11:40 LRN Sportscast

The family of LSU safety Greg Brooks released a statement this morning that says Brooks underwent surgery last week to remove a large brain tumor. The family says they are awaiting biopsy results. Coach Brian Kelly announced after the win at Mississippi State that Brooks was not available because of a medical emergency. During preseason camp, Brooks missed some practices and Kelly said at the time the veteran safety was battling vertigo.

This Saturday, 12th ranked LSU will battle Arkansas, who was upset last Saturday by BYU. Razorbacks Coach Sam Pittman is looking for better play from his offensive line. BYU sacked Hogs Quarterback KJ Jefferson four times and outside of a 55-yard touchdown run by AJ Green, Arkansas struggled to run the ball…
Cut 17 (15) “…bull us”
Kick off is at 6 PM.

The Saints are 2-0 and their defense has allowed just 36 points this year. Fifth year defensive end Carl Granderson is off to a strong start with 2.5 sacks in two games and he forced a fumble in Monday night’s win over Carolina. Coach Dennis Allen says Granderson is picking up where he left off last year…
Cut 20 (20) “..of the season
The Saints are at Green Bay on Sunday afternoon.

Tonight Louisiana Tech will unveil its Championship Plaza that will feature the statues of their greatest athletes, Terry Bradshaw, Fred Dean, Karl Malone, Kim Mulkey, Willie Roaf and Tereasa Weatherspoon. Senior Associate A-D Colton Primm says it will be a special night for Bulldog nation…
cut 15 (09) “…open arms’
The free event is open to the public and begins at 6 o’clock..

 

06:45 LRN Newscast, September 20th

The Saints are one of seven teams in the NFC with a 2-0 record after beating Tennessee and Carolina. It’s the first 2-0 start for New Orleans since 2013 and Coach Dennis Allen says it’s a good start, but it’s also a long season…:
Cut 18 (18) “need to”
The offense has only scored 36 points through two games, but the defense has only allowed 32 points, third fewest in the NFL. New Orleans is back on the road again this Sunday when they travel up to Green Bay to take on Jordan Love and the 1-and-1 Packers. The game kicks off at 12 noon.

Arkansas is coming off a home loss to BYU as they get ready to play 12th ranked LSU in Tiger Stadium on Saturday night. Razorbacks Coach Sam Pittman is not happy with the 14 penalties his team committed against the Cougars…:
Cut 16 (16) “get corrected”
The game kicks off at 6pm Saturday.

Kim Mulkey, Terry Bradshaw, Karl Malone and other notable Louisiana Tech alums will have their statues unveiled today outside Joe Aillet Stadium. Senior Associate Athletic Director Colton Primm…:
Cut 13 (10) “background is”
The event at 6pm is free and open to the public.

LRN AM Newscall September 20

The governor’s office says Louisiana’s unemployment rate is at it’s lowest percentage in recorded history. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Jeff Palermo”

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The “Bad, Bad, Leroy Brown” singer Jim Croce died in a plane crash 50 years ago today after a performance at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches. Teiko Foxx has more memories from that day.

Cut 2 (35)  “…I’m Teiko Foxx.”

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It’s a big night in Rushton as LA Tech opens Championship Plaza and five Hall of Famers will be there in person as their statues are unveiled. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 3 (31) …I’m Brooke Thorington.”

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The state’s unemployment rate has hit a record at three-point-three percent. Louisiana Workforce Chief Economist Emily DiPalma says the national unemployment rate is three-point-eight percent…

Cut 4 (11) “…six other states.”

Federal data also shows the number of unemployed individuals is just under 69-thousand, which is also a record low. DiPalma says the state’s efforts to create jobs and improve workforce training is working.

She says older residents deciding to retire in their mid-60s is also helping to lower the rate

Cut 5 (07) “…to retire.”

DiPalma says a tight labor market helps push wages up, but that is slowing down….

Cut 6 (11) “…a little bit.”

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It was 50 years ago today, that legendary singer Jim Croce and five other people were killed in a plane crash after performing at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches. Dan McDonald, who was a student reporter for Northwestern’s student newspaper, says there were details about the concert that stands out in his memory…

Cut 7 (12) “…go home.”

