, perhaps even an entire book. I think the topic is much more complicated than most people realize.

If the reality we face is truly Sisyphean, and we are destined to an eternity of pushing stones uphill just to have them tumble back down, our prospects might not actually be as bad as they seem. We must simply roll these stones up together as the tight-knit community we are, led by a brass band and police escort, of course.

Evan Leonhard is a 20 year-old English and philosophy junior from New Orleans.

S A Z Z I P M U I D ME

3 DIUM PIZZAS ME 3

misconduct. Disregarding Title IX law and failing to protect a student from violence would, a reasonable person may assume, be grounds for immediate termination.

But not at this university. Here, it cost Ausberry an unenforced 30-day unpaid suspension—a tiny dent in his half-a-million-dollar salary—and a season of football game attendance.

The university had reduced the safety of one of its students to a small paycheck cut and a few nights in Death Valley.

Administrators have made some progress in addressing the systemic Title IX issues that, again, they’ve largely known about and refused to address for years. Clarifying policy wording, establishing the Civil Rights & Title IX Office and investing in staff are all essential steps forward.

But the university remains sorely uncommitted to holding powerful figures accountable for their actions. As long as that is true, the culture of this campus will not change.

To let football eclipse these unaddressed injustices would be a grave disservice to the energy and work of these past months.

The administration has spent years abusing the trust of this community. That betrayal ends here, with us.

Claire Sullivan is a 19-year-old coastal environmental science sophomore from Southbury, CT.

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FOR RELEASE SEPTEMBER 9, 2021

THE Daily Commuter Puzzle ACROSS 1 Get one’s feet wet 5 Prize 10 __ West 14 Actor on “Law & Order: SVU” 15 Be generous 16 Oz visitor 17 Location of The Hague: abbr.

18 Matinee idol 20 JFK’s predecessor 21 Refrain syllables 22 Packages of paper 23 Marsh 25 Groupie 26 Grand home & the land around it 28 Goes over again briefly 31 Without __; happy-go-lucky 32 Peek at another’s cards 34 __ Padres National Forest 36 Reiner & Schneider 37 Gather wool 38 Waterproof covering 39 Prof. sports league 40 Angry look 41 Customer 42 Chap 44 Famished 45 __ away at; erode 46 Provide food for a banquet 47 Nursery rhyme Jack 50 Dress edges 51 Put __; postpone 54 Not radical, in politics 57 Little __; old cartoon girl 58 __ a fortnight; every two weeks 59 Not as good as before 60 Bills with Washington’s portrait 61 First, neutral or reverse 62 Not as normal 63 __ to; increases DOWN 1 Gust

by Jacqueline E. Mathews

Created by Jacqueline E. Mathews

2 Got a high grade on 3 Repugnant 4 Haile Selassie’s land: abbr.

5 “Ain’t That __”; Fats Domino hit 6 Newborn dog 7 Perfect report card 8 Basic elem. school subjs.

9 Police officer title: abbr.

10 Greek goddess of wisdom 11 TV’s “__ the Explorer” 12 Tiny particle 13 Noisy hordes 19 Stretch of land 21 Past due 24 Armed conflicts 25 Phobia 26 Make a living 27 __ at; deride 28 Genuine 29 School recess area 30 Achier 32 __ down; eat heartily

9/9/21

Wednesday’s Puzzle Solved

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33 Fell trees 35 Nimble 37 Falkirk native 38 Adjust a grand 40 Blind pieces 41 No ifs, ands or __ 43 Not as plump 44 Carpenter’s tool 46 Quit 47 Polluted air

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48 Sheet of glass 49 Costa __ 50 Do a cowboy’s job 52 Skedaddled 53 Hullabaloo 55 Small number 56 Fishing pole 57 Hawaii’s Mauna __

Vo lum e 129 · N o. 45

E s t. 18 87

The 2021 Football Season Special Preview Edition T hu r s d ay, S e p t e m b e r 9, 2 021

TO THE MAX Max Johnson emerges from wild QB shuffle, becomes newly crowned king of university

Read on

page 2 SAVANNA ORGERON / The Reveille

LSU football freshman quarterback Max Johnson (14) runs the ball Oct. 24, during LSU’s 52-24 win against South Carolina in Tiger Stadium.

