The LSU football program has self-imposed a one-year bowl ban as a way to punish itself for violating NCAA rules. Glen Guilbeau with the USA Today Network says the NCAA has been investigating LSU for a recruiting violation committed by Ed Orgeron in January 2019, Beckham handing out a fistful of cash to players after the national championship game and a booster providing former LSU football player Vadal Alexander’s parents with a no-show job.

Cut 5 (12) “gave up”

The Saints will visit the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday and it will be a big game for New Orleans safety Malcolm Jenkins who’s in his second stint with the Saints after playing six seasons in Philadelphia.  Coach Sean Payton says he regrets letting Jenkins leave in 2013.

Cut 20 (11) “here we go”

Louisiana Tech was scheduled to play Baylor to open its football season, but that game never happened because of Covid, so it only makes since that the Bulldogs play another Big 12 team in the TCU Horned Frogs on Saturday.  Here’s coach Skip Holtz on the Horned Frogs.

Cut 16 (19) “football team”

LHSAA and Northwestern State officials are expected to meet today about the upcoming Prep Football Classic, which will be held in Natchitoches from December 27th to the 30th. Demons Atheltic Director Greg Burke says they are excited to host the event…

Cut 10 (10) “and coaches”

LSU has self-imposed a one-year bowl ban on its football program. So that means no bowl game for the Tigers for the first time since 1999. This punishment is in addition to the sanctions the university levied on itself in October when the school announced its cutting eight scholarships over the next two years, reducing recruiting visits and banning former wide receiver Odell Beckham Junior from the facility for two years. The NCAA is investigating the football program over allegations that a booster provided the parents of a former football player with a no-show job, Beckham’s handing out of cash after the national championship, and a recruiting violation committed by Head Coach Ed Orgeron in January 2019.

The Saints will visit the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, who will start rookie Jalen Hurts at quarterback. Coach Sean Payton says his defense will need to be ready for a different offense due to Hurts’ ability to run the ball.
cut 19 (15) “…hadn’t seen.”

Louisiana Tech will take on T-C-U on Saturday. Bulldogs Coach Skip Holtz says he plans to continue playing two quarterbacks, Luke Anthony and Aaron Allen…
cut 17 (19) “…to play”
Holtz says Anthony will start on Saturday and he considers Allen a co-starter.

Louisiana Tech won its 10th straight home game last night as Bulldogs dribbled past Southeastern Louisiana 78-69. Kalob Ledoux led the way with 24 points, while Amorie Archibald added 16 points. Pape Diop had 15 points for S-L-U.

ULM lost at the buzzer last night as Davion Buster nailed a 40-foot three-pointer to give Lamar a 63-60 win over the Warhawks. ULM led by as many as 13 points in the second half.

Tulane trounced Southern Miss 58-38, Arkansas crushed Southern 79-44. LSU’s game against South Florida on Saturday has been canceled but the Tigers will now play Sam Houston State on Monday.

LSU Coach Ed Orgeron confirmed today that star freshman tight end Arik Gilbert has opted out for the remainder of the season. Orgeron is not sure if Gilbert will be back next year…
cut 7 (07) “….next year”
Gilbert reportedly was homesick and his mother drove in from Georgia to talk with him this week. LSU linebacker Jabril Cox says he can understand why Gilbert may need a break.
cut 18 (28) “…get through it”
LSU is at Florida State on Saturday.

The state high school football championship games are being moved to Natchitoches and are set to run for four days from December 27th to the 30th. Matt Doyle has the story.
voicer 2 (29) “…I’m Matt Doyle.”

A contact tracing issue has forced the LSU men’s basketball team to cancel its scheduled game versus South Florida on Saturday in Atlanta. But the Tigers have already found an opponent to make up that missed game. LSU will host Sam Houston State on Monday.

Tonight, Southeastern Louisiana is at Louisiana Tech, Southern visits Arkansas and Tulane hosts Southern Miss.

LSU Football Coach Ed Orgeron confirmed today that star LSU freshman Tight End Arik Gilbert has opted out for the remainder of the season. Orgeron says he met with Gilbert yesterday…
cut 6 (12) “…transferring”
Gilbert is the seventh player to opt-out this season as there’s speculation the culture Orgeron built during last season’s national championship has fallen apart. 30-year-old LSU punter Zach Von Rosenberg says the locker room is still together…
cut 16 (20) “….against Florida”
The Tigers will face the Gators in the Swamp at 6 PM on Saturday night.

