Football returns to the Mercedes Benz Superdome tonight as the New Orleans Saints host the Tennessee Titans in preseason action. Quarterback Drew Brees is not expected to play in tonight’s game, as he continues to nurse an oblique injury. That means we’ll see more of both Luke McCown and Ryan Griffin. After last week’s game, there has been some talk as to which will be Brees’ backup for the season. Saints Radio Color analyst Hokie Gajan has his thoughts…
cut 17 (10) “…the other night”
Former LSU Tiger Zach Mettenberger is expected to get some playing time for the Titans tonight. Mettenberger was four for seven for 87 yards in a win over the Packers last week. The game was played in the rain and Metteberger had one interception and one fumble. Kick-off tonight inside the Dome is at seven P-M.

Fall camp wraps up tomorrow for LSU with a scrimmage. There’s plenty of position battles that have to be sorted out. Quarterback is the big one as sophomore Anthony Jennings and freshman Brandon Harris have competing against each other since last spring. There’s also a bunch of young wide receivers pushing for playing time.

Louisiana Tech will have an open practice tonight at Independence Stadium in Shreveport this afternoon. Bulldog players and coaches will be available for autographs after today’s practice. Tech will also hold a tailgating kickoff even tomorrow in Ruston at the Argent Pavilion. Players and coaches will be available for autographs at six o’ clock.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the NFL has suspended former LSU Tiger and Kansas City Chiefs receiver Dwayne Bowe for one game for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. That means he won’t play in the regular season opener against Tennessee. Bowe was arrested last fall for possession fo marijuan and he missed four games in 2009 for violating the league’s PED policy.

The Saints return to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome tonight to take on the Tennessee Titans in NFL preseason action. Saints color commentator Hokie Gajan says he’s keeping his eye on the running game and the defense. Gajan hopes the running game has another strong showing like they had last week against the Rams…
Cut 16 (13) “that he did”
Quarterback Drew Brees is not expected to play in tonight’s game, as he continues to nurse an oblique injury. That means plenty of snaps for Luke McCown and Ryan Griffin, who are battling to be Brees’ primary back-up.

Another position battle to watch tonight is at center. Jonathan Goodwin and Tim Lelito have been battling it out since the start of training camp. Kicker Shayne Graham also needs a good game today after missing a 33-yard extra point last week.

Ragin Cajuns quarterback Terrance Broadway is on the 2014 Manning Award Watch List. The list features 32 of the top quarterbacks heading into the college football season. Broadway threw for 24-hundred yards and 19 touchdowns last season.

The LSU Tigers are scheduled to have two practices today and then hold a scrimmage tomorrow at 10:45 AM. Louisiana Tech will have an open practice and meet-n-greet with the fans at Independence Stadium today. Practice is scheduled to start at 3:15.

The LSU Tigers are optimistic that defensive tackle Quentin Thomas will soon be able to fully participate in practice soon. It was reported last week Thoms could miss the season, because of a biceps injury. But Head Coach Les Miles says Thomas is not as serious as once thought
Cut 18 (13) “he can be”
Running back Leonard Fournette did not partcipate during the live portion of a scrimmage yesterday. But Miles hopes Fournette can see more action on Saturday, when the Tigers hold another scrimmage.

Preseason season game number two is tomorrow night for the New Orleans Saints. They’ll host the Tennessee Titans. Coach Sean Payton has said he’s not sure if quarterback Drew Brees will play because of an oblique injury, but LSU fans will get a chance to see Titans rookie QB Zach Mettenberger.
==========================================

Ragin Cajuns Quarterback Terrance Broadway has been named to the 2014 Manning Award Watch List. The list includes 32 of the top quarterbacks in the nation heading into the 2014 season. The Baton Rouge native led U L Lafayette to a nine and four record last season. Former Haughton star and Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott has also been named to the Manning Award Watch List.

In Ruston, the battle for starting quarterback is down to two players, Iowa transfer Cody Sokol and sophomore Ryan Higgins. Louisiana Tech head coach Skip Holtz is pleased with the work both quarterbacks have put into practice…
cut 17 (11) “….going along well”

And the SEC Network begins airing programming tonight. The cable channel dedicated to the Southeastern Conference will be available to 90-million homes nationwide. Every major cable and satellite provider in Louisiana is carrying the channel.

The long anticipated SEC Network, which promises to air more than 1,000 live events in its first year, officially launches at 5pm today. Herb Vincent, associate commissioner of communications for the Southeastern Conference, says the SEC Network will broadcast 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all SEC all the time…:
Cut 30 (06) “a lot of action”
Vincent says the first show on at 5 will be a special 3 hour “SEC Now” which will spotlight live shots from each of the 14 campuses.

