The Saints won their 15th straight game in the month of October as they held off Carolina 27-24 to improve to 4-2 yesterday. Quarterback Drew Brees was efficient as he threw for 287 yards and two touchdowns. He also had a rushing touchdown. Brees’ second TD pass came at the end of the first half to give New Orleans a 21-17 halftime lead
Cut 15 (08) “..the game”
The Saints were 12 of 14 on third down, however, New Orleans defense had trouble slowing down Carolina’s passing game. But Marcus Davenport had a key sack on the Panthers’ final drive that led to a 65-yard field goal try that came up short.

New Orleans remains in second place in the NFC South. That’s because Tampa Bay beat Oakland 45 to 20 to improve to 5-2. Also, Tom Brady moved past Brees for the most NFL touchdown passes in history. Brady had four TD passes on the day.

LSU freshman quarterback TJ Finley says the Tigers have their swagger back after beating South Carolina 52-24 on Saturday. Finley threw for 265 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for a score. Running back John Emery was impressed with Finley’s demeanor in his first collegiate game…
cut 19 (19) “…so calm”
It helped that the Tigers got their running game going as LSU rushed for 265 yards.

LSU remains out of the AP Top 25. The Ragin Cajuns are receiving votes and they are ranked 29th and they’ll visit Texas State on Saturday.

Louisiana Tech has dropped two straight Conference USA games and they’ll host UAB on Saturday. ULM is still winless and the Warhawks are home to face Appalachian State.

LSU Freshman TJ Finley will start at QB for the Tigers on Saturday against South Carolina in place of the injured Myles Brennan after beating out fellow freshman Max Johnson.  TJ’s father David Finley says that when his son faces off against the Gamecocks the speed of the game isn’t the concern, it’s getting the first hit out of the way

Cut 5

The Ragin’ Cajuns look to bounce back after suffering a loss to Coastal Carolina last week.  The Cajuns will travel to Birmingham to take on the UAB Blazers.  This will not be an easy task as ULL coach Billy Napier says that UAB is a well coached team.

Cut 19

The New Orleans Saints will face off against the Carolina Panthers this weekend, who are led by for Saints QB Teddy Bridgewater.  Bridgewater led the Saints to a 5-0 record last season after Drew Brees went down with an injury.  The Saints being familiar with Bridgewater should certainly help them, and All-pro Defensive End Cam Jordan says he’s excited to play against his former teammate.

Cut 16

The capacity at high school football games will double tonight from 25 percent to 50 percent capacity after Governor John Bel Edwards amends the state health order.  Parishes will have to meet certain criteria to re-open, including a 5 percent or less Covid positivity rate for the past two weeks.  Even if schools meet the requirements, Edwards says they will not be forced to increase capacity

LSU head football coach Ed Orgeron names TJ Finley the starter for Saturday’s game against the Gamecocks. O says the freshman from Ponchatoula has really improved this season and is ready for game action.
cut 20 (21) “do well”
Orgeron also plans to play the other true freshman, Max Johnson. Kick-off on Saturday night is at 6 PM

Saints All Pro receiver Michael Thomas did not practice yesterday because of ankle and hamstring injuries. Thomas has not played since the season opener and there’s a good chance that he will not be able to play in Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers. Offensive guard Nick Easton also missed his second practice with a concussion.

The Ragin Cajuns look to get back in the win column tonight when they face U-A-B in Birmingham. The matchup features two of the better Group of Five schools in the country and U-L Lafayette Coach Billy Napier says it’s been a long time since an opponent won in Birmingham
cut 18 (15) ” three phases”
Kick off is at 7 PM.

There will be more fans at some high school football games tonight as Governor Edwards is lifting the cap at games from 25 to 50-percent in parishes, where the positivity rate of COVID cases are 5-percent or less in the previous two weeks. He encourages fans to continue practicing social distancing and wearing face masks to keep it this way…
cut 9 (11) “…25 percent

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports wide receiver Michael Thomas was not present at the portion of the Saints practice open to the media today. On the injury report, it says Thomas is still dealing with a high ankle sprain and now a hamstring injury. His status for Sunday is very much in doubt.

LSU Quarterback Myles Brennan is not expected to play Saturday against South Carolina. True freshmen Max Johnson and TJ Finley are competing in practice to see who will be the starter if Brennan can’t play. Gamecocks Coach Will Muschamp doesn’t expect LSU will adjust its play-calling because they are playing a freshman at Q-B…
cut 20 (09) “…seeing”

Governor Edwards announced this afternoon the maximum capacity at high school stadiums can go up to 50-percent starting tomorrow if the parish has a two-week positivity rate below five percent.

