11:40 LRN Sportscast September 23

LSU’s season opener against Mississippi State will certainly feel and sound different on Saturday as Tiger Stadium, which holds 100-thousand fans, will be limited to just 25-thousand because of the coronavirus. But Safety Jacoby Stevens says the smaller crowd will not damper their enthusiasm…
Cut 16 (22) “…upcoming Saturday”
LSU running back Tyrion Davis Price says that he will dedicate his performance on Saturday to Remy Hidalgo. He’s the lineman from Denham Springs who collapsed at practice last week and died a few days later. The school has scheduled a celebration in Hidalgo’s honor on Saturday night at Yellow Jacket Stadium.

There were a lot of heroes in Louisiana Tech’s come from behind one-point win over Southern Miss last Saturday. Freshman linebacker Tyler Grubbs fits that description as he had 16 tackles in his collegiate debut. Coach Skip Holtz compliments Grubbs’ preparation, who was fourth string on the depth chart when he arrived on campus…
Cut 18 (30) “…four years”
Louisiana Tech hosts Houston Baptist on Saturday night.

The Southland Conference has announced seven of its schools, including the four from Louisiana, will play a six-game spring schedule starting on February 20th.

6:45 LRN Sprotscast

The NFL has fined Saints Coach Sean Payton and Raiders Coach John Gruden for failing to wear face coverings during last night’s game. Each coach will see 100-thousand dollars docked from their pay and the two organizations are also being fined 250-thousand dollars. New Orleans begins preparations today for this Sunday’s game against Green Bay.

First-year Mississippi State football coach Mike Leach will make his SEC debut on Saturday when his Bulldogs visit the 6th ranked LSU Tigers. Leach’s Air Raid offense has been successful at Texas Tech and Washington State and now he’ll test it against SEC defenses. LSU safety Jacoby Stevens says Leach knows how to get the most out of his team…
cut 17 (16) “…their potential”
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After a thrilling season opening win at Southern Miss, Louisiana Tech kicks off its home schedule on Saturday against Houston Baptist. Because of coronavirus restrictions, the Bulldogs can have about eight-thousand fans in the stands. Tech Coach Skip Holtz is looking forward to playing at home…
cut 20 (17) “…at home”
Kick-off in Ruston is at 6 PM.

The Southland Conference has announced plans for a six-game conference schedule featuring seven schools, including the four in Louisiana. The season will begin February 20th and continue through April 10th. The NCAA has also announced plans for a 16-team playoff involving F-C-S teams that would begin April 24th.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says it’s unlikely that the next season will begin before January.

4:45 LRN Sportscast September 22

After watching last night’s Saints loss to the Raiders, some fans have come to the conclusion that Drew Brees doesn’t have the arm strength anymore to throw the ball down the field. Brees says he’s just throwing passes to the open man…
cut 13 (06) “…do it”
The Saints didn’t score enough and lost 34-24.

Just three more days until LSU’s season-opening game against Mississippi State. The Tigers set all kinds of passing records last season. Coach Ed Orgeron says for LSU to have an explosive passing attack again, Myles Brennan needs to make smart decisions with the football…
cut 18 (16) “….make plays”

ULM is off to an 0-2 start after losing to Texas State 38-17 last Saturday. Warhawks Quarterback Colby Suits threw for 377 yards in a loss, but Coach Matt Viator wants a more balanced attack and would like to get the ground game going
Cut 19 (22) “…football better”
The Warhawks will look for their first win on Saturday when they host the UTEP Miners at 2:30 at Malone Stadium. E-S-P-N-U will televise the game.

The Southland Conference announced today that seven schools will compete in a six-game regular-season football schedule starting on February 20th and ending on April 10th. Each team will play three home and three away games over an eight-week period and Southland schools could play some non-conference games as well.

11:40 LRN Sportscast September 22nd

The Saints had a double-digit lead in Las Vegas on Monday night, but the Raiders got rolling in their new stadium and defeated New Orleans 34-24. For the second straight week, the Saints offense couldn’t get into a rhythm while the Raiders had the ball for 36-plus minutes. Coach Sean Payton says allowing the Raiders to convert 10-of-17 on third downs hurt
Cut 10 (12) “…as well.”
Raiders Quarterback Derek Carr threw for 282 yards and three touchdowns, while Saints Q-B Drew Brees threw for 312 yards and a touchdown. He was also intercepted once at the end of the second quarter and there are concerns over whether Father Time has finally caught up with Brees as the 41-year-old missed on some throws he usually connects on.

When asked about possible declining skills, Brees said the entire Saints team is not close to their full capability.

