LSU Football Coach Ed Orgeron still has not said who will start at linebacker in the place of Devin White, who must sit out the first half because of the targeting penalty called against him. It will be either sophomore Patrick Queen or freshman Micah Baskerville. Coach Ed Orgeron on what these two bring to the field…
cut 30 (13) “…do fine”

Saints running back Alvin Kamara is not doing fine. He missed practice yesterday because of an illness, but a source told the Advocate Kamara should be fine for Sunday’s game against the Rams. Defensive end Marcus Davenport also did not practice, because of a toe injury. Second-year pro Trey Hendrickson will likely see an increase in snaps as Davenport will reportedly miss at least a month of the season.

The Pelicans lost their fourth straight last night as Portland got a little bit of revenge after gettng swept by New Orleans in the playoffs as last year as the Trail Blazers won last night 132-119.

Louisiana Tech gets another chance at Mississippi State tomorrow. Last year the two teams met in Ruston and State won 57-21 as Tech quarterback J’Mar Smith had a rough day. Smith fumbled a couple of times and threw an interception. Coach Skip Holtz says his quarterback learned a valuable lesson that day…
Cut 17 (13) “winning football”
Tech’s defense will try to slow down Mississippi State Quarterback Nick Fitzgerald. State is 15-and-3 in games he rushes for over 100 yards.

For LSU to have any chance on Saturday they’ll need to contain Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who has thrown for 25 touchdowns and zero interceptions. Tagovailoa is also a good runner. Tigers defensive end Rashard Lawrence says they want to keep Tua from getting out in the open field….
Cut 16 (20) “.box him in”
Alabama has scored a touchdown on their opening drive in every game this season, while LSU’s defense has gone 12 straight games without giving up a touchdown in the first quarter.

The Pelicans have a three-game losing streak after winning its first four games. New Orleans lost to Golden State 131-to-121 last night as the Warriors Stephen Curry hit seven three-pointers and finished 37. The Pels are at Portland tonight.

Saints defensive lineman Marcus Davenport will reportedly miss the next month of the season with a toe injury sustained in Sunday night’s win over Minnesota. But Davenport said he’s still weighing his medical options before a final determination is made on how much time he’ll miss.

The SWAC announces the conference’s football championship game will be played at the school with the highest ranking on December 1st at 3:30. The game was scheduled to be played at Legion Field in Birmingham. Commissioner Charles McClelland says they made this decision, because there’s the possibility UAB will host the Conference USA title game at Legion Field that day. With a month left in the season, Southern leads the SWAC’s western division with a 4-1 record, while Grambling is 3-2.

ULM has suspended women’s basketball coach Jeff Dow for one week without pay because of a human resources violations. The Warhawks open the season on Friday November 9th agaisnt S-M-U. An interim coach has not been made.

The LSU football team has had two weeks to prepare for not only the most efficient offense in the country, but to play them without one of their best defensive players for the first half. Defensive end Rashard Lawrence says the defense expects to get a big boost when linebacker Devin White takes the field after serving his first-half suspension….
cut 18 (18) “…full go”
White and safety Grant Delpit are both semifinalists for the Chuck Bednarik Award, which goes to the nation’s top defensive player.

The NFL Network reports Saints rookie defensive end Marcus Davenport will miss four to six weeks with a toe injury, but Davenport says he’s still receiving medical opinions and there’s been no determination on how much time he’ll miss.

The Pelicans lost their third straight last night falling to the Golden State Warriors. Golden State’s Stephen Curry had 37 points, knocking down seven three-pointers in the 131 to 121 Warriors win. After missing two games with an elbow injury, Anthony Davis returned had just 17 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists. New Orleans is at Portland tonight.

While LSU hosts Alabama, the Ragin Cajuns will be in Alabama to take on the Troy Trojans. Troy won a share of the Sun Belt championship last year and they are 4-0 in league play this year and lead in the conference in run defense. UL Lafayette Coach Billy Napier says Troy has a history of playing good defense…
Cut 19 (16) “.run well”
The Cajuns are 4-4 overall and 1-3 on the road.

Alabama Football Coach Nick Saban calls the 7-and-1 LSU Tigers an elite football team. And Saban adds a seven-game winning streak against the Bayou Bengals, doesn’t guarantee a win this Saturday
Cut 16 (20) “.of the week”
Former LSU Quarterback Herb Tyler says you can tell there’s something different about this LSU team than the last few…
cut 9 (09) “…as well”
Saturday’s game kicks off at 7 PM.

