The annual Tiger Bowl is tomorrow as LSU travels to Jordan-Hare Stadium to take on Auburn. Both teams come into the match-up undefeated but LSU has an uphill battle as this game tends to be dominated by the home team. Tiger Rag Editor James Moran says LSU’s offensive line struggled against Southeastern last week and that won’t fly playing the War Eagles…
Cut 14 (10) “…praise that is”
LSU Football Coach Ed Orgeron says Austin Deculus will start at right tackle. Adrian Magee started the season at right tackle, but he’s out with an apparent leg injury.

Three Saints players returned to practice yesterday after not being seen on the practice field Wednesday. Wide receivers Michael Thomas and Ted Ginn Junior and left tackle Terron Armstead. Thomas was listed a full participant, while Ginn and Armstead were limited. New Orleans hosts Cleveland this Sunday.

There’s a big Top 25 FCS matchup in Lake Charles on Saturday night as 15th ranked McNeese hosts 12th ranked Nicholls State. Cowboys Coach Lance Guirdy says trying to contain Colonels quarterback Chase Fourcade will be difficult…
Cut 17 (15) “the play”
The Cowboys are 2-0 as they’ ve defeated Northern Colorado and Houston Baptist. Nicholls is 1-1 after losing to Tulane last week.

We are two days away from the Top 25 matchup on the plaints between 12th ranked LSU and seventh ranked Auburn. LSU is allowing just two yards per rush and linebacker Devin White is a big reason for that. Auburn Coach Gus Malzhan says he’s impressed by White…
cut 17 (20) “…our league”
Auburn had a pair freshmen, JaTarvious Whitlow and Shaun Shivers, rush for over 100 yards last week against Alabama State.

The Saints ran the ball only 13 times in last Sunday’s 48-40 loss to Tampa Bay. Quarterback Drew Brees says the offense was still efficient and sometimes there are games where the run-pass ratio is lopsided in one way or the other. We’ll see if the Black and Gold have a more balanced approach this Sunday against the Cleveland Browns.

ULM is coming off a surprise win over Southern Miss as they head into this Saturday’s match-up against Texas A-and-M. Warhawks Coach Matt Viator says his team played well, but there’s still room for improvement….
cut 19 (18) “…better at”
ULM is nearly a four touchdown underdog in this match-up against Jimbo Fisher and the Aggies.

The Ragin Cajuns game against Mississippi State has been moved to ESPN Two. Kick-off time is still at 6:30 PM.

The LHSAA Executive Committee upheld the executive director’s decision to suspend senior quarterback Andrew Robison for one-year. Robison transferred from Vandebilt Catholic to Hahnville. Hahnville Coach Nick Saltaformaggio’s four-game suspension also upheld.

LSU and Auburn renew their rivalry this Saturday at Jordan Hare Stadium. The Fighting Tigers won a wild game over the War Eagles last season as LSU rallied back from 20 points down to win 23-20. Auburn coach Gus Malzahn says his guys have not forgotten about that bitter defeat…
Cut 16 (20) “ low time”
LSU is just two and seven at Auburn since 2000.

Three Saints players did not practice yesterday. Wide receiver Mike Thomas was absent because of an illness, while Ted Ginn Junior sat out with a knee injury. Nose tackle Tyeler Davison has a foot injury and did not practice either. New Orleans hosts the Browns this Sunday.

ULM will take its 2-0 record to College Station on Saturday to take on Texas A&M. The Aggies nearly upset second ranked Clemson last weekend and Warhawks Coach Matt Viator is impressed with what Coach Jimbo Fisher has done during his first season in Aggie land…
Cut 18 (18) “…that front”
Warhawks Quarterback Caleb Evans is returning to his home state of Texas after throwing for 195 yards against Southern Miss last week. ULM’s defense faces a big test trying to slow down Aggie quarterback Kellen Mond, who threw for 430 yards against Clemson last week.

Baseball America ranks this year’s recruiting class at LSU as the best in the nation. It’s the fourth time the Tigers have received the number one designation since 2007.

12th ranked LSU is listed as a 10.5 point underdog in their Top 25 matchup with the 7th ranked Auburn Tigers. LSU Quarterback Joe Burrow has confidence his guys can get the job done in Jordan-Hare Stadium…
cut 18 (15) “…get rolled”
LSU is looking for its first win at Auburn since 2012.

The Ragin Cajuns are in Starkville for matchup against 16th ranked Mississippi State. UL Lafayette Coach Billy Napier says the Bulldogs have a good combination of talent and depth in the first front seven on defense…
cut 20 (15) “…really well”
Kick off is at 6:30.

