The top game in the NFL this Sunday is the Saints versus the Panthers. The two teams are tied for first place in the NFC South, with a record of 8-3. Atlanta is one game back at 7-4. After Sunday’s game against Carolina, the Black and Gold will play the Falcons twice in a three week period. Quarterback Drew Brees is excited to see how his team handles the next month…
Cut 17 (08) “best football.”
The Falcons also have a big game as they host the 9-and-2 Vikings.

There are some great high school football games tonight as its the non-select semi-final playoffs. In One-A, Kentwood travels to northeast Louisiana to face Oak Grove in a matchup of two teams who are 12-and-1. In three-A, Kaplan hosts Richwood in a semifinal contest. Both teams are 10-3. In Four-A, undefeated Lakeshore hosts Rayne and and in Five-A, Zachary is at unbeaten West Monroe.

Ole Miss is not going to a bowl game this year and they will not be able to play in one next season and they’ll also have a reduction of scholarships as a result of NCAA penalties that were handed down today against the school. The Rebels were accused of 15 Level One violations as the NCAA investigation determined boosters providing recruits and players with improper benefits.

And the situation continues to get more crazy in Tennessee as athletics director John Currie has been fired after spending eight months on the job. Currie was reportedly set to hire Washington State head coach Mike Leach, but former head coach Phillip Fulmer apparently has been sabotaging the search process in the hopes of becomes the school’s next A-D.

An Associated Press Source says they expect Florida State’s Jimbo Fisher will leave for Texas A-and-M. The ULM Warhawks visit the Seminoles tomorrow in what is expected to be Fisher’s last game in Tallahasse.

First place in the NFC South is on the line Sunday afternoon in the Mercedes Benz Superdome as the Saints host the Carolina Panthers. Both teams are 8-3. New Orleans is coming off a loss that ended their eight-game winning streak. Quarterback Drew Brees says they plan to play their best game of the season:
Cut 16 (14) “important game”
Atlanta is just one game back of the Panthers and Saints in the division standings. Star rookie cornerback Marshon Lattimore did not practice Thursday. Sources say offensive tackle Zach Strief will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.

Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan has been named NFC Defensive Player of the Month. And running back Alvin Kamara has been named NFL offensive rookie of the month.

Tonight is the semi-finals on the non-select of the LHSAA playoffs…..in class one-A there’s a great battle in northeast Louisiana as Oak Grove hosts Kentwood. The Tigers are looking for their first state title since 2001, while the Kangaroos won two years ago. The winner will play the winner between top seeded West St John and defending champ Logansport. In Two-A…top seeded Welsh, led by quarterback Zach Hayes hosts the Many Tigers, who feature UCLA commit AJ Carter at running back. On the other side of the Two-a bracket its second-seeded Ferriday, who hasn’t won a title since 1956 hosting St. Helena, who has reached the semifinals for a second season.

The New Orleans Pelicans will look to overcome some recent adversity as they travel to face the Jazz tonight in Utah.

A year after turning down a job at LSU, the AP is reporting that Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher will likely leave the Seminoles for Texas A&M.

Several reports indicate Saints offensive tackle Zach Strief will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. Strief went on injured reserve after going down in the game in London against the Miami Dolphins. He reportedly had surgery two weeks ago to repair his A-C-L and M-C-L.

In other Saints news, defensive back Ken Crawley is expected to play this Sunday against Carolina, but rookie cornerback Marshon Lattimore did not practice today

Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan has been named NFC Defensive Player of the Month. Jordan had 4.5 sacks in November. And running back Alvin Kamara has been named NFL offensive rookie of the month.

The top defensive back in the state is uncommitted with the new early signing period for college football fast approaching. This year recruits can sign on December 20th. Geaux 24-7 sports Billy Embody believes Scotlandville’s Kelvin Joseph will stay in town to play at LSU, especially since his good friend will play basketball for the Tigers
cut 20 (12) he signed”

Pelicans forward Anthony Davis was ejected from a game for the first time in his NBA career last night, in New Orleans’ loss to Minnesota 120-102. The Pels were seeking their 12th win of the season, but the 120 points mark the 9th time in the last 11 games New Orleans has allowed more than 100 points in a game. Davis was ejected after he complained about a questionable foul call in the second quarter.

LSU reportedly had in-home visit with the state’s top high school football prospect, Parkway wide receiver Terrace Marshall. The five-star recruit also visited campus this past weekend. Billy Embody with Geaux 24-7 sports says the Tigers are in a good position to sign Marshall..:
Cut 18 (14) “early signing period”
Texas A-and-M and Florida State are also in hot pursuit of Marshall.

La Tech is 6 and 6 and waiting for a bowl game invite. 79 Division One programs are bowl eligible for only 78 spots. Athletic Director Tommy McClelland hopes their strength of schedule gives them an edge over the other .500 teams…:
Cut 16 (18) “remarkable feat”
Three of the Bulldogs’ losses were by one point and they lost in overtime to Southern Miss.

