It will be a very unique season opener for the Saints when they host Tampa Bay on Sunday. There will be no fans allowed inside the Dome and Mayor LaToya Cantrell said today that there will be no tailgating on city property and that includes neutral grounds and under the interstate. The mayor also says fans will not be allowed to attend the team’s second home game on September 27th against Green Bay.

Saints defensive end Marcus Davenport and offensive lineman Cesar Ruiz did not practice for a second straight day yesterday because of injuries. Tampa Bay star wide receiver Mike Evans remains a game-time decision with a hamstring injury.

What a debut for former LSU running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire last night as he helped the Chiefs defeat the Houston Texans 34 to 20 as Kansas City began its defense of its Super Bowl Championship. Edwards-Helaire rushed for 138 yards and a touchdown, while Louisiana Tech standout L’Jarius Sneed had an interception in his NFL debut.
The Ragin Cajuns are at 23rd ranked Iowa State for their first-ever visit to Ames. Kick-off is at 11 AM. U-L Lafayette is coming off its best season in program history as they were 11-3 and return eight starters on offense. Third-year head coach Billy Napier says the make-up of this year’s team is different to go along with the preparation for the season
Cut 17 (21) “…of problems”

ULM and Tulane will also kick-off their seasons tomorrow. The Warhawks are at Army where Colby Suits is set to make his first career start at quarterback. Tulane is at South Alabama. The Jaguars were two and ten last season, but they won their season opener over Southern Miss last week.

What an NFL debut for former LSU star Clyde Edwards-Helaire as he helped the Super Bowl champion Chiefs kick-off the 2020 season with a 34 to 20 win over the Houston Texans. Edwards-Helaire rushed for 138 yards on 25 carries and a T-D. Also former La Tech standout L’Jarius Sneed had an interception and two passes defended in another impressive rookie debut.

The Saints will begin another NFL season on Sunday in which they enter the year with one of the more talented rosters in the league. Quarterback Drew Brees says he’s got nothing to lose in his 20th season in the NFL…
cut 19 (25) “…ultimate prize”
Kick-off Sunday against the Buccaneers is at 3:25.

High School football teams are gearing up for an October 1st start to the season, but schools in New Orleans are not allowed to move forward with contact practices. Mayor LaToya Cantrell has said contact sports are not allowed as the Crescent City plans to remain in Phase 2 while the rest of the state moves to Phase 3.

But the Tulane Green Wave have been practicing and they’ll kick-off the season on Saturday night in Mobile against South Alabama in the first game ever at Hancock Whitney Stadium. The Jaguars opened the season with a 32-21 road win over Southern Miss. Green Wave coach Willie Fritz says South Al’s receivers looked impressive
Cut 18 (24) “…extremely well
Kick-off is at 6:30 tomorrow.

The LHSAA announces the high school football season will kick off October 1st and contact practices resume today. Matt Doyle has the story.
Voicer 3 (29) “…I’m Matt Doyle.”

But not every high school football program can move forward. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell says the city is staying in phase two and contact sports are not allowed in phase two.

The Saints continue to get ready for their season opener on Sunday against Tampa Bay. Defensive end Marcus Davenport and offensive lineman Cesar Ruiz were not at practice.

Louisiana Tech football coach Skip Holtz confirms 36 players have tested positive for the coronavirus since Hurricane Laura. Holtz says players were trying to find suitable accommodations following the storm and that lead to many of them being infected by the virus.
cut 30 (12) “…the building”
Tech’s game versus Baylor on Saturday has been postponed.They hope to play a week from Saturday at Southern Miss.

LSU announces that redshirt freshman defensive end Ray Parker of Ruston has been suspended for violating team rules. LSU police arrested Parker for battery of a dating partner and simple criminal damage to property.

Ragin Cajuns Coach Billy Napier says starting defensive lineman Zi’Yon Hill is questionable for Saturday’s game at 25th ranked Iowa State. Napier says Hill is suffering from an upper-body injury.

Friday night lights are coming back on and prep football fans are rejoicing as the Louisiana High School Athletic Association announces an eight-game regular season will kick-off October 1st through the third. LHSAA Executive Director Eddie Bonine is confident they can pull the season off, but…
cut 14 (10) “….cases”
The prep classic will be held in the Superdome December 26th to the 28th.

No fans in the Dome for Sunday’s Saints season opener against the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay wide receiver Mike Evans was not at practice yesterday because of a hamstring injury and he’ll be a game-time decision on Sunday. For the Saints, rookie offensive linemen Cesar Ruiz, and defensive end Marcus Davenport did not practice yesterday.

