LSU’s Culp named SEC special teams player of week

Published 6:00 pm Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Three weeks ago, LSU coach Ed Orgeron lamented that his Tigers just “don’t have a kicker.”

This week LSU has the SEC special teams player of the week in freshman place kicker Connor Culp, who was 4-for-4 on field goals in the Tigers’ 40-24 victory over Ole Miss on Saturday.

Running back Derrius Guice was likely an easy choice as the SEC’s offensive player of the week after rushing for 276 yards against the Rebels while averaging 12.5 yards per carry.

Also on Monday, CBS announced that the Tigers’ Nov. 4 game at No. 1-ranked Alabama will be televised on their station at 7 p.m. 

Both teams have open dates this week in advance of the game.

It’s the 11th straight year that CBS has picked the game as its national showcase and, dating back to the famed Game of the Century in 2011 that LSU won 9-6 in overtime, it’s the seventh straight season that its been in prime time.

Alabama has won six straight in the series since then, including a rematch that season in the BCS championship game and a 10-0 victory in Tiger Stadium last year.

Guice, who appeared to be healthy after battling nagging injuries most of the season, became the first player in SEC history to rush for over 250 yards in three different games.

Three previous stars had done it twice — Auburn’s Bo Jackson, Georgia’a Herschel Walker and Kentucky’s Mo Williams. 

It was the fourth time in Guice’s career that he’s won the weekly honor, but the first time this season.

Culp continued to prove Orgeron’s lament of having no kicker premature.

Since taking over the job before the Florida game, he’s 7-for-7 on field goals, including the two late ones against Auburn last week that provided the game-winning points.  Before then, LSU was 3-for-7 on field goals even though none of the attempts were particularly long.