The Saints return to work today and as they get ready for Sunday night’s big matchup with Tampa Bay. The game will go a long way towards deciding who will win the NFC South and get at least one home playoff game. The Buccaneers are a half-game ahead of the Black and Gold for first place in the division. Wide receiver Antonio Brown is expected to make his debut for Tampa Bay on Sunday.

LSU Baseball begins its Purple and Gold Series tonight and Coach Paul Mainieri says several freshmen are looking good in fall ball. Mainieri says Dyan Crews is his likely starter in right field…
cut 17 (11) “…home runs’
Mainieri says freshman Will Safford has a chance to start at third base, while Tre Morgan from Brother Martin in New Orleans has looked good at first base, which would move Cade Beloso to the outfield.

We’ll get an update today from LSU Coach Ed Orgeron on whether Quarterback Myles Brennan is making any progress. Orgeron will speak during the SEC Coaches teleconference at 10 AM. Brennan has been sidelined the last two games with a reported abdominal injury and his hoping to play November 14 versus Alabama.

Because of Tuesday’s election, college football teams did not practice yesterday. ULM coach Matt Viator says he’s not sure of the status of senior running back Josh Johnson, who injured his hamstring last Saturday…
cut 20 (07) “…Wednesday morning”
The Warhawks are at Georgia State on Saturday.

Lousiana Tech Football Coach Skip Holtz is not saying who will start at quarterback this Saturday at North Texas. Aaron Allen came off the bench last weekend to lead the Bulldogs to a come from behind 37-34 double-overtime win over UAB. Luke Anthony has started the last six games.

At the halfway point of the 2020 season, the defending national champion LSU Tigers are 2-and-3 and with difficult games remaining against Alabama, Florida, and Texas A-and-M, the Bayou Bengals could have their first losing season since 1999. But Coach Ed Orgeron still likes the direction of the program
cut 16 (16) “ do that”
LSU continues to do well on the recruiting trail. According to 24-7 sports, the Tigers have the fourth-best 2021 recruiting class as LSU picked up two commitments from Acadiana over the weekend, Lafayette Christian Safety Sage Ryan and St. Thomas More’s Jack Bech, who is a three-star wide receiver who just de-committed from Vanderbilt.

A proposition to allow sports betting by the parish is on today’s ballot. Brooke Thorington has more.
Voicer 3 (31) “…I’m Brooke Thorington”

The Saints are off today and they’ll get back to work tomorrow as they will face Tampa Bay on Sunday night. The Buccaneers avoided an upset last night as they defeated the Giants 25-23 to move to six and two, a half-game ahead of the Black and Gold for first place in the NFC South. Wide receiver Antonio Brown is expected to make his debut for Tampa Bay.

The New Orleans Saints have acquired former LSU linebacker Kwon Alexander in a trade with the San Francisco 49ers.  In return, the Saints gave up a conditional fifth round draft pick and linebacker Kiko Alonso, who has not played this season.  Coach Sean Payton says Alexander gives the Saints another athletic linebacker.

Cut 18 (18)… “San Fran”

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the New York Giants last night 25-23, in a game that was much closer than most expected.  This sets up a big time matchup this weekend as the Saints will travel take on Tampa Bay as they battle for the division lead.

Chicago receiver Javon Wims has received a 3 game suspension after punching New Orleans Safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson.

LSU’s next game is November 14^th against the Alabama Crimson Tide in Tiger Stadium.  Coach Ed Orgeron says that it’s too early to tell if injured quarterback Myles Brennan will play against the second-ranked Crimson Tide.  Coach O says if Brennan can’t play, there will be a competition between TJ Finley and Max Johnson on who will start.

Cut 17 (24)… “see what happens”

LSU is 2-3 on the season following the loss to Auburn and could use this bye week to make some necessary adjustments.

The Saints have acquired former LSU linebacker Kwon Alexander in a trade with the San Francisco 49ers. In return, San Fran receives a conditional fifth round draft pick and linebacker Kiko Alonso, who has yet to play this season after tearing his ACL in the playoff loss to Minnesota. Alexander was a Pro Bowler with Tampa Bay in 2017, but has played in only 13 games the last two seasons with the 49ers.