Will Saints Quarterback Drew Brees see any action in tomorrow night’s preseason game against Tennessee? Coach Sean Payton told reporters yesterday that he wasn’t sure if Brees will play because of a left oblique injury. He’s been limited in practice all week. So has cornerback Champ Bailey, but guard Ben Grubbs has returned from practice after nursing a back injury.

Former Arkansas linebacker Otha Peters has decided to transfer to UL Lafayette. Peters posted on twitter that he’s a Ragin Cajuns. The former Covington High standout will his redshirt year this season, so he’ll have two years of eligibility remaining next season. Peters started seven games for Arkansas in 2012, but didn’t see as much playing time last season because of injuries and coaching decisions.

The battle for the starting quarterback position at Louisiana Tech is heating up between Iowa transfer senior Cody Sokol and sophomore Ryan Higgins. Head Coach Skip Holtz says the competition between the two is tight…
cut 16 (07) “….right now”
Holtz says both quarterbacks have also done a good job of NOT throwing interceptions.

The Louisiana High School Athletic Association has announced only four schools have decided to play up this season. And they are John Curtis, Evangel, St. Thomas More and Teurlings Catholic. They’ll compete in the Division One playoffs, after playing in the Division Two playoffs last year.

The brand new SEC Network, which promises to air more than 1,000 live events in its first year, officially launches at 5 PM. Michelle Southern has more….
cut 1 (35) “….reporting”

The Saints return to New Orleans today after spending most of the last three weeks in White Sulphur Springs West Virginia. The Black and Gold will host the Tennessee Titans tomorrow night in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

The LSU Tigers held their first scrimmage of fall camp yesterday and Coach Les Miles didn’t say much about his quarterback battle. He says Anthony Jennings and Brandon Harris are both improving, but have more work to do…
cut 19 (20) “…go easy’
Freshman wide receiver Malachi Dupre and rookie running back Leonard Fournette did not participate in the scrimmage, because of minor injuries.

In Ruston, Louisiana Tech head coach Skip Holtz says the battle for starting quarterback for the Bulldogs has been narrowed down to two players, Iowa transfer Cody Sokol and sophomore Ryan Higgins, who started a handful of games last year.

NBA…the Pelicans will tip-off the 2014-15 season with a home game against the Orlando Magic on October 28th.

The LSU football team held its first scrimmage of fall camp today. Coach Les Miles says quarterbacks Anthony Jennings and Brandon Harris spilt time with the first team offense and both guys are improving. He says neither guy made any big mistakes….
cut 30 (06) “…throwing game”
Receivers Travin Dural and Avery Peterson each caught a touchdown pass. No word on who threw those TD passes. Miles says freshman running back Leonard Fournette did not run the ball in live situations, because he’s nursing an undisclosed injury. The head coach says Fournette’s injury is not serious.

In Ruston, Louisiana Tech head Coach Skip Holtz said today their starting quarterback battle has been narrowed down to two players, Iowa transfer Cody Sokol and Ryan Higgins, who started a handful of games for the Bulldogs last season. Holtz says both are really doing a good job of protecting the football.

Today is the final practice for the Saints at the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia. Quarterback Drew Brees did a little bit more today then what he did yesterday, but Coach Sean Payton says no decision has been made on whether he’ll play in Friday’s preseason game against Tennessee. New Orleans also announced the signing of tight end Travis Beckum. He’s a former New York Giant and has 26 catches in four NFL seasons.

The Louisiana High School Athletic Association announced today that Evangel, John Curtis, St. Thomas More and Teurlings Catholic have decided to play up in the sport of football, which means they’ll compete in the Division One playoffs. So they’ll face Catholic High of Baton Rouge and the New Orleans Catholic League schools in the postseason.

Major League Baseball…former LSU star Anthony Ranaudo was the winning pitcher as the Red Sox defeated the Reds five to four. The rookie right-hander allowed four runs in six innings and he’s 2-and-0 after two major league starts.

Today is the Saints final full practice day at the Greenbrier in West Virginia. Coach Sean Payton says their time away from New Orleans has been productive and they’ve enjoyed their stay in White Sulphur Springs…
cut 30 (20) “….cooperated”
Payton says they’ll definitely be back to the Greenbrier the next two years and probably longer than.

Saints quarterback Drew Brees participated in individual drills, but did not take any snaps during the full-team drills. Payton says they haven’t decided if Brees will play Friday against the Titans.