The first college football playoff rankings of the season were released last night and LSU is ranked third. Alabama is number one followed by Clemson. The one-loss Tigers are third and undefeated Notre Dame is ranked fourth. Michigan is number five.

The eyes of the football universe will be on south Louisiana this weekend as both LSU and the Saints play huge games with massive playoff implications. The Tiger/Tide matchup will kick off at 7 PM. Saints Coach Sean Payton says he’s glad his game will kick off at 3:25, since a lot of Black and Gold fans will probably consume an adult beverage or two on Saturday night and stay up late…
Cut 19 (17) “.time slots”
The Los Angeles Rams come into the Mercedes Benz Superdome with a perfect 8-0 record and they just added Jaguars defensive end Dante Fowler in a trade with Jacksonville. And Saints defensive end Marcus Davenport reportedly has a toe injury, but the severity is unclear.

The Pelicans are at Golden State tonight. Anthony Davis is listed as questionable with an elbow injury and Elfrid Payton is out with a sprained ankle. Tip off is at 9:30.

The first college playoff rankings of the year were released last night and the one-loss LSU Tigers are ranked third, ahead of undefeated Notre Dame. Alabama is number one and Clemson is two.

A wild atmosphere is expected when number one ranked Alabama faces third ranked LSU on Saturday. It will be a new experience for sophomore quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, but Coach Nick Saban is optimistic he can handle it…
cut 18 (14) “….to play”
The only time LSU defeated a number one ranked team in Tiger Stadium was in 1997, when the Tigers toppled the Florida Gators. Herb Tyler was LSU’s quarterback that day and likes LSU’s chances to win…
cut 7 (11) “…gunna like”

The Saints will welcome the undefeated Los Angeles Rams to the Mercedes Benz Superdome on Sunday afternoon at 3:25. The Rams have the NFL’s leading rusher in Todd Gurley, their defense ranks eighth in yards allowed and they are led by Sean McVay. Saints Coach Sean Payton on the 32-year-old head coach….
cut 20 (18) “…new thoughts”
The Rams made a trade yesterday before the NFL trade deadline as they acquired pass rusher Dante Fowler from Jacksonville.

Hahnville High School quarterback Andrew Robison won his arbitration hearing and he’s eligible to play Friday for the first time this season in the regular season finale against H-L Bourgeois. Back in August, the LHSAA ruled Robison ineligible for the year because they claimed he was illegally recruited from Vandebilt Catholic.

LSU is a 14 point underdog against top ranked Bama this Saturday, the largest point spread at home in 20 years. Matt Doyle spoke with a Baton Rouge sports talk show host who is a betting odds expert…
Voicer 3 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

Looking at the other betting odds for this weekend. Louisiana Tech is a three touchdown underdog to Mississippi State. ULM is about a touchdown underdog to Georgia Southern. The Cajuns are a 10-point underdog to Troy.

Alabama quarterback Tua Tagvailoa has been playing at a different level this season and is a front-runner to win the Heisman Trophy. Coach Ed Orgeron says it will take a team effort to slow Tua down and it starts with the defensive line playing great technique…
Cut 18 (18) “…them down yet”
The Crimson Tide leads the NCAA in scoring, averaging 54 points a game.

Anthony Davis and Elfrid Payton didn’t play last night and the Pelicans lost their second straight as they fell to Denver 116 to 111. Julius Randle had 24 points and Nikola Mirotic had a double-double, 17 points and 10 rebounds. A-D has missed two games because of a sprained elbow and the Pels visit the defending NBA champs, the Golden State Warriors.

After making a trip home to Ohio during the bye weekend, Tigers quarterback Joe Burrow is ready for his first taste of the LSU-Alabama rivalry. He goes into this game unafraid…
Cut 16 (14) “.ready to go”
Protecting Burrow will be a big key on Saturday. Coach Ed Orgeron says starting left guard Garrett Brumfield is expected to play. He’s been missing since injuring his knee in the Louisiana Tech game on September 22nd.

Louisiana Tech defensive end Jaylon Ferguson has been named one of 20 semifinalists for the Chuck Bednarik AWard, which goes to the nation’s best defensive player. Ferguson leads the nation with 10.5 sacks and he’s the nation’s active career leader with 38 sacks.

The La Tech Bulldogs are Mississippi State Saturday.

The Pelicans fell behind by 18 points last night, but made a game out of it, before losing to the Denver Nuggets 116 to 111. Anthony Davis missed his second straight game with a sprained elbow. Elfrid Payton didn’t play either because of a sprained ankle. Nikola Mirotic tried to pick up the slack with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Julius Randle had 24 points. Hopefully, the Pels get healthy soon. They are at Golden State tomorrow.