SPORTS

p ag e 3

See LSU vs. UCLA from the eyes of a Houma resident, who stopped post-storm cleanup to watch the game.

p ag e 5

Even though LSU was demolished at the line of scrimmage, the defensive line showed flashes of how good it can be.

p ag e 3

p ag e 5

Step inside the film room to see what went wrong in the Rose Bowl and what LSU can do to improve.

Kayshon Boutte was the Tigers’ lone bright spot against UCLA. Will any of the other receivers step up and fill a void?

Thursday, September 9, 2021

page 2

A ‘SWAGGER ABOUT HIM’

Max Johnson, the sophomore from Georgia, is the first of a new generation of LSU QBs.

BY JARED BRODTMANN @therealjarbear It truly is funny how life works.

Every instance we think we have the narrative figured out, like a shift in the wind, reality diverges from our vision of what should happen.

Anyone familiar with LSU at the end of the 2019 National Championship run knew former quarterback Joe Burrow’s reign was to be succeeded by junior Myles Brennan. He had patiently bided his time for the starting quarterback job, and there was not much question that it was his spot to keep for the 2020 season.

But chaos ensued soon after.

Brennan played just three games, sidelined by an abdominal tear after the Tigers’ road loss to Missouri — though he still finished as the team’s leading passer with 1112 yards and 60.3% completion percentage. A power vacuum developed, and after some trial and error with freshmen quarterbacks in TJ Finley and Max Johnson, Johnson took the lead after two strong performances against Florida and Ole Miss to bring the team back to .500 for the season.

After spring practice and the arrival of Garrett Nussmeier as another competitor in the room, it was clear someone was going to get cleared out eventually in the era of the transfer portal. Finley was the first to go, now landing on his feet at Auburn. Then, in an unfortunate accident, Brennan fractured his arm while catching himself after a fall on a fishing trip. Johnson seemed confident making his debut as the starting quarterback for the season opener against UCLA, but LSU ultimately fell face-first in a domination at the line of scrimmage, losing 3827.

Now, Johnson and the Tigers already to have pick up the pieces and try to salvage the season — just how everyone pictured it in their heads.

Though Johnson has earned a reputation among his teammates and coaches as a gifted athlete, a driven student and a humble yet poised leader. To be thrusted into the undisputed starting quarterback position for an SEC school with as large a following as LSU requires those qualities to succeed.

“I’ve always believed that I was going to compete every day and be the best version of myself, whether it’s in the classroom or meeting with [offensive coordinator] (Jake) Peetz or on the field,” Johnson said.

The arrival of Peetz has brought some excitement to LSU’s offense, with promises from the young coordinator and Johnson that fingerprints of Joe Brady’s famous spread offense from 2019 will be coating the Tiger offense

MARCIO JOSE SANCHEZ / Associated Press

LSU quarterback Max Johnson throws under pressure from UCLA linebacker Mitchell Agude (45) during the first half of an NCAA college football game Sept. 4, in Pasadena, Calif. this year. LSU wants to bring back all the dimensions that potent 2019 offense consistently showed, as well as the flashes the 2020 team showed as well, particularly under Johnson in his two starts at the end of the year.

“My offensive philosophy is we want to attack the defense on all fronts,” Peetz told LSU football’s Hey Fightin’ podcast in March.

With the top athletes LSU recruits annually and the scheme to get them in the right space, the offense is still primed for another potential big season. But there must be a mature, talented decision maker calling the shots on the field for everything to click into place and take off.

“I definitely do feel more mature than I did last year,” Johnson said. “But there’s really never been no wide-eyed part of me. I just feel like I focus more and I’ve honed in more on the details of what needs to go on and how we need to be a better football team.”

Brennan’s absence over the next few months does leave open some insurance questions for the team. Nussmeier is a talented freshman who just recently threw for 308 yards and three touchdowns in the latest LSU scrimmage this past Saturday, but experience matters, and he should not be expected to be starting SEC games this year. Without Brennan, it is crucial Johnson stays healthy.

“We all feel bad for Myles,” Johnson said. “It stung for the whole team. He’s a leader on our team. I was just looking forward to competing with him. We push each other, and I’m excited to have him back. He’s going to help us throughout the season.”

