LSU leaves for Florida today where they’ll face the Gators tomorrow night in Gainesville. The Tigers would like to get their running game going. The Tigers averaged less than four yards a carry in last week’s loss to Auburn.

It looks like the Saints running game will get a boost when they return to the field a week from Sunday to face the Detoit Lions. Running back Mark Ingram appeared on N-F-L AM today and said his plan to play next week. Ingram has been sidelined with a fractured bone in his hand. In two games this season, Ingram is averaging six yards a carry.

High School football last night…the top ranked team in Three-A, University High defeated sixth ranked Parkview Baptist 28-7. Also last night…Kinder easily beat Lake Arthur 55-14, Neville had no trouble defeating Franklin Parish 51-7, Parkway pounded Captain Shreve 49-14, and Byrd over Airline 31-13.

McNeese State and Southeastern Louisiana look to remain in the Top Ten in the Sports Network FCS poll with victories this Saturday. The fifth ranked Cowboys are at Sam Houston State, while the Lions visit Lamar. The Cardinals are 4-and-2 on the season.

Nicholls State seeks its first win of the season tomorrow when they visit Stephen F Austin. The Lumberjacks, who are 3-and-2, have scored 35 or more points in their last four games. Colonels interim head coach Steve Axman says Stephen F Austin presents problems for his struggling defense…
cut 19 (18) “….defensive standpoint”
Also in the Southland….Northwestern State hosts Incarnate Word.

Over the in the SWAC….Grambling’s hosts Alcorn State in a battle between the best team in the league’s west division and the leader in the SWAC east division.

LSU Coach Les Miles likes how team is preparing for Saturday’s game in the Swamp against Florida. Miles says the attitude has been good and likes how his team has been executing well in practice…
cut 30 (11) “…improvement on the defensive side”
Miles says a starting quarterback will likely not be named until Saturday. Meanwhile, Florida has announced Jeff Driskel will start at Q-B for the Gators. Driskel has been struggling….in six games this year, he’s completed only 55-percent of his passes and he’s been intercepted six times. Florida’s other QB, Treon Harris, has been suspended as he’s accussed of sexual assault.

There’s some big Thursday night football games tonight. In Baton Rouge….the top ranked team in Three-A University High hosts crosstown rival Parkview Baptist. That game will be on Fox Sports New Orleans. In Shreveport, undefeated Byrd hosts its big rival, Airline at seven o’ clock. In Four-A…second ranked Neville is at Franklin Parish.

Fourth ranked McNeese State puts its three-game winning streak on the line this Saturday when they visit Sam Houston State. Cowboys Coach Matt Viator says the Bearkats are a good team, even though they have three losses on the season….
cut 18 (20) “….types of things”
The Southland Television Network will provide coverage of this game, with kick-off set at 3 PM.

Grambling State introduced its men’s and women’s basketball coaches today. Nadine Domond is the women’s coach. She had a standout prep career in Connecticut and at the University of Iowa. Shawn Walker will lead the men’s team. He has previous head coaching experience at Elizabeth City State University.

LSU Football Coach Les Miles says he will likely not name a starter for Saturday’s game against Florida until that day. Miles says you can also expect Anthony Jennings and Brandon Harris to both see some playing time as the Tigers look for their first win the SEC this season.

ULM is at Kentucky on Saturday. The Warhawks go into this game with five starters out because of injuries. Coach Todd Berry says the injury list the last couple of seasons has been disheartening, but that’s part of the game…
cut 17 (19) “….move on”
The Wildcats are a three touchdown favorite to beat the Warhawks in Lexington.

Something will give this Saturday as fifth ranked McNeese State visits Sam Houston State. The Bearkats have won 10 straight home games, while the Cowboys have won five consecutive Southland away games. Cowboys Coach Matt Viator says he can’t explain their recent success on the road…
cut 19 (11) “…with you”
Kickoff for this is one is at 3 o’ clock and it’s the Southland TV Network game of the week.

