Week 6 brought a mixed bag for the former Tigers scattered across the NFL, with a few standout performances, a couple of quiet Sundays, and one especially rough outing in London.
The Texans-Jaguars game in London gave LSU fans plenty to track. Jacksonville wideout Briant Thomas Jr. had a day to forget, dropping both of his targets.
On the Texans side, Kayshon Boutte caught two of his three targets for 16 yards, while Foster Moreau made the most of his two catches, turning them into 7 yards and two touchdowns. Houston also got solid defensive work from Derek Stingley Jr., who posted six tackles, five of them solo, and a pass defense, plus Danielle Hunter, who finished with three tackles, one solo.
The Saints’ 34-27 win over the Giants also featured several former Tigers in key spots. Davon Godchaux played but didn’t register a stat, while Barion Brown gave New Orleans value in the return game and on offense, catching his lone target for 5 yards, then adding two kickoff returns for 66 yards and five punt returns for 68 yards. On the other sideline, Giants receiver Malik Nabers was impossible to ignore, hauling in 12 of 15 targets for 165 yards.
There was also a notable special-teams showing from the Bills in their 33-30 win over the Raiders. Lloyd Cushenberry III and Reid Ferguson handled special-teams duty, and the cleanest thing about their afternoon was that there were no bad snaps or special-teams mishaps to report.
Defensively, a few Tigers made their mark in tight games. Cor’Dale Flott came up with an interception for the Titans in their 26-20 win at Indianapolis, finishing with three tackles, two solo.
K’Lavon Chaisson was active for Washington in the Commanders’ 23-17 loss to the 49ers, recording four tackles, two solo, plus a forced fumble that led to a turnover. Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels also had a big passing day, going 29-of-40 for 300 yards and two touchdowns with a QBR of 110.4, adding four carries for 10 yards.
Still, he also threw the ball away on fourth down “for some reason which is very boneheaded.”
Elsewhere, former Tigers filled out the box score in smaller ways. Sai’vion Jones had a pass defense, an assisted tackle and a QB hit in Denver’s 17-14 overtime win over Seattle.
In Baltimore’s 13-10 loss to Cleveland, Emery Jones played every offensive snap and did okay, while Browns safety Grant Delpit had two solo tackles. For Carolina, Damien Lewis played in the Panthers’ 25-14 loss at Philadelphia, though he had the third-worst PFF grade of any Panthers offensive player.
There were more modest performances from other LSU alums too. Patrick Queen had three tackles, one solo, and a QB hit in Pittsburgh’s 26-19 overtime win at Tampa Bay, where Bauer Sharp caught his first career NFL pass on his first career target for 21 yards.
Mason Taylor caught four of six targets for 33 yards in the Jets’ 26-19 loss to the Patriots, and Will Campbell avoided a major injury and played every offensive snap for New England after last week’s reports raised concern. In Chicago’s 31-23 win at Atlanta, Zavion Thomas caught all three of his targets for 25 yards and added four kick returns for 85 yards, while Maason Smith had three tackles, one solo, and Harold Perkins Jr. posted four tackles, three solo, and a fumble recovery.
A few more Tigers quietly filled out the week’s ledger. Omar Speights had four tackles, two solo, in the Rams’ 18-16 loss to Arizona.
Mansoor Delane recorded two tackles, one solo, in Kansas City’s 22-6 win over the Chargers, and Kristian Fulton also played but did not record a stat. On the other side of the slate, the only former Tiger in the Broncos-Seahawks game was Jones, and the only former Tiger to appear in Packers-Cowboys was none at all.
Overall, Week 6 landed at a C.
In Other News...
LSU Heads To Auburn With Two More Starter Questions
LSUs injury picture got a little murkier coming out of the Mississippi State game, and now the Tigers are heading into Auburn with two more starter questions hanging over the week. Princewill Umanmielen and Jackson Harris both went down in the contest, and both figures are likely to land on the injury report as LSU starts sorting out who will be available for a road trip that already figures to test the depth chart.
Umanmielens issue is an upper body injury believed to be head-related, which could put him into concussion protocol, while Harris left with a foot injury and was seen in a boot afterward. Brian Kelly didnt offer any medical updates, though he did indicate Harris is expected to be fine, and LSU is prepared to lean on backups if either player cant go against Auburn. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Just Lost A Key Piece In Will Wades First Season
LSU has settled one eligibility fight before the season even tips, and the result leaves Will Wades first roster with a notable hole. Guard RJ Luis Jr. will not be cleared by the SEC to play for the Tigers after the league determined he violated conference rules tied to signing a professional contract, ending the programs battle over his status and shifting the focus to getting ready for the year ahead.
There is at least one brighter note in Baton Rouge, though, because forward Saliou Niang has been ruled eligible for the season. Niang was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers, but his decision to attend college came before recent NCAA rule changes, allowing LSU to keep him in the mix as it tries to move past the Luis situation and sort out its rotation. [Read more 🡒]
LSU-Auburn Just Got More Complicated At Linebacker
LSUs trip to Auburn took a hit when linebacker Whit Weeks suffered a fractured right leg and is expected to miss the upcoming game. Weeks has been a key part of the Tigers defensive plans, so his absence adds another layer of uncertainty to a matchup that already carried plenty of weight.
Auburn is dealing with its own linebacker shakeup after Xaiver Atkins was dismissed from the team ahead of the game, following an earlier suspension for undisclosed disciplinary reasons. Atkins has said he plans to enter the transfer portal, while Auburn coach Alex Golesh has not revealed what led to the discipline, leaving both sides with major questions in the middle of a conference matchup that was already shaping up to be tricky enough. [Read more 🡒]