As the son of former NFL quarterback Brad Johnson and nephew of former Georgia and Miami Head Coach Mark Richt, Johnson comes from a football family. He knows how to deal with the pressures that come with it, which has helped with his development this offseason into a viable SEC starter.

“Max carries a little bit of swagger about him,” center Liam Shanahan said. “Just in the locker room, on the field. So I’m not too surprised to see him go out there and make plays because that’s what he does, and to see his progression from the spring to now has been awesome.”

Shanahan is not the only LSU lineman to see Johnson grow in confidence and comfortability throughout his time in Baton Rouge — teammates continue to rave about how comfortable he is in his own skin. Beyond the field even lies Johnson the table tennis star.

“One of the things he likes to do is play ping pong,” guard Ed Ingram said. “He has little table tennis tournaments upstairs in our players’ lounge. He likes to do that and challenge a lot of players.”

Before Burrow, LSU football had difficulty recruiting and developing consistent quarterback talent. While the program had other issues capping its success in the past 13 years before the arrival of the Ohio State transfer, it is difficult to overlook the shortcomings behind the line as a key limiting factor when teams with similar financial investments made the college football playoffs year after year. Johnson represents an opportunity to establish a pipeline,

one that looks to be in good shape for the future with Nussmeier and five-star in state St. Thomas More prospect Walker Howard. Coupled with the rest of the talent LSU is

reputed to recruit annually, having strong quarterback play would be sweet dreams for those haunted by the nightmares of Les Miles’ offense sputtering when no air threat kept defenses honest.

Fans are fixated on LSU’s response to their abysmal .500 season, especially after how dominant the team was the year before.

The team, according to fifth-year tackle Austin Deculus, is more united than he has ever seen.

“The major thing you always hear, and I think it’s the most used word of this past team going into the season would be the overall camaraderie of this team,” Deculus said. “I don’t think really in the past years, the team chemistry has always been there — for the years I’ve been here. But I think this is the most spoken out. It has been to where Coach O says, ‘One team, one heartbeat.’ I think this is the best example of that.”

The narrative may be in the clutches of imagination, but the materiality of LSU’s chances in the SEC is very real. If LSU fans’ hopeful perception of what is to come this season becomes reality, Johnson’s arm and wits will be the story of what prevailed over insurmountable odds after losing the opener in the manner they did.

Just like we all planned it in our heads.

Week One Student Media AP Poll vs Poll* 1 Alabama Alabama Georgia

2

Georgia

Ohio State

3

Ohio State

Oklahoma

4

Oklahoma

Texas A&M 5 Texas A&M Clemson

6

Clemson

Cincinnati

7

Cincinnati

Notre Dame 8 Notre Dame Iowa State Iowa

N/A

9 Iowa State 10

Iowa

#25 GRAPHIC BY HANNAH MICHEL

* The Student Media Poll ranks the top-25 teams in college football, voted weekly by student journalists across the nation.

SPORTS STORM BRUIN

page 3 FOOTBALL

Prep and Pressure: What went wrong

BY NATASHA MALONE @malone_natasha

MARCIO JOSE SANCHEZ / Associate Press

LSU coach Ed Orgeron prepares to lead his team onto the field before an NCAA college football game against UCLA on Sept. 4, in Pasadena, Calif.

LSU’s crushing loss to UCLA caps rough week in Louisiana

BY REED DARCEY @byreeddarcey Darrin Gienger spent the week before LSU’s humiliating loss to UCLA picking up the pieces of his damaged house down in Houma.

Gienger said he and his family were lucky to emerge from Category 4 Hurricane Ida with minor ceiling damage, a little water intrusion, a flattened fence and tree debris scattered about his yard. At one point in the cleanup, Gienger stopped collecting the roof shingles in his yard, looked up at his roof and decided to climb it. He had an LSU game to watch.

So Gienger looked up a YouTube tutorial on repairing stormdamaged satellite dishes—he said with a laugh—and with the help of his son Parrish, an LSU student, he tinkered with the dish, turning the antenna until he found a signal.

