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BY TYLER HARDEN @ttjharden8The game wasn’t pretty, but for LSU, the result was.
Sunday night, LSU took down the No. 9 Miami Hurricanes by a score of 54-42 in the Elite Eight and will advance to the Final Four. This is the program’s first trip to the Final Four since 2008.
Before returning to Greenville, South Carolina, the last time LSU had played in Bon Secours Wellness Arena was when it lost in a heartbreaker against Tennessee in the SEC Tournament. This time around, the Tigers leave Greenville as the Greenville Region 2 champions, punching their ticket to the Final Four.
LSU will play on Friday in Dallas, Texas, for the right to advance to the National Championship. It will face the winner of No. 1 seeded Virginia Tech and No. 3 seeded Ohio State; that matchup will tip off on Monday at 8 p.m. The Tigers will take the floor in Dallas at either 6 or 8 p.m.
The Tigers and the Hurricanes had two things in common in the Elite Eight matchup: great defenses and slow offenses. Both teams struggled to put the ball in the basket; the first quarter ended with LSU in the lead with
a score of only 10-8. But LSU’s defense came up big rebounding and was able to translate that into points at the times most needed.
“I just think we needed to relax and calm down and let the game come to us,” Alexis Morris said. “We didn’t shoot the ball well, we didn’t shoot the ball well the past two games. But the only thing we can control is our defense.”
The two players that have led the Tigers all season long shined in the time most fitting. Morris used her experience on the biggest of stages Sunday night, finishing with 21 points, two rebounds, two assists and four steals.
“You look at someone who has had that much experience in college, and you tell them ‘this is where point guards have to lead and control the flow of the game,’” Kim Mulkey said.
Angel Reese finished with her 32nd double-double of the season, breaking the SEC single-season record. She scored 13 points along with 18 rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks.
“She’s strong,” Mulkey said. “She’s a strong kid. She doesn’t jump half the time. If she ever just jumps, I think she could do even more.”
LaDazhia Williams cooled down after her 24-point perfor-
mance in the Sweet 16 against Utah, only scoring four Sunday night. Sa’Myah Smith added some valuable minutes off the bench instead, scoring six points and five rebounds.
For Miami, Jasmyne Roberts was the answer when it came to its offense. She led the Hurricanes with 22 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Destiny Harden was also effective in rebounding, finishing with seven rebounds.
“It hurts because we competed, we gave it our all,” Harden said. “We took the program somewhere it’s never been, but I think I’m just going to go back in the past and remember this forever. So right now it stings, but I’m glad to say that we were one of the first teams to make history for Miami.”
To say that making it to the Final Four means a lot to this year’s LSU team is an understatement. When looking at what the team accomplished, it makes them reflect on the season they’ve had.
To Mulkey, accomplishing this type of feat in her second year in the program was something she didn’t expect. Throughout the year, Mulkey would say that “they haven’t done anything yet, we’ve only won basketball games,” and that “they haven’t arrived yet.” But one thing is for
sure with Mulkey, she will enjoy this Final Four.
“I just wanted to come back to the state of Louisiana and come home,” Mulkey said. “What really makes me smile is not cutting that net down, but looking around at all those LSU people, that team I get to coach...that’s what it means to me.”
Just as it means so much to Mulkey to have another Final Four appearance, this time in her home state, she reflected on what it means for the school.
On top of that, few expected this success to occur in just year two under Mulkey
“We don’t have to win a championship for them to see how much they love us,” Mulkey said. “I think they’re going, ‘what are we doing, in year two, are you kidding me?”
But the one person that this run may mean a little more to is Alexis Morris. She hoped since the beginning of the postseason that she’d get to end her LSU career in her home state of Texas. Her wish was granted, and despite how the Final Four turns out for LSU, Morris will be able to wear the purple and gold one last time in her home state.
“I’m ending my career where I wanted it to be,” Morris said. “So hopefully we could cut some nets in Dallas.”
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The Reveille holds accuracy and objectivity at the highest priority and wants to reassure its readers the reporting and content of the paper meets these standards. This space is reserved to recognize and correct any mistakes that may have been printed in The Daily Reveille. If you would like something corrected or clarified, please contact the editor at (225) 578-4811 or email editor@lsu.edu.
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Editor’s note: This article contains language some readers may find offensive.
When Sister Cindy comes to campus, she draws a crowd.
So it was last Tuesday, March 21, through Thursday, March 23, when the evangelical preacher famous for her controversial methods spoke at LSU’s Free Speech Alley.
On Wednesday, her sermon revolved around the story of a rudderless young woman who led a life of sin. This young woman chased men, had premarital sex and shunned God. This young woman was Sister Cindy Smock 44 years ago.