Junior Quarterback Myles Brennan will begin the difficult task on Saturday in trying to follow the footsteps of Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow. Brennan will start at QB for the reigning national champs when they host Mississippi State. Brennan has been waiting for his opportunity and Coach Ed Orgeron says he’s always believed in the Mississippi native…
Cut 16 (21) “…summertime”

ULM will look for its first win of the season on Saturday when they host UTEP. Warhawks coach Matt Viator on what the Miners like to do on defense…
cut 20 (13) “…home again”

6:45 LRN Sportscast Sept 22

For those who have visited Las Vegas, there are times when it’s just not your night. The Saints had one of those nights last night as they fell to the Raiders 34-24 on Monday night football. The Raiders had the ball for 36-minutes, Quarterback Drew Brees threw a critical interception at the end of the second quarter and New Orleans also committed ten penalties for 129 yards. Saints Defensive end Cam Jordan says they have a lot to fix before their next game on Sunday against Green Bay…
cut 12 (12) “…these mistakes”
The Saints defense allowed Las Vegas to convert on third down on 10 of 17 opportunities.

So the Packers are next for the Black and Gold as they host them in the Dome. Aaron Rodgers has looked good for Green Bay, who is off to a 2-0 start. Kick-off on Sunday night will be at 7:20.
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The LSU Tigers will finally take the field on Saturday when they host Mississippi State. Freshman tight end Arik Gilbert has generated a lot of buzz in the preseason, because of his size, athleticsm and catching ability. Coach Ed Orgeron says Gilbert has drawn comparisons to a former NFL player they used to call Mega-tron…
cut 17 (20) “….Calvin Johnson
LSU released its depth chart and it has junior college transfer Ali Gaye starting at defensive end. The Washington native played at Garden City Community College last season and was rated as the second best junior college defensive end in the country.

Louisiana Tech’s Tyler Grubbs has been named Athlon Sports Freshman of the Week. He had 16 tackles in Tech’s thrilling win over Southern Miss.

11:40 LRN Sportscast September 21

For only the second time in his career, Saints All-pro wide receiver Michael Thomas will miss his second game as he’s out with an ankle injury for tonight’s contest versus the Las Vegas Raiders. New Orleans tight end Jared Cook says it’s next man up…
cut 17 (16) “…about that”
Cook led the team in receptions last week with five catches for 80 yards. Expect Alvin Kamara to be a bigger part of the passing game. He also had five catches last week and Emmanuel Sanders will need to be more of a factor, after catching three passes in his Saints debut last week. Kick-off is at 7:15.

Former Pelican Anthony Davis drained a three-pointer at the buzzer as Lakers defeated Denver 105 to 103 last night to take a two games to nothing lead in the Western Conference Finals. A-D had 31 points.

The 19th ranked Ragin Cajuns rallied back from a two-touchdown deficit to beat Georgia State 34-31 in overtime to improve to 2-0. Elijah Mitchell rushed for 164 yards and two touchdowns to help spark the comeback. Coach Billy Napier says they needed Mitchell, because overall they were not consistent enough on offense
Cut 18 (17) “…play better”
Mitchell has been named Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week.

Louisiana Tech quarterback Luke Anthony is one of eight quarterbacks named as a Star of the Week by the Manning Award. Anthony threw three second-half touchdown passes to help the Bulldogs overcome a 17-point deficit to beat Southern Miss 31-30.

And NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders was introduced today as the new head football coach at Jackson State.

6:45 LRN Sportscast September 20

The Saints will look to improve to 2-0 tonight when they face the Raiders in their new stadium in Las Vegas. New Orleans All-Pro receiver Michael Thomas will not play because of a high ankle sprain. Quarterback Drew Brees says the Black and Gold have the next man up mentality
Cut 16 (14) “…do have”
The latest report on Thomas is that he’ll miss two to four weeks with an ankle injury.

Yesterday in the NFC South, Dallas rallied from a 20-0 deficit to stun the Altanta Falcons 40-39. Louisiana native Dak Prescott rushed for three touchdowns and threw for another one. Prescott finished with 450 passing yards for the Cowboys.

Former LSU star Leonard Fournette rushed for 103 yards and two touchdowns as Tampa Bay topped Carolina 31-17. The Bucs are 1-and-1, the Panthers are 0-2.
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Louisiana Tech was without six starters and 20 players from their two-deep because of COVID-19, but rallied back from a 17-point deficit in the third quarter to beat Conference USA rival Southern Miss 31-30 on Saturday. The Bulldogs scored the game-tying touchdown in the final seconds and added the extra point for the win. Coach Skip Holtz says he’ll never forget this victory
cut 20 (20) “…competed tonight”
The Bulldogs host Houston Baptist on Saturday.