After a long, hot, sweaty Saturday of lifting tree branches, Gienger worked until sundown, kicked back and fired up his TV, powered by a small generator

that also fueled a refrigerator and a one-room AC unit. The picture on the screen was as clear as the post-Ida sky, but the outlook on LSU’s season would be decidedly less so.

“It was about what I was expecting,” Gienger said at halftime of the season opener. “LSU overlooked UCLA.” The first half was a tale of two quarters. In the opening stanza, the defense was the story. Derek Stingley looked healthier than last year, and the unit as a whole looked stronger, more aggressive.

The front seven looked especially stout, and for a fleeting moment, fans thought the unit would live up to its preseason hype.

But in the next three quarters, Stingley disappeared. The Bruins didn’t need to throw anywhere near the All-American corner or his star partner, Eli Ricks: gashing runs up the middle, short crossing routes and play-action bootlegs would do the trick.

UCLA collected a back-breaking 215 yards and two touchdowns on 48 carries.

Ed Orgeron sat down for his

post-game press conference and repeated many of the same things he said in 2020. For the culprits, he again pointed to crossing routes, missed assignments, busted coverages and open gaps— mistakes he had promised to fix after a more focused offseason.

Orgeron took the blame.

“It’s my responsibility,” he said. “I told that to the team.”

Gienger’s halftime diagnosis was the linebackers’ speed, or lack thereof, he said. That problem became more apparent in the second half.

On the Bruins’ third-quarter touchdown drive, they ran two receivers on crossing routes. LSU’s two linebackers, Damone Clark and Bugg Strong, miscommunicated. As one receiver crossed over another, it appeared that the defenders were supposed to switch the assignments. Instead, Strong took one wrong step, and the tight end ran by him, leading to an easy completion. A couple of plays later, UCLA was in the endzone, up 21-10.

In the fourth quarter, UCLA running back Zach Charbon-

net ripped LSU’s defense for 41 yards. Then on third and 14, Thompson-Robinson connected with his tight end again on a crossing pattern for 19 yards, advancing to the one-yard line. On the next play, UCLA punched it in, going up 31-20.

The dagger came midway through the fourth, when Bruin receiver Kyle Philips ran past Stingley over the middle, secured a perfectly thrown ball, juked safety Jordan Toles to his knees, powered through Stingley’s arm tackle and housed a 45-yard reception.

Post-game, reporters asked star receiver Kayshon Boutte, LSU’s lone bright spot, if Hurricane Ida and the team’s impromptu evacuation to Houston contributed to the Tigers’ sluggish start.

Boutte dodged the question, refusing to make excuses for the team’s unexpected loss.

“I’m gonna be honest,” he said. “We just got beat tonight.”

From LSU’s perspective, UCLA started as a modest concern, but

see LOSS, page 4

FOOTBALL

Film Breakdown: How LSU can fix their problems

BY TREY DAVIS III @THETREYDAY2 After the final score of their opener against UCLA, it was evident that the Tigers were never fully functional on offense and could neither match the adjustments made from their opponent nor maintain or elevate the level of intensity needed on the line of scrimmage, which was their downfall Saturday night.

Chip Kelly and his staff outcoached Ed Orgeron’s new assembly of coaches. For example, early in the game on the third and 9, the Bruins were giving an exotic six-man front at the line of scrimmage. Since Bruins have tons of speed, detecting who is blitzing or dropping in pass coverage becomes taxing. After the ball was snapped, Max Johnson felt im-

mense pressure as the pocket collapsed around him. He couldn’t run because the Bruins kept a spy if he scrambled the pocket, which almost caused a fumble.

When an offense faces a third and long, it can make its playcalling lackluster, and the blame goes on the coaching staff for plays like this.

Another mistake on the part of the coaching staff was clock management. Most of the problems consisted of running down the clock to read the Bruins defense because of the unfamiliar pre-snap formations. The majority of their attention should have been on staying true to their fundamentals on the line of scrimmage, like picking up the closest players and knowing the align-

see FILM, page 4

1 0 0

2 3 4 T 10 10 7 27 14 10 14 38

330

Pass Yds

260

53

Rush Yds

210

383

Total Yds

470

1

Turnovers

1

After Hurricane Ida invaded the state of Louisiana, displacing tens of thousands, LSU players went into its season-opener at the coveted Rose Bowl against the UCLA Bruins with heavy hearts.