Only then, she wasn’t Sister Cindy Smock at all, but Cindy Lasseter: a 20-year-old college student at the University of Florida.
The year was 1977. She wore “tight” Sassoon jeans and hit on men like marks, she said.
“Sex, sex and more sex,” said Smock with pursed lips. “That’s all I knew. . .I was a ho, on God. My life was empty, without purpose. I lived for self-gratification. I was on the path of self-
destruction.”
Smock described her younger self not only as a “ho” but a “vampire ho” because of her especially bloodthirsty slant.
She was also a journalism student who worked as a reporter for the student newspaper.
“My dream was to become the next Barbara Walters,” said
Smock. “I worked my way up. I always got the story. I never failed.”
Her tenacity earned her praise and promotion. For the paper, she pursued leads. For herself, she pursued men. In both endeavors, Smock had achieved a series of easy projects. Now, she sought a chal-
lenge. A man who would resist pursuit.
His name was Jed, a young preacher from Indiana who sermonized on the University of Florida campus.
“I had a plan,” Smock said, rubbing her hands together. “I was going to seduce him.”
So Smock approached the
young preacher and asked if she could take him to dinner.
“No, Cindy,” he said. “But I’ll take you.”
“He was an alpha male,” Smock said.
But over dinner, all Jed did was talk about Jesus.
“It wasn’t what I really wanted,” Smock said.
Afterward, he took Smock to his church for a Bible meeting. “They told us about Jesus. . . that we needed to know God. But I didn’t want to know God,” she said. “I wanted to get down and dirty.”
When the Bible meeting ended, Smock left unpersuaded, she said, and as the two sat around the church parking lot in Jed’s black Chevy Cordoba, what usually happens between a young man and woman, at night, at the end of a date, in a car, in the ‘70s didn’t happen.
Instead, the young preacher called emphatically upon God to save his date’s soul.
“But while Brother Jed was praying, I was plotting,” Smock said.
The young preacher hadn’t kissed a woman on the lips
The Faculty Senate passed a resolution Wednesday calling on professors to outline in their syllabi how long it will take them to grade coursework and respond to emails, delivering a change long requested by LSU students.
The resolution was crafted in a collaboration between the administration, the Faculty Senate Executive Committee and members of Student Government. Before being put to the Faculty Senate, it received approval from the full Student Senate.
Sam Staggs, speaker of the Student Senate, told the Faculty Senate that students sometimes feel communication from their professors is “not always there.”
“We just want to set a foundation for students, so they have some kind of support system set in stone in the syllabus,” Staggs said. “I don’t think they necessarily care if it’s specifically two weeks, week, two days — I think they just want some type of communication from professors and acknowledgement that they do know what their expectations are.”
Despite the combined support of the students, the Faculty Senate Executive Committee and the administration, the resolution was met with worries from some members of the Faculty Senate.
“This is a collective punishment for some faculty that are not doing the correct thing, and this is a failure of the management. And I understand that this is being collectively used against us,” said Robert Cook, an associate professor of chemistry.
“At the moment, the faculty experience at LSU does not seem to be on the radar of anybody,” Cook added. “We do not have a newspaper to voice our opinion, which the students do, and we do not have communications that the administration do.”
Some faculty senators agreed communication between students and professors is important, but questioned whether amending the syllabi was necessary.
“I agree that professor communications need to happen, and I endorse all of that, but what happened to following a chain of command?” asked Pamela Blanchard, an associate professor of education. “If a student
has a problem with a professor not communicating, it seems like they could go to the chair, and if the chair doesn’t act, they go up to the dean’s level.”
Though the resolution ulti-
mately passed, some portions of the original text were cut, including an appendix that showed an example of what a syllabus could look like after the changes.
Senators feared that the ex-
ample could be used to pressure faculty into closely mirroring it, as it mentioned a one- to two-day return policy, which would pose difficulties for faculty with large classes.
since his conversion to Christianity six years earlier, according to Smock. But she intended to change that.
“My plan was to get him to give me just a teeny, tiny, itsy, bitsy kiss on the lips, and once he did that, I was going to slip him the tongue!” Smock said. “Because vampire hos know that french kissing always causes an. . .e-rec-tion!” she called out, pronouncing the word with a pause between each syllable for effect.
But Jed ended the date before she could convince him to kiss her, she said. Smock’s plot did not go according to plan.
More dates followed, and the young woman, who had angled to corrupt the young preacher, found herself drawing closer and closer to both Jed and God, she said, until one night in a Krystal Hamburger parking lot, she had an epiphany.
“I called upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and said I’m sorry for my sin. Lord Jesus, I’m sorry for hurting you. Lord Jesus, thank you that you died for me. Thank you that you rose again for me. Lord Jesus, I repent. I turn from all my sin, and I give my life to you, to love you and obey you always,” Smock said.
