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.

A major storyline heading into tonight’s regular season opener for the Saints is Adrian Peterson’s return to Minnesota. As a Viking, Peterson rushed for 11,747 yards. The 32-year-old says he would like to have a big game that leads to a victory….
cut 16 (10) “…New England”
Kick-off tonight is just after 6 PM at U-S Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

Former LSU Tiger Leonard Fournette’s NFL debut was a success. Fournette rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown in Jacksonville’s 29-7 win over the Houston Texans.

Odell Beckham Junior didn’t play last night and the Giants missed him as Dallas downed New York 19-3. Former Haughton star Dak Prescott threw for 268 yards and did not turn the ball over.

LSU unleashed a down field passing attack in its 45-10 win over Chattanooga on Saturday night. Quarterback Danny Etling averaged 16 yards per passing attempt, which is a career high. Through two games, he’s completed 71-percent of his passes for nearly 400 yards, one touchdown and zero interceptions. Head Coach Orgeron says Etling looks like a different player this season…
Cut 14 (19) “do it”
Etling and the Tigers offense will be tested this week. Through two games, the Bulldogs defense has allowed just 178 passing yards.

UL Lafayette Head Football Coach Mark Hudspeth believes his team has a quarterback they can count on. Jordan Davis threw for 309 yards and two touchdowns, he also rushed for 60 yards and two more scores in a loss to Tulsa.

LSU Remains NO. 12 in the AP Top 25 poll following a 45-10 win over Chattanooga on Saturday night in Tiger Stadium. The Tigers are now headed into this weekend’s SEC opener versus Mississippi State in Starkville. Between Jack Gonsoulin and Connor Culp, the Tigers have missed three field goals. Head Coach Ed Orgeron says it’s an issue…:
Cut 13 (10) “we can”
But quarterback Danny Etling has looked sharp. Through two games, he’s completed 71-percent of his passes for nearly 400 yards, one touchdown and zero interceptions.

Mississippi State had no problem against Louisiana Tech in a 57-21 non-conference win over the weekend in Ruston. State’s Nick Fitzgerald threw for three touchdowns and ran for two more. Tech travels to face Western Kentucky in its Conference USA opener this Saturday.

An intriguing matchup to start the season for the Saints as they visit the Minnesota Vikings to kick-off the 2017 campaign. New Orleans led the NFL in total offense last year, while the Vikings had the league’s third-ranked defense, and return most of their starters from 2016. Saints Quarterback Drew Brees says it’s a tough match-up to start the season…:
Cut 15 (12) “absolute best”
Kickoff tonight is slated for 6pm.

In other football action around the state over the weekend, The Ragin’ Cajuns fell to Tulsa 66-42 in an offensive shootout.

Nicholls State rallied back from an early 14-0 deficit against Texas A&M, but the Aggies did just enough to put the game away as the Colonels fell 24-14.

McNeese State hammered Florida Tech 42-21. Southeastern Louisiana fell to Bethune-Cookman 28-23.

12th ranked LSU returns to Tiger Stadium for the first time in 2017 as they host Chattanooga at 6:30. Last week, the Tigers started four true freshman and young players could see more playing time tonight, if this game gets out of hand. LSU is 12-0 against FCS teams. The Mocs lost their season opener to Jacksonville State 27-13.

For the 13th time, Louisiana Tech will play Mississippi State and for the second time the game will take place in Ruston. Tech beat State 22-14 in 2008 at Joe Aillet Stadium. Bulldogs Coach Skip Holtz says it’s been tough preparing for Mississippi State Q-B Nick Fitzgerald…
cut 30 (20) “…pick our battles”
Kick-off is at 6:30.

The Ragin Cajuns had a thrilling win over Southeastern Louisiana last week, this afternoon they travel to take on Tulsa. Last year, the Golden Hurricane offense ranked fourth nationally in yards per game and seventh in scoring. Tulsa lost last week to Oklahoma State 59-24.

Tulane begins American Athletic Conference play by visiting Navy. Nicholls State is looking for its fourth victory over an FBS team as they take on reeling Texas A-and-M, who blew a 34-point. third quarter lead and lost 45-44 to UCLA. Last year, the Colonels nearly beat Georgia.

Elsewhere…McNeese hosts Florida Tech, Southeastern Louisiana takes on Bethune-Cookman in Hammond, Northwestern State makes the short to Grambling State and Southern is at Southern Miss.

High School football last night…Acadiana over Ruston 28-6, Barbe had a big 45-28 win over Riverside, St. James defeated Lutcher, and Sterlington shutout OCS 35-to-zip.