On the other hand, the Bruins, who had already endured its first game of the season against Hawaii the week prior, came into its home state with confidence after securing its first win. Nonetheless, the 27-38 Tiger loss was due to many things, but they all were rooted in a single concept: preparation.

With starting sophomore quarterback Max Johnson, LSU Head Coach Ed Orgeron hoped to ease the pressure off Johnson in his first start, leading to Orgeron’s emphasis on establishing a solid ground game.

That did not happen, to say the least.

And it did not help that the Tiger backfield was depleted as it was announced junior back John Emery Jr. would not be suiting up due to academic reasons. With this, the Tigers’ double-edged sword was down to just one edge: Tyrion Davis-Price. Behind veteran Davis-Price, who only managed to rush for 30 yards, the Tigers backfield averaged a tick under two yards per carry on 25 attempts. Without the ground game, the pressure was put on Johnson, and with a one-dimensional offense that made it very difficult for the Tigers to have any offensive production.

Johnson was forced to attempt 46 passes on the evening, completing just 26 of said attempts for 330 yards, a trio of touchdowns, and an interception. At times, Johnson showed great poise in the pocket, but on the same token, his inexperience shined. The inconsistency can’t all be put on the shoulders of a true freshman in his first start, as he often found himself with little-to-no time to throw due to the pressure of the Bruins’ defensive line. The offensive line, who was without veteran Austin Deculus, struggled immensely. Johnson found himself time-after-time on the ground in the backfield.

On the other side of the field, you have the Bruins who managed to exploit the Tigers’ defense, running circles around them. With the combination of UCLA’s Zach Charbonnet and Brittain Brown, LSU failed to find any answers on stopping the swift duo. Between

see PREP, page 4

Thursday, September 9, 2021

page 4 going to be crucial for this offense to succeed.

Defensively, the Tigers need to communicate more in the linebacker, and defensive back groups and overall have to make adjustments, then be aware of those adjustments on situational downs. The linebackers must be more reactive and cut out false steps when making reads on the field. This defensive unit is still learning and doesn’t have the best chemistry yet.

LSU must build off the strengths they have and try not to overcomplicate things. The Tigers have a veteran o-line, promising edge rushers and defensive ends who could impose their will on the teams in front of them. How-

ever, suppose communication, chemistry and in-game awareness are not emphasized after this loss. In that case, it may be challenging to picture this year’s Tigers as contenders by the end of this year.

LSU will have a couple of games against McNeese State and Central Michigan, where I expect them to sharpen their iron before going against in-conference rivals Mississippi State and Auburn.

This could become a make-orbreak season for Orgeron when he finally tests his coaching chops.

This team will get better as the season goes on, but being championship contenders is not a status I see this season.

PREP, from page 3

LOSS, from page 3

the two, they managed to rack up 217 yards on 28 attempts with two touchdowns. In total, UCLA lit it up offensively, putting up a total of 475 yards. Although it seems like a lot, just about half of these yards came off a handful of plays.

Missed tackles, reads and breakdowns in the secondary allowed for the extension of plays and overall lack of success defensively.

With the offense failing to string together long, successful drives, the defense was forced to remain on the field for a lot longer than they would have liked.

quickly developed into a force it must reckon with. That fact sounds all too familiar for LSU fans, who went to sleep the previous Saturday when Ida was a Category 2 storm and woke up after it ballooned to Category 4 strength.

Pre-game, Orgeron was caught on camera jabbing back at a UCLA heckler, as he walked into the Rose Bowl.

“Bring your ass on,” he said with a smile, “in your little sissy blue shirt.”

After kickoff, Orgeron didn’t

smile much. Like many of his fellow Louisiana residents, he’s now left to pick up the pieces after an unexpected storm blew him and his team off course. Again.

Residents like Gienger and his family will watch the next two games from the same makeshift set-up before they expect power to return to Houma between Sept. 22 and 29, about when LSU begins SEC play. They’ll be rooting for better results and less post-game despair.

“We got beat tonight,” Boutte said. “Beat up front. Beat all around. They outplayed us for 60 minutes.”

