Two key members of the Saints defensive front are reportedly done for the season. The NFL Network reports defensive end Marcus Davenport is reportedly out for the season as he needs surgery to repair his foot and defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins is also reportedly done for the season because of a significant ankle injury suffered in the loss to the 49ers.
Locked on Saints podcast publisher Ross Jackson says that’s now two years in a row, both players have suffered season ending injuries. Jackson says it’s particularly concerning for Davenport…
cut 14 (10) “…be tough”
The Saints have reportedly signed defensive end Noah Spence. Tampa Bay selected him in the second round in 2016, but he was most recently cut by the Redskins. New Orleans will host the Indianapolis Colts on Monday night football.

Rumors of LSU defensive coordinator Dave Aranda becoming the next head coach of U-N-L-V has died down. There were reports yesterday that says Aranda and the Running Rebels were close to a deal. But the latest report from ESPN says no job offer was made, and Aranda and UNLV had just initial talks.

LSU head coach Ed Orgeron and senior quarterback Joe Burrow have been named SEC Coach of the Year and Offensive Player by the league’s coaches.

The Pelicans will try to snap a nine-game losing streak tonight against the Bucks, who are tied with the Lakers for the best record in the N-B-A at 21-and-3. But the league’s reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo will not play tonight because of a sore right quadriceps tendon. Tip-off is at 8:30 PM.

In college hoops, Grambling ended an eight-game losing streak to ULM by beating the Warhawks 66-61 last night. It’s the first time Grambling has defeated ULM since 1983 and it was the Warhawks first regular-season home loss since 2017, ending a 14-game winning streak.

It’s official Joe Burrow is a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. Heisman Trophy voter and LSU reporter for the USA Today Network, Glen Guilbeau, says Burrow is a lock to win the award on Saturday during the Heisman presentation in New York…
cut 7 (09) “….the Alabama game”
There are three other finalists, Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields, Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts and Ohio State defensive end Chase Young.

Ed Orgeron has been named AP SEC Coach of the Year. For that he receives a 25-thousand dollar bonus. The A-P unanimously selected Burrow as the S-E-C’s offensive player of the year and cornerback Derek Stingley Junior has been named freshman of the year.

Louisiana Tech junior cornerback Amik (Uh-meek) Robertson has been named to the Football Writers Association of America All-America Team. The Thibodaux native leads the nation in 19 forced incompletions.

_______________________________________________________________

The Saints will spend this week trying to rebound from Sunday’s wild loss to the 49ers. Coach Sean Payton said on his radio show last night that during his visit to Whole Foods a meat department employee asked why he went for a two-point conversion in the first quarter, Payton said his response was why don’t you worry about your meat, because it doesn’t look good. New Orleans next game is Monday night against the Colts.

In Monday night football last night, the Eagles defeated the Giants 23-17 in overtime. Eli Manning started his first game since week two and threw for 203 yards and two touchdowns in a losing effort.

Despite 31 points from Brandon Ingram, the Pelicans lost to the Pistons 105 to 103 last night. Derrick Rose hit a jumper at the buzzer to beat New Orleans on its home floor. Rose finished with 21 points.

Tonight in college basketball…ULM hosts Grambling. The Warhawks have won 14 consecutive regular-season non-conference home games.

McNeese is also home tonight to take on University of Missouri Kansas City. The Cowboys are averaging 81 points a game.

Frustrating loss for the Saints on Sunday as San Francisco came into the Superdome and left with a 48-46 victory. New Orleans took a one-point lead with 53 seconds left when Drew Brees connected with Tre’Quan Smith on an 18-yard touchdown pass. But the 49ers won it on a 30-yard field goal by Robbie Gould (Gold). George Kittle’s 39-yard reception on fourth and two set up the game winning field goal. Coach Sean Payton on how they tried to defend that play…
Cut 17 (17) you in the end ”
The loss moves the Saints to number three in the N-F-C playoff standings, while the 49ers are in line to get homefield advantage with three regular season games left. New Orleans hosts the Colts next Monday.

LSU is the number one seed in the college football playoff and they’ll face fourth seeded Oklahoma December 28th in Atlanta. Coach Ed Orgeron says getting into the playoff is an accomplishment, but not the final destination….
cut 10 (10) “…takes us”

Louisiana Tech will meet Miami in Shreveport in the Walk-on’s Independence Bowl. Tech Coach Skip Holtz is glad they’ll be home for Christmas…
cut 19 (20) “…26th”
The Cajuns will play Miami of Ohio in the Lending Tree Bowl in Mobile and Tulane will take on Southern MIss in the Lockheed Martin Armed Force Bowl.

Championship Saturday has arrived in college football. The 2nd ranked LSU Tigers are hoping for a big win today over Georgia in the SEC title game so they can get the number one seed in the college football playoffs. If they get the top seed, LSU will likely play the winner of today’s Big 12 Title game between Oklahoma and Baylor.