The LSU football team holds its first scrimmage of preseason camp today. Depending on what Coach Les Miles says after the scrimmage, we could get a better idea on who is leading the race for starting quarterback. Q-B Anthony Jennings says he embraces the competition with Brandon Harris…
cut 29 (12) “….get better’

In Ruston, protecting the football has been an emphasis during Louisiana Tech’s preseason camp. Last year, the Bulldogs had 29 turnovers and Coach Skip Holtz says they are doing a much better job when it comes to limiting turnovers in practice.

Former LSU pitcher Anthony Ranaudo is on the mound for the Boston Red Sox. The world champs are hosting the Reds. This is Ranaudo’s second major league start, he one his first over the Yankees.

The NBA Schedule will be released at five P-M today.

Fans at Saints practice on Tuesday at the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia were thrilled when they saw Saints Quarterback Drew Brees back in pads for the first time since suffering an oblique strain…but #9 still sat out of practice. It’s a good sign though he’s close to returning but there’s still not a good chance he will play in Friday’s preseason game against the Titans. Saints coach Sean Payton says it appears Brees is progressing well. Veteran cornerback Champ Bailey was also back in pads but was held out of on-the-field work with the team.

Also in the NFL, former LSU standout Tyrann Mathieu could be close to coming off the physically unable to perform list said Arizona Cardinals Coach Bruce Arians on Tuesday. The Honey Badger tore his ACL and LCL in his left knee in the game against St. Louis December 8th. Mathieu has been working out and says he’s confident his knee is better.

Southeastern Conference Fans are excited about the new network which will launch tomorrow. The SEC network says there will be more than 1,000 live events aired just this year alone. Each of the 14 SEC representatives must have some sort of studio in place for live interviews which are said to be as high quality as anything you’d see on ESPN.

The SEC officie announced Tuesday that the LSU men’s basketball team’s game against West Virginia on December 4th in the Southeastern Conference-Big 12 Challenge will tip off at 6pm on ESPN 2. Last week LSU revealed its non-conference schedule and dates, times and networks for the SEC portion of the schedule are expected to be released soon.

The full NBA schedule will be released today at 5pm.

Saints Quarterback Drew Brees was in full pads today as training camp rolls on for the black and Gold at the Greenbrier in West Virginia. Brees has been limited because of an oblique injury and Coach Sean Payton says it appears Brees is progressing well…
cut 30 (13) “….sets him back”
Brees did not participate in any team drills today, so there’s still a strong chance that he will not play in Friday’s preseason game against the Titans.

In other NFL news…Arizona Coach Bruce Arians said today it’s possible former LSU star and Cardinals defensive back Tyrann Mathieu could be removed from the physically unable to perform list next week. Mathieu is rehabbing back from a torn ACL.

LSU’s battle for starting quarterback remains the main story line during preseason camp for the Tigers. Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron says he’s been impressed with the quick development he’s seen from Brandon Harris and Anthony Jennings…
cut 18 (16) “….under here everyday’
The first scrimmage of fall camp takes place tomorrow.

A time has been set for LSU’s game against West Virgina in men’s basketball. The contest is part of the SEC-Big 12 Challenge and it will tip-off at six o’ clock on ESPN 2 on December fourth.

The full McNeese State men’s basketball schedule was released today. The Cowboys will have 16 home games, including one against the Ragin Cajuns on December sixth.

Tomorrow the NBA schedule is released at 5 PM.

Saints Quarterback Drew Brees and defensive back Champ Bailey were in pads at training camp today, which is a sign they are getting closer to full health. Brees and Bailey did not participate in any live team drills, but they were seen at practice moving around.

Coach Sean Payton was also more pleased with today’s practice after expressing his frustrations with yesterdays’ workout, which he called flat and sloppy.

One guy that continues to impress during training camp is rookie wide receiver Brandin Cooks. The Oregon State product says he’s coming to practice every day looking to get better…
cut 30 (14) “…the season”
The Saints next preseason game is Friday at home against the Tennessee Titans.

The quarterback battle at LSU continues as the Tigers move into the second week of fall practice. Offensive coordinator Cam Cameron expects either Brandon Harris or Anthony Jennings will eventually grab hold of the starter’s role…
cut 17 (11) “…be his quarterback’
LSU holds its first scrimmage tomorrow.

In college baseball…the schedule is set when the Tigers compete in the Houston College Classic at Minute Maid Park from March sixth to the eighth. The three teams they’ll play are Baylor, Houston and Nebraska.

Former Nicholls State player Walter Jones has been hired as an assistant coach under Colonels head coach Seth Thibodeaux.

The McNeese State men’s basketball schedule came out today. The Cowboys have 16 home games, including a match-up with the Ragin Cajuns on December sixth at the Burton Colsieum. McNeese also travels to LSU, Baylor and Mississippi State.