FILM, from page 3 ment when it comes to running in short-yardage versus first-down running. Offensively, LSU has not changed much from last season, and if that remains the same, they may come across the same issues as last season.

The Bruins offense was very zone-run heavy and consistently picked up on the Tigers’ defensive schemes. Thompson-Robinson performed with more energy compared to the opener against Hawaii. He completed nine of 16 passes for 260 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. Playaction passes led to a big touchdown early in the second quarter to tight end Greg Dulcich for a

75-yard score to tie it at seven.

This play worked because UCLA previously called 12 consecutive zone runs — LSU was expecting another running play.

The most impactful players of the game were in the backfield at the running back position: Zach Charbonnet had 11 carries for a total of 117 yards and a touchdown. Brittain Brown chipped in 78 yards on 14 carries, including a late-game touchdown. The UCLA offensive line set a tone all game that was just unmatched in the realm of intensity from the LSU front seven.

One: Get in game shape to run the adjustments needed to counter teams on both sides of the ball. If LSU is expected to be con-

tenders, they have to get in-game shape and cannot look gassed going into the fourth.

Two: Expect more from this coaching staff, new hires or not.

Offensive Coordinator Jake Peetz must become more creative in obvious third-and-long downs where punting situations are likely. On plays like the one described earlier, where Johnson has no route runners in the flat, an easy outlet pass that can relieve the pressure on the offense must be inserted. Taking what the defense is giving will help Johnson’s confidence, and he can then begin to stretch the defense and use inches of grass on the field.

Three: Increase tempo. Improve cock management. This is

MARCIO JOSE SANCHEZ / Associated Press

UCLA running back Zach Charbonnet (24) is tackled by LSU cornerback Cordale Flott (25) Sept. 4, in Pasadena, Calif.

Thursday, September 9, 2021

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LSU’s defensive line will bring new life in 2021

BY PETER RAUTERKUS @peter_rauterkus Despite the immense disappointment that last season brought the LSU football program, one thing that remained is the talent on the defensive line.

In a game where LSU seemed unmatched on the line of scrimmage against UCLA, the defensive line still showed flashes of how good it could be. Three different linemen all recorded sacks for LSU in the game showing that the ability to rush the quarterback is there, despite stopping the run being a massive work in progress.

The biggest focus for LSU football coming into this season was fixing the defense. At all levels, the defense was an utter disaster in 2020 despite there being plenty of talent in the defensive unit.

The defensive line, much like against UCLA, was good in spots during 2020 but also struggled mightily to stop the run at times.

Going all the way back to start of the 21st century, LSU has always been known for its hardnosed style of play and talent in the trenches, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Players

like Marcus Spears, Glen Dorsey, Sam Montgomery and Arden Key, just to name a few, have shaped LSU’s identity over the past 20 years of playing hard-nosed football. With the dominance on the defensive line having slightly declined over the past couple of years, getting that mojo back is a must for the LSU defense this season.

LSU returns all five starters from its defensive line in 2020 which creates one of the most experienced defensive lines in the SEC. Andre Anthony and Glen Logan return as leaders of the unit, both entering their sixth year with the program and are expected to make the biggest impact. Neil Farrell Jr. is another veteran returning the defensive line for his fifth season and ended the 2020 season in great form posting seven tackles and a sack in the final game of the year.

Other talented returners include Ali Gaye and BJ Ojulari, arguably the two most talented linemen on the roster. Both recorded sacks in the loss against UCLA. Head Coach Ed Orgeron considers the defensive line to be the deepest position on the roster and is not

afraid to rotate within the group.

“On the defensive line we’re going to go 10 deep,” Orgeron said when discussing remaining position battles.

This speaks volumes to just how deep this unit has become over the offseason. Having 10 players who can all step in at any given time gives you two separate units that can be on the field allowing far more flexibility in the scheme and blitz packages.

Arguably the biggest change to this group during the offseason was the arrival of new defensive line coach Andre Carter.

Carter comes to LSU after having spent the last two years as defensive line coach for the New York Jets. Carter also brings 13 years of NFL playing experience after having a very successful career with five different teams. Carter’s success as a player makes him a very respectable figure as a coach and his arrival has taken some of the pressure off Orgeron who specializes in coaching the defensive line.

