The Saints nearly pulled off an unbelievable come from behind victory on Sunday but Atlanta kicked a game-winning field goal on the final play for a 27-25 win in the Caesars Superdome. New Orleans scored 22 fourth-quarter points to rally back from a 24-6 deficit, but Coach Sean Payton says their sloppy play during the first three quarters is what cost them the game…
Cut 18 (22) “..starts with me”
The Saints receivers dropped at least five passes yesterday and today former Browns receiver Odell Beckham Junior goes on waivers. Beckham has reportedly told teams he wants to play for a Super Bowl contender.

The LSU football team nearly pulled off one of the biggest upsets in program history on Saturday night in Tuscaloosa as the Tigers nearly defeated Alabama. But the Crimson Tide survived with a 20-14 victory over the Bayou Bengals. LSU had a chance to take the lead in the fourth quarter but failed to score when they had it first and goal from the eight-yard line. Coach Ed Orgeron says the coaches didn’t help the players…
Cut 16 (14) “..to win”
LSU plays its final three games of the season in Tiger Stadium, starting with this Saturday’s game against Arkansas.

What a wild game in San Antonio on Saturday as sixth-ranked Southeastern Louisiana fell to 22nd ranked U-I-W 55-52. The game featured nearly 15-hundred yards of offense as Lions quarterback Cole Kelley threw for a school-record 647 yards.

Saints coach Sean Payton has named Trevor Siemian as the starting quarterback for Sunday’s game against the Falcons. Siemian has received praise for his calm demeanor when he entered the game in the second quarter of last Sunday’s win over Tampa Bay. Siemian says there’s a lot to focus on, so that’s why he may have looked calm…
cut 28 (18) “…head space”
Payton says Taysom Hill will play after missing the last two games with a concussion. And rookie quarterback Ian Book will be on the active roster for Sunday’s game.

An injury-depleted LSU team will try to pull off the upset on Saturday night when they face second-ranked Alabama. The Bayou Bengals are four-touchdown underdogs. The Ragin Cajuns won the Sun Belt West for a fourth straight season last night with a 21-17 victory over Georgia State.

After losing several schools to other leagues in recent weeks, Conference USA announced today its adding Jacksonville State, Liberty University, New Mexico State and Sam Houston State. They will join the league on July 1, 2023. Meanwhile, the Sun Belt keeps getting bigger as they are adding James Madison to the league.

ULM and Louisiana Tech are both on the road on Saturday. The Bulldogs are looking to snap a four-game losing streak as they visit UAB. The Warhawks are Texas State. Starting quarterback Chandler Rogers didn’t finish the game against App State last Saturday, But ULM Coach Terry Bowden expects he’ll play against the Bobcats…
cut 19 (14) “…it respectable”
Kick-off in San Marcos is at 2 PM.

Also on Saturday, McNeese hosts Nicholls, Northwestern State seeks its second win when they host Houston Baptist.

The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport is reporting the Saints are expected to start Trevor Siemian at quarterback on Sunday against the Falcons. Rapoport says it’s not a surprise considering how poised Seimian was in relief last week. New Orleans running back Alvin Kamara was impressed with Seimian’s calm demeanor…
cut 20 (10) “…whole time”
Atlanta enters Sunday’s game with a 3-and-4 record, but they have a talented rookie tight end in Kyle Pitts. Pitts has caught 33 passes in seven games. Linebacker Demario Davis says at six-foot-six 250-pounds, Pitts is a tough player to defend on pass plays…
Cut 17 (19) “ ..phenonemal player.”

The Ragin Cajuns won their fourth straight Sun Belt Western Division championship last night as they scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to beat Georgia State 21-17. Montrell Johnson had those two touchdowns as U-L Lafayette improved to 14-and-3 in one-possession games over the last four seasons. Now the Cajuns look to host the conference championship game and they can do so by winning its last two games, starting with a trip to Troy on November 13th.

Add another significant piece of LSU’s defense to the injury list. Starting defensive end Maason Smith is very questionable for the game against Alabama. But Orgeron expects linebacker Micah Baskerville will play despite being limited in practice this week.

The Saints will have to rely heavily on their defense if they want to win the NFC South again and make a deep run in the playoffs. New Orleans is fourth in the NFL in points allowed per game and rank second in stopping the run. Linebacker Demario Davis gives a lot of credit to defensive coordinator Dennis Allen…
cut 16 (22) “…behind it”
If the Saints wanted to add a talented wide receiver, they may soon have that opportunity as the Browns are expected to release Odell Beckham Junior, who apparently is not happy with Cleveland quarterback Baker Mayfield. There were reports the Saints tried to work out a trade for O-B-J before Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline.

