The Saints only threw 21 passes yesterday, but Alvin Kamara returned from knee and hamstring injuries and rushed for 120 yards and a touchdown as New Orleans ended a five-game losing streak with a 30-9 win over the hapless New York Jets. Saints quarterback Taysom Hill threw for 175 yards, but rushed for two touchdowns. Hill, played despite an injured middle finger on his throwing hand and says he was able to manage the injury and didn’t think much about it during the game…
cut 17 (27) “…No time”
The Saints are now 6-and-7 and at Tampa Bay this Sunday night.

The 2021 LHSAA Prep Classic saw several close games. On Friday night, Westgate won its first-ever state championship in football with a 14-13 win over Warren Easton in the Class 4A title game. Sterlington defeated district rival Union Parish in the 3A championship game as the Panthers beat the Farmers 26-24. In Class 5A, Zachary won its fourth state championship as the Broncos defeated Ponchatoula 28-20 in what is most likely Green Wave head coach Hank Tierney’s final game as head coach after 300 victories.

There are just seven undefeated teams in men’s college basketball and one of them is the LSU Tigers as the Bayou Bengals defeated Georgia Tech 69-53 on Saturday in Atlanta to improve to 9-0. The Tigers host Northwestern State tomorrow night.

Louisiana Tech improved to seven and two on the season as the Bulldogs beat U-L Lafayette 78-69. Cobe Williams had 20 points for the Dunkin Dogs, while Jordan Brown for the Cajuns had a career-high 30 points.

Louisiana Radio Network Sports. I’m Erik Picolli…
The Westgate Tigers from New Iberia are state champs in football for the first time in school history. The Tigers topped Warren Easton 14-13 in the Class 4A Championship game in the Superdome last night. Westgate had a legendary goal line stand in the final minutes of the game to keep the Eagles from winning their first state title since 1942.

University High also won a low scoring championship game as the Cubs notched a 14-7 win over E-D White to complete a perfect 13-0 season. The U-High defense allowed just 88 yards of offense in the second half.

In the Division Four state championship game, Southern Lab dominated Ouachita Christian 38-14 and in the Class Two-A game, Many (Man-ee) never could get its running game going as the Tigers lost to Amite 17-6.

In the NBA, the Pelicans beat the Detroit Pistons 109-93 last night.
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Three more state championships in football will be decided today. Starting at noon at the Superdome, Logansport faces Homer in the Class 1a title game.

The Class 3A championship game at 3:30 is a matchup of district rivals as top-seeded Sterlington takes on Union Parish. The Panthers beat the Farmers earlier this season and Sterlington Coach Lee Doty knew he had a good team on his hands, but didn’t know they would go through the season undefeated…
Cut 17 (16) “ ever coached”

The final game of the day is the 5A championship as Zachary faces Ponchatoula in a battle of unbeaten teams. Kick-off for that one will be around 7 PM. You can watch the games on the N-F-H-S- Network-dot-com.

College basketball…25th ranked LSU takes on Georgia Tech in Atlanta and Louisiana Tech hosts the Ragin Cajuns in a game that can be seen on E-S-P-N-U.

LSU football coach Brian Kelly has added Kerry Cooks to the coaching staff as a defensive coach. He has spent the last two seasons as a defensive analyst at Notre Dame. Cooks played at Iowa where he earned All-Big Ten honors as a defensive back. He was a team captain for the Hawkeyes in 1997.

Grambling introduced Hue Jackson as its new head football coach today. Jackson is the 14th coach in Grambling history and brings more than 30 years of coaching experience at both the collegiate and professional levels.

In high school football this afternoon, Southern Lab won its seventh state championship as they defeated Ouachita Christian 38-14 in the division four state title game. Senior QB Angelo Izzard (eye-zard) threw for 340 yards and scored five touchdowns. Darren Morris had 9 catches, two of them for touchdowns as Darrell Asberry wins his first state title as a head coach.

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Saints running back Alvin Kamara is set to return this Sunday when New Orleans visits the New York Jets. Kamara has missed the last four games with a knee injury. But he was a full participant at practice this week and so was quarterback Taysom Hill despite an injured finger on his throwing hand.

Tomorrow night in the Ceasars Superdome, Ponchatoula and Zachary square off in the Class 5A state championship. The Green Wave have not played in a state title game in 70 years. Ponchatoula Head Coach Hank Tierney says he has a very talented team that’s looking to make history….
cut 19 (14) “…Zachary team”
Warren Easton hasn’t won a state title since 1942 and they face Westgate tonight in the Class 4A title game. The Tigers are playing in their first title game.

ED white hasn’t been in a title game since 1981 and the Cardinals face University High in Lafayette tonight in the Division two title game.