And like that, “I was a ho no mo’,” Smock said.
Immediately, she began preaching. Four years later, she and Brother Jed shared their first kiss, when a minister pronounced them man and wife on their wedding day.
The two were married for 39 years, had five children and 11 grandchildren. Jed died on June 6, 2022, just before their 40th anniversary.
Through their organization, Campus Ministry USA, the husband and wife duo traveled from university to university, preaching the “Ho No Mo” gospel nationwide. Today, Sister
Cindy continues their work in Jed’s absence.
Her religious and social opinions are many, varied and surprising.
“I love the gays,” she said in a video from February 2019 at Florida State University. “The Lord Jesus loves everyone.”
It’s not what you’d expect from an evangelical preacher. But there’s more.
“Sister Cindy almost, almost became a lesbian,” she said in another video from March 2022 at the University of Arizona. “After spending most of my life on college campuses and meeting a lot of college boys, I understand why a lot of you females are being driven to lesbianism,” she said on March 10, 2021 in Dallas, Texas. “These boys are driving women to vagina land,” she added later that month at Texas State University.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Smock opposes pornography, masturbation, immodest clothing, drinking, drugs, premarital sex and even premarital kissing.
She also advises college-age men never to take their dates to Mexican restaurants—not because she dislikes Mexican people, but because of the presence of margaritas at said restaurants, which she believes often lead to sex.
“If you buy her two margaritas, she will jump right on your penis,” Smock said in a video from April 21, 2021 at Indiana State Unviersity.
Smock is adamantly antiabortion rights. “Ladies, if you get pregnant, run on down to the abortion clinic and have that little bastard sucked out,” she said satirically in one video from May 3, 2022, at Missouri State University.
In almost all ways, her persona is an uncanny blend of myth, oddity and pluck. Some students conjecture that she’s really a stand-up comic, testing out material. In several videos, she appears to do the Griddy.
The bulk of her controversial messaging, however, arises from the “Ho No Mo” campaign, aimed primarily at young, college-age women who she sees as promiscuous. The slogan is fairly self-explanatory. Smock wants young women across the country to give up sex and kissing outside of marriage, to give up immodest clothing (read: leggings, short-shorts, short skirts, latex things, lacey things, strappy things) to get closer to God.
Or, as Smock put it during her 2022 visit to LSU, “You’re princesses made in the image of God, yet you traded your crown to be a cocksucker.”
Student opinion of the polemic preacher is mixed at best.
“I really used to dislike her,” said finance senior Patrick Oakland. “I don’t agree with the vulgarity she uses, but today, for the most part, I think she spoke the truth.”
Oakland, who has been abstaining from pornography and sex for over two years now, said he believed Smock does “net good.”
“Her testimony of being saved by Jesus, I think, is extremely powerful,” he said.
Toward the end of her sermon on Wednesday at LSU’s Free Speech Alley, students formed a line to ask questions, receive answers and take home “Ho No Mo” buttons, autographed and personalized by Smock herself. Those who were able to recite the Ten Commandments or Apostle’s Creed from memory could take home a personalized “Ho No Mo, Obey Jesus” Bible.
One student asked her advice on how to mend his relationship with the mother of his child. Another asked if she could be a Christian and still believe in the power of crystals.
“What I say is, when you know God, you don’t need crystals,” Smock said.
Then a student asked her how she felt about faiths outside of Christianity.
“Christianity teaches that the only way that God can be just and forgive sins is through the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, through his death and resurrection. If that is true, and I believe it is, that Jesus died for our sins and rose again, and he is the only way to have sins forgiven, then all other religions are false,” Smock said. “Now, how do you spell your name?” She began signing a button.
When hundreds of students come to hear her speak and curse and preach, there’s no denying that Smock has molded herself, or else evolved naturally, into an attractive quantity. Smiling in moments of uncertainty, bouncing spryly with Bible in hand, she’s strangely endearing, some students said.
“I love her. I think she’s an icon,” said English freshman Lilly Gunn.
“She is the moment,” added psychology freshman Alyssa Maddie.
“Obviously, I don’t actually agree with the majority of what she says. I don’t take it to heart, but I think she’s very entertaining, and I was really excited to meet her and get a ‘Ho No Mo’ button,” Gunn said.
While the bulk of Smock’s
messaging may miss her target audience, there are nuggets of wisdom in her sermons.
“I will say, some of the things she says about ‘wait until you find someone who respects you’—I might keep that in my brain, but also, I’m still gonna be a ho. I do feel like it was a little bit enlightening – a little bit.” Gunn said.
Smock hasn’t been well-received on all the campuses she’s visited.
