LSU leaves today for its game tomorrow night at Mississippi State. Bulldogs Quarterback Nick Fitzgerald is off to a terrific start this season, but the Tigers put the clamps on him last year. Fitzgerald rushed for only 13 yards, he was sacked four times and threw for just 120 yards. The voice of the Tigers, Chris Blair, says LSU will look to keep Fitzgerald in the pocket again….
cut 19 (20) “…throw it away”

Louisiana Tech will also face a good quarterback tomorrow night in their Conference USA battle with Western Kentucky. Senior Mike White was named the league’s preseason offensive conference player of the year.

Starting with tonight’s games, several Louisiana high schools are taking part in “Touchdowns Against Cancer,” which benefits St. Judes. Michelle Southern reports..:
Cut 2 (28) “I’m Michelle Southern”

And there are plenty of good high school football games tonight….in the Acadiana area, you have Notre Dame at Teurlings Catholic, while St. Thomas More hosts Plaquemine. In north Louisiana, the big matchup is Oak Grove at Sterlington, as they battle for the Mayor’s Cup.

Last night, Woodlawn over Haughton 32-24 and Buckeye beat Bunkie 35-20.

LSU and Louisiana Tech have key conference games this weekend. The 12th ranked Tigers are at Mississippi State. Both teams are 2-and-0 have enjoyed lopsided victories this season. LSU is favorite by 6.5 points.

Louisiana Tech is a touchdown underdog to Western Kentucky. These two teams met twice last season. The Bulldogs won the first meeting 55-52 in Ruston, but the Hilltoppers won the rematch in the Conference USA Championship game. It’s the eighth meeting between the two teams, and the home team is undefeated. Kick-off is at 6 PM on Saturday.

In the Southland Conference…Southeastern Louisiana is at Central Arkansas. Both teams are still looking for their first win. The Lions have not started a season with a 0-3 record since 2012. UCA leads the all-time series seven to three. Northwestern State lost its first two games and they’ll host Lamar at 6 PM.

The Saints continue preparations for their home opener this Sunday against New England. It marks the return of receiver Brandin Cooks, who was traded by New Orleans in the offseason for a first and third round pick. Cooks importance to the Pats has grown, because Julian Edelman is out for the year, Malcolm Mitchell is on injured reserve and Danny Amendola suffered a concussion last week.

ULM is at home this Saturday to take on Southern Miss, who beat Southern 45-0 last week. Warhawks Head Coach Matt Viator is impressed with the Golden Eagles skill position players….
cut 19 (17) “…call it”
ULM has just one game under its belt, because last week’s game at Florida State was cancelled because of Hurricane Irma.

The Saints continue peparations for their home opener this Sunday against the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots. New Orleans must play better this week after giving up 470 total yards to the Vikings and allowing rookie running back Dalvin Cook to rush for 127 yards. Meanwhile, Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady says they need to improve their mental approach after losing their season opener to Kansas City.

The Ragin Cajuns gave up 66 points in a loss to Tulsa last week and Head Coach Mark Hudspeth says it was disappointing not to see improvement from week one to week two…
Cut 17 (20) “don’t miss”
UL Lafayette is at Texas A-and-M on Saturday.

LSU Head Football Coach Ed Orgeron says they’ll have a big competition today to determine who will be their field goal kicker for Saturday’s game at Mississippi State. Redshirt freshman Connor Culp and walk-on sophomore Jack Gonsoulin are a combined three for six on field goal tries.

ULM takes on Southern Miss for its home opener on Saturday. Warhawks Coach Matt Viator says this is an important game for his program…:
Cut 18 (22) “have come”
Southern Miss is coming off a 45-0 victory over Southern, while the Warhawks had the weekend off because its game against Florida State was cancelled because of Hurricane Irma. ULM Athletics Director Nick Floyd says they are exploring options to schedule a 12th game.

LSU will likely be without its top defensive lineman for a second straight game, as head coach Ed Orgeron said Wednesday that Rashard Lawrence is very questionable and likely won’t play in the SEC opener against Mississippi State Saturday night. But outside linebacker Arden Key is expected to start.

Two weeks into the season and the Ragin Cajuns defense ranks as the third worst out of the 129 F-B-S teams. UL Lafayette has allowed nearly 12-hundred yards. But Head Coach Mark Hudspeth says there is a great desire to turn things around…:
Cut 16 (23) “of the ball”
UL Lafayette travels to face Texas A&M on Saturday.

