The 2017 season is off to a good start for the LSU Tigers. The Bayou Bengals blanked BYU 27-0 as the Tigers outgained the Cougars 479-to-97. Derrius Guice rushed for 120 yards and 2 touchdowns. Quarterback Danny Etling was 14-of-17 for 173 yards. Head Coach Ed Orgeron says offensive coordinator Matt Canada did a fantastic job calling plays..:
Cut 15 (17) “offensive staff”
LSU comes to Tiger Stadium this weekend to take on Chattanooga.

Elsewhere around the state, Louisiana Tech had a convincing 52-24 victory over Northwestern State Saturday night. Senior Jarred Craft scored three touchdowns, including a pair of fourth quarter scores. Tulane hammered Grambling State 44-14.

Not much defense was played Saturday in Lafayette as the Ragin Cajuns outlasted Southeastern Louisiana 51-48. The Lions rushed for 343 yards. UL Lafayette Coach Mark Hudspeth says they were over pursuing on defense…:
Cut 17 (17) “next week”
The Ragin’ Cajuns host Sacred Heart this Saturday.

The Saints have set their 53 man roster that will open the season in one week against the Vikings. There weren’t many surprises. Adrian Peterson played for Minnesota his entire career, and now the New Orleans running back told the Star-Tribune he looks forward to sticking it to the Vikings during the Monday Night football game. The Saints announced Willie Snead will be suspended 3 games for a DWI arrest in June.

A lot of Louisiana residents will spend their Saturday watching college football. The headliner is LSU versus BYU at the Mercedes Benz Superdome at 8:30. The Tigers will debut a new offense and on defense they will look to generate a pass rush without All-American edge rusher Arden Key, who is out as he recovers from shoulder surgery.

At six o’ clock in Ruston, it’s Louisiana Tech versus Northwestern State. J’Mar Smith replaces Ryan Higgins at quarterback and the Bulldogs must replace two talented wide receivers, Trent Taylor and Corey Henderson. Bulldogs Coach Skip Holtz on the production he anticipates from his wide outs…
cut 17 (20) “…this point”
Meanwhile, the Demons are looking to improve after a 1-10 2016 season.

The defending champs in the SWAC, Grambling, begins its 2017 season in New Orleans taking on Tulane. Coach Broderick Fobbs says they look forward to the challenge….
cut 20 (19) “….gonna go”
Tulane has never lost to a team from the FCS.

In Lafayette, it’s the Ragin Cajuns versus Southeastern Louisiana. UL Lafayette has a new offensive coordinator by the name of Will Hall and they have a new quarterback, Jordan Davis. S-L-U plans on playing two quarterbacks…South Carolina transfer Lorenzo Nunuz and junior Donovan Isom.

And the Saints will not have wide receiver Willie Snead for the first three games of the season. He’s been suspended because of an off-season DUI. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the suspension was reduced from four to three games on appeal.

The NFL preseason is over and now we wait to see who makes the Saints 53-man roster. New Orleans dropped it’s final preseason game as Baltimore won 14 to 13 last night. One of the highlights of the game was the strip sack by sixth-round draft pick Al-Quadin Muhammad. He’s one of several players on the bubble.

We finally get to see LSU’s new look offense tomorrow when they take on BYU in the season opener at the Mercedes Benz Superdome. Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada says even though the players are working with a new playbook, he expects his guys to play well…
cut 30 (21) “…very well”
Kick-off is at 8:30 PM. The Tigers are a two touchdown favorite.

What a thrilling game in Thibodaux last night as kicker Lorran Fonseca hit a 32-yard field goal as time expried to give Nicholls a 37-35 win over Mcneese. The victory for the Colonels snapped an eight-game losing streak against the Cowboys. James Tabary led McNeese with 238 yards passing and three touchdowns.

ULM dropped its season opener to Memphis 37-29. Caleb Evans started at quarterback, but Garrett Smith performed better as he threw for 171 yards and rushed for another 48 yards.

The Ragin Cajuns begin the season by hosting Southeastern Louisiana. UL Lafayette was inconsistent on offense last season and Coach Mark Hudspeth hopes that’s not the case this season, despite some new faces…
Cut 18 (20) “good players”
Kick-off is at 6 PM.

The first Saturday of college football features three matchups involving intrastate teams. At 6 PM in Ruston, Louisiana Tech hosts Northwestern State. The Demons are coming off a 1-10 season, but Bulldogs Coach Skip Holtz sees a more talented Northwestern team this year…:
Cut 16 (13) “to do”

In Lafayette, the Ragin Cajuns begin the season by hosting Southeastern Louisiana. UL Lafayette Coach Mark Hudspeth says the key to beating the Lions is stopping their running game…:
Cut 19 (14) “back end”
The other intrastate matchup will happen at Yulman Stadium as Grambling visits Tulane.