With four games left in the regular season, ULM is 4-4, 2-2 in the Sun Belt and tied with the Ragin Cajuns for first place in the West Division. But Warhawks Coach Matt Viator says there hasn’t been much talk about being in first place…
cut 20 (16) “…really”
ULM hosts Georgia Southern on Saturday.

The Saints didn’t put up huge numbers on offense, but still beat the Minnesota Vikings 30-20 in Minneapolis last year. Quarterback Drew Brees threw for just 120 yards as the offense had just 270 total yards. But Brees says they were 2-for-3 in the red zone, which was huge…
cut 14 (11) “…to score”
The defense also produced big plays, with four sacks, two by rookie Marcus Davenport and an interception returned for a touchdown by PJ Williams.

The Saints win sets up a huge weekend of football in Louisiana. Satruday nigth in Tiger Stadium it’s top ranked Alabama versus 4th ranked LSU. The Tigers are 14.5 point underdogs for the 7 PM kick off.

And then Sunday afternoon in the Dome, the 6-and-1 Saints host the undefeated Los Angeles Rams, who won a wild won over the Green Bay Packers yesterday.

UL-Lafayette and McNeese State moved into first place in their respective conferences with victories on Saturday. The Ragin Cajuns outscored Arkansas State 47-43 to improve to 2-2 in the Sun Belt. Coach Billy Napier says it was a complete team win….
cut 16 (15) “…kicking game”

Over in Lake Charles, McNeese muscled past Central Arkansas 23-21. Cody Orgeron, the son of LSU Coach Ed Orgeron, made his first start at quarterback and Little “O” ran for a touchdown in the first quarter….
cut 18 (12) “….really helped”

Southern heads into a bye week in first place in the SWAC west division after 41-7 beat down of Jackson State.

The Saints bring a five-game winning streak into Sunday’s game at Minnesota, while the Vikings have won three in a row. During the win streak, Minnesota’s defense has forced eight turnovers, allowed just five touchdowns and opponents have converted on 4 of 32 third down chances. Running back Mark Ingram says they will need to play well…
cut 17 (18) “…where to be”
Ingram will look to be the first running back to have a rush for more than 20 yards against the Vikings defense this season.

Big news on the recruiting front, Destrehan’s John Emery has de-committed from Georgia. He’s considered one of the nation’s top running backs and attended the LSU game when the Tigers upset Georgia.

Louisiana Tech kicks-off this weekend’s local college football weekend by visiting Florida Atlantic tonight, in a game that will be televised by CBS Network at 5:30. Coach Skip Holtz says he’d rather paly on Saturday, but likes playing on national television…
cut 19 (18) “….the exposure”
The Owls are 3-4, but they they’ve won 10 straight at home. Tech is seeking its third win a row and a victory makes them bowl eligible.

The Ragin Cajuns are home tomorrow night to host Arkansas State. A win and UL-Lafayette gets back to 4-4 on the season.

In high school football, St Frederick snapped a 13-game losing streak to Ouachita Christian as the Warriors defeated the Eagles 24-21.

Today is LSU’s final day of practice and then they’ll get the weekend off. The players will likely enjoy the time away. The fan base’s frustration over Devin White’s suspension that will see him sit out the first half of the Alabama game has died down a little bit. But it might pick back up next weekend.

Billboards that read hashtag free Devin White have gone up in Birmingham, Alabama, the home of the SEC headquarters. They were paid for by LSU fans. Linebacker Jacob Phillips says White appreciates the love he’s receiving from Purple and Gold nation…
Cut 18 (08) “…they love us”
Sophomore Patrick Queen was seen going through drills with the first team in practice yesterday. Queen and freshman Micah Baskerville are the two candidates set to replace White in the first half.

The Monroe News-Star reports running back DeSherrius Flowers and defensive back Cecil Cherry have left the Grambling State football program.

Metairie Senator Danny Martiny says he’ll make another push in the next legislative session to legalize sports betting in Louisiana. Martiny made the statement after hearing from Mississippi Gaming Commission Executive Director Allen Godfrey, who described how Mississippi casinos are seeing an increase in business since the first sports bets were made last month…
cut 14 (10) “…long time”
Nine states have legalized sports betting.

Federal drug enforcement agents raided a home and business office associated with the father of Saints and LSU superfan Jarrius Robertson, who lives in St. John the Baptist Parish. The 16-year-old has received national attention for his battle against a rare liver condition and his mother says the investigation has to with the father’s foundation called It Takes Lives to Save Lives.