NBA Hall of Famer and LSU legend Shaquille O’ Neal has been sworn in as a special reserve deputy with the St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Becket Breaux says he’s known Shaq for a long time…
cut 4 (10) “…great team”
Breaux says Shaq will participate in zoom calls and when he has the chance, he’ll ride along with deputies.

The Pelicans have officially announced the hiring of their new head coach, Stan Van Gundy. This will be his fourth head coaching job for the 61-year-old, who has served as a TV analyst for the last two seasons. During his time as a head coach, he worked with Shaquille O Neal, Dwight Howard, and Andre Drummond. Now he gets to help develop Zion Williamson.

Louisiana Tech has called a press conference for tomorrow to introduce Eric Wood as its new Athletics Director. He’s currently a deputy A-D at Central Florida. He’ll replace Tommy McClelland who recently left for a job at Vanderbilt.

LSU is reportedly self -imposing penalties after a two-year investigation revealed that a booster paid the father of former LSU lineman Vadal Alexander for a no-show job.  The penalties will include reducing scholarships and a 21-day reduction for official and unofficial recruiting visits.

And former LSU star Odell Beckham Jr. has been banned from the program for two after he handed out cash to players following the national championship.  Tiger Rag editor Ron Higgins says that it could have been even worse.

Cut 16 (11) “..game too”

South Carolina head coach Will Muschamp says that with Myles Brennan doubtful for Saturday, he doesn’t expect LSU to change its playing despite playing a freshman at Quarterback.

Cut 20 (09) “..seeing”

It’s been a crazy season so far for New Orleans Saints WR Michael Thomas, Thomas suffered a high ankle sprain in the Saints week one game against Tampa Bay.  Thomas was then held out of the team’s week 5 game against the Chargers due to disciplinary reasons.  Just when he was expected back, Thomas sustained a hamstring injury during Wednesday’s practice, putting his status for this week’s game in question.

LA Tech will look for its 7^th straight win over UTSA when the two teams meet in the Alamodome in San Antonio.  Bulldogs coach Skip Holtz says even though tech has dominated this series as of late, there’s been some close games between the two teams

Cut 17 (20) “..anything less”

LSU has admitted to NCAA rules violations and they are imposing penalties on its football program which include a reduction of eight scholarships over two years. And former LSU wide receiver Odell Beckham Junior has been banned from its facility for two years after handing out two-thousand dollars in cash to players on the field after the national title game.

Tiger Rag Editor Ron Higgins says the self-imposed penalties are in hopes of reducing what the NCAA would impose for infractions…
cut 15 (14) “….pretty good actually”

Did the Pelicans hire a good head coach? Time will tell, but the franchise will give 61-year-old Stan Van Gundy the opportunity to mold a team featuring Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram into a championship contender.

LSU Coach Ed Orgeron calls starting quarterback Myles Brennan very questionable to play Saturday versus South Carolina. Brennan suffered a torn abdomen according to The Athletic. Max Johnson or T-J Finley will start at QB if Brennan can’t play. Gamecocks coach Will Muschamp says there’s not a dropoff in talent between Brennan and the true freshmen
cut 19 (11) “very talented”‘

Louisiana Tech is looking to rebound after a 35-17 loss to Marshall last week. Tech’s offense only produced 267 total yards and the defense allowed the Thundering Herd to convert on third down 13 times. But Coach Skip Holtz says after watching the film the players realize if they play fundamentally sound, they could be a really good team…
cut 18 (13) “…getting better”

Sports Illustrated is reporting LSU is imposing penalties on its own program after a two-year investigation revealed a booster paid the father of a former football player for a job he never showed up for. If you remember last October, John Paul Fumes, the former CEO of Our Lady of the Lake Foundation was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison for stealing 555-thousand dollars from the foundation. Prosecutors say 180-thousand dollars went to the father of former LSU lineman Vadal Alexander.

Also, former LSU star Odell Beckham Junior has been banned from the program for two years after handing out cash to players following the national championship.

Meanwhile, the Tigers continue to get ready for Saturday’s game against South Carolina and Coach Ed Orgeron does not think starting quarterback Myles Brennan will play. Either TJ Finley or Max Johnson will start if Brennan can’t go.