Over in North Carolina, U-L Lafayette will play for the Sun Belt title as they’ll face Appalachian State at 11 AM.

The Cajuns have never defeated App State in seven previous meetings. The Mountaineers won all of those games by an average of 21 points.

And in Lorman, Mississippi, Southern faces Alcorn State in the SWAC title game. The Braves beat the Jags in last year’s conference championship game.

In the F-C-S playoffs, Nicholls is at North Dakota State, The Bison are two-time defending champs and Southeastern Louisiana is at Montana.

For the first time since 2005, high school football championships were played outside of the Superdome. The Division One title game was a classic as Rummel beat Catholic High 14 to 10 on Tulane’s campus. Vanderbilt commit Donovan Kaufmann returned a kick off 95 yards for the winning score.

St. Thomas More dominated De La Salle for the Division Two title, 58-10. Caleb Holstein threw for 343 yards and five touchdowns.

In class Five-A, Acadiana and Destrehan advance to next week’s championship game. The Wreckin Rams defeated two-time defending champ Zachary 21-14.

In Four-A, it will be a rematch of last year’s title game as Karr will take on Warren Easton. Karr is seeking its fourth consecutive title after beating Neville.

In 3A, St. James will face Jennings. The Wildcats will seek their first state championship in 39 years.

Over in Two-A, top-seeded Ferriday will take on second-seeded Many. And in One-A, Oak Grove will face White Castle.

There’s an update involving LSU Quarterback Joe Burrow on the eve of the SEC Championship game. He does not have a phone, but Coach Ed Orgeron says that shouldn’t be a problem….
cut 30 (16) “…he’s fine”
Burrow is more worried about a Georgia defense that’s allowing 10 points a game.

The 10-and-2 Saints will meet the 10-and-2 49ers on Sunday at the Superdome. Quarterback Drew Brees has said multiple times that the offense has yet to play that near perfect game, he says if there’s a time to do it, it would be Sunday…
cut 20 (15) “…be ok”
Kick off on Sunday is at noon.

Southern takes on Alcorn State for the SWAC championship tomorrow afternoon in Lorman, Mississippi. Alcorn had last Saturday off, while Southern had an emotional win over Grambling in the Bayou Classic. Jaguars Coach Dawson Odums says they have to bring that emotion again tomorrow…
cut 17 (14) “…football game”
Odums is one and nine as a head coach against Alcorn.

U-L Lafayette has never beaten Appalachian State in seven tries. The Cajuns will try to get that first win versus the Mountaineers tomorrow in the Sun Belt Championship game.

Nicholls and Southeastern Louisiana are on the road for F-C-S playoff action. The Lions will take on Montana, while the Colonels go up North Dakota State, the premier program in the F-C-S. The Bison have won 33 straight and have won national championships in seven of the last eight seasons, including the last two. Kick-off is at 2:30 from the FargoDome.

The second-ranked LSU Tigers are already in Atlanta ahead of tomorrow’s SEC championship game matchup between the Bayou Bengals and the Georgia Bulldogs. The key matchup is LSU’s offense versus the Georgia defense. The Tigers rank second in the nation, averaging 49 points a contest, while Georgia is allowing just 10 points a game and they’ve pitched three shutouts.

The Saints take on the 49ers Sunday in a battle that may determine who takes the 1 seed and home-field advantage for the NFC playoffs. San Fran has the number two scoring defense in the NFL, only allowing 15 points a game. Saints QB Drew Brees says unlike other teams, there are no holes for the Black and Gold offense to exploit…
cut 18 (17) stout group
The 49ers are also number two in the league with 45 sacks on the season.

Southern is at Alcorn State on Saturday for a rematch of the last year’s SWAC Championship game. The Braves won last year’s title game and beat the Jags again in late October. But Coach Dawson Odums’ team has won four straight since that game, including SWAC victories over Alabama A-and-M, Jackson State and Grambling…
Cut 16 (20) …go out there”
Alcorn has won three of the last five SWAC Championship games, including last year when the Braves defeated the Jags 38-24.

LSU’s explosive offense will face its biggest test yet against a dominant Georgia defense. Matt Doyle has a preview.
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle”

Before the L-S-U-Georgia game, it will be the Sun Belt Championship game in Boone, North Carolina as the Ragin Cajuns face Appalachian State at 11 AM. The Mountaineers rank 21st in the College Football Playoff rankings and they’ve defeated two Power Five Schools this year, North and South Carolina.

Saints Quarterback Drew Brees knows he’ll have to get rid of the ball quickly on Sunday when New Orleans hosts the 49ers. San Francisco is second in the NFL with 45 sacks and Brees says they do not have to blitz to get to the quarterback…
cut 19 (17) “….four”
The line is led by rookie Nick Bosa and Arik Armstead, who’ve combined for 18 sacks.

