We’re heading into a big weekend of college football. Of course the marquee game is Saturday night in Auburn as the 15th ranked LSU Tigers visit the 5th ranked War Eagles. Offensively, Auburn is led by senior quarterback Nick Marshall, who led the War Eagles to the national championship game last season. Tiger Rag Magazine Editor Robert Stewart says Marshall rushed for over one-thousand yards last season and he can also make some plays through the air…
cut 17 (12) “…Auburn offense”
Kick-off from Jordan-Hare Stadium is at six PM.

Also on Saturday…Louisiana Tech looks to snap a two-game losing streak as they host UTEP. ULM tries to go to 3-and-0 in the Sun Belt as they visit Arkansas State. The Ragin Cajuns begin Sun Belt play as they host Georgia State.

In high school football action last night…Ponchatoula improved to 5-and-0 with a 49-7 win over Northshore. Buckeye suffered its first loss of the season as they fell to Menard 21-7. Catholic High of New Iberia is also off to a 5-and-0 start after beating Notre Dame 56-28. In action tonight…Union Parish faces Ouachita Christian and Calvary Baptist takes on West Monroe.

Ragin Cajuns linebacker Chris Hill has been suspended from the team after he was arrested on domestic abuse battery charges. U-L Lafayette police sergeant Bill Abrams says the incident with a female victim occurred in a parking garage on campus and it was caught on tape….
cut 4 (04) “…on the video”
Abrams says the victim was treated for injuries at a local hospital. Hill has not played in a game this season, becuase he’s been academically ineligible.

The Saints are getting ready to play Tampa Bay at the Mercedes Benz Superdome on Sunday. New Orleans has won nine in a row in the dome.

The Saints will welcome the Tampa Buccaneers for their annual visit to the Mercedes Benz Superdome on Sunday. These two teams last met in the 2013 regular season finale and the Saints won big 42-17. Bucs starting quarterback Mike Glennon remembers that game well…
cut 30 (18) “…with a win”
Saints quarterback Drew Brees threw four touchdown passes in that game.

The Pelicans announced today that Fox Sports New Orleans will televise 77 of their regular season games this year, starting with the season opener on October 28th against Orlando. Either NBA TV, TNT or ESPN will televise the five other regular season games.

The LSU Tigers will leave tomorrow for their first SEC road game of the year. The Tigers will face Auburn at six o’ clock. With LSU starting a true freshman at quarterback, it’s expected the Tigers will look to run the football. But Auburn has been stingy against the run this year, holding opponents to just 91 rushing yards a game.

Louisiana Tech begins a stretch of seven consecutive Conference USA games on Saturday when they host UTEP. The Bulldogs enter the game as 12 point favorities.

Week Five of the high school football season gets underway tonight. Your LHSAA-New Orleans Saints Game of the Week is Buckeye versus Holy Savior-Menard. You can see it on Fox Sports New Orleans at 7 PM.

U-L Lafayette 2015 baseball schedule came out today. The Cajuns open the season at Texas San Antonio and they’ll also travel to Alabama for a three-game non-conference series. The home opener is February 20th against Stony Brook.

The Saints, who are 1-and-3, will match up with another 1-and-3 team on Sunday when they host Tampa Bay. New Orleans Quarterback Drew Brees has a message for the fans, have some faith they can turn things around….
cut 19 (10) “….find a way”
Kick-off sunday in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome is at noon.

The Pelicans announce that Fox Sports New Orleans will televise 77 of their games this season startign with the season opener against Orlando on October 29th. Games that are not televised by Fox Sports New Orleans will be televised by either NBA TV, TNT or ESPN.

Fox Sports New Orleans is televising high school footbal tonight as they have the Squirrel Bowl….Buckeye is at Holy Savior Menard at the LHSAA Game of the Week.

Saturday’s game against UTEP marks seven straight conference games for Tech to end the regular season. The Bulldogs head into this stretch with a two and three record. Coach Skip Holtz says they’ve shown the ability to play really well, but there’s also been stretches of mistake prone play…
cut 17 (09) ‘..too”
Tech’s biggest challenge on defense Saturday is UTEP running back Aaron Jones. The sophomore from El Paso has rushed for nearly six-hundred yards and seven touchdowns.