The Saints will take a four-game winning streak into Sunday night’s showdown with Tampa Bay. Coach Sean Payton says his team has shown a lot of grit by winning close games, including two overtime contests…
cut 19 (25) “….more important game”

LSU Football Coach Ed Orgeron is uncertain if Myles Brennan will be available to play in the Tigers’ next game on November 14th versus second-ranked Alabama. Brennan has missed the last two games with a slow healing abdominal injury. Orgeron says if Brennan can’t play, TJ Finley will battle fellow freshman Max Johnson for the start.

For those who waited until today to vote, they’ll see a proposition on the ballot that ask if you want sports betting legalized in your parish. Proponents say sports betting is already done illegally so why not legalize it and collect state and local revenue. Public Affairs Research Council President Robert Travis Scott says opponents see this as another way to lure young gamblers…
cut 15 (12) “…casinos or online”
Polls close at 8 PM tonight.

On the eve of the NFL trade deadline, the Saints made a deal today with the San Francisco 49ers to acquire former LSU linebacker Kwon Alexander. In return, San Fran gets a conditional fifth-round pick and linebacker Kiko Alonso, who has not played this season after tearing his A-C-L in the playoffs last year. Alexander has seven interceptions, eight forced fumbles, and 8.5 sacks during his career with Tampa Bay and the 49ers.

Not a good first SEC road start for TJ Finley who was intercepted twice and lost a fumble in LSU’s 48-11 loss to Auburn. Coach Ed Orgeron says you can’t pin this loss on Finley or Max Johnson who threw one TD pass in mop-up duty…
cut 18 (18) “…of protection”
Orgeron says Myles Brennan’s status for the Alabama game is unknown.

The Ragin Cajuns rolled up a season-high 614 yards of offense in a 44-34 win over Texas State on Saturday. Quarterback Levi Lewis threw for 332 yards and two touchdowns and Trey Ragas rushed for 131 yards and three scores. Coach Billy Napier says the offense needed to play well after giving up a season-high 34 points
cut 16 (14) “ skill groups”
After winning their last two games on the road, the Cajuns return home this Saturday to host Arkansas State for homecoming.

La Tech’s come from behind double-overtime win over UAB has resulted in the Bulldogs sweeping Conference USA Player of the Week honors. Aaron Allen was named offensive player of the week for coming off the bench and throwing for 191 yards and two TDs. Bee Jay Williamson intercepted two passes and forced a fumble in OT and Jacob Barnes kicked the game-winning field goal.

It’s becoming a common occurrence, Saints games going down to the wire, but at least New Orleans is winning them. They pulled off a 26-23 overtime win in Chicago last night. Each victory during their four-game winning streak has been by six points or less. Safety Malcolm Jenkins…
cut 15 (14) “….each other”
The Saints are at Tampa Bay Sunday night.

After an embarrassing 48-11 loss to Auburn, the calls continue from the fan base for the removal of Bo Pelini as LSU defensive coordinator. But Coach Ed Orgeron does not plan on making any midseason coaching changes…
cut 19 (10) “….everything”
LSU is off this Saturday and they’ll host Alabama on November 14th.

The Ragin Cajuns rolled up a season-high 614 yards of offense in a 44-34 win over Texas State on Saturday. Quarterback Levi Lewis threw for 332 yards and two touchdowns and Trey Ragas rushed for 131 yards and three scores. Coach Billy Napier says the offense needed to play well after giving up a season-high 34 points
cut 16 (14) “ skill groups”
After winning their last two games on the road, the Cajuns return home this Saturday to host Arkansas State for homecoming.

Louisiana Tech won a wild double-overtime affair with UAB on Saturday to snap a two-game losing streak. The victory gives the Bulldogs a chance to still win the Conference USA West Division.

ULM is still winless after losing to Appalachian State 31-13 and their top running back Josh Johnson left the game with a hamstring injury.

The Saints won their fourth straight last night pulling off a hard-fought victory in Chicago by beating the Bears 26-23 in overtime on a Wil Lutz 35-yard field goal. It was redemption for Lutz, who missed a 27-yard field goal in the first quarter, his first miss of the season…
Cut 14 (13) “go through”
The Saints are 5-2.

It was an ugly 48-11 loss for LSU at Auburn on Saturday. The Bayou Bengals are 2-and-3 could be facing their first two-game losing streak in the Ed Orgeron era as they host second-ranked Alabama on November 14. Linebacker Jabril Cox says they can’t dwell on the loss to Auburn…
cut 20 (13) “….two weeks”

Louisiana Tech ended a two-game losing streak on Saturday with a wild 37-34 double-overtime victory over UAB. The Bulldogs trailed by two touchdowns entering the fourth quarter and tied the game with 10 seconds left and won the contest on a 35-yard field goal by Jacob Barnes. Coach Skip Holtz says it was a strange game, but a big win…
cut 17 (23) stepped up”
Tech travels to Denton on Saturday to face North Texas.