Croce was set to spend the night in Natchitoches but called the pilot to leave early for a performance at Austin College the next day. Croce mailed a letter to his wife before his death which later revealed he was missing his family and ready to go home. McDonald remembers Croce looking exhausted that evening.

Cut 8 (11) “…of there.” 

Not long after takeoff, Croce’s plane crashed into a pecan tree at the end of the runway. It is believed that the haze severely reduced visibility that night. McDonald recalls seeing the carnage of the plane.

Cut 9 (13)  “…my mind.”

An event was held at the university on Monday to commemorate Croce’s death.

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A recent study by the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana indicates auto insurance rates in Bayou State rank as the most expensive in the nation. PAR President Steven Procopio says there was a slight decline in premiums during the pandemic.

Cut 10 (12) “…in the country.”

The newly approved premiums by the Department of Insurance will result in rate increases of as much as 20 percent or more. The increases will go into effect when drivers enroll in new policies are their current policy renews.  Procopio says the increase depends on several factors.

Cut 11 (11) “…substanial.”

If you see your auto insurance rates increase or even if they don’t, Procopio recommends comparing rates with other insurers and shopping around.

Cut 12 (08) “…to do that.” 

Louisiana is followed by New York, Michigan, Rhode Island, and Florida as the most expensive auto rates in the country.

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Terry Bradshaw, Karl Malone, Kim Mulkey, Willie Roaf, and Teresa Weatherspoon all in one place is quite a marquee and tonight their statues, along with Fred Dean’s will be unveiled at Louisiana Tech. Senior Associate Athletic Director Colton Primm…

Cut 13 (10) “…background is.”

After the statues are unveiled and the living recipients take part in a Q&A session, the public will be allowed to walk through Championship Plaza. Primm says it was difficult to limit the plaza to six individuals…

Cut 14 (11) “…the pros.”

The Plaza is named in honor of former LA Tech student-athlete and football coach A.L. Williams and his wife Sarah. In addition to the six alum being honored tonight, Primm says they will also recognize their six national championship teams, three with football and three with women’s basketball.

Cut 15 (09) “…open arms.”

The free event is open to the public and begins at 6 o’clock.

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Arkansas is coming off a home loss to BYU as they get ready to play 12th ranked LSU in Tiger Stadium on Saturday night. Razorbacks Coach Sam Pittman is not happy with the 14 penalties his team committed against the Cougars

Cut 16 (16) “…get corrected”

Pittman is also looking for better play from his offensive line. BYU sacked Hogs Quarterback KJ Jefferson four times and outside of 55-yard touchdown run by AJ Green, Arkansas struggled to run the ball…

Cut 17 (15) “…bull us”

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The Saints are one of seven teams in the NFC with a 2-0 record after beating Tennessee and Carolina. It’s the first 2-0 start for New Orleans since 2013 and Coach Dennis Allen says it’s a good start, but it’s also a long season…

Cut 18 (18) “…need to”

The offense has only scored 36 points through two games, but the defense has only allowed 32 points, third fewest in the NFL.  Can they hold teams to 20 points or less every week, Allen says the talent is there to do it…

Cut 19 (23) “…in all areas”

Fifth year defensive end Carl Granderson is off to a strong start as he has 2.5 sacks in two games and he forced a fumble in Monday night’s win over Carolina. Allen says Granderson is picking up where he left off last year…

Cut 20 (20) “..of the season 

4:45 LRN Sportscast

The Saints are 2-0 after last night’s 20-17 win over the Carolina Panthers, but they know they can play better. New Orleans failed to score a touchdown in the first half and quarterback Derek Carr was also intercepted in the first half….
cut 4 (12) “…in practice”
The Saints defense is not making many mistakes. It took until the fourth quarter of last night’s game before they allowed their first touchdown of the season. New Orleans is back on the road again this Sunday when they travel up to Green Bay to take on Jordan Love and the 1-and-1 Packers.

In the high school football polls, John Curtis, St. Thomas More, University High, Calvary Baptist and Ouachita Christian all remain ranked number one in their respective classes. Jena debuts at number six in Class 3A as the Giants are off to a 3-and-0.