Northwestern State will play its first home game in 43 days when they host Incarnate Word for homecoming on Saturday night in Turpin Stadium. The Demons have played four straight road games and they enter Saturday’s contest with 2-and-3 record. Incarnate Word is 1-and-5.

Grambling State plays its first home game of the season on Saturday as the Tigers take on Alcorn State. Grambling leads the West division of the SWAC, while Alcorn leads the Eastern Division.

LSU football Coach Les Miles says he may not name a starting quarterback until Saturday. Miles says its likely Brandon Harris and Anthony Jennings will get playing time on Saturday night against Florida.

ULM gets another opportunity at an SEC team this Saturday. The Warhawks are at Kentucky for an 11 AM kickoff. ULM’s last game against an SEC school was last month and they were shuout by LSU. The Warhawks offense has struggled for most of the season and Coach Todd Berry says the team is committed to getting the offense going…
cut 16 (19) “…than later”
The Warhawks are averaging just 18 points a game.

Saints Coach Sean Payton told CBS Radio there’s a chance running back Mark Ingram will return to the field for the Black and Gold’s next game on October 19th against Detroit. Ingram is recovering from a fractured hand, which needed surgery.

The second half of the high school football season kicks off tonight with some marquee match-ups. In Baton Rouge….the top ranked team in three-a University High hosts crosstown rival Parkview Baptist. In Shreveport, undefeated Byrd hosts its big rival, Airline at seven o’ clock. In Four-A…second ranked Neville is at Franklin Parish.

Last night in NBA preseason action….the Pelicans lost to the Washington Wizards 94-89. Ryan Anderon, who is coming back from a serious neck, scored 14 points on four of 13 shooting. Former LSU Tiger Garrett Temple is trying to make the Wizards team, but didn’t score in seven minutes of action.

And the Lady Techsters are picked to finish seventh in Conference USA this season.

LSU Coach Les Miles said today a decision on who will start at quarterback this Saturday against Florida will be made later in the week. Anthony Jennings and Brandon Harris are competing in practice against each other for that opportunity. Football analyst Mike Detillier says a bigger problem on this unranked Tigers football team is the defensive line…
cut 20 (15) “…defensive linemen”
The good news for LSU this week is that the Gators do NOT have prolific offense. Florida’s offense ranks 11th in the SEC in total offense and 12th in points per game. But they do have SEC wins over Tennessee and Kentucky.

ULM is at Kentucky this Saturday. The Warhawks are coming off a 28-14 loss to Arkansas State. ULM didn’t score until the fourth quarter in that game as they rushed for only 72 yards and they were 4-for-16 on third downs. Coach Todd Berry he knows what the problems are and they are trying to correct them.

Former Texas Tech defensive coordinator Matt Wallerstedt has reportedly Mark Hudspeth’s staff at UL Lafayette as a defensive consultant. Wallerstedt served as Hudspeth’s defensive coordinator at North Alabama. And was Texas Tech’s defensive coordinator earlier this season, but resigned after three games. The Cajuns have had trouble on the defensive side of the football, allowing 35 points and 458 yards per game this season.

In the NBA…the Pelicans will play the Washington Wizards in a preseason game that will take place at Veteran Memorial Arena in Jacksonville. Last time out, the Pels lost to Atlanta 93-87.

And in women’s basketball…the Lady Techsters have been picked to finish seventh in Conference USA this season by the league’s head coaches.

LSU Coach Les Miles did not name a starting quarterback for Saturday’s game against Florida when he appeared this morning on the SEC teleconference. Football analyst Mike Detillier says even though the Tigers haven’t settled on a starting Q-B for this Saturday, the Florida game is winnable, but it doesn’t get any easier after that…
cut 19 (16) “…moments”
Detillier says the play of the offensive and defensive lines have been the biggest disappointments this season.

Playing two quarterbacks regularly has benefited McNeese State this season. The Cowboys are 3-and-1 heading into Saturday’s matchup with Sam Houston State. The Pokes also lead the Southland in scoring offense as they are averaging nearly 45 points a game.