The Ragin Cajuns are ranked 27th in the A-P poll after beating Texas State 44-34 on Saturday night. Trey Ragas had three touchdown runs, while Levi Lewis threw for 332 yards and two touchdowns and he also ran for a score.

The Saints go after their fourth straight win on Sunday when they face the Bears in Chicago. In order for New Orleans to leave the Windy City with a win, they have to make sure a couple of former Saints players do not have big games. Akeim HIcks has developed into one of the better defensive tackles in the NFL since leaving the Saints and Coach Sean Payton says he’s difficult to block because of the skill set he has…
cut 30 (20) “…in the matchup”
And former Saints tight end Jimmy Graham has four touchdown catches in his first season in Chicago. It will be Bear weather for the 3:25 kickoff. High temperatures will be in the upper 30s and there’s the potential for wind gusts over 40 miles per hour.

What kind of tricks or treats will see on Saturday as LSU hosts Auburn on Halloween Day at 2:30. This series is known for its memorable contests and the Fighting Tigers have won the last three games between these two teams. The last time they played at Auburn, Cole Tracy hit a 42-yard walk-off game winning field goal to give LSU a 22-21 win.

Louisiana Tech is coming off a one point loss to U-T-S-A as the Bulldogs will host U-A-B on Saturday at 2:30. Tech has dropped two in a row to even their record at 3-and-3. Coach Skip Holtz is looking for better play during the second half of the season…
cut 19 (13) “…to be”
And in the Sun Belt…the Ragin Cajuns look to remain perfect on the road as they are at Texas State, while winless ULM hosts Appalachian State

LSU is a 2.5-point favorite heading into tomorrow’s SEC West matchup against the Auburn Tigers. The Bayou Bengals have won the last three games in this series and Auburn Coach Gus Malzahn says it’s time for them to get a victory
cut 16 (25) “ win column”
LSU Coach Ed Orgeron has seen his salary reduced by five-percent along with every other coach on campus as the university announces it’s facing an 80-million dollar loss in revenue because of the coronavirus pandemic. Bonuses for coaches have also been canceled.

Both Louisiana Tech and ULM are huge home underdogs on Saturday. The Warhawks are still searching for their first win and they will host Appalachian State at 3 PM. The Bulldogs will host UAB at 2:30. Senior running back Israel Tucker on what it will take to beat the Blazers…
cut 20 (11) “….itself”
The Bulldogs are looking to snap a two-game losing streak, while the Blazers are looking to rebound from a rare home loss to the Ragin Cajuns. U-L Lafayette is at Texas State on Halloween night. The Bobcats have one win on the year.

The College Football Bowl Schedule is out and the Independence Bowl will be a part of the bowl season. The Indy Bowl will take place Saturday night at 6:30 in Shreveport. Army has already agreed to play in the game and they’ll face an opponent out of the Pac-12.

The LSU athletic department says it expects to lose 80-million dollars in revenue because of the impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on college athletics. That’s resulted in eight employees within the athletic department being laid off and coaches including Ed Orgeron taking a five-percent pay cut. Bonuses for coaches have also been canceled.

LSU Freshman Quarterback TJ Finley is set to make his first road start against Auburn. While the War Eagles offense features a freshman running back. Auburn Coach Gus Malzahn says Tank Bigsby’s emergence has helped get their running game on track…
cut 17 (20) “…Auburn football”
Kick-off on Saturday is at 2:30.

The Saints head into Sunday’s game with Chicago ranked last in the NFL in red-zone defense. Opponents have made 22 trips inside New Orleans’ 20-yard line and they’ve scored 19 touchdowns. Coach Sean Payton says they want to at least force field goals…
cut 18 (18) “…third down matchup”
The Bears have a 48-percent efficiency offensively in the red zone, which is the fourth-worst in the NFL and the Bears offense is dealing with injuries to key players. Starting center Cody Whitehair and wide receiver Allen Robinson did not practice yesterday.

Meanwhile, Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas returned to practice yesterday. Thomas was limited with ankle and hamstring injuries. Marquez Callaway also practiced on a limited basis with an ankle injury.