The Ragin Cajuns remain ranked 19th in the AP poll after a come from behind overtime win over Georgia State on Saturday. U-L Lafayette is 2-0 and will host Georgia Southern for its home opener Saturday.

LSU is ranked sixth in the AP Poll and open the season Saturday versus Mississippi State.

4:45 LRN Sportscast September 18

There will be two college football games played in Louisiana on Saturday and one of them will have fans inside their stadium. ULM will host Texas State on Saturday night and Malone Stadium will operate at 25-percent capacity. Athletic Director Scott McDonald…
cut 16 (16) “….from others”
Tailgating and RV parking is not allowed in campus lots.

Tulane is also at home Saturday as they will host Navy at 11 AM. No fans will be allowed inside Yulman Stadium, but the game will be on ABC.

The 19th ranked Cajuns visit Georgia State as they look to build off last week’s historic win over Iowa State. La Tech kicks off its season at Southern Miss. The Bulldogs will play two Q-Bs, Aaron Allen and Luke Anthony.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports there is a little glimmer of hope that wide receiver Michael Thomas can play Monday in Las Vegas against the Raiders, despite a high-ankle sprain. Schefter reports Thomas felt fantastic at practice yesterday and the Saints are pleased and surprised by his progress. New Orleans is a 5.5 point favorite on Monday.

LSU fans have to wait another week to see their team play, but they can watch Coach Ed Orgeron on 60 Minutes on Sunday. Coach O’s special assistant Derek Ponamsky says the C-B-S show will give viewers a personal look at Coach O and and his mother Coco who lives in Larose…
cut 7 (13) “…for the viewer”
Ponamsky says between the 60 minutes feature and his new book Flip the Script, LSU fans will get a better idea of the inner workings of Coach O.

11:40 LRN Sportscast September 18

Former LSU Q-B Joe Burrow set a rookie record last night by completing 37 passes in a game, but his Bengals still lost to in-state rival Cleveland 35-30. Burrow was 37 of 61 for 317 yards and three touchdowns. But he also had a critical fumble that led to a Cleveland touchdown.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports there’s a glimmer of hope that wide receiver Michael Thomas will play Monday night when the Saints visit the Raiders in Las Vegas. Schefter says Thomas felt fantastic at practice yesterday and the team is pleased and surprised by his progress.

The high school football community is mourning the death of junior Remy Hidalgo. The Denham Springs linemen collapsed at practice on Tuesday and died this morning at a New Orleans hospital. In a Facebook post, Remy’s mother says this is not fair and she just wants her son back.

Two college football games will be played in Louisiana tomorrow. ULM will host Texas State with Malone Stadium filled with fans up to 25-percent capacity. Warhawks Athletics Director Scott McDonald says getting to this point has been a real challenge…
cut 18 (15) “….play”
In New Orleans, Tulane will open its home schedule by hosting Navy at 11 AM on ABC Television. No fans will be allowed in Yulman Stadium.

Lousiana Tech is at Southern Miss, who has a new coach after losing its season opener. Scotty Walden has taken over for Jay Hopson. Bulldogs Coach Skip Holtz doesn’t expect Walden to make drastic changes to what Southern Miss likes to do…
cut 20 (19) “….they have”

6:45 LRN Sportscast September 18

Former LSU Quarterback Joe Burrow set an NFL record with 37 completions in a game for a rookie last night, but Cincinnati lost to Cleveland 35-30. Burrow threw for 316 yards and three TDS, but also had a costly fumble.

LSU legends Mahmoud Abdul Rauf and Glenn Dorsey are entering the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame as they will go in as the Class of 2021. Hall of Fame Chairman Doug Irleand says Dorsey was a two-time All American and SEC Defensive Player of the Year…
cut 11 (09) “….senior year”
The Saints all-time receiver Marques Colston will also be enshrined in June.

ULM will host the first college football game in Louisiana with fans tomorrow night when the Warhawks host Texas State. Athletic Director Scott McDonald says Malone Stadium will operate at 25-percent capacity…
cut 17 (13) “….football”
Kick-off is at 6:30.

After having last week’s game postponed because of a COVID-19 outbreak within the team, La Tech will open the season tomorrow night at Conference USA foe Southern Miss. The Bulldogs are expected to play two quarterbacks, Aaron Allen and Luke Anthony. Tech also has new offensive and defensive coordinators. Even Head Coach Skip Holtz is not sure what we’ll see
Cut 19 (18) “…everybody else”

The Saints report that receiver Michael Thomas and defensive end Marcus Davenport did not practice yesterday. Emmanual Sanders also did not practice, but his absence was not related to injury.

The LHSAA has updated its guidelines for fall sports and the rules call for face coverings for coaches and players on the sidelines.