The state high school football championships get underway at noon with the Division Four state title game, Ouachita Christian versus Southern Lab, At 3:30, Many seeks its second straight title when they face Amite, a team they beat in the quarterfinals last season. Many Head Coach Jess Curtis on the Warriors from Tangipahoa Parish…
cut 30 (09) “….on Friday”
There are two state title games tonight. The Class 4A Championship game should be a great one as Westgate meets Warren Easton. It’s Westgate’s first trip to the Dome ever and Warren Easton has not won a football state championship since 1942.

And over in Lafayette, it’s the Division Two state title game as University High takes one E-D White in a battle of unbeaten teams. E-D White has not been in a state title game since 1981.
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The Class 3A championship tomorrow is a matchup of district rivals as top-seeded Sterlington takes on Union Parish. The Panthers beat the Farmers earlier this season and Sterlington Coach Lee Doty knew he had a good team on his hands, but didn’t know they would go through the season undefeated…
Cut 17 (16) “ ever coached”
Also tomorrow its the Class One A game between Homer and Logansport and the Five-A Championship game is a battle of unbeatens, Zachary versus Ponchatoula. It’s been 70 years since the Green Wave won a title in football. All the games can be watched on the N-F-H-S Network.

In LSU football news…LSU running backs coach and the school’s all-time leading rusher Kevin Faulk is not returning according multiple reports. While Catholic High offensive lineman Emery Jones and Neville offensive lineman Will Campbell say they are signing with the Tigers next week.

LSU Football Coach Brian Kelly is reportedly not going to keep Kevin Faulk on as running backs coach for the Tigers. The Carencro native is the school’s all-time leading rusher and a 3 time Super Bowl winner.

Former Raiders and Cleveland head coach Hue Jackson is reportedly set to be hired by Grambling today.

The 40th annual LHSAA Prep Football classic beings today in the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. Zachary is trying to complete an undefeated season as they face Ponchatoula in the Class 5A game on Saturday. Broncos Coach David Brewerton says the pressure has been on the team all season..:
Cut 18 (20) “to win”

Ouachita Christian seeks its eighth state championship as they face Southern Lab in the Division Four-title game.

The Homer Pelicans out of Claiborne Parish will make their first appearance in a state championship football game tomorrow since 1985 when they face the Logansport Tigers in the Class 1A title game at noon. Pelicans Head Coach Richie Casey says the whole town of Homer could be in the Dome on Saturday….
Cut 16 (16) “the situation”
The Class 3A championship tomorrow is a matchup of district rivals as top-seeded Sterlington takes on Union Parish.

The Many Tigers are looking to repeat as Class 2A Champions when they face the Amite Warriors. Tonight the Westgate Tigers from New Iberia will play in their first-ever football championship game when they face Warren Easton.

U-High and E.D. White are playing for the Division 2 state championship tonight at Cajun Field in Lafayette.

The Athletic’s Brody Miller reports new LSU football Coach Brian Kelly is not retaining running backs coach Kevin Faulk. Faulk has served as the Tigers running backs coach the last two seasons and before that, he was LSU’s director of player development for the last two years. The Carencro native is the school’s all-time leading rusher.

The Saints will try to snap a five-game losing streak this Sunday against the New York Jets. Coach Sean Payton says he wants to see better effort on defense…
Cut 18 (20) “.be improved”
Tonight’s NFL game is Pittsburgh at Minnesota. Vikings receiver and former LSU Tiger Justin Jefferson is second in the NFL in receiving yards with 1,209 yards.

Grambling State is reportedly close to naming Hue Jackson as its new head football coach. Jackson has been an NFL head coach in Cleveland and Oakland and this past season was the offensive coordinator at Tennessee State. Jackson would replace Broderick Fobbs.

Scott Power has been named the defensive coordinator for the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. Power has been the D-C at Stephen F Austin for the last three seasons. This past season S-F-A ranked number one in the WAC in scoring defense, total defense, takeaways, sacks, and opponent third-down conversion percentage.

The Pelicans dropped to 7-and-20 on the season with an overtime loss to Denver last night. Today they announced that guard Kira Lewis suffered a season-ending torn ACL and a Grade 2 MCL sprain. Lewis is averaging six points a game this season. New Orleans hosts the 4-and-20 Detroit Pistons tomorrow.

Corey Raymond spent 10 years as the defensive backs coach at LSU, but now he’s with Billy Napier at Florida. Raymond was an instrumental recruiter for the Tigers and helped the school become known as D-B-U.

LSU has announced that Brad Davis will remain the Tigers offensive line coach. He’s currently the interim head coach for the bowl game. Brian Polian has been named special teams coordinator, replacing Greg McMahon who announced his retirement yesterday. Polian comes to LSU from Notre Dame, where he spent the past five years on Brian Kelly’s staff.

Louisiana Tech football coach Sonny Cumbie has named Scott Parr as the Bulldogs new co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach. Parr was the head coach at Navarro College the past three seasons.

