The Saints will take on a team Sunday that’s still in the playoff hunt. Tampa Bay is 6-6 and Quarterback Jameis Winston is in the running for Rookie of the Year. coach Sean Payton says he’s improved since the Saints saw him in Week 2…
cut 17 (15) “…they’re winning”
And Payton confirmed today that running back Mark Ingram is undergoing surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff and he’s done for the year. That means CJ Spiller should have more of an opportunity to make an impact.

LSU running back Leonard Fournette is in Atlanta as he’s a finalist for the Doak Walker Award, which goes to the best running back in the country. The other two finalists are Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey and Alabama’s Derrick Henry, who are also both Heisman finalists.

According to the USA Today, LSU’s coaching staff is the highest paid in the country. Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron leads the way as he’s making one-point-five million dollars this year, but his future with the team is uncertain as the Tigers passing attack is ranked 111th in the country.

KNOE reports that Arkansas State offensive coordinator Walt Bell and McNeese State head coach Matt Viator are the finalists for the ULM head coaching job. ULM president Nick Bruno is expected to interview each candidate this weekend and make a decision.

UL Lafayette running back Elijah McGuire may skip his senior season and enter the NFL draft. McGuire plans to get some advice from the NFL Draft Advisory Board which consults with draft eligible juniors and sophomores. McGuire has rushed for over 1,000 yards the last two seasons.

In college hoops….ULM begins a three-game road trip tonight as they visit Kent State. Also tonight…Southern is at Wyoming while Nicholls visits San Diego State.

The Saints have placed running back Mark Ingram on injured reserve because of a shoulder injury and that means he’ll miss the final four games of the regular season. For the year, Ingram had 769 yards rushing and six touchdowns and played most of the game against Carolina, so it’s unclear when the injury occurred. New Orleans is at Tampa Bay this Sunday.

According to a report by the USA Today, LSU has the highest paid assisstant coaching staff in the country. The coaches underneath Les Miles were paid five-point-four million dollars, which is just ahead of Auburn and Alabama. LSU is the only school to pay its two coordinators at least one million dollars.

Chris Landry of landry-football-dot com reports that McNeese State head coach Matt Viator has interviewed for ULM’s head coaching vacancy. Viator just led the Cowboys to a 10-0 regular season.

UL Lafayette Seniors Jamal Robinson and Dominique Tovell have been named to the first-team All Sun Belt football team. ULM linebacker Hunter Kissinger was also a first team selection, while La Tech quarterback Jeff Driskel has been Conference USA newcomer of the year.

Big rivalry game in college basketball tonight as UL Lafayette hosts McNeese State in the Cajundome. The Cajuns come in with a record of 2-3, while the Cowboys are 1-5. Tip-off is set for 7 PM.

This weekend will be the nonselect championship games at the Mercedes Benz Superdome and there will be some big time quarterbacks featured in the games. In Class Five-A, it’s Zachary versus John Ehret. Zachary has Lindsey Scott who is the Gatorade Player of the Year in Louisiana, while Ehret has De’Jon Harris who is committed to Arkansas.

In Four-A…Karr has Aldon Clark who has put big numbers and they’ll face defending champs Neville. The 3-A game features St. James quarterback Lowell Narcisse going up against Lutcher.

The Saints return to the practice field today as they get ready to play Tampa Bay on Sunday. New Orleans will look to snap a four-game losing streak, while the Buccaneers are fighting for a playoff spot as they have a six and six record. Jameis Winston is having a solid rookie season for the Bucs, as he’s completed 59-percent of his passes for 2,877 yards, 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

Former LSU Tiger and Bucs linebacker Kwon Alexander will not play in Sunday’s game against the Saints. He’s been suspended for the final four games for violating the NFL policy on performance-enhancing substances. Alexander, who has started 12 games this year, says his postive test was linked to an energy drink that he’s used since high school.

Texas Bowl executive director David Fletcher says the game between LSU and Texas Tech is close to a sellout. He says there’s about 10-thousand tickets remaining. LSU sold its allotted 85-hundred tickets.

This weekend will be the nonselect championship games at the Mercedes Benz Superdome and there will be some big time quarterbacks featured in the games. In Class Five-A, it’s Zachary versus John Ehret. Zachary has Lindsey Scott who is the Gatorade Player of the Year in Louisiana, while Ehret has De’Jon Harris who is committed to Arkansas.

In Four-A…Karr has Aldon Clark who has put big numbers and they’ll face defending champs Neville. The 3-A game features St. James quarterback Lowell Narcisse going up against Lutcher. In Two-A….Kinder has Welles Cooley who has been the QB for the Yellow Jackets for three straight trips to the Dome. And in One-A…Haynesville will have to contend with Kentwood’s Shyheim Carter who has thrown for 24-hundred yards and rushed for 16-hundred yards.

In college basketball tonight….UL Lafayette will host McNeese State. The Cajuns are 2-and-3, while the Cowboys are 1-and-5.

Last night…Louisiana Tech trounced LSU-Shreveport 82-49 and 16th ranked Baylor beat Northwestern State 75-62.