High School football championship games will be played in Natchitoches later this month, not New Orleans. L-H-S-A-A Director Eddie Bonine says the association’s executive committee decided to move the prep classic over concerns of more stringent capacity restrictions at the Dome…
cut 30 (06) “…Natchitoches”
The Prep Classic will run from December 27th to the 30th.

The LSU men’s basketball team will not play in Saturday’s scheduled game against South Florida because of a contact tracing issue. That’s what LSU men’s basketball S-I-D Kent Lowe told WAFB-TV. The report also says Coach Will Wade is searching for a possible replacement for the game before SEC play begins.

Last night, the U-L Lafayette basketball team defeated L-S-U Alexandria 90-75. Tonight, Southeastern Louisiana is at Louisiana Tech.

The state high school football championships are moving from New Orleans to Natchitoches and the nine title games will be played at Turpin Stadium over a four-day period from December 27th to the 30th. LHSAA executive director Eddie Bonine says the association’s executive committee made this difficult decision over concerns fans might not be allowed inside the Superdome…
cut 12 (11) “….verses not”
Turpin Stadium’s capacity is 15,500 so Bonine expects to have 25-percent capacity for the nine prep classic games. A schedule of when the title games will be held is expected to be released later this week.

Eagles coach Doug Pederson has named rookie Jalen Hurts as his starting quarterback for Sunday’s game against the Saints.

LSU football coach Ed Orgeron has confirmed the reports freshman tight end Arik Gilbert is thinking about opting out of the rest of the season. Orgeron says Gilbert’s body is hurting and his mother came into town to speak with him. Gilbert has also been described as homesick and not happy with his role in the offense. Veteran offensive Liam Shanahan says his teammates are here for Gilbert
cut 17 (20) “…mind’s at.”
The Tigers are set to visit sixth-ranked Florida with or without Gilbert on Saturday night.

The Ragin Cajuns have moved up to number 19 in the latest college football playoff rankings. The U-L Lafayette basketball team defeated L-S-U Alexandria 90-75 last night as Cedric Russell scored 19 points.

Tonight, Southeastern Louisiana is at Louisiana Tech, Southern visits Arkansas and Tulane hosts Southern Miss.

LSU Freshman Tight End Arik Gilbert is considering opting out of the season. Tiger Rag Editor Ron Higgins says the Georgia native is apparently homesick and wants to give his body a break.

Cut 9 (10) “..not a good thing.”

Gilbert’s possible departure is just another negative story surrounding this football program that was on top of the college football world a year ago. During his Monday Press Conference, Coach Ed Orgeron said there are brighter days ahead…
cut 16 (21) “….teams again”
Orgeron says he may give freshman Max Johnson his first start at quarterback when the Tigers visit sixth-ranked Florida on Saturday.

After beating Appalachian State for the first time in school history on Friday, the Ragin Cajuns have this Saturday off, which gives them two weeks to get ready to play Coastal Carolina in the Sun Belt Championship game. Meanwhile, the Chanticleers have a game this Saturday at Troy. Cajuns Coach Billy Napier says the extra time to prepare doesn’t automatically mean they have an advantage over Coastal
cut 19 (19) “…going to do.”

Louisiana Tech’s Israel Tucker has been named Conference USA co-offensive player of the week after rushing for a career-high 161 yards and two touchdowns in the Bulldogs victory over North Texas last week. Tech ends its regular season on Saturday when they visit TCU.

LSU freshman Tight End Arik Gilbert is considering opting out the remainder of the 2020 season and possibly transferring.  The star TE has caught 35 passes for 368 yards and 2 touchdowns through the first eight games of the season.

The Tigers may make a change at quarterback as head coach Ed Orgeron says they are considering starting Max Johnson this week against the Florida Gators.  Johnson has replaced TJ Finley in games against Texas A&M and Alabama.  Against the Crimson Tide, Johnson was 11-17 with 110 yards passing.

LSU’s struggling defense faces another big challenge this Saturday when they take on Florida in Gainesville.  Orgeron says they need to contain Kyle Pitts, who has 11 receiving touchdowns on the season.

Cut 18 (18) “a lot of speed”

ULM has fired head football coach Matt Viator after and 0-10 record in 2020.  The Monroe News Star is reporting that Grambling coach Broderick Fobbs and former Ragin Cajuns head coach Mark Hudspeth could be candidates for the Warhawks head coaching vacancy.  Southeastern Louisiana head coach Frank Scelfo and LA Tech offensive coordinator Joe Sloan are reportedly candidates as well.

