N.O. SAINTS, LSU TIGERS BOTH POST
DRAMATIC VICTORIES FOR LOUISIANA

From the AP via ESPN:

Reason to cheer: Saints beat Panthers in final seconds

Football is no longer a simple game for the New Orleans Saints. They'll play this season for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, a burden they'll carry every time they step on the field.

The Saints won Sunday for their deluged city and the displaced victims of the Gulf Coast region, getting two touchdowns from Deuce McAllister and a 47-yard field goal from John Carney with 3 seconds left in a 23-20 season-opening win over the Carolina Panthers.

"In the back of our minds, we know we have to give them one tiny bit of hope," said New Orleans quarterback Aaron Brooks. "We have complete faith in what we are doing because every time we go out there, it is our job to give them hope that every day will be a better day."

The Saints have visited shelters in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, spending time with fans who had lost everything. Each time they heard the same request: Win a game for us.

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And again from the AP via ESPN:

No ordinary season-opening win for LSU

For LSU, football has a stark look this season.

"This is not a made-for-TV movie," coach Les Miles said. "This was a real-life trauma where friends and family had to stay in the dorms and the town swelled to take in the New Orleans evacuees. We are treating people that are injured and disadvantaged 200 yards from our stadium. We have a scrimmage, and Blackhawk helicopters are flying people from New Orleans over our heads."

The fifth-ranked Tigers traveled halfway across the country to play their "home" opener Saturday night -- a 35-31 victory over No. 15 Arizona State in Miles' debut as LSU's coach.

The game should have been the second this season in Baton Rouge, La., but Hurricane Katrina washed out the opener against North Texas on Sept. 3. A week later, the Tigers were in Tempe, forced off campus by the influx of people who turned the basketball arena into what athletic director Skip Bertman called the largest triage center in the United States.

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Not since the Aggies beat the Longhorns in Austin in the wake of the Texas A&M bonfire tragedy that happened a few days before the game have I seen the communal healing power of football work its magic. Behind all the hooplah, behind all the statistics and mascots, is something people don't seem to talk about all that much: football is a community activity, bringing people together in enormous ceremonies of cohesion. Usually, this is simply something that we do here in America, a unique manifestation of our culture, but sometimes, like this weekend, it counts for much, much more. I know; I know. It's just a game. But you have to look at the emotional ramifications here. The Tigers' and Saints' victories are a statement to the people of Louisiana that all is not lost, that we will prevail. Just a game? No, these two wins represent the collective hopes and dreams of an entire state. I'm happy to be here, if only to be a part of all that.

By the way, with the Longhorns' defeat of Ohio State, and Michigan's loss to Notre Dame, LSU was able to rise from the number five slot of the AP poll to number three: my two college teams are now in the top three! This is weird. I'm used to losing.

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