And there are reports former Raiders and Browns head coach Hue Jackson will be named the new head football coach at Grambling. An official announcement is expected tomorrow.

Saints running back Alvin Kamara and quarterback Taysom Hill were full participants in practice yesterday. Kamara is set to return from a knee injury, while Hill intends to play despite an injury to his middle finger on his throwing hand. Hill threw four interceptions last Thursday when the injury occurred but is optimistic it will not affect his play…
Cut 16 (25) “..full capacity”
The Saints visit the New York Jets on Sunday.

Bengals Quarterback Joe Burrow says his injured pinkie will not keep him from playing this Sunday against the 49ers. And former LSU Tiger and Seattle Seahawks starting safety Jamal Adams is done for the season after tearing his labrum in his left shoulder.

Despite an injured finger on his throwing hand, Taysom Hill expects to start at quarterback this Sunday for the Saints. Hill spoke with reporters yesterday with a splint on his injured finger. He feels no pain but admits it does impact how he throws the football…
cut 17 (24) “….to adjust”
Saints running back Alvin Kamara was a full participant at practice yesterday and is expected to play this Sunday against the Jets, after missing the last four games with a knee injury. But fellow running back Mark Ingram tested positive for COVID and he joins defensive end Cam Jordan on the reserve COVID-19 list.

Longtime LSU defensive backs coach Corey Raymond has told WAFB-TV in Baton Rouge he’s joining Billy Napier’s new staff at Florida. The New Iberia native just finished his tenth season as an assistant for the Fighting Tigers.

But LSU announces Brad Davis will remain the Tigers offensive line coach. Brian Polian has been named LSU’s Special Teams Coach as current special teams coach Greg McMahon is retiring. And New Associate Head Coach Frank Wilson has signed a three-year contract.

In college basketball…Redshirt freshman Kobe Julien scored 18 of his 20 points in the first half as the Ragin Cajuns dribbled past McNeese 83-68.

The Pelicans could not contain the reigning N-B-A M-V-P last night and Denver downed New Orleans 120-114 in overtime at the Smoothie King Center. Nikola Jokic had 39 points, eleven assists, and ten rebounds. The Pels are now 7-and-20 and in last place in the Western Conference.

Saints running back Alvin Kamara was a full participant at practice today and he’s expected to play this Sunday against the New York Jets after missing the last four games with a knee injury. But fellow running back Mark Ingram has been placed on the COVID-19 reserve list. Ingram joins defensive end Cam Jordan as two players who might miss Sunday’s game because of COVID protocols.

LSU quarterback Max Johnson has entered transfer portal after two seasons with the Tigers. Surprising, as he started 11 games this season, says Tiger Rag assistant editor William Weathers. The move leaves Garrett Nussmeier as the only scholarship quarterback on LSU’s roster. Weathers wonders if former starter Myles Brennan will decide not to transfer…:
CUT 05(10) “…philosophically.”
Brennan entered the transfer portal last month, but has not transferred to another school yet.

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New Ragin Cajuns coach Michael Desormeaux is busy recruiting and getting the Cajuns ready to play in the New Orleans Bowl against Marshall on December 18th. Desormeaux says finishing the season with a 13th straight win is the main focus…
cut 17 (12) “….for it”
Desormeaux’s contract is five years worth 3-point-eight million dollars.

According to the Action Network’s Brett McMurphy LSU was reportedly prepared to offer Texas A-and-M Coach Jimbo Fisher an eight-year, 125 million dollar contract to replace Ed Orgeron. But Fisher expressed strong desire to stay in College Station.

New Louisiana Tech coach Sonny Cumbie has hired Texas Tech assistant Jake Brown as the Bulldogs wide receivers coach and co-offensive coordinator for the Bulldogs. Brown was an offensive coordinator at West Texas A-and-M in Canyon in 2019.

Max Johnson delivered some shocking news last night as he announced on Twitter he’s transferring from LSU. Johnson didn’t give any specific reasons on why he’s entering the transfer portal, but his decision leaves freshman Garrett Nussmeier as the likely starter in the bowl game, unless Myles Brennan decided to return to LSU.

Frank Wilson has left his job as head coach at McNeese to become the Associate Coach of the Fighting Tigers. The Cowboys are searching for their third head coach since 2019. Athletic Direcotr Heath Schroyer says he would like the next hire to bring stability…
Cut 19 (25) “..from A to Z.”

Eric Dooley was introduced as the 20th head football coach in Southern University history. The former assistant under legendary head coach Pete Richardson just led Prairie View A-and-M to a SWAC championship and Dooley says he plans to do the same at Southern…:
Cut 20 (20) “surrounding states”

New Iberia native Michael Desormeaux was introduced Tuesday afternoon as the new coach of the Ragin Cajuns football program. The former U-L Lafayette quarterback has been an assistant at U-L since 2016 and is looking forward to building on the team’s recent success…:
Cut 16 (16) “in the future”