Southern Miss is once again adding a coach from the state of Louisiana to its staff as they are hiring Ragin Cajuns inside linebackers coach Austin Armstrong as the school’s next Defensive Coordinator.  He will work under new head coach Will Hall, who was previously Tulane’s offensive coordinator.

Nicholls State is suspending all men’s basketball activities through Dec. 26 because of Covid-19 and contact tracing.  This will result in the cancellation of five games, including a game against number two Baylor.

Former LSU athletic director and baseball coach Skip Bertman has been released from the hospital after a nearly weeklong stay due to rhinovirus.

Taysom Hill threw his first two NFL touchdown passes and the Saints won their ninth straight as they defeated Atlanta 21-16 yesterday. It looked like this would be an easy victory for the Saints. But Hill fumbled the ball in the red zone as they were set to go up by 19 and the Falcons recovered and later scored to make it a five-point game. That’s Hill’s eighth fumble on the season
cut 18 (20) “…the ball.”
The Saints are at Philadelphia this Sunday. It’s possible Drew Brees could return for that game. The Eagles are 3-8-and-1 and could start rookie Jalen Hurts at quarterback after he replaced an ineffective Carson Wentz yesterday.

Saturday’s LSU-Alabama game was the blowout most people expected as the Crimson Tide rolled past the Tigers 55-17. LSU center Liam Shanahan says it’s a disappointing loss…
cut 19 (19) “…top teams”
The Tigers are at sixth-ranked Florida this Saturday.

ULM is searching for a new head coach as the school announced today it’s parting ways with Matt Viator. The Warhawks are 0-10 this year. KNOE-TV sports director Aaron Dietrich says Viator is not the only coach to find it difficult to win at ULM…
Cut 5 (12) “..head coach”

Saints Quarterback Taysom Hill threw his first two touchdowns passes of his NFL career yesterday as New Orleans won its ninth straight, beating Atlanta 21-16. The 30-year-old was asked about his TD passes, but he says he’s more excited they got the victory…
cut 17 (20) “…win”
New Orleans is now 8-0 over the last two seasons in games that Drew Brees does not play in. Brees is reportedly making good progress in his recovery from multiple rib fractures and there’s a chance he could play this Sunday in Philadelphia. The Eagles lost again yesterday, but there’s a chance rookie Jalen Hurts will start at QB this Sunday after replacing Carson Wentz in Sunday’s loss to the Packers.

A Monroe television station is reporting ULM football Coach Matt Viator has been fired as the Warhawks have lost eleven straight dating back to last season. KNOE-TV sports director Aaron Dietrich says victories have been hard to come by for Viator…
cut 3 (07) “….pretty historic”
Viator was hired five years ago after a successful run as the head coach at McNeese State. But he was just 19-and-39 at ULM.

LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini is back on the hot seat after Alabama ripped through the Tigers defense in a 55-17 win on Saturday night. Coach Ed Orgeron has said any potential changes would come after the season concludes. And even though the Tigers could end up with a losing record in the regular season, athletics director Scott Woodward says the team still plans on playing in a bowl game.

Taysom Hill threw his first two NFL touchdown passes and the Saints won their ninth straight as they defeated Atlanta 21-16. Hill threw for 232 yards on the day. It looked like this would be an easy victory for the Saints. But Hill fumbled the ball in the red zone as they were set to go up by 19 and the Falcons recovered and later scored to make it a five-point game. That’s Hill’s eighth fumble on the season
cut 18 (20) “…the ball.”
The Saints will complete their three-game road trip at Philadelphia next Sunday. It’s possible Brees could return and play in that game. The Eagles are 3-8-and-1 and could start rookie Jalen Hurts at quarterback after he replaced Carson Wentz in the third quarter yesterday.

Many expected a blowout loss on Saturday for the Fighting Tigers and that’s what we got as number one ranked Alabama rolled LSU 55-17 as the Bayou Bengals are 3-and-5. The 55 points are the most Alabama has ever scored against LSU. Coach Ed Orgeron was asked how a loss like this can impact recruiting…
cut 20 (15) “….for us”
24-7 sports ranks LSU’s 2021 recruiting class as the third-best in the country and the early signing period is a week from Wednesday.

LSU is at Florida for a 6 PM kickoff next Saturday and athletics director Scott Woodward expects the Tigers will play in a bowl game, even if they finish with a losing record.

Ragin Cajuns Coach Billy Napier is staying. He reportedly interviewed for the South Carolina head coaching job. But Oklahoma assistant Shane Beamer has been hired to replace the fired Will Muschamp.