The Ragin Cajuns are champions of the Sun Belt West for a fourth consecutive season and will play in the conference championship game on December fourth. U-L Lafayette clinched the divison with a 21-17 victory over Georgia State last night. The Cajuns were shutout in the first half but Montrell Johnson had two rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

Also in the Sun Belt, ULM will visit Texas State tomorrow. The Warhawks are coming off a 59-28 loss to Appalachian State. Coach Terry Bowden says you can’t turn the ball over five times and expect to beat a team like the Mountaineers…
cut 18 (21) “…can’t have turnovers”
Kick off is at 2 PM.

The Saints now know All-Pro receiver Michael Thomas will not return this season as he’s had a setback related to the surgery he had on his ankle in June. Starting left guard James Hurst says they have to take the next man up philosophy
Cut 18 (18) “…get it done”
The Saints could be monitoring what’s going on in Cleveland as Odell Beckham Junior may have played his final game with the Browns. The talented but now injury prone receiver has been told to stay away from practice after his father posted a video that shows Cleveland quarterback Baker Mayfield as the reason why Beckham is struggling.

The Pelicans are struggling, they fell to 1-and-8 on the season after losing to Sacramento 112 to 99.

The 24th ranked Ragin Cajuns can win the Sun Belt West tonight for a fourth straight year with a win over Georgia State at Cajun Field. U-L Lafayette is coming off an impressive 45-0 homecoming victory over Texas State and Coach Billy Napier says it was a great win last Saturday, but tonight is a new challenge
Cut 16 (21) “…start over” 2x
While U-L Lafayette has won seven in a row, Georgia State has won three straight after a one and four start.

LSU Coach Ed Orgeron says its doubtful defensive back Cordale Flott will play this Saturday against second-ranked Alabama. The Tigers are depleted in the secondary as they are already without Derek Stingley Junior, Eli Ricks, Major Burns, and freshman Sage Ryan.

The Saints are five and two, but they will play the rest of the season without starting quarterback Jameis Winston and All Pro wide receiver Michael Thomas. Starting left guard James Hurst says they can’t dwell on the unfortunate circumstances…
Cut 19 (19) “…situations.”
The Saints might be watching what’s happening in Cleveland. Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham has been told to stay away from the team’s facility after his father released a video showing Cleveland QB Baker Mayfield throwing errant passes in the direction of Beckham. There were reports the Saints were trying to work out a trade with Cleveland in an effort to acquire Beckham before Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline.

The 24th ranked Ragin Cajuns can wrap up the Sun Belt West Division title tonight with a victory over the Georgia State Panthers. U-L Lafayette is looking for its fourth consecutive division title. The Panthers are 4-and-4, but they’ve won three in a row, including a 21-14 win over Georgia Southern on Saturday. Cajuns Coach Billy Napier says Georgia State has been playing well on defense…
Cut 17 (21) “ ..of a challenge.”
Georgia State also has a stout running game as they average 222 yards per game on the ground. But the Cajuns defense is only allowing 19 points a contest. Kick-off is at 6:30 on ESPN.

The Pelicans lost again last night, falling to the Sacramento Kings 112 to 99.

Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas will miss the remainder of the season as he’s suffered a setback related to his ankle surgery done in June. Thomas’ injury news comes two days after it was announced starting quarterback Jameis Winston will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. Coach Sean Payton says their opponents will not feel sorry for them…
Cut 30 (10) “..this week.”
The Saints will host the Atlanta Falcons this Sunday and it’s unclear who will start at quarterback. Taysom Hill is a possibility and he was a limited participant at practice yesterday as he comes back from a concussion. Also, safety Malcolm Jenkins missed yesterday’s practice with a knee injury.

The Pelicans are now one and eight after losing to the Sacramento Kings 112 to 99 last night. New Orleans scored just 12 points in the fourth quarter as they played without Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, who has a hip contusion.

The 24th ranked Ragin Cajuns can win the Sun Belt West tonight for a fourth straight year with a win over Georgia State at Cajun Field in a game televised by ESPN at 6:30. U-L Lafayette is coming off an impressive 45-0 homecoming victory over Texas State and Coach Billy Napier says it was a great win last Saturday, but tonight is a new challenge
Cut 16 (21) “…start over” 2x
While U-L Lafayette has won seven in a row, Georgia State has won three straight after a one and four start.