In their season opener last night, ULM fell to Memphis 37-29. Nicholls State just got past McNeese by a score of 37-35.

The New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau is gearing up for a busy weekend as the LSU-BYU season opener takes place at the Mercedes Benz Superdome. Kristian Sonnier with the CVB expects about 50,000 people will be in the Crescent City for the game that they were not anticipating:
Cut 14 (08) “and gold”
Kickoff is 8:30 pm tomorrow night.

Deputy director of athletics Eddie Nunez is leaving LSU for the athletic director job at the University of New Mexico. Nunez has been at LSU since 2003, serving in seven different positions with the athletic department.

Now that preseason is in the books following a close 14-13 Saints loss to the Ravens last night, the club now has to cut the roster from 90 players to 53. The Saturday league-wide deadline is 3pm.

Running back Derrius Guice is expected to play in LSU’s season opener against BYU on Saturday night in New Orleans, LSU coach Ed Orgeron said Wednesday, but a final decision on his status won’t be made until later in the week. Coach O also said he’ll be using a “no tell” policy on a player or players he may suspend for a game or games for disciplinary or academic reasons.

ULM kicks-off a new season tonight with a matchup against Memphis at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. Memphis was 8-5 last season. They return quarterback Riley Ferguson, who threw for 37-hundred yards and 32 touchdowns last season. Warhakws Coach Matt Viator says the six-foot-four senior is a tremendous football player…:
Cut 17 (20) “they’re built”
Kickoff is at 8pm.

McNeese and Nicholls begin the 2017 football season by playing each other in Thibodaux tonight in a contest that can be seen on ESPN 3. McNeese is led by quarterback James Tabary, who is coming off one of the most productive seasons in school history. Colonels Head Coach Tim Rebowe says he brings back a solid defense from last year…:
Cut 19 (19) “in James”
Kickoff is at 7pm.

LSU has sold all 25,000 of its allotted tickets for Saturday’s AdvoCare Texas Kickoff game vs. BYU in New Orleans. Another bloc of tickets are on sale to the general public via Ticketmaster. Prices range from $40 to $215 per ticket. Parking will be available only on game day for $40 per space.

The final preseason game for the New Orleans Saints kicks off tonight in the Mercedez Benz Superdome, but the matchup against the Ravens gives most of the players who will start in regular season action a chance to rest. However, it’s a race for others who are competing for the last few spots on the 53-man roster. There was some chatter on Wednesday that the game might be canceled due to now Tropical Depression Harvey, but a Saints spokesman confirmed via Twitter it’s on as scheduled. The NFL did announce on Wednesday they are canceling the Houston Texans game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Former LSU running back Leonard Fournette Tweeted out that he is donating $50,000 to victims of Harvey in Houston. The New Orleans native said he knows how it feels having gone through Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Ticket sales for the LSU-BYU game in the dome Saturday night are underway and now open to the general public through Ticketmaster. Prices for the relocated game range from $40 to $215 per ticket. Kickoff is 8:30pm on ESPN.

ULM kicks-off a new season tonight with a matchup against Memphis at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. Sophomore Caleb Evans will start at QB after starting four games as a freshman. Coach Matt Viator says junior Garrett Smith will also take some snaps…:
Cut 16 (15) “shakes out”
Kickoff is at 8pm.

McNeese and Nicholls begin the 2017 football season by playing each other in Thibodaux tonight in a contest that can be seen on ESPN 3. McNeese has dominated this series, and Colonels Head Coach Tim Rebowe talks on what they need to do tonight…:
Cut 18 (15) “this week”
Kickoff is at 7pm.

Ticket sales for the LSU-BYU season opener, now at the Mercedes Benz Superdome, are underway. Fans who purchased tickets for the game in Houston, season ticket holders and students had first priority. LSU Ticket Manager Brian Broussard says the general public were able to start buying tickets at 4 p.m. and all sales are done online.
Cut 13 (09) “their side”
LSU will have a true freshman start at right guard on Saturday. It will be either Ed Ingram or Saahdiq Charles. Quarterback Danny Etling has confidence they can get the job done….
cut 19 (17) “…be fine”
Kick-off on Saturday night from the Dome is at 8:30.

There was a report today that said the NFL was considering cancelling tomorrow night’s preseason game between the Saints and Ravens in New Orleans because of Harvey. But that turned out to be fake news. It’s an important game for the back ups. Coach Sean Payton says if a guy can make a big play on special teams, it can go a long way towards making the 53-man roster….
cut 20 (23) “…decision right”

Looks like Harvey will not impact tomorrow night’s Southland opener between McNeese and Nicholls. Colonels Coach Tim Rebowe….
cut 25 (10) “…really soon”
Kick-off tomorrow is at 7 PM.