True freshman Leonard Fournette is LSU’s leading rusher heading into Saturday game against Auburn. Fournette rushed for over 100 yards last week and the former St. Aug star says senior running backs Kenny Hilliard and Terrance Magee have helped him a lot since he got on campus…
cut 30 (11) “…help me a lot”

LSU will count on several true freshmen this Saturday at Auburn. Defensive tackle Davon Godchaux, safety Jamal Adams, running back Leonard Fournette, wide receiver Malachi Dupre and quarterback Brandon Harris are expected to see significant playing time against the fifth ranked Tigers. Harris will make his first start and Dupre says he can handle the big stage…
cut 20 (12) “…is presented”
Coach Les Miles says Saturday will be a unique experience for Harris and and they’re getting him ready to handle the crowd noise.

Mike Glennon is expected to start at quarterback when Tampa Bay visits the Saints on Sunday. Glennon is filling in for Josh McCown, who has a thumb injury. Glennon was at the helm when the Bucs came from behind to beat Pittsburgh last weekend. He said today he expects to see a lot of different blitzes this Sunday.

Training camp is underway for the New Orleans Pelicans and Ryan Anderson is back on the court. Anderson had surgery to repair two herniated discs in his neck after a he was involved in a colision on the court against Boston last January. Anderson says he feels good and Coach Monty Williams says point guard Jrue Holiday also looked good after suffering a stress fracture in his right tibia last January.

Former Cajuns basketball star Roy Ebron has passed away. Ebron was a three-year letterwinner for head coach Beryl Shipley from 1970-73 and helped lead the Ragin Cajuns to two straight NCAA Division One Tournament appearances. He’s still the school’s all-time leading rebounder.

It will be a busy weekend on the Louisiana Tech campus. Of course the highlight is the Bulldogs home football game against UTEP on Saturday night. But there’s also the baseball team holding intra-squad scrimmages tomorrow through Saturday and the Tech basketball team officially opens team workouts on Friday.

True freshman Brandon Harris will start at quarterback for LSU against Auburn and expect him to target another true freshman, Malachi Dupre. In his last two games, Dupre has caught seven passes, three of them were touchdowns. The six-foot-three wideout from New Orleans believes he’s getting better every week…
cut 19 (13) “…team win”
Safety Jamal Adams and running back Leonard Fournette are a couple of other true freshmen who will see significant playing time Saturday.

The Tampa Bay Times says Mike Glennon will likely start at quarterback for the Buccaneers in Sunday’s game against New Orleans. Glennon is getting a chance to start, because Josh McCown, the Bucs normal starting Q-B, has an injured thumb. Glennon led Tampa Bay to an impressive come from behind win over Pittsburgh last Sunday.

Several Louisiana college football teams will play at home this Saturday. The Ragin Cajuns will host Georgia State, who U-L Lafayette beat 35-21 last season. The Panthers were winless last season, but Coach Mark Hudspeth says they have a much better team this year…
cut 17 (16) “…ahead of us”

Louisiana Tech is back in Joe Aillet Stadium on Saturday as they host UTEP. Both teams feature excellent running backs. The Miners have sophomore Aaron Jones, while the Bulldogs feature Kenneth Dixon.

Two of the top quarterbacks in the Southland Conference meet at S-L-U’s Strawberry Stadium on Saturday as Northwestern State visits Southeastern. The Lions Brian Bennett is the returning Southland Conference Player of the Year, while The Demons Zach Adkins is fifth in the nation in completion percentage.

LSU freshman quarterback Brandon Harris will make his first collegiate start at Auburn this Saturday and a raucous crowd is expected for this SEC West clash. Coach Les Miles expects Harris and the rest of the team to handle the hostile environment well….
cut 17 (11) “…will get that”
Auburn had three starters who left last Saturday’s game against Louisiana Tech because of injuries. Coach Gus Malzhan says linebackers Kris Frost and Cassanova McKinzy and right tackle Patrick Miller listed as day-to-day and he’s hopeful they’ll be able to play Saturday against LSU.