LSU Coach Ed Orgeron says its doubtful defensive back Cordale Flott will play this Saturday against second-ranked Alabama. The Tigers are depleted in the secondary as they are already without Derek Stingley Junior, Eli Ricks, Major Burns, and freshman Sage Ryan.

Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas announces he will miss the remainder of the season as he’s suffered a setback after undergoing ankle surgery in June. Thomas made the announcement on Twitter and Coach Sean Payton told reporters the setback is surgically related…
Cut 9 (11) “…procedure done”
Thomas’ injury news comes two days after it was announced starting quarterback Jameis Winston will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.

And injuries are an issue for the Pelicans. They lost last night to the Phoenix Suns 112 to 100 as they played the game without the injured Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, who has a hip injury. The team announced today that rookie Herb Jones will now be out an undetermined amount of time with a concussion. The Pels visit the Kings tonight.

LSU starting quarterback Max Johnson has nothing but good things to say about former starter Myles Brennan, who announced on Monday he’s transferring from LSU. Johnson says he learned a lot from Brennan…
Cut 18 (18) “…overall”

Louisiana Tech is coming off a 23-20 loss to Old Dominion last Saturday. Bulldogs quarterback Austin Kendall left the game because of a back injury and J-D Head finished the contest. Tech Coach Skip Holtz says if Kendall can’t play this Saturday against UAB, either Head or Aaron Allen would get the start…
Cut 17 (15) “ ..them both.”
La Tech has lost four in a row.

Bad injury news for the Saints today as wide receiver Michael Thomas announces on Twitter he’ll miss the rest of the season as he’s had a setback in his effort to return from ankle surgery in June. Coach Sean Payton says the setback is surgically related and not because Thomas has not been doing his rehab.

The Saints miss Thomas. From 2016 to 2019 he was one of the top receivers in the NFL. He originally suffered the ankle injury in 2020 and elected to have surgery last June. Payton says they have other players who can step up…
cut 11 (12) “..Tre Quan’s back”
The Saints are second to last in pass offense, averaging 181 yards a game through the air. They host Atlanta this Sunday.

The Pelicans lost last night as they were burned by the Suns 112 to 110. Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson did not play for New Orleans.

It’s Bama week for the LSU Tigers. The LSU-Alabama game every season is circled on the schedule. Tigers Linebacker Damone Clark says he’s not trying to make this game any bigger than it is…
Cut 19 (14) “…go out there and play.”
LSU running backs coach Kevin Faulk was at practice. He’s been away from the team since his 19-year-old unexpectedly died in September.

Louisiana Tech is looking to end a four-game losing streak on Saturday in Birmingham when they face UAB. The Bulldogs are 2-and-6 on the year and four of those losses were by a touchdown or less. Coach Skip Holtz says not executing at critical times has resulted in some tough losses
Cut 16 (13) “…opportunistic moment”
Kick-off against the Blazers is at 11 AM.

The first college football playoff rankings of the season were released last night and no surprise Georgia is number one. One-loss Alabama is two, ahead of undefeated Michigan State who is at three, Orgeron is ranked fourth, Ohio State fifth, and Cincinnati, who just beat Tulane is sixth.

LSU is getting ready to play second-ranked Alabama. Tigers Offensive Tackle Austin Deculus on what he’ll tell some of the younger guys as they get ready to play against the Crimson Tide…
cut 20 (20) “….in different”

The Pelicans had a 20-point lead in the second quarter but lost last night in Phoenix 112 to 100. New Orleans was playing without Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, who are both injured.

Louisiana Tech is looking to end a four-game losing streak on Saturday in Birmingham when they face UAB. The Bulldogs are 2-and-6 on the year and four of those losses were by a touchdown or less. Coach Skip Holtz says not executing at critical times has resulted in some tough losses
Cut 16 (13) “…opportunistic moment”
The Bulldogs and the Blazers played a double-overtime thriller last season that was won by Tech 37-34.

Conference USA is reportedly looking at adding four schools, two of them are FCS programs and the other two are FBS independents. Those schools would be Liberty, Jacksonville State, New Mexico State, and Sam Houston State.

And there’s a report McNeese is leaving the Southland Conference for the WAC.

There’s also a report the Saints and Browns talked about a trade involving wide receiver Odell Beckham Junior. But the NFL trade deadline came and went yesterday with no major moves being made by the Black and Gold.