In April 2022, Smock had to call campus police to be escorted through a swarm of students at the University of California San Diego. Tensions rose earlier in the day when the crowd wouldn’t let her and her husband leave. In one video posted on Tiktok, students can be seen rushing her belongings, picking off stray ‘Ho No Mo’ buttons and snatching odds and ends. On Twitter, the UCSD student newspaper characterized the exchange as harassment.
Back at LSU’s Free Speech Alley this Wednesday, Smock reflected on her journalism days at the University of Florida and imparted some more common wisdom.
“They told me I was the best reporter they had,” Smock said. “I always followed through with the assignment. If you want to get anywhere in life, get up and get out of the bed, make your bed and study. It’s those that are willing to work for it that go far.”
At some moments, students cheered for Smock, and, at others, the crowd grew quiet. Those who arrived first came mostly for Smock’s spectacle, and those who stayed longest sought, mostly, Smock’s God.
For the most part, folks were just trying to figure out her angle or enjoy the show. Before the final day of her visit closed, Smock remarked that LSU is her favorite campus.
And sooner or later, wherever you are, Sister Cindy will come to a campus near you. In the middle of the people and opinions and sound is where she’ll be, fervently preaching as few others can, do or would.
Attention all foodies: TBeaux’s Creole Café is open and ready to give you and your taste buds an authentic experience with a full menu of classic creole cuisine and fresh daily specials.
T-Beaux’s is the perfect addition to LSU’s dining. Located in Foster Hall and open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., LSU’s students, staff and faculty can drop in and have a quick bite or grab a meal to go.
T-Beaux’s owner and head chef, Melissa Anderson, is bringing a completely new vibe to LSU.
I recently had an amazing tasting at T-Beaux’s Creole Café. I tried multiple items on the menu including my new favorite, the red bean poboy served on an artisan bun. The seafood bisque and Melissa’s famous
gumbo were absolutely incredible and seasoned to perfection.
After growing up eating my mom’s mouth watering barbecue shrimp, I was pleasantly surprised and impressed with the shrimp and grits at T-Beaux’s. Fresh and flavorful, I couldn’t get enough. It’s a must have.
I also sampled the soba hibiscus tea and pecan candy which were beyond delicious. These packaged products, as well as the food served at T-Beaux’s, are made on campus at the LSU incubator kitchen. Everything is local: sourcing, manufacturing and packaging.
Chicken alfredo and other prepared meals are available for pick up and convenient for busy students constantly on the go.
T-Beaux’s Creole Café also hosts live music showcasing students from the music department. It will also host weekly open mic nights for creatives on campus. All of this makes for a great spot to hangout or study while grabbing a bite to eat.
Anderson’s overall goal is to create a fun atmosphere full of good vibes. She plans on adding patio seating and string lights. Inside you’ll find a “Tiger Fans’’ chalkboard wall with signatures from students.
The walls are also covered with various graphics and inspirational quotes, including Anderson’s favorite quote from Maya Angelou, “Nothing can dim the light that shines from within.”
Come football season, TBeaux’s will have two concession stands in Tiger Stadium for all your game day food needs.
Anderson isn’t just serving up great food, she’s breaking boundaries as a minority business owner.
“As an African American woman and 100% business owner, it’s breaking that barrier. Even just being in Tiger Stadium is still so surreal. That alone is an accomplishment,” Anderson said.
In addition to the opening
of T-Beaux’s Creole Café, Melissa has two cookbooks and her gumbo roux is sold in grocery stores nationwide, as well as in the Lafayette and New Orleans airports. You can always find her roux at your local Rouses
GRAPHIC BY BLAINE SWANZYSupermarkets or scoop up a jar before your next flight.
If you’re looking for an authentic creole cuisine fix, there’s no better place to stop by than T-Beaux’s Creole Café in Foster Hall.
MARCH
AT 8 27 TH
LSU’s Studio Theatre
LSU Theatre will be having a show called “Wolf Play”. The show will begin at 7:30 p.m. at LSU’s Studio Theatre, 129 Music and Dramatic Arts Buildings. There are show dates until April 2. Tickets are $6, but it doesn’t accept cash.
MARCH WEDNESDAY AT 5 29TH
This week is Graduate Student Appreciation Week. Monday morning from 8 to 10 a.m. there will be Morning Call. It will have coffee and food in front of David Boyd Hall, which is located on the south side of the Bell Tower.
MARCH TUESDAY AT 7 28TH
LSU Libraries
LSU Libraries is hosting a trivia night for students. This event will be from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. There will be treats and prizes. This event is located in the LSU Library room 109.
LSU baseball junior right-handed pitcher/utility Paul Skenes (20) attempts to pick off a base runner on March 24 during LSU’s 3-9 loss against Arkansas in Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge, La.