The NFL season kicks off tonight with the Chiefs hosting the Houston Texans.

Louisiana Tech Head Coach Skip Holtz blames Hurricane Laura for the outbreak in coronavirus cases with his football team. The Bulldogs game at Baylor on Saturday has been postponed. Holtz says it is a disappointing development since they were nearly COVID-free before the storm.
Cut 10 (12) “…wasn’t large enough.”
No make up date has been announced for the game against Baylor, while Holtz is hopeful they will be able to play a week from Saturday at Southern Miss.

LSU announces that redshirt freshman defensive end Ray Parker of Ruston has been suspended for violating team rules. LSU police arrested Parker for battery of a dating partner and simple criminal damage to property.

Ragin Cajuns Coach Billy Napier says starting defensive lineman Zi’Yon Hill is questionable for Saturday’s game at 25th ranked Iowa State. Napier says Hill is suffering from an upper body injury.

The high school football season will kick-off on October 1st and schools will play an eight-game regular season with the state championship games taking place December 26th to the 28th in the Superdome. All nine championship games will be in the Dome this season. LHSAA Executive Director Eddie Bonine says he trusts the state’s coaches and administrators and believes football can be safely played
Cut 15 (10) “…against you.”
Bonine says it’s still to be determined how many fans will be at games. He’s hopeful 50-percent occupancy, but those talks with state officials continue.

Tiger Stadium will be limited to 25-percent capacity when the national champs kickoff the 2020 season by hosting Mississippi State on September 26th. Athletics Director Scott Woodward says fans will enter the stadium in phases…
cut 28 (09) “….go awry here”
The LSU plan also calls for no tailgating and season ticket holders and students will be the ones offered a chance to buy tickets.

No football game for Louisiana Tech on Saturday at Baylor because of a COVID-19 outbreak within the Bulldogs team. Coach Skip Holtz says they’ve had 36 players test positive since Hurricane Laura. Holtz says if the infected players do not have any complications that show up on an EKG, that up to 30 of the 36 players could return in time to play their next scheduled game on September 19th against Southern Miss.
Cut 12 (12) “…now and then.”
No makeup date has been set for the matchup with Baylor.

No fans in the Dome for Sunday’s Saints game against the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay wide receiver Mike Evans was not at practice yesterday because of a soft tissue injury and he’ll be a game-time decision on Sunday. For the Saints, rookie offensive linemen Cesar Ruiz, and defensive end Marcus Davenport did not practice yesterday.

Louisiana Tech Football Coach Skip Holtz confirmed today that his team had 36 players test positive for the coronavirus since Hurricane Laura roared through Ruston. Holtz says because of the number of positive tests they are not able play Baylor on Saturday in a game that was set to be on Fox Television…
cut 30 (21) “…in a game”
Holtz is hopeful they can play on September 19th against Conference USA foe Southern Miss. The coach says power outages caused by Laura led to players finding other places to sleep which has led to the outbreak in cases.

The LHSAA executive committee votes that football teams can begin contact practices tomorrow and the start of the season has been moved up to October 1st through the third.

LSU officially announced that Tiger Stadium will be limited to 25-percent capacity when the national champs kickoff the 2020 season by hosting Mississippi State on September 26th. Athletics Director Scott Woodward says fans will enter the stadium in phases…
cut 8 (09) “….go awry here”
The LSU plan also calls for no tailgating and season ticket holders and students will be the ones offered a chance to buy tickets.

The 2020 LSU football Tigers do not appear to be as talented as last year’s national championship team as they’ve lost 33 players from that historic squad. But Coach Ed Orgeron says he would not underestimate this team…
cut 18 (23) “…be fun”

Lousiana Tech’s season opener at Baylor on Saturday has been postponed as a result of a COVID-19 outbreak within the Bulldog football team. There are media reports that say 38 players on the Tech football team tested positive for the coronavirus. Athletics Director Tommy McClelland says the coronavirus outbreak is the result of players staying with others, because of the power outages from Hurricane Laura. The two schools will look to re-schedule the game, meanwhile, the Bulldogs are hoping they can play next week at Southern Miss.

The Louisiana High School Athletic Association executive committee has approved a motion that allows full contact football drills to take place in Phase two of the state’s COVID-19 reopening. But New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell has said no contact sports are allowed in her city during Phase 2, so unclear if football can be played in the Crescent City.

LSU Football Coach Ed Orgeron announces that defensive end Ray Parker has been suspended indefinitely from the football team for a violation of team rules. Parker was a redshirt freshman last season after a standout prep career at Ruston High School.

