Bayou Brew 8/15: Perk Up

Today, we're talking about Harold Perkins again, top-5 Tigers, and more.

Author

Sydney Fields
August 15, 2023

Good morning. Tigers have moved in and class is starting soon. Luckily, the gymnastics team has a campus tour for you! Kiya Johnson takes you to two of the popular hangout spots, Sierra Ballard walks you through her daily walk to class, and Tori Tatum and Bryce Wilson show you their favorite study spots.

🗳 Don’t forget to vote for Dylan Crews for the AAU James E. Sullivan Award! He was just named Carolina League Player of the Week after hitting .414 in 6 games with 5 extra base hits.

What else did we pour into today's Brew?

🏈 Top-5 Tigers
🏀 Another Tiger represents the red, white, & blue
🐯 And much, much more!

Meeting The Media. Four LSU football players met with the media last week and we have all of their sessions on LSU GOLD. Linebacker Omar Speights broke down his move from Oregon State, his partnership with Harold Perkins, and the Tigers defense. Safety Sage Ryan broke down the secondary and the new faces in the defensive backfield. Offensive lineman Charles Turner broke down the O-line and offensive preparation. Running back Noah Cain talked about fall camp and the deep running back room.

Not an LSU GOLD subscriber? No worries! Get a free 7-day trial to unlock all the coverage.

🔼  Perk Up. We talked about him yesterday and we’ll talk about him again today, Harold Perkins is on another watch list! The linebacker landed on the Chuck Bednarik Award watch list, which goes to the defensive player of the year. This is the third preseason watch list he’s been named to.

🏈 Top-5 Tigers. The AP Preseason Poll was released yesterday and the Tigers are No. 5! LSU also landed at 5 in the Preseason Coaches’ Poll last week.

🔼 Born In The USA. Freshman women’s basketball player Mikaylah Williams will play with Team USA at the FIBA 3×3 U18 World Cup. She will be the third LSU player to compete with Team USA this summer, with Angel Reese and Hailey Van Lith bringing home medals from their competitions. Mikaylah has had success with Team USA, winning a gold medal last summer and two MVP awards in FIBA 3×3 World Cups. She’ll compete in Hungary from August 30 - September 3.

🔼 Coaching Call. A former SEC standout has joined the women’s tennis program as a graduate assistant. Rebeka Mertena was a star at Tennessee from 2019-2023, and now she’ll be a star coach at LSU. She made the NCAA Tournament four times in Knoxville and was All-SEC. She also qualified for two NCAA Singles Championships. She’ll be pursing a master’s degree while at LSU.

🔼 Amateur Hour. Two Tigers tee’d off at the U.S. Amateur yesterday in Colorado. Connor Gaunt and Alex Price are in the field of 312. The tournament runs from August 14 - August 20. Connor has spent the last three seasons at LSU and has one final season remaining as a Tiger. Alex is a newcomer, he spent the last four years at Christopher Newport University as a four-time All-American.

With LSU at No. 5 and Florida State at No. 8 in the AP Preseason Poll, we’ll kick the season off with a top-10 matchup.

Today’s trivia question…

Do you know the last time LSU opened the season with a top-10 matchup?

Think you got it? Scroll to the bottom of this email for the answer. 

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Thursday 8/17

⚽️ Soccer vs. South Florida @ 6:00pm | SEC Network+

Saturday 8/19

🏐 Purple-Gold Scrimmage @ 3:00pm

Sunday 8/20

⚽️ Soccer vs. Southern Miss @ 4:00pm | SEC Network+

Answer: 2011

In 2011, No. 4 LSU kicked things off against No. 3 Oregon. The Tigers won 40-27.

🐯 Have a great Tuesday, y'all!