LSU beach volleyball sophomore Ella Larkin (3) and senior Lara Boos (33) high-five on March 25 during LSU’s 4-1 win against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at the LSU beach volleyball stadium on Cypress Drive.
LSU men’s tennis senior Stefan Latinovic serves in a singles match during LSU’s 5-2 loss against the University of Georgia March 24 at the LSU Tennis Complex in Baton Rouge.
LSU men’s tennis graduate student Nick Watson swings for the ball in a doubles competition during LSU’s 5-2 loss against the University of Georgia March 24 at the LSU Tennis Complex in Baton Rouge.
LSU baseball freshman catcher/first baseman Jared Jones (22) looks at a pop-up ball on March 24 during LSU’s 3-9 loss against Arkansas in Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge, La.
LSU beach volleyball sophomore Cassidy Chambers (21) hits the ball on March 25 during LSU’s 4-1 win against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at the LSU beach volleyball stadium on Cypress Drive.
LSU track and field junior sprinter Sean Burrell runs out of the blocks on March 25 during the Battle on the Bayou track meet at the Bernie Moore Track Stadium in Baton Rouge, La.
LSU track and field distance sophomore Jack Wallace and distance junior Cade Martin enter the bend on March 25 during the Battle on the Bayou track meet at the Bernie Moore Track Stadium in Baton Rouge, La.
LSU hosted a number of sporting events on campus this past weekend. Check out these images from any you might have missed.Photos by Matthew Perschall, Layne Davis and Reagan Cotten
Every year, LSU baseball adopts a word or phrase that represents a meaning or goal that the program has set its sights on when heading into the season. This year, that word is ‘powerhouse.’
The mantra couldn’t have been more accurately chosen. It describes with just 10 letters the dominance and true power of LSU baseball’s capability and, more specifically, its capability at the plate.
Going into this season, head coach Jay Johnson and the rest of the coaching staff knew that offensively, their team would be pretty stacked. For example, the recruiting of transfer Tommy White was a huge addition to the roster, especially batting-wise.
The sophomore quickly made a name for himself at North Carolina State as week after week he proved to be a necessity for the Wolfpack’s production of runs. White finished his freshman season batting .362, collecting 85 hits, 27 runs and 74 RBI. He was named the Dick Howser Trophy Player of the Month after collecting 20 hits, 29 RBIs, nine home runs and 18 runs scored in just eight games.
White isn’t the only power-
FOOTBALL
house on LSU’s roster, though. The many additions to the team this year only elevate the talent that the program contains. Vet-
eran players like Gavin Dugas, Cade Beloso, Tre’ Morgan and Dylan Crews have been consistently successful at the plate, put-
ting runs on the board when LSU has needed them most.
In the rubber match of a series of top five teams, LSU emphatically rose to the occasion.
The LSU offense was once again the driving force in that effort, as the Tigers put up doubledigit runs for the second game in a row.
The LSU bats got to work early. After giving up two runs to Arkansas in the top of the first, LSU responded with two of its own in the bottom of the inning coming on a two-run home run from Dylan Crews.
That home run was Crews’ third of the series and ninth of the season as his monstrous season continues.
“He’s the best baseball player I’ve ever seen,” head coach Jay Johnson said of Crews.
A few innings later, LSU exploded again, scoring eight runs combined in the third and fourth innings. Six of those came in the fourth where Gavin Dugas and Tommy White each hit a home run, driving in five runs between the two in the inning.
see ARKANSAS, page 10
Just before LSU football was set to take the practice field Saturday, defensive line coach Jamar Cain informed the team of his departure for a job as pass rush specialist with the Denver Broncos.
“It was tough when he told us because it was tough for me. Because like I said, this is the guy that gave me the shot,” said junior defensive lineman Jacobian Guillory.
Guillory is entering his fourth season with LSU in 2023 and will now have a fourth different defensive line coach.
He has also been at LSU longer than anyone else, signing with the program in 2020. From his freshman year to now, much has changed within the LSU program.
Guillory was recruited by former head coach Ed Orgeron and spent the 2020 and 2021 seasons as a rotational piece of LSU’s defensive line. In 2022, his role drastically changed after the first game of the season.
The perceived star of LSU’s de -
fensive line, Maason Smith, tore his ACL on the first drive of the game, which made LSU’s depth on the defensive line razor thin.
While Guillory didn’t start, he saw increased snaps with him being the only true defensive tackle behind Jaquelin Roy and Mekhi Wingo. Guillory finished the season with 15 total tackles, a career high for him.
That was the lone season that Guillory played with Cain as defensive line coach. It wasn’t always easy for the two of them working together, but their relationship flourished and was positive, according to Guillory.