Former Nicholls cornerback Darren Evans has joined the LSU football team as a graduate transfer. Evans was a two and a half year starter for the Colonels and a second-team All-Southland Conference selection in 2018. Evans prepped at Glen Oaks High School in Baton Rouge.

How are the Tigers practicing tackling while there’s a pandemic? Coach Ed Orgeron says they are holding full-speed practices…
cut 17 (25) “….all of em”
Orgeron says they plan to hold a scrimmage on Friday.

Louisiana Tech’s season opener on Saturday versus Baylor has been postponed and the hope is to make up the game later in the season. A reported 38 players on the Tech football team have tested positive for the coronavirus. Athletics Director Tommy McClelland says power outages from Hurricane Laura forced many of their student-athletes to find other places to stay and that has produced a COVID outbreak within the team. McClelland says the days leading up to this outbreak, the football team had a stretch of three weeks with only one positive case. The Bulldogs Conference USA opener on September 19th at Southern Miss is scheduled to be played.

ULM Football Coach Matt Viator says sophomore Colby Suits will start at quarterback versus Army on Saturday, while junior Jeremy Hunt will also see playing time.

The LHSAA executive committee meets today, where they are expected to announce the official start of the high school football season on October 8th.

LSU Football Coach Ed Orgeron says the Tigers spent the holiday weekend evaluating the first scrimmage of preseason camp. Orgeron says several first-time starters looked good including their freshman tight end…
Cut 16 (19) “…very well”
The Tigers are 17 days away from their season opener at home against Mississippi State and we still have no official word on how many fans will be allowed in Tiger Stadium.

Yesterday, Governor Edwards indicated Tiger Stadium will likely be limited to 25 percent capacity. Edwards says even if they did announce now, it could always change before, or during the season.
Cut 27 (09) “…and then”

The Saints have conducted a full go scrimmage today as they are eleven days away from the season opener against Tampa Bay. Coach Sean Payton says he likes what he’s seen so far from backup quarterback Jameis Winston…

Cut 17  (17) “…smart player” 

The Buccanneers are reportedly signing running back Leonard Fournette, who was cut by Jacksonville earlier this week.

The Associated Press the NCAA will furlough its entire staff, that’s about 600 employees, for three to eight weeks, starting on September 21st The furloughs will not affect senior executives.

The F-B-S college football season begins tonight with Southern Miss hosting South Alabama.

In a move that even surprised ULM head football coach Matt Viator, Warhawks defensive coordinator Mike Collins has decided to step down. Collins says he can’t provide his players with what they need in what has been an emotional and physically-draining year for him. Linebackers coach and former Northwestern State head coach Scott Stoker has been promoted to defensive coordinator.

The Daily Advertiser’s Tim Buckley reports that U-L Lafayette wide receiver Brian Smith broke his hip and he’s the fourth Cajuns receiver to suffer a major injury this offseason.

Baseball America ranks LSU’s recruiting class as the second-best in the country behind Miami. It’s the Tigers third top-five finish in the past five years.

The House Education Committee meets tomorrow and they’ll discuss high school football and the start of other fall prep seasons. LHSAA executive director Eddie Bonine is scheduled to be there.

The Saints will hold their second practice in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome today. Starting guard Andrus Peat looks thinner this season as the veteran says he’s lost 10 to 15 pounds. Peat says the weight loss should lead to better play on the field…
cut 18 (13) “….be good”
A week from Sunday is the regular-season opener as the Saints will host Tampa Bay. The Buccanneers are reportedly signing running back Leonard Fournette, who was cut by Jacksonville earlier this week.

The Associated Press the NCAA will furlough its entire staff, that’s about 600 employees, for three to eight weeks, starting on September 21st The furloughs will not affect senior executives.

The F-B-S college football season begins tonight with Southern Miss hosting South Alabama.

In a move that even surprised ULM head football coach Matt Viator, Warhawks defensive coordinator Mike Collins has decided to step down. Collins says he can’t provide his players with what they need in what has been an emotional and physically-draining year for him. Linebackers coach and former Northwestern State head coach Scott Stoker has been promoted to defensive coordinator.

The Daily Advertiser’s Tim Buckley reports that U-L Lafayette wide receiver Brian Smith broke his hip and he’s the fourth Cajuns receiver to suffer a major injury this offseason.

Baseball America ranks LSU’s recruiting class as the second-best in the country behind Miami. It’s the Tigers third top-five finish in the past five years.

The House Education Committee meets tomorrow and they’ll discuss high school football and the start of other fall prep seasons. LHSAA executive director Eddie Bonine is scheduled to be there.