‘Finish. The Things. You Start.’

Check out this framed poster.

This poster is a celebration of the LSU Tiger Football team - 2011 SEC Champions and National Runner-Up.

It hangs to the right of another framed poster above my television in Fort Worth, Texas. That is the 50th Anniversary of the College World Series, in Omaha, Nebraska, where LSU second baseman Warren Morris drilled a 2-out home run in the bottom of the ninth to shock Miami to steal the National Championship.

I wake up to both posters. Every day.

But the one to the right, the one you see here, gets my attention first. Every time.

Why?

Well… the one team to the left finished. The team to the right… didn’t.

That one hurts worse. Obviously.

Here’s what sucks about this poster: the team it celebrates beat the Rose Bowl champion, the Orange Bowl champion, the Cotton Bowl champion, and, sadly, the National champion.

If they would have got it done that one last time, experts talk about them in the ‘best ever’ talk. It just wasn’t meant to be.

Any time people come in my room and see this poster, they always ask, ‘Um… didn’t you get your ass kicked in that game?’

‘Yes,’ I reply.

But a lesson was learned that day. January 9, 2012. 1/9/12 (the date LSU fans don’t talk about).

That lesson is: finish the things you start.

It can be anything still in your control. It can be that book you mapped out but never started, that song you can’t finish, the food on your plate.

It’s never good to leave things unfinished. That 2011 LSU Football team obviously can’t get a rematch eight years later. But you can learn from your mistakes and press forward.

With the College Football Playoff looming on the horizon, the LSU Tigers, as a team, can certainly lay this bad memory to rest if they can finish the things they started, here in 2019.

Which will result in a new poster I can post in my room. Which will get me inspired to do some finishing of my own.

'Is This The Real Life? The Heisman's Coming to Baton Rouge? No Way.'

Ask any LSU Football fan how they’re feeling today.

Then ask them if one year ago today, after watching another Oklahoma quarterback hoist the Heisman Trophy, that a year from now:

• The Tigers would be 13-0.

• Ranked No. 1 in the College Football Playoff.

• Joe Burrow would win the Heisman.

If he or she told you they’d totally believe that, they would be, as they say, ‘full of crap.’

Well, believe it now.

The LSU quarterback basked in the Times Square glow Saturday night, winning the highly-coveted award given to the best player in college football.

Burrow’s win made him LSU’s second-ever Heisman Trophy winner, the first ever won by a Tiger signal-caller. Billy Cannon was the only other Tiger to win the award in 1959, sixty years ago if you’re keeping score.

This Heisman victory is the latest in a string of ‘holy crap’ moments for LSU this college football season. I mean, think about it. LSU’s offense was archaic. Three yards and a cloud of dust. Five yard out-routes on third down and eight. Predictable. Melancholy. Mediocre, at best.

Head coach Ed Orgeron knew if he wanted to be able to keep up with the times, and for God’s sake, slay the Alabama beast, changes needed to be made. Orgeron and offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger chose to convert to the spread offense. They also brought in offensive whiz-kid Joe Brady from the New Orleans Saints, made him passing game coordinator, all of which has paid massive dividends for the Tigers.

Along the way this season - records were shattered. Beasts were slayed. Awards were won.

Seeing an LSU player hoist that award was a surreal moment for many LSU fans. You’ve probably seen it on your social media feeds today - ‘I never thought I’d see the day’ - ‘this is too weird’ - ‘way to GEAUX, JEAUX!’ - and it couldn’t have happened to a better young man.

Not only is Joe Burrow a superb quarterback, he seems like an even more superb human.

If you’ve seen any of his interviews, he’s quite quirky. Similar to ‘Nuke’ LaLouche from Bull Durham, but with much more ‘swag.’

He’s got a thing for caramel apple suckers. He’s been told he looks like Kevin Bacon, Macauley Culkin, and/or Jim Breuer. When not on the field, studying film, or completing Master’s coursework, he watches YouTube videos of quantum physics, black holes, and white holes. He’s a huge fan of cartoons. Especially Spongebob Squarepants. Matter of fact, he wore Spongebob socks at the damn Heisman Presentation. No, really.

Seeing him at the podium with the trophy will go down as one of my favorite sports moments. Not only for a kid that nobody wanted, but a coach that nobody wanted, either. And when Burrow got emotional, thanking Orgeron, there wasn’t a dry eye in Tiger Nation. I’ve watched that speech three times already today, and I still get misty-eyed. Such a great moment.

But it’s not over yet. We’ve got one more game, with the chance to play another game, and bring one more trophy back to Baton Rouge.

It’s a great time to be an LSU Tiger. Thank you Coach ‘Eaux,’ thank you ‘Jeaux Burreaux,’ and thank you to the LSU Football Tigers for what has been an incredible season.

ALRIGHT... LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT GAME...

As most of you already know…

… I’m a die-hard lover of the New Orleans Saints.

Today, like most members of the Who Dat Nation, I am in mourning.

Not because I feel like we were robbed (oh, don’t worry - that’s coming.) Not because Roger Goodell secretly still has it out for us. Not because winning would have ultimately given us a berth in a second Super Bowl.

This loss feels worse than enduring the ‘Minnesota Miracle’ last season, where I was catatonic for a solid seven minutes. Before my sister won Miss Louisiana in 1990, she got first runner-up twice. Yep - feels a lot like that. Shocking. Painful. Sad.

Robbed.

Despite all that, what I am about to say may come as a shock to you, and it’s given me anxiety pains since the playoffs began, so let’s hurry up, spit this out and get on with our lives:

I didn’t think we were the better team.

(Exhale)

Since watching the Saints on Thanksgiving earlier this year, we haven’t been the same team we were during the ten-game winning streak. The offensive output slowed. Instead of winning games handily, it seems we escaped.

Call it injuries. Call it being exposed. It just… didn’t feel the same the last quarter of the season.

That being said… this team ‘over-achieved.’ Very proud of these guys.

NOW…

I agree there were several non-calls in that game on both sides. They ‘let the boys play’ as they say, which I guess is fine. But you cannot deny - CANNOT deny - that pass interference should have been called on that particular play.

You also cannot deny that if the flag is thrown, we run out the clock, hit the chip-shot field goal, and punch our tickets to the Super Bowl.

You can’t deny that. THAT non-call. On THAT play. At THAT moment in the game.

Okay - maybe the Rams were a better team. I can live with that. But come on! We win the game if that penalty is called. You know it.

But… it wasn’t. We lost. It’s the way of things.

Proud of the Saints. They had an amazing season. Bless you Boys!

So, what happens now? Is this the end? Or does Payton and Brees give it one more go? Surely you can’t walk away after being hosed like that. Surely it can’t get any worse…

… wait, I’m gonna take that back. I don’t want to find out something worse than that.

Alright - off my soap box. Can someone cheer me up? Feed me tacos, tell me you have a crush on me, grab my butt? Or maybe go buy some Erick Fayard merch:

www.teespring.com/stores/erickfayard

Love you, Guys. Talk soon!

-E