Louisiana Tech hosts UTEP this Saturday in a Conference USA matchup. The Bulldogs lead the all-time series over the Miners seven-two-and-one. Tech beat them last year in a close affair, 38-35.

ULM looks to improve to 3-and-0 in the Sun Belt on Saturday when they visit Arkansas State. Warhawks Coach Todd Berry has never beaten the Red Wolves in four tries.

The Ragin Cajuns football team is coming off a bye week and it’s allowed the team to get healthy. It looks like top wide receiver Jamal Robinson will be able to play this Saturday against Georgia State. Coach Mark Hudspeth says Robinson gives opposing defenses something to think about….
cut 30 (16) “….at Boise”
The Cajuns are looking to snap a three-game losing streak.

McNeese State says for the first time since 2010 there’s an increase in football season ticket sales. The Cowboys near upset of Nebraska helped give them an extra bump in ticket sales. McNeese will begin Southland play this Saturday when they host winless Nicholls State.

There are many issues plaguing the 1-and-3 Saints as they prepare for Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay. A negative six turnover ratio jumps off the page when you look at the team’s statistics. The Saints are also allowing nearly 400 yards a game and 27 points a contest.

New Orleans defense has only sacked the quarterback five times this year. Coach Sean Payton says stopping opposing offenses from running the football and making them throw more can help improve their sack totals…
cut 19 (09) “….more challenge defensively”

In other NFL news…former LSU standout and Cowboys cornerback Morris Claiborne will miss the rest of the season after tearing the patellar tendon in his left knee. And former Tiger and Colts strong safety LaRon Landry has been suspended four games for violating the league’s performance enhancing policy.

LSU Coach Les Miles announced today true freshman Brandon Harris will start at quarterback when the 15th ranked Tigers visit fifth ranked Auburn. Harris led LSU to seven consecutive touchdown drives when he replaced a struggling Anthony Jennings on Saturday. Miles explained why he chose to make the announcement today….
cut 30 (17) “…difficult decision”
Harris spoke with reporters following Saturday night’s win over New Mexico State. The former Parkway star gave a diplomatic response when asked if he should be the starter…
cut 15 (14) “…over that”

A lot went wrong in the Saints 38-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys last night. For the third straight game, the defense failed to produce a turnover. Meanwhile, the offense turned it over three times. Coach Sean Payton says you can’t win many games when the turnover ratio is negative three…
cut 18 (20) “….wanted to”
The 1-and-3 Saints host Tampa Bay this Sunday. The Bucs are also 1-and-3.

The Pelicans begin training camp tomorrow. New Orleans has aspirations to make the playoffs this season, but they can’t have injuries derail their season like they did last year. The team has already said forward Tyreke Evans could miss up to five weeks because of a hamstring injury. Evans sustained the injury during a pickup basketball game.

With Atlanta and Carolina both losing on Sunday, a win last night for the Saints would have put them at two and two and in a tie for first place in the NFC South. Instead, the Saints are tied for last in the division with Tampa Bay at one-and-three after a 38-17 loss to Dallas. Coach Sean Payton says it’s been a frustrating start to the season…
cut 17 (15) “…that’s important”
For the third straight game, the Saints defense failed to produce a turnover. Meanwhile the offense turned it over three times.

New Orleans is back home this Sunday to face Tampa Bay. The Bucs rallied to beat Pittsburgh 27-24 yesterday. Former LSU Tiger Russell Shepard had two catches for 30 yards.

Saturday was not a good night for LSU Quarterback Anthony Jennings as he threw two interceptions and one fumble and fans were chanting for Coach Les Miles to replace him with Brandon Harris. Once Harris got into the game, he led the Tigers to seven straight scoring drives. Coach Les Miles was asked if Jennings lost his confidence…
cut 14 (21) “….sustained”
Miles also didn’t say after the game if Harris will start this Saturday against Auburn.

Southeastern Louisiana quarterback Bryan Bennett is playign with a lot of confidence. Bennett accounted for 301 yards of offense and four touchdowns in the Lions 63-7 win over Incarnate Word. Bennett was named today as the Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Week.