We are six days away from LSU versus Alabama. The game is a match-up between two of the highest-scoring offenses in the country. Tiger Rag Assistant Editor Tyler Nunez wonders if LSU is up to the challenge defensively…
cut 8 (08) “…of old”
LSU’s scoring defense is 22nd in the nation at 20 points per game. Bama sits at 10th with 15 points per game.

The Athletic is reporting LSU linebacker Michael Divinity is no longer on the team. Divinty missed three games this season in what were called “coach’s decisions.” The senior from John Ehret High School has 23 tackles on the season and leads the team with three sacks.

Also one other LSU news bit. The Tigers game versus Ole Miss on November 16th will kick off at 6 PM.

The Ragin Cajuns have a short week coming up as they will visit Coastal Carolina for a Thursday night game in South Carolina. U-L Lafayette leads the Sun Belt Western Division with a 3-and-1 conference record. Coastal is just one and three.

The one-and-five Pelicans are in Brooklyn tonight to face the Nets. Brandon Ingram is expected to play after leaving during the loss to Oklahoma City with a head injury. Ingram has averaged nearly 24 points a game during the first six games of the season. Brooklyn is off to a slow start this season as well at just two and four.

The Saints will get back to work this week after enjoying a Sunday afternoon off. New Orleans will host the Falcons this Sunday. At the halfway point of the season, the Saints have the second-best record in the NFC behind undefeated San Francisco.

In the Southland Conference, Central Arkansas is the league leader at 5-and-1 and there’s a three-way tie for second place between Sam Houston State, Southeastern Louisiana, and Nicholls. The Colonels host Houston Baptist. The Lions are at Central Arkansas. Both games kick off at 3 PM.

Number one LSU hopes to break an eight-game losing streak to number two Bama this Saturday in Tuscaloosa for what’s being dubbed the Game of the Century II. Tiger Rag assistant editor Tyler Nunez says Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban will have to contend with the best LSU offense he’s ever faced…
Cut 7 (11) “…havent had.”
The first game of the Century resulted in a nine to six final score in favor of LSU. A lot more points are expected this Saturday. The Tigers are averaging 47 points a game, the Crimson Tide is averaging 49 points.

The Saints will get back to work this week after enjoying a Sunday afternoon off. New Orleans will host the Falcons this Sunday. At the halfway point of the season, the Saints have the second-best record in the NFC behind undefeated San Francisco.

ULM fell to 3-and-5 on the season on Saturday with a 48-41 loss to Arkansas State. The Warhawks had a 21-3 lead, but the Red Wolves responded by scoring four touchdowns in the second quarter.

The Ragin Cajuns are in first place in the Sun Belt’s West Division. U-L Lafayette defeated Texas State 31-3 on Saturday. Elijah Mitchell rushed for 126 yards and a touchdown. The Cajuns are at Coastal Carolina on Thursday.

In the Southland Conference, Central Arkansas is the league leader at 5-and-1 and there’s a three-way tie for second place between Sam Houston State, Southeastern Louisiana, and Nicholls. The Lions beat Stephen F Austin 47-30 on Saturday night in Hammond. Cole Kelley threw for a touchdown and rushed for two others.

The Colonels defeated U-I-W 27-23 on Saturday as Julien Gums rushed for a career-high 178 yards and two touchdowns. McNeese heads to its bye week with a 6-and-4 record after rallying to beat Northwestern State 30-20.

No Saints, LSU or Louisiana Tech football this weekend. But there’s still plenty of college football action around the state.
It’s homecoming in Lafayette and Monroe, as the Ragin Cajuns host Texas State and the Warhawks will face Sun Belt rival Arkansas State. With Appalachian State losing at home Thursday night, it’s opened the door for someone to host the Sun Belt Championship game other than App State.

It’s also homecoming at Southern. The Jaguars have yet to say who will start at quarterback, it will be either Ladarius Skelton or Bubba McDaniel. Grambling can improve to 4-and-4 on the season if they beat winless Texas Southern.

Northwestern State is coming off its first win of the season. The Demons are at McNeese. The Cowboys need to win out for a shot at the playoffs. C-S-T will televise the game at 4 PM.

24th ranked Nicholls is at U-I-W. The Colonels are trying to snap a two-game losing streak and Southeastern Louisiana looks to stay in the race for a conference title as the Lions host Stephen F Austin.

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The Pelicans will look to make it two in a row on Saturday at 4 PM as New Orleans visits Chris Paul and the Oklahoma City Thunder. New Orleans won its first game of the year on Thursday, a 122 to 107 win over Denver. The Pels and O-K-C enter Saturday’s contest with idential one-and-four records.

Louisiana Tech will host LSU for an ehibition basketball game Saturday. Skylar Mays and Javonte Smart are back for the Tigers after leading them to an SEC regular season championship last year. Coach Will Wade says both are good scorers, but they need to rebound better…
cut 17 (15) “…there and bark”
Tip off in Ruston is at 4 PM.