“We were bumping heads so much every day, yelling at each other. I was like ‘man, I can’t stand this guy. Now I’m like ‘I don’t know if I want to be coached by anybody else,’” Guillory said.
Despite spending just one season at LSU, Cain’s impact was felt. Even with the lack of depth following Smith’s injury, LSU still managed productive play from the defensive line, finishing in
POWERHOUSE, from page 9
Crews especially has continued to prove why he is regarded as a possible No. 1 draft pick in the MLB. Not only is his spot in center field unwavering, but the Florida native is also stepping up to the plate with a .531 batting average. To put that in perspective, a .531 batting average means that in 10 at-bats, Crews will land on a base at least five times.
Crews currently leads the country in batting average, according to D1 Baseball. Mike Boeve, who plays for Omaha, is second in the country for batting average and, though currently strutting a solid .489, is still nowhere near passing Crews.
After totaling 36 runs in a series against Samford, fans were excited to see just how well this offense would do in conference play. Just one week later LSU took the first game of its series against Texas A&M 9-0. Though it wasn’t a complete sweep for the Tigers, they outscored the Aggies that
ARKANSAS, from page 9
Led by White, the LSU bats got hot again in the sixth inning as a grand slam brought in four more runs. White finished the day going 2-for-5 with two home runs and seven RBIs.
LSU as a team finished the game with 11 hits, finishing the series with 35 hits across three games.
“We’ve patterned good performances. I think we were going outside of ourselves and expanding the zone a little too much yesterday,” Johnson said. “That’s not when we’re at our best or best for them. We really look for a pitch that we can drive and if not, we don’t swing and make pitchers execute that way.”
On the mound, Thatcher Hurd got things started for LSU. He struggled early, allowing two runs in the first inning while throwing over 40 pitches. He allowed two more runs, finishing the game allowing four earned runs on four hits and five walks.
The bullpen was vital for LSU, though.
Griffin Herring relieved Hurd, and seemed to be a breath of fresh air out of the bullpen for the Tigers. He immediately struck
DEPARTURE, from page 9 the top half of the country in rush defense.
Cain’s impact was felt on the recruiting trail, too. He had a hand in LSU landing four-star defensive line prospects Dashawn Womack and Jaxon Howard.
Cain came to LSU from Oklahoma where he spent two seasons on Lincoln Riley’s staff as a defensive ends and outside linebackers coach. He carried over the relationships built in recruiting at Oklahoma to LSU, which paid dividends for the Tigers.
LSU now begins the search for a new defensive line coach, a process that the program has become used to over the last few seasons.
weekend 27-15.
Heading into the series against Arkansas, fans believed that this type of offense would continue to prevail. When game one finally began, however, this was not the case.
“Offensively, we had a couple of opportunities that got away from us,” Johnson said after that game. “You know, but good pitching will do that too.”
The Razorbacks’ bullpen for game one was unmanageable for the Tigers. Left-handed pitchers
Hunter Hollan and Hagen Smith proved to be a challenge for every single LSU hitter. Though the Tigers had eight hits in the game, not a single one resulted in a run until the bottom of the eighth inning. LSU was outscored by Arkansas 9-3 after going into an extra inning with one run each.
It was obvious that the lefthanded pitchers accounted for LSU’s poor performance at the plate and that remained a concern going into the next game. If Arkansas had another left-handed
out two batters and closed out the third inning with minimal damage.
Herring finished the game allowing one earned run on two hits in two innings. He also struck out two batters and walked one.
Garrett Edwards replaced Herring in the fifth inning and was dominant over the course of four innings.
In those innings, he allowed no earned runs on two hits while striking out six batters and walking just one.
The key for his success was pitch balance and variety, according to Edwards. He especially cited success with his off speed pitches.
“Today felt good. All three pitches but more specifically changeup. I thought my changeup was really effective tonight,” Edwards said.
LSU allowed more hits in game three than any other in the series, but situational pitching seemed to be key for LSU in keeping Arkansas’ offense at bay.
The Tigers now improve to 21-3 on the season and 4-2 in SEC play. LSU will be back in action Tuesday to take on Grambling before another home SEC series versus Tennessee next weekend.
In the meantime, though, LSU continues to push forward in spring practice. Despite not having a coach at the moment, Guillory doesn’t believe it will affect how the defensive line practices.
“I think we’re all bought in and we’re ready to work no matter who the coach is,” Guillory said. “We all want to get better everyday. Everybody wants to be in the starting group, everyone’s working.”
In an interim role, Gerald Chatman is a possible name mentioned to fill in for Cain. Chatman is currently a senior defensive analyst for LSU football, and was someone Guillory mentioned when talking about possible coaches.
pitcher ready to go in game two, would LSU perform poorly again?