Saints Coach Sean Payton said today that wide receiver Cameron Meredith was inactive for the season opener because he still needs more reps in practice. New Orleans signed the free agent pass catcher after he missed the 2017 season with an ACL. Payton says Meredith is healthy and they are just trying to get him up to speed.

The Baltimore Ravens have put former Louisiana Tech running back Kenneth Dixon on injured reserve. Dixon scored a touchdown in Baltimore’s season opening win over the Bills, but also hurt his knee. The Ravens can bring Dixon back after Week 8 of the regular season.

Baseball America ranks this year’s recruiting class at LSU as the best in the nation. It’s the fourth time the Tigers have received the number one designation since 2007. The 16-member class contains seven players that have been chosen in the Major League Baseball draft. Vanderbilt finished second in the ranking, Florida fifth and Texas A-and-M is seventh.

LSU’s passing game has yet to take off under new starting quarterback Joe Burrow. The Tigers threw for just 151 yards in Saturday’s 31-0 win over Southeastern Louisiana. LSU had a chance against an FCS opponent to get its passing game up to speed before they play Auburn this Saturday. Burrow says despite average production, the experience was beneficial
Cut 16 (12) “ and grow”
Meanwhile, senior running back Nick Brossette is off to a good start. He ranks fifth in the SEC in rushing average with 131 yards per game.

The Saints return to practice today to get for their matchup with the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Tyrod Taylor is the Browns starting quarterback. He completed just 15 of 40 passes last week, but rushed for 77 yards as Cleveland tied Pittsburgh 21-21.

The Ragin Cajuns return from the bye week to face 16th ranked Mississippi State. The Bulldogs are 2-0 and lead the SEC in rushing, averaging 302 yards a game. UL Lafayette Coach Billy Napier says they need to practice hard in order to slow down State’s running game…
Cut 19 (19) “ on Saturday”
Mississippi State’s dual-threat quarterback Nick Fitzgerald rushed for 159 yards against Kansas State last week.

ULM also faces an SEC West opponent this Saturday as the Warhawks travel to College Station to take on Texas A-and-M. The Aggies played well in a loss to second ranked Clemson last Saturday. A-and-M quarterback Kellen Mond threw for 430 yards and three touchdowns.

After losing to Tampa Bay in the season opener, the Saints are already facing a must win situation as they host the Cleveland Browns this Sunday. The Browns have an 18-game winless streak. New Orleans defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins says they can’t worry about Cleveland’s past…
cut 18 (13) “…win a game”
New Orleans is an eight point favorite to beat the Browns.

In injury news around the NFC South…the Falcons have placed Pro Bowl linebacker and former LSU star Deion Jones on injured reserve, because he’ll need surgery on his foot. Jones suffered the injury in the season opening loss to the Eagles.

And Panthers tight end Greg Olson has re-fractured his right foot and will miss several weeks, but the team is hopeful he can return this season.

LSU Quarterback Joe Burrow has changed his tune somewhat about avoiding contact from opposing defenders. Burrow said after the win over Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday that he doesn’t know how to slide and doesn’t plan on learning. But Burrow now says he won’t try to take on tacklers as much…
cut 28 (13) “….this week”
LSU faces 7th ranked Auburn this Saturday. Head Coach Ed Orgeron says changes are coming to the offensive line. Austin Deculus will compete with Badara Traore (Buh-dar-uh-Trey-Ore)for the starting spot at right tackle. Freshman Dare Rosenthal practiced last week at defensive end and now is getting reps at left tackle.

Grambling State Coach Broderick Fobbs says the battle for starting quarterback for the Tigers continues. Aldon Clark and Geremy Hickbottom both threw two interceptions in a blowout loss to Northwestern State.

The Saints are eager to put behind Sunday’s bad performance in the upset loss to Tampa Bay behind them. Linebacker Demario Davis says it was humbling to watch the tape of Bucs Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick throwing for 417 yards on just 21 completions…
Cut 16 (10) “ get it fixed”
The Saints have until Sunday to get the mistakes fixed as they host Cleveland at the Superdome on that day.

LSU Football Coach Ed Orgeron is planning on making changes on his offensive line, but he also wants to see better play from his receivers….
cut 15 (10) “…football player”
The Tigers rank dead last in the SEC in total offense heading into LSU’s game against Auburn.