And at one o’ clock on Sunday in Thibodaux, LSU baseball will visit Nicholls State for a fall ball exhibition contest. C-S-T will have coverage of the scheduled 11-inning game.

The Pelicans hope to break into the win column tonight when they host the Denver Nuggets at 8:30 Pm at the Smoothie King Center. New Orleans has not had Jrue Holiday the last two games because of a sprained left knee. The Pels need a healthy Holiday to beat the Nuggets, who are 3-and-1 on the season.

The big story in the NBA is the broken hand suffered by Warriors star Steph Curry. He’s expected to miss several weeks and since Golden State is already without Klay Thompson, the five-time defending Western Conference Champions will likely miss the playoffs.

Saints fans will be rooting for the Arizona Cardinals tonight, who host the undefeated San Francisco 49ers. If San Fran loses, then the Black and Gold will be tied with the 49ers and Packers for the top record in the NFC.

No championship parade for the Astros as the Nationals beat Houston six to two last night to win the World Series in seven games. Former LSU star Will Harris allowed the two-run homer that allowed the Nats to take the lead for good.

ULM will look to snap a nine-game losing streak to Arkansas State when the Warhawks host the Red Wolves on Saturday night for homecoming. On offense, A-S-U is led by Omar Bayless, who has 60 catches in eight games. Warhawks Coach Matt Viator says their receivers are impressive…
cut 19 (12) “…really incredible”

In the Southland Conference, Northwestern State will seek its first win in Lake Charles since 1988 when the two schools meet in southwest Louisiana at 4 PM. The 5-and-4 Cowboys still have a chance at making the F-C-S playoffs if they win their final three games. The Demons won their first game of the season last week and they beat McNeese in double overtime in Natchitoches last year.

Also this Saturday, Southeastern Louisiana hosts Stephen F Austin, while Nicholls travels to U-I-W, who is coming off that upset loss to Northwestern State.

It’s a somber day for Astros fans who saw their team fail to win a home game in the World Series, including the decisive seventh game which was won by the Washington Nationals six to two. Former LSU Tiger and Houston third baseman Alex Bregman says all they can do now is try to make another run at it next season…
cut 30 (18) “…back for 2020”
Bregman will find out November 14th whether he’s the American League MVP.

LSU Quarterback Joe Burrow has been named a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award, which goes to the Collegiate Player of the Year. And LSU cornerback Derek Stingley Junior is the semifinalist for the Bednarik Award which goes to the best defensive player in college football. Stingley is the only freshman on that list.

The Pelicans will shoot for its first win of the season tonight when they host the Denver Nuggets at 8:30 PM inside the Smoothie King Center. Denver is 3-and-1 and coming off a home loss to Dallas. The Pels are coming off a loss to Golden State. Guard Jrue Holiday and center Derrick Favors didn’t play in that game, because of injuries. Coach Alvin Gentry says their status for tonight will be decided at game time.

ULM will host Arkansas State for homecoming on Saturday. Warhawks Coach Matt Viator says it’s a big game for his team, who is fighting to win the Sun Belt Western’s division…
cut 18 (18) “….west side’
Kick-off is at 2:30. At 4 PM, the Ragin Cajuns will host Texas State in another Sun Belt Western Division battle.

If you see an Astros fan today, give them a hug. Houston lost four straight home games in the World Series including last night’s decisive Game seven by the final score of six to two as Washington won its first World Series Championship in franchise history. Former LSU Tiger, Will Harris, gave up a two-run homer to Howie Kendrick in the seventh inning, which allowed the Nats to grab a three to two lead…
cut 20 (20) “….from it”

Can the Pelicans get a victory tonight? They host the Denver Nuggets and it’s a late start at the Smoothie King Center, 8:30 tip-off. New Orleans is 0-and-4, while the Nuggets are 3-and-1.

Alabama Coach Nick Saban says Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will be a game-time decision after undergoing surgery last week to fix a high ankle sprain. Saban says Tua took some snaps yesterday but was not involved in any team drills. Meanwhile, LSU Coach Ed Orgeron says safety Grant Delpit should be available to play when the Tigers face Alabama. Delpit suffered an ankle injury in the win over Auburn.

ULM returns from a bye week to host Arkansas State for homecoming Saturday. The Warhawks are 3-and-4 overall, two and one in the Sun Belt West Division and tied with the Ragin Cajuns for first place. ULM coach Matt Viator says he’s still waiting to see his team can play a complete game…
cut 17 (11) “…soon”

Tonight in the NFL, undefeated San Francisco is at Arizona.

LSU will likely be the number one team in the Associated Press Top 25 poll when they visit second-ranked Alabama on November ninth. But Coach Ed Orgeron says they are not paying attention to the current rankings
Cut 9 (11) “…towards that”
Last year, Alabama shutout LSU in Tiger Stadium. But Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban says the Tigers are completely different on offense…
Cut 12 (11) “…at it”
Saban says Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will be a game-time decision after undergoing surgery last week to correct a high ankle sprain. Tua returns to practice today.