Yet again, however, LSU reminded fans of just the type of powerhouse it is.
In game two of the series, the Tigers collected 16 hits, taking the game 12-2 and drawing it to a close in the seventh inning. In game three, where the outcome would determine who ultimately took the series, LSU defeated Arkansas 14-5.
Though Arkansas didn’t use any more left-handed pitchers, the performance of the Tigers at the plate was undeniable.
“A little adversity doesn’t shake them,” Johnson said. “And I thought their performance today was another good example of that. You know, you never know when the big pitch is going to come. But you want to be in the right headspace so that you can execute your plan when it does and we did that.”
Game three was really where this dominance was indisputable. LSU plated six runs in just
the fourth inning alone, grabbing onto a lead that it ultimately never let go of.
Crews started the scoring early, grabbing a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning. In that solid fourth inning, Thompson led the Tigers off at the plate with a double. Soon after, Dugas secured a two-run shot of his own. White had struggled throughout the series at the plate, but the pieces had finally started to come together in game three when he sent over a three-run home run, allowing the Tigers to reach 10 runs.
White was untouchable in this last game and further solidified his strength at the plate in the sixth inning when he sent over yet another home run. This next time, however, White’s shot accounted for four runs; it was a grand slam.
“What Tommy [White] did today was very special,” Crews said. “Very mature of him to shake that off and move on and do what he did today.”
In game three, LSU totaled four home runs, 11 hits and 13 RBI.
Moving forward, LSU will continue to see other strong SEC programs, and after that first performance against Arkansas, it’s probable that the Tigers will be seeing a lot more left-handed pitchers in the future. This weakness could be one that halts LSU’s success. Moving forward, it will be interesting to see if the Tigers adjust and if their solid performances can come against lefthanded pitchers as well.
LSU is now 21-3 on the season and will be gearing up for yet another top-25 matchup against the Tennessee Volunteers, who sport multiple left-handed pitchers. The home-field advantage will be crucial for LSU, but this series will be a huge test to see if that first game against Arkansas was just a fluke, especially if the Volunteers have left-handed pitchers coming out of the bullpen.
Until then, however, LSU remains a powerhouse.
LSU’s defensive line outlook for the 2023 season is more promising than it was last season. Despite dealing with injuries this spring, the additions of Jordan Jefferson, Jalen Lee, Paris Shand and Bradyn Swinson out of the transfer portal gives LSU more depth than it had last season.
Guillory adds experience to that group and he believes that with the depth, the group is more well-rounded than it has been. He said they now have every position covered and is excited about how it could look in the fall.
“We can be really dangerous,” Guillory said. “It’s gonna be crazy this year. It’s gonna be a whole bunch of stuff that just ain’t been seen yet.”
BENJAMIN
Last Tuesday night, LSU’s Student Union Theater felt much like Tiger Stadium. There were standing ovations, t-shirt throws, screaming, manic fans, semi-obscene chants and people wearing their team’s colors. But instead of “Let’s Geaux Tigers!” people shouted “U-S-A!” In lieu of “Neck,” screamed “Let’s go Brandon!” and rather than wear purple and gold, donned InfoWars shirts and Tucker Carlson hats.
The excitement was all for Candace Owens, a controversial right-wing political commentator and the headline event for Turning Point USA’s current speaking circuit, the Live Free Tour.
Owens spoke with the passion of a charismatic preacher, delivering a sermon of good and evil, left versus right. She spread the Republican gospel of small government and hard work: “Society will reward you if you are willing to work hard.” She decried the dangers of feminism: “I blame feminists for almost every ill that we have now.”
After seemingly every right-wing zinger Owens threw at libs, she received some sort of response from the crowd. When she declared that “representation is pandering,” for instance, “Yeses!” rained down from the crowd like amens in a revival service.
It’s a lucrative message, clearly. But lucrative is not synonymous with correct or good. On several instances, Owens’ talk devolved into a salad of words and ideas, devoid of much intellectual value, as vapid as logic she claimed to represent.
Once in the talk, Owens casually mentioned the dangers of “isms,” presumably referencing socialism, transgenderism, or some other typically left-wing cause. Later, however, in the question-and-answer portion of the event, Owens was stumped by a self-avowed feminist and LSU student who asked her a very fair question: “Isn’t conservatism another ism?”
Instead of engaging with a reasonable question or telling the student what conservatism properly understood is – a philosophy, not an ideology – Owens simply deflected and changed the subject. By the time one realized what rhetorical move Owens made, it was already too late, the point was already gone.
Some of what Owens said leaned toward the conspiratorial, too. Drawing a rhetorical picture of the grand schemes of leftism, she claimed that “what we are heading towards is a socialist society.”