“I’ll tell you what, Andre Carter is one great defensive line coach, I’ve turned over the defensive line to him,” Orgeron said.

“I’m still looking at all the film with the defense, but I’m able to also be the head coach because of the coaching of Andre.”

Bringing in a coach like Carter will also help the Tigers on the recruiting trail when it comes to bringing in more talented linemen. LSU already brought in a very talented freshman class of defensive linemen and having a coach with the reputation of Carter will only benefit LSU on that front. Maason Smith and Savion Jones are the two most talked about of LSU’s freshmen linemen with Smith signing as a five-star recruit and the No. 1 overall player in Louisiana. Both Jones and Smith are expected to make an immediate impact and will only add more strength in depth for the Tigers up front.

After a season of massive disappointment on the defensive side of the ball, Tiger fans can expect some the old dominance to back on the defensive front in 2021. A deep defensive line unit along with plenty of experience is a recipe for success at that position and will be one of LSU most talented position groups this upcoming season.

The fighting spirit in LSU football is gone PETER RAUTERKUS

@peter_rauterkus

It was late in the fourth quarter last Saturday when UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson connected with Kyle Phillips for a 45-yard touchdown to put the game away against LSU. In a moment that symbolized not just this game, but the entire LSU program since winning the National Championship in 2019, Phillips easily brushed past two LSU tacklers and left the Tigers looking bullied and quite frankly, weak.

The Ed Orgeron era at LSU is one that will be forever remembered for a multitude of reasons, but mainly because of the 2019 National Championship team.

That team was built on principles of toughness, togetherness and a confidence that was unmatched in all of college football history.

Just two short seasons later, all those principles have seemingly gone out the window, resulting in a team that has gone 5-6 since the end of the 2019 season.

The UCLA game was yet another stern reminder for LSU fans that the magic of 2019 is in

see FIGHT, page 6 COLUMN

Don’t count the Tigers out yet: offensive potential untapped PETER RAUTERKUS

@peter_rauterkus

With all the issues that were clear in week one for LSU, one thing that many fans still have confidence in is the play of the wide receiving core.

There weren’t many positives to take from LSU’s seasoning open loss to UCLA, but if there was one it was the play of Kayshon Boutte.

Boutte finished the game with nine catches for 148 yards and three touchdowns and looked every bit as good as many expected him to be coming into the season.

Boutte led the Tigers in receiving in 2020, tallying 45 receptions for 735 yards and five TDs and came into the season with many rating him as one of the best returning receivers in college foot-

ball. He will continue to be relied on for the bulk of the Tigers’ production through the air, but the LSU receiver room includes several players who can make a serious impact this season. Koy Moore, Jaray Jenkins, Jontre Kirklin and Trey Palmer are all returning players who are more than capable of having a breakout season.

One guy who stands out the most from that group going into the season is Moore. He had a relatively quiet game against UCLA with just three catches and 32 yards, but is a player who is ubertalented and really started to come into his own towards the end of last season. Moore is also a guy who has an elite work ethic that has many people excited for what he’ll do in the 2021 season, including Head Coach Ed Orgeron.

“Koy’s a very hard worker,”

see POTENTIAL, page 6

ABBY KIBLER / The Reveille

LSU football sophomore wide receiver Kayshon Boutte (1) looks at his team before the start of the game April 17, where the LSU football white team defeated purple 23-14 during their spring game at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La.

page 6

Thursday, September 9, 2021

FIGHT, from page 5 the past and probably will not reappear soon. The 2019 team featured not just talented players, but leaders on both sides of the ball–players who were bought in, played for each other and fought for 60 minutes every week. Against UCLA, the talent was there, but along with numerous mistakes and questionable coaching, it seemed like the grit and fight this team once had was gone.

In his post-game press conference Orgeron was the first one to put the blame on the coaches immediately following the loss.

“We didn’t perform like we’re supposed to do at LSU. It’s my responsibility and I told that to the team,” Orgeron said recapping the loss.

While it’s all well and good to acknowledge the problem and take blame as the head coach, Orgeron has said this same thing after every loss since the start of last season, and nothing seems to have changed.

