LSU in play for Ricky Seals-Jones, No. 1 prep WR
LSU defensive tackle Anthony Johnson (90) and linebacker Kevin Mintger drive back Idaho running back Ryan Bass on third down near the end of the second quarter of LSU's 63-14 win Saturday at TIger Stadium.
The nation’s No. 1 wide receiver has the LSU Tigers in his final two.
Ricky Seals-Jones of Sealy, Texas, has narrowed his choices to LSU and Texas A&M, according to ESPN and 24/7 Sports.
Seals-Jones was an early commitment to Texas but decommitted in June, saying he had not eliminated the Longhorns but had made a hasty decision.
Texas has reportedly since pulled its offer to Seals-Jones, opening the door for the Tigers and Aggies. Seals-Jones (6-foot-5, 230 pounds) suffered a dislocated patella in a game Sept. 6 and is expected to be out 6-8 weeks, though the injury isn’t believed to have anything to do with Texas’ decision.
Seals-Jones is the nation’s No. 1 wide receiver on the ESPNU 150 and the Scout.com 300, which both rank him as the nation’s 10th-best prospect. Rivals.com and 24/7 Sports rank him the nation’s No. 1 athlete prospect and No. 24 and 16 in the nation, respectively.
At Tiger Stadium, it was a light night recruiting-wise with the Idaho Vandals in town. Among the top prospects in attendance according to 24/7 were University High defensive end Tim Williams and running back teammate Nic Brossette (a 2015 prospect) and LSU commitments Jeryl Brazil of Loranger (an athlete prospect) and Salmen-Slidell wide receiver Chuck Baker.
Also at the game were 2014 tight end Jacory Washington of Westlake and 2014 cornerback Chris Hardeman of Houston Taylor.
Crunching the numbers
LSU’s 63-14 victory over Idaho marked the most points by the Tigers since a 63-28 win at Kentucky on Nov. 1, 1997, and their most points in Tiger Stadium since a 70-14 win over Arkansas State on Oct. 12, 1991.
It was the first time LSU has scored more than 60 points under eighth-year coach Les Miles and just the fifth time in his tenure that the Tigers have scored 50 or more. LSU has scored a combined 145 points in its first three games, the most since also scoring 145 points in 1969.
Purple reign
LSU donned purple jerseys Saturday for the first time this season, improving to 18-0 under Miles in its alternate uniforms.
The Tigers are also scheduled to wear purple when they face Towson on Sept. 29 in Tiger Stadium.
Idaho, which wore white jerseys with its black helmets and pants, probably wasn’t upset with LSU’s choice to wear dark jerseys on the humid night. The Vandals wear black tops when they play at home.
LSU has now won 27 straight in purple dating to a 2000 home loss to UAB.
In addition to sporting the purple jerseys, LSU’s players wore special gloves and cleats Saturday supplied by Nike.
Patriotic feel
In recognition of the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks and with the National Guard being honored at Saturday’s game, both teams added patriotic flourishes to their
LSU running back Alfred Blue and free safety Eric Reid ran onto the field carrying American flags. Idaho replaced its normal helmet logo with a red, white and blue version.
Injury report
Blue limped off after a carry in the third quarter, returned, then walked into the locker room with the aid of a crutch with nine minutes left in the game.
Left tackle Josh Dworaczyk was seen on the bench with ice on his right leg in the third quarter as well.
Ronald Martin started at strong safety for LSU in place of Craig Loston, who has been battling a turf toe since August. Lavar Edwards started at defensive end in place of Barkevious Mingo (sprained ankle), though Mingo later played.
Elliott Porter started at center in place of P.J. Lonergan, who was held out with an unspecified injury.
Defensive tackle Josh Downs, running back Spencer Ware and wide receiver James Wright didn’t play.
About Idaho
Despite being a relatively small school from a relatively remote part of the world, Idaho has some interesting alumni.
Among them are former NFL player and ESPN announcer Mark Schlereth, 2008 Republican vice-presidential candidate and former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, former New Orleans Saints quarterback and first-year Alabama offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier, actor Bill Fagerbakke (Dauber on the TV show “Coach”) and Mark Felt, the deceased former FBI official who was later revealed to be Watergate informant “Deep Throat.”
Interestingly, Idaho’s campus in Moscow is just nine miles from Washington State’s campus in nearby Pullman.
Remembering Seau
Idaho senior linebacker Homer Mauga changed his number from 19 to 55 this season in honor of his cousin, linebacker great Junior Seau, who committed suicide May 2.
Mawae SEC legend
Former offensive lineman Kevin Mawae has been selected as this year’s SEC Football Legend for LSU and will be honored during the SEC Championship Game weekend Nov. 30-Dec. 1 in Atlanta.
Mawae played center, left guard and left tackle during his LSU career from 1990-93, becoming a three-time All-SEC selection. Mawae went on to play 16 seasons in the NFL and served as president of the NFL Players Association from 2008-11.
Other legends include Paul Crane (Alabama), Pat Summerall (Arkansas), James Owens (Auburn), Glynn Griffing (Ole Miss), Walt Harris (Mississippi State), John David Crow (Texas A&M), Steve Tannen (Florida), David Greene (Georgia), Sonny Collins (Kentucky), Johnny Roland (Missouri), Ko Simpson (South Carolina), Peerless Price (Tennessee) and Hunter Hillenmeyer (Vanderbilt).
Lagniappe
Kickoff for next Saturday’s game at Auburn is set for 6 p.m. on ESPN. ... LSU paid Idaho $925,000 to come for Saturday’s game, the largest guarantee the Tigers paid out this year. … The LSU softball team, which reached the 2012 Women’s College World Series, was recognized on the field during the first quarter. … LSU is now 2-0 against Idaho and 24-1 against current members of the Western Athletic Conference. ... Former LSU deep snapper Gant Petty was in Tiger Stadium helping coordinate the military flyover before kickoff.
Advocate sportswriters
Scott Rabalais, Les East and Scott Hotard contributed to this report.