All liberal policies were aimed at destroying tradition in order to make people more dependent on the government, everything from
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the family to climate change to welfare; the latter of which, she said, was apparently more harmful to Black Americans than Jim Crow ever was.
Owens cited no evidence for these claims other than brief, occasionally relevant anecdotes and the random statistic.
We should see Owens’ on-stage behavior for what it truly is: performance art.
Owens moves the crowd with a passion for her cause that is no doubt genuine, but nonetheless misguided – perhaps not wrong in its conservatism, but fundamentally erroneous in its argumentation, presentation and logic.
Conservatism deserves better. It deserves better than stooping to the level of ad hominem attacks, cheap laughs, rhetorical frills or cherry-picking data. Conservatism is a long historical tradition with philosophical roots dating back to the ancient Greeks. That’s largely the point of being a conservative: citing and knowing the past in order to better know the present and anticipate the future.
Owens’ visit to LSU was anything but that. It didn’t rely on reasonable, clear argumentation. It didn’t cite the past as the basis or evidence of its claims. It didn’t deal honestly with opposing claims. It caricatured them.
This isn’t to say that Owens’ views, at least in their conclusions, are damaging.
Critical Race Theory does, for instance, exist in K-12 education in places across the country. There has been a marked increase in the size of parts of the American government in the last 50 years. There are good reasons to think that welfare doesn’t do much to help people or instill personal responsibility throughout society. And there are problems with feminism, especially in its more recent iterations.
If Owens thinks she will convince anyone to join her political side, other than her fans, she has another thing coming.
Benjamin Haines is a 24-year-old graduate student from Shreveport.
Over the past few years, the mainstream media has over-polarized our perception of liberals and conservatives, discouraging dialogue and making it seem impossible to understand each other.
But Candace Owens’ talk in the Union Theater on Tuesday, a stop on Turning Point USA’s Live Free Tour, demonstrated that engaging in respectful conversation with those of opposing views is possible and even advantageous.
Hearing those with different beliefs can enable us to become more open-minded and understand others’ perspectives. By engaging in sincere and tolerant conversation, we gain a deeper understanding of our beliefs and how they compare to others.
After the talk, audience members had the opportunity to ask Owens questions. Attendees lined up to ask about topics such as critical race theory, feminism, the education system, and vaccines.
She related all these topics to her chief talking point: traditional family values were under threat in the United States.
Starting with critical race theory, Owens said, “It is an entire theory based upon the idea that the color of your skin determines your outcome, and it is causing friction in our society.”
Owens, who is a Black woman, was outspoken in saying many of the contemporary problems Black Americans face stem from the
absence of fathers in Black families, not necessarily racism.
Even in the Jim Crow era, she said, there were fewer absent fathers than now.
“If you come from a strong family, you are way better positioned to become more successful,” Owens said.
Throughout her talk, Owens spoke about the irrelevance of feminism today. Asking Owens about this, an attendee argued that feminism is fighting for equality, not necessarily legally, but socially and culturally.
“What is it socially that we don’t
have and men do?” Owens replied. “What are the real-world implications that somehow suggest to you that you are unequal to men?”
The attendee brought up sexual assault as something feminists fight against, and Owens and, “You don’t have to be a feminist to fight to end sexual assault.”
Owens, who used to consider herself an adamant liberal, related modern feminism as a threat to traditional masculinity, again a problem challenging traditional familial values.
Another attendee asked about Owen’s opinion on the federal government’s role in the education system. She replied, saying she lacked faith in the system and encouraged people to homeschool their children.
She also said she believes in school choice, which would allow parents to choose which school their kids get to attend and not be restricted to a particular school based on their tax bracket or the area they live in.
Owens shared personal experiences to connect with her audience and convey her message by pointing out statistics and facts.
It is not statistics, citations or numbers that genuinely influence our beliefs, but rather the experiences we live through and their impact on us.
Does this mean our worldview is limited to our experiences and conditions in our own life? On the contrary, our outlook on life can be broadened by exposure to others’ experiences and beliefs.
Hearing people share their opinions can resonate more than hearing a list of statistics and facts. It can enable us to understand where they come from and why they hold particular views while, at the same time, leading us to reflect on our own opinions and analyze how we came to those stances.
“When you really spend time with yourself, and you realize who you are, then the next step is to take a chance on yourself,” Owens stressed.
In America, she said, anyone has the ability to succeed, no matter the circumstances.
“You have to disbelieve the system that tells you, ‘you can’t unless you do it this way.’ You have to take a chance; that’s what America is about.”, Owens said, “Getting it wrong is okay; failure is okay. It’s about getting back up and trying again, so believe in yourself.”
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