LSU continues its preparations for the season opener against BYU on Saturday night in the Mercedes Benz Superdome. Last year, the Tigers opened the season with a loss to Wisconsin in Green Bay. Tigers Quarterback Danny Etling says BYU looks a lot like that Badger defense they faced last year in Lambeau Field…
cut 18 (24) “….ready for the challenge”
On today’s SEC teleconference, Head Coach Ed Orgeron says no final decision yet on running back Derrius Guice, but it looks like he will play. Guice says he’s had an issue with his widsom teeth.

Some Louisiana schools begin their college football season tomorrow night. Nicholls State and McNeese State are still scheduled to play each other in Thibodaux. And ULM will make the trip to Memphis tonight where they’ll play the Tigers in Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium tomorrow.

There is a report that says the NFL could cancel tomorrow night’s preseason game between the Saints and the Ravens, because of Tropical Storm Harvey. It’s the final preseason game, before the team has to cut dozens of players to get to a 53-man roster for the regular season opener. Coach Sean Payton says some difficult roster decisions will have to be made…
cut 30 (22) “…final cutdown”

LSU running back Derius Guice says he’s fired up to play in the Mercedes Benz Superdome on Saturday night against BYU. Guice says this will be the second time he’s played in the iconic stadium. The first time was when he was 12-years-old, when he played a quick game during halftime of a Saints game. Guice says it’s great to start the season in Louisiana….
Cut 17 (20) “worked itself out”

Pre-sale for the relocated LSU-BYU game in the Mercedes Benz Superdome Saturday, including purchases made through the participating schools, begins today at 10am. Pre-Sale codes will be emailed to fans that purchased tickets from LSU to game originally scheduled for NRG Stadium, season ticket holders, and full time students. Sales will open to the general public at 4.

The Saints and the rest of the NFL have to trim their 90 man roster down to 53 players by Saturday, and New Orleans got a jump start on Tuesday by releasing veteran defensive lineman Jason Jones and placing veteran tight end John Phillips on injured reserve.

Tomorrow’s Southland Conference opener between McNeese State and Nicholls is scheduled to be played in Thibodaux. Nicholls says they are game ready and McNeese AD Bruce Hemphill says as long as it’s safe to travel to Thibodaux they’ll be ready to play on Thursday night as well.

LSU Basketball coach Will Wade is helping out flood ravaged Houston. Cougars Coach Kelvin Smith asked all of his fellow basketball coaches at every level to send him school t-shirts and shoes, and he would distribute them to the appropriate agencies. Wade was quick to respond with a package of 20 pairs of shoes about about 40 LSU shirts to go to help Coach Sampson’s project.

Former LSU head coach Les Miles has joined the Fox Sports Network as an analyst for the 2017 college football season. The Mad Hatter will start with the Northern Illinois at Nebraska game along side Tim Brando. He will appear in select games during the season for Fox Sports.

LSU Coach Ed Orgeron said yesterday that running back Derrius Guice might not play in the season opener against BYU. But Guice spoke with reporters today and he says he’s ready to go…
cut 30 (05) “…100-percent”
Guice says he has been dealing with an issue with his wisdom teeth.

Meanwhile, for the seven LSU players from Houston there is a lot on their mind. Starting tackle Toby Weathersby says he’s worried about his grandparents, who are not willing to leave their home, even though the flood waters continue to rise. But Weathersby says he won’t let the troubles at home, affect his preparation for the game….
cut 28 (13) “….me inside”
Saturday’s game against BYU will kick-off at 8:30 in the Mercedes Benz Superdome, instead of Houston.

Thursday’s Southland Conference opener between McNeese State and Nicholls is scheduled to be played in Thibodaux. Nicholls says they are game ready and McNeese AD Bruce Hemphill says as long as it’s safe to travel to Thibodaux they’ll be ready to play on Thursday night as well.

Fox Sports announces that former LSU coach Les Miles will be a college football analyst on their network this fall. Miles is set to make his Fox Sports debut during Week 3 of the season when Nebraska hosts Northern Illinois. Miles’ son Ben is a fullback on the Cornhuskers team.

The Saints have traded a seventh round draft pick in 2019 to the Eagles for veteran long snapper Jon Dorenbos. Dorenbos is also a really good magician and was a big hit on America’s Got Talent in 2016. But when it comes to football….Coach Sean Payton likes his consistency over a long period of time. Dorenbos is set to enter his 15th season.

Payton also said cornerback Delvin Breaux will likely be put on injured reserve, because of a fractured fibula.