Tonight its Game Seven of the World Series. Can the Astros defend their home diamond and win their second world championship in three years. The home team has yet to win a game in this series. Former LSU Tiger Alex Bregman hit a home run last night, but it came in a loss to the Nationals and he apologized afterwards for carrying his bat up the first base line.

Through eight games, Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas leads the NFL with 73 carches for 875 yards. Thomas is on pace to catch 146 passes, which would break Marvin Harrison’s single season NFL record when the former Colt caught 143 passes in 2002.

In the high school football polls, Lafayette Christian is the new number one ranked team in Two-A. Newman was ranked number one last week, but lost by one point to St. Charles Catholic. Notre Dame has moved to two in the rankings, St. Charles Catholic is third, Newman fourth and Ferriday is ranked fifth. Just two more weeks left in the regular season.

Alabama Coach Nick Saban on today’s SEC teleconference said quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will return to the practice today after undergoing surgery on his ankle last week. Saban says it will be a game-time decision on whether he’ll play against number one ranked LSU November ninth. And LSU Coach Ed Orgeron expects safety Grant Delpit will be available after injuring his ankle in the win over Auburn.

The Ragin Cajuns will host Texas State this Saturday for homecoming. U-L Lafayette is 5-and-2, while the Bobcats are two and five. But Cajuns Coach Billy Napier says Texas State has some talented athletes and they are well-coached…
Cut 16 (23) prep here”
Kick-off on Saturday is at 4 PM.

The Pelicans are 0-4, a rough start to what was a highly promising season before the Zion Williamson injury. In his absence, fans have focused on the team’s other two first-round picks. Guard Nikeil Alexander-Walker is averaging six points a game on 30 percent shooting but perked up against the Warriors Monday. Coach Alvin Gentry says the rook needs minutes…
cut 18 (19) “Curve”
And Center Jaxson Hayes had 19 points against the Warriors, but Gentry says he needs to have more than three rebounds in over 20 minutes of action. New Orleans hosts Denver tomorrow night.

Tonight is Game Seven of the World Series in Houston. The road team has won every game in this series, including last night’s win by the Nationals despite a home run from Alex Bregman.

LSU Football Coach Ed Orgeron says the Tigers are spending the bye week focusing on themselves. Orgeron says his players will not start watching tape on second-ranked Alabama until next week. Coach O says it could get old talking about Bama for two weeks.

The Ragin Cajuns are coming off the bye week and they are getting ready to host Texas State this Saturday for homecoming. UL-Lafayette’s offense has been led by its strong running game and Coach Billy Napier likes what he’s seen from quarterback Levi Lewis, who is striving to be more consistent…
cut 17 (15) “…into November”

Louisiana Tech has a bye week. The Bulldogs are bowl eligible and most bowl projections have Tech playing in either the New Orleans Bowl or New Mexico Bowl.

The Pelicans are off to a rough start at 0-and-4. They didn’t play well on Monday in a 134 to 123 loss to Golden State. New Orleans was without three of its starters because of injuries, Zion Williamson, Jrue Holiday and Derrick Favors. That resulted in more playing time for rookie center Jaxson Hayes and he had 19 points in 24 minutes but had a shaky defensive performance. Coach Alvin Gentry says Hayes is not ready to be a full-time starter any time soon…
cut 19 (20) “….reallY’

We are heading to Game Seven of the World Series as the Nationals beat the Astros seven to two last night. Former LSU Tiger Alex Bregman hit a home run for Houston, but former Tiger Will Harris gave up a two-run homer.

The NCAA announced today that it will allow its athletes to make money off their name, image and likeness. The NCAA says it must embrace change to provide the best possible experience for college athletes. The governing board of college athletics hopes to develop rules and put them in place by January 2021 and rules will be consistent with the collegiate model. Assistant Tiger Rag Editor Tyler Nunez says that’s a vague statement, so it will be interesting to see what the exact rules will say
Cut 13 (09) “to happen”

Today the NFL trade deadline came and went without any major moves. So the Saints did not work out a deal with Cincinnati for Bengals wide receiver A-J Green.

The Pelicans need some help, they are 0-4 after losing to Golden State 134 to 123 last night and they’ll visit undefeated Denver on Thursday night.

Joe Burrow’s record-breaking season at LSU has resulted in a couple of mock drafts putting the fifth-year senior as the top pick in next April’s NFL draft. NFL draft Analyst Mike Detillier says the worst teams in the league, the Bengals, Dolphins, and Broncos are keeping a close eye on Burrow…
Cut 9 (09) “…Oregon”
Burrow has thrown for 2,800 yards and 30 TDS while completing 79 percent of his passes this year.

Burrow and Tigers are enjoying a bye week and defensive end Rashard Lawrence says they’ll take the break…
cut 17 (14) “…of rest”
Louisiana Tech is also on a bye this week. While UL-Lafayette and ULM are coming off a bye week. The Cajuns host Texas State for homecoming, while the Warhawks face Arkansas State.