Not only was the offense clicking against Mississippi State, but LSU’s defense played really well in Starkville on Saturday, holding the Bulldogs to 201 yards of total offense. Coach Brian Kelly credits junior linebacker Greg Penn for being a calming presence…
cut 20 (19) “….with him”
This Saturday the Tigers take on Arkansas who lost at home to BYU last Saturday. Hogs Quarterback K-J Jefferson had a couple of costly turnovers. Kelly on Jefferson’s abilities…
cut 18 (18) “…against us’
Kick off is at 6 PM.

11:40 LRN Sportscast

The Saints are 2-0 after beating Carolina 20-17 last night in Charlotte. New Orleans offense struggled in the first half, but scored two touchdowns in the second half. Quarterback Derek Carr is glad the Saints defense kept Carolina out of the end zone until late in the fourth quarter…
cut 3 (13) “…football game”
Carr threw a first half interception but ended the night throwing for 228 yards. Tony Jones Junior scored two touchdowns on two short rushing TDs. Jones got a dozen carries, because Jamaal Williams went down with a hamstring injury. New Orleans is at Green Bay this Sunday.

In the high school football polls, John Curtis, St. Thomas More, University High, Calvary Baptist and Ouachita Christian all remain ranked number one on the season.

LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels and receiver Malik Nabers shared SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors for their performances in the 41-14 win over Mississippi State. Daniels threw for 367 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for two more scores. Nabers caught 13 passes for 239 yards and two TDs. Coach Brian Kelly on why Nabers is one of the SEC’s best wide outs…
Cut 19 (18) “…opportunity”

Ragin Cajuns linebacker Cameron Whitfield has been named the Louisiana Sports Writers Association Defensive Player of the Week. The redshirt sophomore from Houston had 2.5 sacks in his first career start in the win over UAB. The Cajuns as a team have 15 sacks, one behind Wake Forest for the national lead.

6:45 LRN Sportscast

The Saints are 2-0 for the first time since 2013 after beating the Carolina Panthers 20-17 in Charlotte last night. The offense could not find the end zone in the first half, but Tony Jones Jr scored two rushing touchdowns in the second half that were set up by deep passes from Derek Carr to Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed. Coach Dennis Allen says it feels good to start 2-0…
Cut 16 (18) “…problem to have”
New Orleans defense has been very good so far. They held Panthers rookie Bryce Young to 153 yards passing and sacked him four times.

Saints running back Jamaal Williams left the game late in the first half with a hamstring injury. Tony Jones Junior had two TDs and 34 yards rushing.

After blowing out Mississippi State in Starkville, the 12th ranked Tigers are getting ready to host Arkansas at 6 PM on Saturday night. The Razorbacks are coming off a home loss to BYU, where they blew a 14 points lead. Hogs Quarterback K-J Jefferson turned it over twice. LSU Coach Brian Kelly says Jefferson might have been caught trying to do too much…
Cut 18 (18) “…against us.”
The Hogs could use All-SEC running back Rocket Sanders. He’s missed the last two games with a knee injury and Coach Sam Pittman says it’s too early to tell if he’ll be ready for this Saturday.

Meanwhile, Kelly announced safety Greg Brooks Junior is out indefinitely after suffering a medical emergency prior to Saturday’s win over Mississippi State.

4:45 LRN Sportscast

The Saints look to get to 2-0 on the season when they battle the Panthers tonight on Monday night football. Carolina swept the season series from New Orleans last season and since 2021, the Black and Gold have only averaged 12 points a game against the Panthers. Kick-off is at 6:15. New Orleans is a three point favorite.

The NFC South is showing signs that it’s better than what many people thought going into the season. Atlanta and Tampa Bay are both off to 2-0 starts. The Falcons rallied to beat the Packers 25 to 24 yesterday, while the Buccaneers defeated the Chicago Bears 27-17.

Meanwhile, Joe Burrow and the Bengals are 0-2 after losing to the Ravens 27-24. After the game, Burrow said his calf muscle which kept him out of most training camp is sore again. Also Sean Payton and the Broncos are 0-2 after losing to the Commanders 35-33.

LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels and wide receiver Malik Nabers are co-SEC Offensive Players of the Week as a result of their performances in Saturday’s 41-14 win over Mississippi State. Daniels was super sharp in Starkville completing 30 of 34 passes for 367 yards and a pair of touchdowns, he also rushed for two scores. Nabers caught 13 passes for 239 yards and two TDs.