ULM takes on Southern Miss for its home opener on Saturday. Warhawks Coach Matt Viator says this is an important game for his program…:
Cut 18 (22) “have come”
Southern Miss is coming off a 45-0 victory over Southern.

The SEC unveiled the television networks and start times for its 2017-18 men’s basketball schedule. LSU will make 18 total league game appearances.

The Pelicans released a statement Wednesday saying the team isn’t scared away from considering Shreveport for its minor league team even though the city council all voted against borrowing money to build an arena. A Pels spokesman said the vote isn’t going to affect which city they choose.

LSU is anticipating a loud atmosphere on Saturday night in Starkville when they face Mississippi State. Both teams are 2-0. Quarterback Danny Etling says they have to be focused….
cut 20 (20) “….we can be”
Cutting down on penalties is a big key as the Tigers lead the SEC after two games as they’ve been flagged 21 times. Today on the SEC teleconference, Head Coach Ed Orgeron said he doubts that defensive end Rashard Lawrence will be able to play this Saturday, but Arden Key should start. The All-American missed his the first two games of the season as he continued to recover from shoulder surgery.

First year LSU basketball coach Will Wade continues to recruit very well. Power forward Naz Reid from New Jersey announced via twitter that he’s committed to LSU after taking an unofficial visit lat week. Reid is listed as the 18th best player in the nation on the ESPN 100 list.

This Sunday the Saints will take on the Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots. Starting right tackle Zach Strief is not expected to play after he reportedly suffered an MCL Sprain in the loss to Minnesota. New Orleans has signed veteran tackle Byrce Harris, who has been cut and brought back several times, but now looks like he has a permanent spot on this team for the next month.

The New Orleans Pelicans have released a statement after the Shreveport City Council rejected a proposal to begin the process of getting funds together to build a 30-million dollar sports complex that would be the home to the Pelicans minor league basketball team. The Pels statement says they are focused on finding a location for their G League team and that’s their sole focus and the other development plans for that area are not part of their proposal.

After two games, LSU is the most penalized team in the SEC, with 21. Quarterback Danny Etling says they have to play smarter football…
Cut 19 (16) correct“
Etling says their focus has to be extra sharp this Saturday against 2-and-0 Mississippi State. The atmosphere at Scott Field in Starkville is expected to be electric and loud with thousands of cowbells ringing. Kick-off is at 6 PM.

Cajuns head coach Mark Hudspeth is not sure about kicker Stevie Artigue’s availability for Saturday’s road game at Texas A-and-M. Artigue has a strained muscle in his leg and only handled two of the kickoffs in the loss to Tulsa.

Conference play begins this Saturday for Northwestern State and Southeastern. The Lions are at Central Arkansas and the Demons host Lamar.

The Saints are beginning the process of moving forward after a tough 29-19 loss to Minnesota. Coach Sean Payton says the mental errors that hurt them on defense have to be fixed….
cut 17 (16) “….better job”
Payton admits there were only 10 players on the field for the first play of the game. The head coach blames miscommunication on the sidelines.

The Shreveport City council has voted against an economic development plan that included the construction of a three-thousand plus seat arena for the New Orleans Pelicans Gatorade League Team. This could result in Pensacola becoming the home of the Pels minor league team.

And LSU has received a commitment from five-star big man Naz Reid from New Jersey. He’s six-foot-ten, 240 pounds.

The Saints spent Tuesday breaking down the tape of Monday night’s 29-19 loss to Minnesota. Head Coach Sean Payton says it was not a fun exercise, because of how poorly the team played…:
Cut 16 (16) “hurt us”

New Orleans will look to turn this around at home this weekend against the Patriots. Meanwhile these fans couldn’t come up with many nice things to say about the Monday Night Football Game against the Vikings…:
Cut 25 (09) “running for his life”
Kickoff Sunday against the Super Bowl camps is 12 noon in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

A few of LSU’s young wide receivers had a chance to shine in last Saturday’s victory over Chattanooga. Stephen (STEF-ON) Sullivan and JaCoby Stevens each caught their first passes on the college level and Drake Davis was wide open when he caught his first TD Pass. Quarterback Danny Etling…:
Cut 18 (19) “of practice”
The Tigers take on Mississippi State this Saturday in Starkville.

It looks like the Pelicans minor league team won’t be headed to Shreveport. The City Council voted against a $30 million dollar proposal that would have went towards a multi-use sports complex downtown, which supporters were pushing as a way to attract the Tom Benson organization to northwest Louisiana.