Walker High’s head football coach, Lester Ricard, along with an assistant coach Marcus Brown, have resigned. The resignations come days after the announcement the two had been suspended. The question of “Why?” remains. Prep writer for The Advocate, Robin Fambrough, says Ricard, a former quarterback at Tulane, had the program heading in the right direction.
Cut 11 (08) “…disappointed”
Ricard, who also starred at Amite High School, led the Wildcats to a playoff berth and a six-five record last season.

In the latest high school football rankings no changes at the top. John Curtis, Karr, U-High, Notre Dame and Kentwood remain ranked number one. Barbe, Neville, Union Parish, Loyola Prep and Basile are among the teams now ranked in their respective classes.

Nicholls is ranked 12th while McNeese is ranked 15th in the latest F-C-S Coaches poll. Those two teams meet this Saturday in Lake Charles.

After a 48-40 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers yesterday, New Orleans has now lost seven of its last eight season openers. After bringing back much of the roster from last year’s NFC South championship team. The hope was for New Orleans to get off to a fast start by playing the first two weeks of the season at home against two of the worst teams from last year. Coach Sean Payton says they will need to do some self scouting this week…
Cut 20 (20) “ disappointing loss”
New Orleans will try again this Sunday against Cleveland. The Browns, who went winless last season, started the 2018 campaign with a 21-21 tie versus the Steelers.

LSU Quarterback Joe Burrow took some big hits in the 31-0 win over Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday night. Coach Ed Orgeron says Burrow needs to do more to avoid injury….
cut 15 (11) “…two quarterbacks”
But Burrow says he doesn’t know how to slide and doesn’t want to. He says he’s not a slider.

ULM is 2-0 on the season thanks to a great defensive effort on Saturday in Hattiesburg that resulted in a 21-20 win over Southern Miss. The Warhawk defense produced five sacks and four turnovers. Coach Matt Viator says it feels good..
Cut 17 (12) “weapons”
Former Neville star Donald Louis was named Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week today with three tackles for a loss.

For the fifth straight season, the Saints lose their season opener as Tampa Bay came into the Mercedes Benz Superdome and shocked New Orleans 48-40. Bucs journeymen quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick had a career passing day with 417 passing yards and four touchdowns, he also rushed for 36 yards and a touchdown. The Saints came into the game as a 9.5 point favorite. Coach Sean Payton agreed with everyone else, the defense played poorly…
Cut 19 (13) “ many positives”
The Saints offense was in midseason form as Drew Brees threw for 439 yards and three touchcdown passes. Mike Thomas set a franchise record for most catches in a game, with 16 receptions for 180 yards and a score.

New Orleans will look to even up its record at 1-1 when they host Cleveland on Sunday. The Browns tied the Steelers 21-21.

We learned two things during LSU’s 31-0 win over Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday. The Tigers offensive line needs to improve and quarterback Joe Burrow will not slide to avoid contact…

cut 16 (04) “….will slide”
Coach Ed Orgeron says he would like to see Burrow slide, because there are only two scholarship quarterbacks on the roster. 12th ranked LSU faces a big challenge this Saturday as they will visit 7th ranked Auburn.

ULM is 2-0 on the season thanks to a great defensive effort on Saturday in Hattiesburg that resulted in a 21-20 win over Southern Miss. The Warhawk defense produced five sacks and four turnovers. Coach Matt Viator says it feels good..
Cut 17 (12) “weapons”
Former Neville star Donald Louis had a big game with three tackles for a loss.

LSU and Southeastern Louisiana will meet on the football field for the first time since 1949 when the two schools face off in Tiger Stadium at 6 PM on Saturday. Both teams are led by Louisiana natives, Ed Orgeron for LSU and S-L-U’s Frank Scelfo is from Abbeville and has known Orgeron since high school…
Cut 16 (20) “ this week”
LSU is coming off a victory over Miami, while the Lions lost last week to ULM. But Southeastern Quarterback Chason Virgil threw for 358 yards. Orgeron says he’s impressed with the Fresno State transfer.
Cut 7 (10) “…well coached.”

Saturday will be a big day of intrastate matchups. Louisiana Tech will host Southern University. During the game, the Bulldogs will celebrate the first 50 years of football at Joe Aillet Stadium. In Natchitoches, Northwestern State takes on Grambling. The Tigers won this game last year 23-10. And Nicholls looks to beat an FCS school for a second straight week as they visit Tulane.

On Sunday, the Saints host Tampa Bay in the season opener. The Bucs will start Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback as Jameis Winston is suspended for the first three games for violating the league’s conduct policy. New Orleans defensive end Cam Jordan says Fitzpatrick usually played well in the beginning of the season when he was in Buffalo…
cut 20 (19) “…be great”
Kick-off Sunday is at noon.