A lot of the focus is on the offense’s performance against State, but the defense was outstanding as well, allowing just 79 yards in the first half. Coach Brian Kelly says the players on defense asked the coaching staff to push them harder…
cut 19 (10) “….people believe”
LSU did not have safety Greg Brooks for the game and it’s unclear when he’ll be available to play again. Kelly says Brooks suffered a medical emergency and can’t provide anymore information.

6:45 LRN Sportscast

The LSU Tigers put together a dominating performance on Saturday beating Mississippi State 41-14. Coach Brian Kelly liked how his team approached its second road trip of the season…
Cut 17 (20) “…Florida State”
LSU is up two spots in the AP poll to number 12 and the Tigers are the highest ranked one loss team. Alabama is 13 and it’s the first time the Crimson Tide are out of the Top 10 since 2015.

The Ragin Cajuns had a solid win on Saturday at UAB as Zeon Chriss replaced an injured Ben Woolridge and led U-L Lafayette to a 41-21 win at UAB. Chriss threw for 174 yards and rushed for 103 years including an 80-yard TD run.

Despite scoring 23 points in the fourth quarter, La Tech fell to North Texas as the Mean Green made a field goal with three seconds left to beat the Bulldogs 40-37. A key stat was third down. North Texas converted 11 of 18 times, while the Bulldogs were 5 of 14. Tech head coach Sonny Cumbie…
cut 20 (17) “…with his feet”
Tech is at Nebraska this Saturday.

The Saints are in action tonight as they visit Carolina. It’s the home debut for number one overall pick and quarterback Bryce Young. New Orleans defensive end Cam Jordan says they want to get after the rookie…
cut 29 (16) “….in that pocket”
Kick off is at 6:15.

4:45 LRN Sportscast

LSU Coach Brian Kelly says he wants to establish a ground game in Saturday’s SEC opener against Mississippi State. Running back Logan Diggs looked good in his LSU debut last week, freshman Kaleb Jackson also looks good and then there’s Josh Williams, Tre Bradford and Noah Cain. Kelly says he also wants to get John Emery in the mix, who is avaialble after sitting out the first two games…
cut 20 (22) “…impact the game”
Mississippi state has an impact player on offense. Jo’Quavious Marks leads the SEC in rushing and he needs one more catch to become Mississippi State’s all-time leading receiver.

The Ragin Cajuns are back on the road this Saturday to face U-A-B. The Blazers are 1-and-1 under first-year head coach and former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer. They beat North Carolina A-and-T in the season opener but lost last Saturday to Georgia Southern. Coach Mike Desormeaux’s team is trying to get back in the win column after losing last Saturday at Old Dominion
Cut 16 (12) “…anything else”
Kick-off is at 6 PM.

Also at Six PM, Louisiana Tech looks to improve to 3-and-1, when they host North Texas, who has struggled on defense this season. Northwestern State hosts former Southland conference rival Stephen F Austin for its home opener. Grambling hosts Florida Memorial for its home opener on Saturday afternoon and ULM is a big underdog at Texas A-and-M.

6:45 LRN Sportscast

14th-ranked LSU begins its defense of last year’s SEC West title when they face Mississippi State in Starkville at 11 AM on Saturday. Tigers Coach Brian Kelly says we’ll learn a lot more about this team in the coming weeks…
Cut 18 (16) “…next month.”

The Ragin Cajuns are coming off a road loss to Old Dominion last Saturday. U-L Lafayette Quarterback Ben Woolridge says they want to turn last week’s loss into a positive with a win over U-A-B in Birmingham on Saturday…
cut 17 (14) “….on Saturday”
Kick-off is at 6 PM.

The Saints are getting ready for their Monday night match-up against the Carolina Panthers. Carolina lost last Sunday to Atlanta, but only allowed 221 offensive yards and 91 through the air. New Orleans Quarterback Derek Carr says Carolina has a great pass rush…
cut 29 (25) “…stuff too”
Saints running back Kendre Miller, tight end Juwan Johnson and special-teams standout J-T Gray practiced in a limited capacity yesterday.

Last night in high school football…Newman beat Benton 37-27, Carencro defeated Southside 19-14. Calvary Baptist won the battle of Shreveport as they defeated C-E Byrd 42-21.