Jeff Duncan of the Advocate and Lee Zurik of Fox 8 TV in New Orleans is reporting that the Saints and Pelicans will be sold after owner Gayle Benson passes away. And the proceeds from the sale, which will be in the billions, will go to local charities. The 74-year-old Benson has been running the franchises since March 2018 following the death of her husband, Tom Benson. Team executives also say the plan is to make sure the Saints stay in New Orleans after the sale is completed.

Meanwhile, the Saints players are getting ready for the Dome Opener this Sunday against the New York Giants. Rookie linebacker Pete Werner is looking forward to learning about the Dome Field advantage the Black and Gold enjoy…
cut 25 (17) “…same mindset”
Kick off Sunday is at noon.

Louisiana Tech is at 23rd ranked North Carolina State on Saturday. It’s the final non-conference game for the Bulldogs and Coach Skip Holtz says playing a ranked team like N-C State can only make you better…
Cut 17 (14) “..every week.”
Tech is coming off a 24-17 win over North Texas, while the Wolfpack upset Clemson last Saturday.

Hurricane Ida has delayed efforts to get legal sports betting up and going at the state’s casinos and racetracks. Louisiana Gaming Control Board Ronnie Johns says State Police handles the application process and they’ve been busy responding to the hurricane. Johns says Troopers in the State Police Gaming Division are back at full capacity so he hopes sports betting will get going sooner rather than later…
cut 9 (09) “…final approval to”

LSU is preparing to host 22nd ranked Auburn tonight at 8 Pm. Auburn’s defense ranks fourth in the SEC in total defense allowing 284 yards a game. Tigers center Liam Shannahan hopes their up-tempo offense can keep them off balance…
cut 30 (26) “…for us so”
According to Sports Illustrated, LSU running back John Emery will remain ineligible over an academic issue. His appeal has been denied by the NCAA and Emery’s attorney is investigating other possible avenues to get Emery back on the field. Without Emery, the Tigers are averaging less than three yards a rush.

LSU enters Saturday night’s showdown versus Auburn ranked next to last in the SEC in rush offense, averaging less than three yards a carry. Center Liam Shanahan says the o-line knows they need to do a better job of opening up holes for the running backs…
cut 18 (18) “….what they can do”
Meanwhile Auburn is averaging 257 yards on the ground. They have two talented running backs, Tank Bigsby and Jarquez Hunter. Still no word on who will start at quarterback for Auburn. It will be either Bo Nix or former LSU Tiger TJ Finley.

The Saints get to practice at their own training facility today for the first time since they left for Texas because of Hurricane Ida. This Sunday is the Dome opener against the Giants.

ULM Quarterback Rhett Rodrigeuz is back home after spending a few days in the hospital due to a partially collapsed lung. Warhawks coach Terry Bowden says Rodriguez underwent a medical procedure following Saturday’s win over Troy…
cut 19 (13) “…the procedure”
There’s no word on how much time Rodriguez will miss.

Ragin Cajuns Coach Billy Napier says starting left tackle Carlos Rubio will likely miss most of the rest of the season after suffering an injury in last Saturday’s win over Georgia Southern.

Texas A-and-M Commerce is joining the Southland Conference. The school is located 65 miles northeast of Dallas and the Lions will become official members next July. Their football team won the Division Two national championship in 2017.

LSU men’s basketball will play an exhibition against Nicholls in Thibodaux on October 23rd and the proceeds will go towards Hurricane Ida relief.

LSU’s defense had a much better performance this time around against Mississippi State compared to last season when the Tigers allowed an SEC record 623 passing yards. But LSU’s “D” faded in the second half, giving up two fourth-quarter touchdowns to make it a close game. Coach Ed Orgeron says they needed to rotate their defensive players earlier in order to avoid fatigue…
cut 17 (17) “….bring em back”
LSU linebacker Damone Clark was SEC defensive player of the week after recording a career-high 15 tackles. The senior leads the SEC in tackles.

Nicholls Quarterback Lindsey Scott is the Southland Offensive Player of the Week. The former Zachary star accounted for more than 300 yards of offense in the Colonels win over North Alabama.