Five Louisiana Tech Bulldogs scored in double figures last night as the Bulldogs defeated Mississippi State 74-67. Tech’s victory ends State’s 26-game non-conference home winning streak. Daquan Bracey had 16 points, while Amorie Archibald had 15 points.

The Pelicans rallied from a 20-point deficit but lost in overtime to the Suns 139-132 in overtime. New Orleans has lost seven in a row.

LSU’s high-powered offense will go up against a defense that ranks among the top five nationally in all major categories when they face Georgia in the SEC Championship game. Tigers center Lloyd Cushenberry says they do all of the little things right
Cut 16 (10) …for us”

The Saints are also facing a stingy defense on Sunday when they host the 49ers. San Francisco is allowing just 134 passing yards a game. They rank second in sacks with 45. Rookie defensive end Nick Bosa has eight sacks. Coach Sean Payton says Bosa is tough to block…
cut 20 (17) “….fantastic season”
Kick-off Sunday is at noon.

There are bowl projections that show the Ragin Cajuns and Louisiana Tech could meet each other in the New Orleans Bowl later this month. New Orleans Bowl officials would certainly like that match-up as the Ragin Cajuns usually bring a big crowd when they play the game in New Orleans and attendance would be helped even more if U-L’s opponent was Louisiana Tech. The Bulldogs last played in the New Orleans Bowl in 2015 and beat Arkansas State.

Louisiana Tech basketball is in Starkville tonight to face Mississippi State. The Dunkin Dogs from Ruston are 5-and-2 and they are averaging nearly 19 turnovers a game, which ranks 14th in the country. Mississippi State is 6-and-1 and they’ve won 26 straight non-conference home games.

Last night, the ULM Warhawks defeated Millsaps College 86-63. J-D Williams had a big second half, scoring 15 of his 17 points after halftime.

The Saints will go up against one of the top defenses in the N-F-L on Sunday when they host San Francisco. The 49ers are holding opposing teams to just 134 passing yards a game. They rank second in the league in sacks with 45. Rookie defensive end Nick Bosa has eight sacks. Coach Sean Payton says Bosa is tough to block…
cut 20 (17) “….fantastic season”
The Saints could use starting left tackle Terron Armstead for this game. He missed the Thanksgiving night win over Atlanta with an ankle injury. Armstead practiced in a limited capacity yesterday.

Guard Andrus Peat and linebackers Kiko Alonso and A-J Klein did not practice.

The LSU Tigers will leave later today for Atlanta where they’ll play Georgia in Saturday’s SEC Championship game. Tigers Center Lloyd Cushenberry says it will take a complete team effort to beat the Bulldogs…
cut 17 (12) “….worried about that” ‘
LSU’s Joe Burrow has won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. The honor goes to college football’s best quarterback, who is a fourth-year junior or senior.

The Sun Belt Conference names U-L Lafayette’s Billy Napier as its coach of the year. Napier and the Cajuns will face Appalachian State in Saturday’s Sun Belt title game.

In college basketball last night, after a week-long layoff the ULM Warhawks defeated Millsaps College 86-63. J-D Williams had a big second half, scoring 15 of his 17 points after halftime. Tonight, La Tech is at Mississippi State.

LSU remains second in the latest college football rankings, right behind Ohio State. The final rankings will be unveiled on Sunday. Tiger Rag Editor Ron Higgins says the Tigers can regain the top spot if LSU wins in the SEC Championship game and Ohio State doesn’t play well in the Big 10 title game…
Cut 9 (07) “…good debate.”
LSU faces Georgia in the SEC title game on Saturday, while Ohio State takes on Wisconsin in the Big 10 title game that night.

The Ragin Cajuns battle Appalachian State on Saturday in the Sun Belt title game. Today, the Sun Belt Conference announced that Billy Napier is the league’s coach of the year. The offense and defensive players of the year come from App State, running back Darrynton Evans and Akeem Davis-Gaither.

And there’s reports the Cajuns and Louisiana Tech could meet each other in the New Orleans Bowl later this month.

Southeastern Louisiana will make the long road trip on Saturday to face Montana in the second round of the F-C-S playoffs. This should be a high scoring game. The Lions average 37 points a game, while Montana averages 36 a contest. S-L-U Coach Frank Scelfo says the Grizzlies feed off the big play…
cut 19 (19) “….regular basis”
Kick off on Saturday is at 2 PM.

Saints defensive end Cam Jordan has been named the N-F-C Defensive Player of the Week. Jordan had four sacks in the Thanksgiving night win over Atlanta. Jordan is now second in the N-F-L in sacks with 13.5. New Orleans hosts the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. The Black and Gold are just a 2.5 point favorite.