LSU running back Leonard Fournette is not a Heisman Finalist, but he was named today to the coaches All-SEC first team. Fournette’s teammate, tackle Vadal Alexander also made the first team. Center Ethan Pocic is a second-team selection, while defensive backs Tre’Davious White and Jamal Adams also made it on the second team.

Louisiana Tech has four players on the Conference USA All-Conference first team. They are running back Kenneth Dixon, wide receiver Trent Taylor, defensive tackle Vernon Butler and safety Xavier Woods.

Louisiana Tech is preparing to play Arkansas State in the New Orleans Bowl. We found out today that two Arkansas State football players have been arrested on drug charges, starting defensive end Chris Stone and backup receiver Tyler Trosin were taken into custody on suspicision of possession of methamphetamine or cocaine. Arkansas State Coach Blake Anderson says he’s aware of the situation, but declined further comment.

ULM’s committee in charge of finding a new football coach says they’ve narrowed the pool of candidates down to a handful of indviduals. No names were released. Facutly athletic representative Brett Bennett says the next coach has to have a desire to recruit local talent.

The Pelicans are off tonight. They lost again last night as Boston beat the Pels on their hom floor 111-93. Ryan Anderson had 18 for New Orleans. It’s being reported the Pels could be interested in trading Anderson for Phoenix Suns forward Markieff Morris.

Tonight in college basketball…the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs look for their 34th straight victory at the TAC when they host LSU-Shreveport. The Southern Jaguars are at Grand Canyon University. And Northwestern State is at 25th ranked Baylor.

And former LSU Tiger and Saints star and current broadcaster for the Black and Gold, Hokie Gajan, will undergo chemotherapy as he battles cancer. Deuce McCallister will fill in for Gajan on the radio broadcasts. Gajan will miss at least Sunday’s game in Tampa Bay.

LSU’s Leonard Fournette was a favorite to win the Heisman Trophy before the Alabama game, but it turns out he’s not even a finalist. Fournette did not receive an invitation to be in New York City, when the Heisman will be handed out Saturday. LSU Coach Les Miles says not winning the Heisman, or finishing as a Heisman finalist, will likely motivate Fournette to have an even better year next season…
cut 12 (02) “bit differently”
Even though Fournette played one less game than scheduled, he still broke the LSU single season rushing record by compiling 1,741 yards.

ULM’s committee in charge of finding a new football coach says they’ve narrowed the pool of candidates down to a handful of indviduals. No names were released. Student athlete committee member Gerrand Johnson says the next coach has to have a proven winning record, provide dynamic leadership and open to innovation. Another committee member said the next coach has to have a desire to recruit local talent.

The Pelicans are off today after a poor performance last night at home against Boston. The Celtics outworked New Orleans in 111 to 93 victory. The loss drops the Pels record to five and 16. Quiet game for Anthony Davis as he scored 16 points and had just six rebounds.

In college hoops tonight…the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs look for their 34th straight victory at the TAC when they host LSU-Shreveport. The Southern Jaguars are looking to make it six in a row when they take on Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, AZ. And the 1-6 Northwestern State Demons are on the road to face the 6-1 and 25th ranked Baylor Bears.

LSU’s Ben Simmons has been named the SEC Player of the Week. He averaged 29 points and 16 rebounds in two games last week.

Saints Coach Sean Payton is still not happy with the referees who officiated Sunday’s 41-38 loss to Carolina. Payton says there were three times the Panthers had 12 men in the huddle, but yet they were not penalized.

When LSU takes on Texas Tech in the Texas Bowl on December 29th, it will be a contrast of styles on offense. The Tigers ground and pound philosphy, against the Red Raiders, who are ranked second nationally in offense, averaging almost 600 yards per game and 47 points a contest. Coach Les Miles says it will be a good test for the Tigers defense….
cut 17 (19) “…match-up”

Frank Beamer’s final game as head coach of Virginia Tech will be in Shreveport as his Hokies will face Tulsa in the Camping World Independence Bowl on December 26th. Beamer won his first bowl game in Shreveport in the 1993 Indy Bowl. He announced his retirement earlier this year.

Louisiana Tech is heading to the R-and-L Carriers New Orleans Bowl where the Bulldogs will play Arkansas State on December 19th. Bulldogs Coach Skip Holtz is looking forward to the game…
cut 7 (06) “…get too”
It’s only the second time in school history that Tech will appear in back-to-back bowl games and its the Bulldogs first appearance in the New Orleans Bowl.

No bowl game for UL Lafayette this season. After four consecutive trips to the New Orleans Bowl, the Cajuns finished the 2015 campaign with a four and eight record. UL Lafayette ended its regular season with a 41-17 loss to Troy.

The Saints are now four-and-eigth after another frustrating loss. New Orleans had a chance to hand Carolina its first loss of the season, but the Black and Gold could not hold on to a fourth quarter lead and lost to the Panthers 41-38. The Saints have lost four in a row and they are at Tampa Bay this Sunday.