After a bye week, ULM is back in action this Saturday as the Warhawks travel to South Alabama in search of their first win. Coach Matt Viator says they used the extra time off to work on special teams after the punt team gave up three touchdowns in a 40-7 loss to Liberty….
cut 28 (19) ” I ever had”

The Saints will be allowed to play in front of fans after the team reached an agreement with New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell. Beginning this Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, 3,000 fans will be allowed inside the Superdome.

And the Pelicans have a new coach as there are reports the team has agreed to a four-year deal with Stan Van Gundy. Van Gundy has previous head coaching experience with the Heat, Magic and Pistons.

LSU Football Coach Ed Orgeron does not think Myles Brennan will play Saturday against South Carolina. That means either true freshmen T-J Finley or Max Johnson will start at quarterback. Coach Ed Orgeron says he’ll make a decision at the end of the week…
cut 13 (07) “…will play”
2014 was the last time LSU started a true freshman quarterback. Brandon Harris got the start and LSU lost to Auburn 41-7.

Three-thousand Saints season ticket holders will be able to attend Sunday’s game between the Black and Gold and the Carolina Panthers. An agreement has been reached between the city and the team that could result in six-thousand fans for November games and up to 15-thousand fans in December. Coach Sean Payton says this is a great way to gradually allow fans inside the Dome…
cut 4 (07) “…there”

ULM is coming off a bye week and they’ll visit South Alabama on Saturday. Warhawks coach Matt Viator says they used the extra time to work on special teams after the punt team gave up three touchdowns in a loss to Liberty and he says they used the additional practice time to work on defenses that play three-man fronts…
cut 19 (18) “…so”
Viator says defensive linemen Mason Husmann. Sir’Darius Ellis and Demonde Harris were limited in practice last week, but he says there’s a shot they could play Saturday against South Alabama.

Louisiana Tech coach Skip Holtz says starting right tackle Antawn Lewis should play Saturday against U-T-S-A. Lewis missed the last two games because of COVID.

True Freshmen T-J Finley and Max Johnson are competing this week to see who will be LSU’s starting quarterback on Saturday if Myles Brennan can not play because of an injury. Starting center Liam Shanahan says he’s been impressed with Finley and Johnson…
cut 17 (16) “…I’m confident”
1-and-2 LSU will host 2-and-2 South Carolina at 6 PM in Tiger Stadium.

Louisiana Tech Head Football Coach Skip Holtz says his starting right tackle Antawn Lewis should play on Saturday night against U-T-S-A. Lewis has missed the last two games because of COVID-19.

ULM coach Matt Viator says defensive linemen Mason Husmann. Sir’Darius Ellis and Demonde Harris were limited in practice last week, but Viator says there’s a shot they could play Saturday against South Alabama.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell and the Saints have agreed to a phased approach allowing fans to back into the Superdome. Brooke Thorington has more
Cut 3 (30) “…I’m Brooke Thorington”

The Saints are 7.5 point favorites this Sunday to beat Carolina. The Panthers are 3-and-3 and their star running back Christian McCaffrey is not expected to play Sunday versus New Orleans. He hasn’t played the last five weeks because of a high ankle sprain. Carolina has also placed wide receiver and former Saint Keith Kirkwood on injured reserve with a shoulder injury.

LSU Coach Ed Orgeron says Tigers quarterback Myles Brennan is questionable for Saturday night’s home game versus South Carolina. True freshmen TJ Finley and Max Johnson will compete for an opportunity to start against the Gamecocks. Coach Ed Orgeron says when Brennan is healthy from his injury, he’ll be the starter
cut 19 (19) “.starting quarterback”‘
Orgeron calls it a significant lower-body injury. The Athletic’s Brody Miller reports Brennan played three quarters against Missouri with a torn muscle in his abdomen.

Ragin Cajuns Coach Billy Napier says the players will honor offensive line coach D-J Looney during Friday’s game against UAB by having Looney’s name on the back of their jersey. Looney died in August of a heart attack. Birmingham is his hometown.

After missing the first four games of the season, because of injuries, Saints defensive end Marcus Davenport saw his first action of the season in New Orleans last game, a 30-27 overtime victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. Davenport played 21 snaps on defense and had one pass defensed
cut 18 (18) ” develop again”
Coach Sean Payton hopes they can increase Davenport’s playing time.

The Saints are still hoping to have fans in the Superdome for home games this year. The team says they had a productive meeting with New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell yesterday.

LHSAA Executive Director Eddie Bonine says they are looking at alternate sites for the prep classic, which is scheduled to be held December 26th to the 28th in the Superdome. In a memo sent to schools, Bonine says they are looking for a location that would allow 25-percent capacity.