Louisiana Tech has been picked to win the Conference USA regular season title this year, based on a poll of the league’s coaches. The Bulldogs return four starters from last year’s team that earned a share of the league title, three of those players….Kenneth Smith, Alex Hamilton and Raheem Appleby…have received preseason all-conference honors. coach Michael White says Appleby is once again healthy after missing most of C-USA action last season due to an ankle injury
cut 17 (17) “….out of em”
As far as the Lady Techsters go, they’ve been picked to finish seventh in the 14-team league.

NBA….the Pelicans face the Washington Wizards tonight in Jacksonville, Florida. A big position battle during training camp is at small forward. In the first two games, Darius Miller has been the starter at small forward.

The LSU Tigers have given up 11-hundred yards of offense in two SEC games, but Coach Les Miles is optimistic the defense can turn things around. Miles says they need to fix some technical issues, which should produce better results….
cut 17 (12) “….important piece”
When you look at the SEC statistics…LSU has allowed 184 rushing yards per game, which is last in the league.

In the NFL…the Saints have released fourth round pick Khairi Fortt, who was on injured reserve—designated to return list. The linebacker was eligible to come off that list on Monday. He injured his hamstring in the second preseason game and his release is considered a bit of a surprise. The Bengals thought enough of him and signed him today.

In other NFL news…former LSU Trindon Holliday reportedly had a try out with the Chicago Bears today. Holliday was recently released by the Giants.

There are changes at the top in the latest high school football polls. In Class One-A, Mangham is now number one, as Haynesville falls to number two. In three A, University High in Baton rouge is ranked number one as John Curtis slipped to number two as a result its loss to St. Aug. U-High has a big game on Thursday night against crosstown rival Parkview Baptist in a game that can be seen on Fox Sports New Orleans.

Louisiana Tech men’s basketball has been picked to win the Conference USA title in a poll of the league’s coaches. The Bulldogs return four starters, three of those players….Kenneth Smith, Alex Hamilton and Raheem Appleby…have received preseason all-conference honors.

Northwestern State unveiled its 2014-15 men’s basketball schedule today. The Demons tip-off the season against Texas A-and-M in College Station on November 14th. Northwestern will also visit Oklahoma, Arkansas and ULM in non-conference play, while host Louisiana Tech and U-L lafayette.

LSU Coach Les Miles is holding off on naming a starting quarterback for Saturday’s game against Florida. Miles says he’ll let Anthony Jennings and Brandon Harris battle for that opportunity during practice this week. Despite only scoring seven points in a loss to Auburn, Miles believes the offense is not that far away from getting on track. He says the biggest thing they need to do is relax…
cut 16 (14) “…very quickly”
There reportedly was a players only meeting following yesterday’s practice. Cornerback Tre’Davious White is quoted as saying that they tried to tell everyone to stick together.

In the latest Sports Network FCS poll….McNeese State is ranked fifth and Southeastern Louisiana is ranked ninth. Southern is ranked ninth and Grambling tenth in the Black college football poll.

Saints players can use the bye week to heal up from injuries. Tight end Jimmy Graham reportedly has a shoulder sprain, but sources say its not considered serious. Center Jonathan Goodwin did not finish the game against Tampa, but he told reporters his knee injury is not serious as well. There’s also a report that says running back Mark Ingram could be able to return from a broken hand, when New Orleans gets back on the field October 19th against Detroit.

Other Saints news…Safety Kenny Vaccaro says he’s starting to play like his old self. He says the broken ankle he suffered at the end of last year was still bothering him. Also, the black and gold have released rookie Khairi Fortt. The fourth round pick was on injured reserve, but eligible to return Monday.

In the high school football polls…University High in Baton Rouge is newly ranked number one team in Class 3A, while Mangham has taken over the top spot in the One-A poll.

In NBA preseason action last night…Atlanta defeated the Pelicans 93-87.