Last offseason, LSU football almost completely cleaned house with its staff, bringing in a new offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, defensive line coach, offensive line coach and passing game coordinator. These hires were exciting. It seemed like the intent to improve upon last season was there, and it left fans with the

feeling that at least things would be different. Judging by the UCLA game, not much changed despite these hires, which raises serious questions directed towards Orgeron. Apart from hiring Joe Brady in 2019, Orgeron has missed on almost every other major hire and that has been no more evident than in 2020 with Bo Pelini.

While it’s far too early to tell if these new hires are failures, there were questions raised at the time of the hires over Jake Peetz and Daronte Jones’ resumes.

Since the beginning of last season, the most worrying thing about the program’s decline was that it seemed like Orgeron had lost the locker room. Between the opt-outs, transfers and overall lack of commitment from last year’s team, it was very clear that was an issue last season. However, to most LSU fans it seemed like by the end of the season with big wins against Florida and Ole Miss, the sense of togetherness and “one team one heartbeat” was back and would lead LSU back to winning ways in 2021. The UCLA game showed that was clearly not the case.

LSU was dominated on both sides of the line of scrimmage against UCLA, and it almost seemed like it was being allowed to happen. There seemed to be no response from the players when the game got tough or when they started to get pushed around, and

that is a problem that comes directly from the coaches.

It almost seemed like Orgeron’s messaging and motivation just wasn’t resonating with the team anymore.

Throughout his entire coaching career, Orgeron has been known for his passion and toughness which has made him a great recruiter and motivator over the years. There’s been plenty of examples of that since he’s been at LSU, and that passion is part of how he was able to build the great 2019 team. On the other hand, however, his passion has almost turned more into a way of trying to prove that he himself is a tough guy, rather than motivating his team. From running shirtless through campus to exchanging words with opposing fans pregame, Orgeron has created this tough-guy image for himself, but when the wins stop coming, it can become harder for the public, and more importantly his own players, to take him seriously.

The notion of “One team one heartbeat” is what brought LSU to the promise land in 2019 but appears as if it no longer applies to the program. All the technical flaws and scheme issues are things that can be fixed with time and practice, but issues with the attitude and culture within the program is something that practice can’t fix–and can destroy a program if changes aren’t made.

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POTENTIAL, from page 5 Orgeron said assessing the receiver room. “Koy’s one of the guys who maybe works a little too hard, we have to back him up a little bit, but he should be ready to have a good season.”

Alongside the returning players, LSU introduces a talented freshmen class at receiver featuring Malik Nabers, Deion Smith, Brian Thomas Jr. and Chris Hilton Jr. All four of these freshmen come to LSU as four-star recruits and all are expected to make immediate impacts with the team. Orgeron is very high on the group as a whole and expects them to contribute early on.

“All of the young guys are coming along,” Orgeron said when speaking about the freshman wide receivers. “This one of the best groups skilled freshmen that we’ve had here, and I think all of them are going to get a chance to prove themselves.”

Getting production out of the freshmen will be huge for the LSU offense as it could allow them to be as many as eight-deep at that position. Having eight wide receivers who can all add something to the offense, is rare and creates a huge advantage against any defense. Having that many different looks for a defense to have to account makes the offense extremely dynamic and difficult for any defensive coordinator to prepare for.

These eight wide receivers aren’t the only ones expected to make an impact in the passing game, however, as the LSU offense is still insistent on involvement from the tight ends. Sophomore Kole Taylor and freshman Jack Bech will be the two tight ends to watch for as both are athletic, long tight ends who can make plays in the passing game.

Taylor has already become a fan favorite among LSU fans after being one of the heroes of the infamous ‘shoe game’ last season where a Florida defensive back threw Taylor’s shoe down the field resulting in a fifteen-yard penalty and eventually the game winning field goal.

Bech enters his first year with the Tigers as a highly touted prospect from just down the road in Lafayette. A four-star wide receiver coming out of high school, Bech made the transition to tight end over the summer and is expected to be a vertical threat at the position as a guy who is both slimmer and quicker than most tight ends.

Any team with 10 players expected to make a real impact in the passing game is one to watch.

With the pass catchers LSU returns on offense, there is still reason to believe that LSU can compete at an elite level offensively. Despite the disappointing loss in week one, the receiver room is one that should keep LSU fans optimistic about the rest of the season.