There’s been chatter that Pelicans All-Star Zion Williamson is not happy in New Orleans. But on Media Day, the former number one pick says he loves the city of New Orleans and does not want to be anywhere else. There have been reports of a riff between Williamson and David Griffen, the top basketball executive for the Pels and when the team was in the NBA bubble in the summer of 2020, Griffen tried to connect with Williamson by playing the piano for him at their hotel. Zion refutes the story…
cut 20 (16) “…(laughter)”
Williamson is recovering from a broken foot, but expects to be ready for the regular-season opener on October 20th.

The late Tony Robichaux will be inducted into the Ragin Cajuns athletics hall of fame at the end of October. Robichaux won 1,177 games during a 33-year coaching career that was cut short by his untimely death in 2019.

The LSU Tigers are getting ready for a physical game on Saturday night against the Auburn Tigers. Both defenses have shown the ability to get behind the line of scrimmage. Auburn leads the nation in tackles for a loss, with 43. Coach Ed Orgeron says his offensive line better be ready
Cut 16 (19) “…get ready.”
Orgeron says he expects left tackle Cam Wire to return after missing three games and backup offensive lineman Charles Turner could also return after missing a couple of games.

The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports Saints left tackle Terron Armstead will miss multiple weeks after injuring his elbow in the first half of Sunday’s win against the Patriots. Armstead could reportedly miss three to six weeks.

The Pelicans begin training camp today but All-Star Forward Zion Williamson is recovering from offseason surgery to repair a broken foot. He’s expected to be ready when the regular season starts on October 20th. Williamson also addressed rumors he’d rather play somewhere else. Zion says he loves New Orleans and his relationship with the executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin is good…
Cut 18 (18)”…building off that “

The Southland Conference is adding Texas A-and-M Commerce to the league and they will become an official member next July.

In the FCS rankings, Southeastern Louisiana is ranked 14th heading into its game against McNeese, and Northwestern State will host 23rd ranked UIW on Saturday night.

LSU is 3-and-1 as a third of the season is in the books. During the offseason, Coach Ed Orgeron talked about returning the Tigers offense to what we saw during the national championship season in 2019. Orgeron says this year’s offense still has a ways to go and it starts with pass protection…
cut 23 (23) “….rest of the guys out”
Still no word on how much time All-American cornerback Derek Stingley Junior will miss. Orgeron says he’ll see a doctor for his injured left foot.

ULM Football Coach Terry Bowden says quarterback Rhett Rodriguez suffered a partially collapsed lung following Saturday’s win over Troy. Rodriguez says his condition is improving.

Pelicans All-Star forward Zion Williamson seemed to be in a good mood when he met with the media as New Orleans opens pre-season camp. Williamson is recovering from foot surgery after breaking his foot while working out on his own. He addressed rumors that he’s unhappy by saying he loves New Orleans and also explained why he was not with his teammates when the team held voluntary workouts in Nashville…
cut 19 (21) “….rehabbing”
Williamson is expected to be ready for the season opener on October 20th.

In the latest high school football polls…Karr is newly ranked number one team in Class Four-A. And Ouachita Christian is now number one in one-A. The undefeated Eagles are coming off a big win over Cedar Creek.

The Saints’ defense intercepted three passes and held the Patriots to 49 yards rushing in a 28-13 win over New England yesterday. New Orleans offense was not explosive, but they did not turn the ball over. Quarterback Jameis Winston threw two touchdown passes and is pleased with the win…
cut 20 (20) “…great win”
The Saints are back at the team’s training facility in Metairie. They were re-located to Texas because of Hurricane Ida, but still able to start the season with a 2-and-1 record. They will host the winless New York Giants in the Superdome this Sunday.

LSU won its SEC opener over Mississippi State 28-25 on Saturday. The Tigers allowed 371 passing yards, but the Bulldogs gained just 5.5 yards per play. Linebacker Damone Clark had 15 tackles…
cut 17 (14) “…to the end”
LSU hosts 22nd ranked Auburn on Saturday. Former Tiger and Ponchatoula native T-J Finley could start at quarterback. He came off the bench to help rally Auburn to a win over Georgia State on Saturday.

ULM Quarterback Rhett Rodriguez is in the hospital after suffering a lung injury in the Warhawks upset win over Troy. No word on when he’ll be released.

Pelicans All-Star Zion Williamson is recovering from foot surgery, but the team believes Williamson will be ready when the regular season starts on October 20th. Zion fractured his foot while working out on his own over the summer.