The LSU Basketball team has verbal pledge from 5-star recruit Naz Reid. He’s out of New Jersey and is regarded as the No. 15 overall prospect in the 2018 class.

Another Saints season is off to a rough start, as the Black and Gold lost to Minnesota 29-19 last night. New Orleans hosts the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots on Sunday, but coach Sean Payton says the mistakes made last night need to be corrected…
Cut 15 (17) “do it”
Some of the biggest mistakes took place in pass coverage as the Saints allowed Vikings Quarterback Sam Bradford to throw for 346 yards and a touchdown.

In other NFL news…the Buffalo Bills have signed former LSU wide receiver Malachi Dupre to their practice roster. And the Packers have released another former Tiger, defensive lineman Ricky Jean Francois

In LSU’s 45-10 win over Chattanooga, quarterback Danny Etling was 8-of-14 for 227 yards and a score. He connected on five passes of 25 yards or more. But Head Coach Ed Orgeron says LSU could have been more productive through the air, if Etling was more accurate….
Cut 18 (18) “in that area”

ULM Football Coach Matt Viator plans to start junior Garrett Smith at quarterback in Saturday’s home opener against Southern Miss. Viator says sophomore Caleb Evans will also play too as the competition between the two QBs remains tight.

In the NBA…the Pelicans have reportedly signed veteran free agent guard Tony Allen, who is a really good defender.

Another Saints season is off to a rough start. New Orleans had trouble scoring touchdowns after getting into the redzone and Vikings Quarterback Sam Bradford picked apart the Saints defense for 346 yards and three touchdowns in the Vikings 29-19 victory last night. Head Coach Sean Payton….
cut 13 (18) “…they did”
Bad news on the injury front as well. Starting right tackle Zach Strief left the game with a leg injury and he reportedly suffered an MCL sprain and is expected to miss a few weeks.

During last night’s game, ESPN caught Adrian Peterson and Sean Payton having a verbal exchange on the sidelines, but both Payton and Peterson downplayed the incident. Peterson had just 18 yards on six carries.

LSU is anticipating a hostile crowd for this Saturday’s SEC contest between the Tigers and Mississippi State. The Bulldogs are also 2-0 on the year. Head Coach Ed Orgeron says he has a plan on how to practice for all of the cowbells they’ll hear on Saturday night…
Cut 17 (16) “cowbells”
LSU will also spend this week trying to fix their field goal situation. Jack Gonsoulin and Connor Culp each missed field goals from 40-plus yards out last week.

Louisiana Tech has its first road game of the season this Saturday as the Bulldogs visit Western Kentucky The Hilltoppers have won 13 straight conference home games and they’re 21-2 in their last 23 games against CUSA opponents. The two losses have been against Louisiana Tech. Western Kentucky beat Tech 58-44 in last year’s league title game.

The Saints kick-off the 2017 season tonight against Minnesota, which last season had one of the better defenses in the NFL. The Vikings have two pro bowlers in their secondary, safety Harrison Smith and cornerback Xavier Rhodes. Quarterbck Drew Brees says Rhodes is a top tier corner…
cut 17 (12) “…good reason”
No Willie Snead for the Saints. The wide receiver begins a three-game suspension tonight for an offseason DWI. Terron Armstead, Nate Stupar and Trey Hendrickson have also been ruled out for today’s game because of injuries and illness.

LSU Football Coach Ed Orgeron is not sure if Rashard Lawrence will be able to play Saturday against Mississippi State. He was in a walking boot for the win over Chattanooga. But Orgeron says All-American pass rusher Arden Key should see his first action of the season.

Nicholls Wide Receiver Damion Jeanpiere has been named Southland Offensive Player of the Week. Jeanpiere had five catches for 174 yards as the Colonels nearly upset Texas A&M on Saturday.

Grambling’s Martez Carter had 206 yards of total offense in the Tigers 23-10 win over Northwestern State and the senior from Monroe was named as the SWAC offensive player of the week. Carter had 138 yards on teh ground and two touchdowns.

The SEC has announced that LSU’s game versus Syracuse on September 23rd will be a night game, either 6 or 6:30. And the ULM-UL-Lafayette game that day will kick-off at 4 PM from Cajun Field.

Longtime major league baseball scout and Baton Rouge native Mel Didier has passed away at the age of 90. Dider also lettered in baseball and football at LSU in the mid-1940 and he’s a former Fighting Tiger assistant coach. Didier was a scout for the Dodgers when they won the World Series in 1988.