For the first time since 1995, the Saints won in Foxborough as the Black and Gold defeated the New England Patriots 28-13 yesterday. New Orleans leaned on its defense as they intercepted rookie quarterback Mac Jones three times. Safety Malcolm Jenkins had a pick-six. Jenkins says they know the defense is the team’s strength..
Cut 19 (17) “…beat.”

LSU played a bend but don’t break style of defense on Saturday to defeat Mississippi State 28-25. Senior linebacker Damon Clark led the way with 15 tackles. Coach Ed Orgeron on Clark’s improvement…
cut 30 (15) “…like one”
LSU hosts 22nd ranked Auburn on Saturday night.

ULM has won back-to-back football games since November 2018 as the Warhawks upset Troy 29-16 to snap an eight-game Sun Belt losing streak. The Warhawks were 23.5 point underdogs entering the game, but Coach Terry Bowden’s team pulled off one of the biggest victories of his coaching career
Cut 18 (17)”…level today.”
QB Rhett Rodriguez threw a TD pass. But Rodriguez suffered a lung injury and according to his dad and offensive coordinator Rich Rodriguez, Rhett is in the ICU at St. Francis Medical Center. His length of stay in the hospital is unknown.

La Tech beat North Texas 24-17 without injured starting quarterback Austin Kendall on Saturday night. The Bulldogs will visit 23rd ranked North Carolina State this Saturday.

LSU spent the week getting ready for Mississippi State’s air raid offense. The Bulldogs threw for an SEC-record 623 yards against the Tigers last year. After missing the last two games with an injury, safety Jay Ward is expected to play. Defensive end BJ Ojulari says having Ward on the field means a lot for the Tigers…
Cut 16 (16) “…him back.”
But LSU could be without All-American cornerback Derek Stingley. Coach Ed Orgeron says Stingley is very questionable after re-aggravating an injury that forced him to miss several practices in the preseason.

For the first time since 1998, the Saints and Patriots will play each other and Drew Brees or Tom Brady will not be involved in the game. Both teams are 1-and-1 on the season and the Saints are coming off a loss. Since the start of the 2017 season, the Saints are 10-and-3 following a loss. Kick-off is at noon.

Louisiana Tech and ULM are both home on Saturday. The Bulldogs host North Texas at 6 PM. Tech Coach Skip Holtz says the Mean Green are explosive on offense…
cut 19 (13) “….corp”
Austin Kendall is off to a good start at quarterback for the Bulldogs. In three games, he’s thrown for 837 yards and seven touchdowns.

ULM opens Sun Belt play by hosting Troy. The Ragin Cajuns are at Georgia Southern. Tulane plays its first game at Yulman Stadium this season when they host UAB at 7 Pm.

Nicholls also plays its first home game of the season when they host North Alabama. McNeese is at Incarnate Word.

The State Fair Classic is Saturday at 4 PM in Dallas as Grambling faces Prairive View A-and-M. The Tigers have lost three straight to the Panthers.

LSU heads to Starkville today for tomorrow’s match-up with Mississippi State at 11 AM. The Bulldogs threw an SEC record 623 yards against the Tigers last year. But LSU defensive end BJ Ojulari believes they are better on defense this year…
cut 17 (15) “…same page”
But LSU coach Ed Orgeron says cornerback Derek Stingley is very questionable for tomorrow’s game. Orgeron says Stingley has re-aggravated an injury that forced him to miss much of preseason camp.

The Saints are getting healthier. Starting Nickelback C-J Gardner Johnson, safety Pete Williams and rookie linebacker Pete Werner were full participants in practice yesterday after they were limited on Wednesday. Cornerback Marshon Lattimore remains limited.

Louisiana Tech looks to rebound tomorrow from a tough loss last weekend when they host North Texas in the Conference USA opener. The Bulldogs fell to 1-and-2 on the season when SMU hit on a Hail Mary pass on the final play of the game to beat Tech last Saturday. Bulldogs Coach Skip Holtz says it was a gut punch, but hopefully something they can learn from
Cut 18 (23)”…get better.”

In other action on Saturday, ULM hosts Troy, The Cajuns are at Georgia Southern. Nicholls finally plays a home game as they host North Alabama. McNeese opens Southland play taking on Incarnate Word in San Antonio and Grambling takes on Prairie View in the State Fair Classic in Dallas.