In college hoops… LSU won for the third time on their home floor and head to the semester final exam break after an 84-60 victory over UT Martin Wednesday night.

No. 24 Alabama had a come from behind victory over Louisiana Tech last night, 77-74. The Crimson Tide overcame an 11-point deficit over the last 14 minutes and held off the previously unbeaten Bulldogs.

NFL and college football analyst Mike Detilier believes offensive coordinator Matt Canada has coached his last game at LSU. Detillier says Canada would like to get a head coaching gig, plus he believes Ed Orgeron is not that excited about Canada’s offense. If Canada is not here for the bowl game. Detillier expects Coach O will call on tight ends coach Steve Ensminger to serve as O-C for the bowl game, but he’ll need to find someone else to call plays in 2018….
cut 20 (17) “….pressure cooker before”

Meanwhile, Mississippi State has hired Penn State offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead as the Bulldogs new head coach. The 44-year-old is known for his creative offenses.

For the third straight year, Grambling and Alcorn State will meet in the SWAC Title game. Two years ago, Alcorn State beat Grambling in the SWAC title game, but the G-Men returned the favor last year with a 27-20 win over the Braves. Tigers Coach Broderick Fobbs expects another tight contest…
cut 27 (20) “…pressure cooker”
Kick-off on Saturday in Houston is at 3:30 PM.

There is good news regarding Saints injuries. Cornerbacks Marshon Lattimore and Ken Crawley were both seen at practice today during the portion that can be viewed by the media. They both missed last Sunday’s loss to the Rams. This Sunday the Saints host the Rams.

Last Saturday, LSU’s offense had 601 yards of total offense against Texas A-and-M. But for the season, the Tigers rank 54th nationally in total offense, 72nd in scoring and 84th in passing. Head Coach Ed Orgeron said Saturday night he hopes offensive coordinator Matt Canada finds a head coaching job. Football analyst Mike Detillier says Orgeron might not be a fan of all the shifting and motion that Canada’s offense displays….
cut 19 (16) “…he prefers”
As of now, there’s not much interest in Canada as a head coach. There’s a report Canada is interested in the vacancy at Rice and at the same time, he was recruiting a quarterback in California for LSU this week.

The Saints offense didn’t look good last Sunday in the loss to the Rams and this week they’ll face the Carolina Panthers who rank second in the NFL in total defense. Carolina has also won four in a row. Kick-off on Sunday is at noon.

Tonight in the NBA, the Pelicans will host the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans have won four of their last five at home.

LSU is back home tonight to face U-T Martin. The Skyhawks won 22 games last season, but they lost a dozen players off that team and they are just 1-and-5 on the season. Louisiana Tech is at 24th ranked Alabama. The Bulldogs are off to a 5-0 start, while the Crimson Tide are 5-and-1.

Last night, the Ragin Cajuns made 11 three-pointers as the Cajuns defeated McNeese State 89-78. Malik Marquetti drained five threes and finished with a career-high 17 points.

Southeastern Louisiana won its fourth straight last night beating Loyola of New Orleans 80-53. Jordan Capps had 21 points.

And ULM never trailed in its 65-52 win over Jackson State. The Warhawks have won three of their last four.

LSU Head Football Coach Ed Orgeron has said he expects offensive coordinator Matt Canada will seek a head coaching job. Football analyst Mike Detillier says there appears to be a rift between Coach “O” and Canada, and believes the young play caller has worked his last game at LSU
Cut 18 (18) “offensive coordinator somewhere”
The Tigers rank 54th nationally in total offense, 72nd in scoring and 84th in passing.

The LSU men’s basketball team returns to the court tonight, back from the Maui Invitational. The 3-2 Tigers host the 1-5 UT Martin Skyhawks for a 7pm tipoff at the PMAC.

The 11-9 New Orleans Pelicans will look to get back into the win column against the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight inside the Smoothie King Center.

Its Grambling State versus Alcorn State for a third consecutive season in Saturday’s SWAC Championship game in Houston. The winner advances to play North Carolina A-and-T in the Celebration Bowl on December 16th in Atlanta. Broderick Fobbs’ team is coming off a 30-21 win over Southern in the Bayou Classic, but they have to turn the page quickly…:
Cut 16 (17) “to play”
He expects it will be a tight contest.

In college hoops last night, ULM beat Jackson State 65-52. The 3-4 Warhawks shot 50 percent from the field which included 9-of-20 shooting from 3-point range.

UL-Lafayette picked up an 89-78 victory over McNeese State last night. The Cajuns made 11 three-pointers in the game.

Southeastern had an easy time against UNO, the Lions picking up an 80-53.

This season, LSU has only turned it over eight times, which is the fewest in school history. Quarterback Danny Etling has tossed only two interceptions. The fifth year senior says he learned hard lessons about turnovers while at Purdue….
cut 17 (15) “…what I’ve been doing”
In other LSU news…edge rusher Arden Key will have surgery this week on his pinky finger which is bent out of shape. He’s been playing with the injury for the last two months. Key is expected to recover from this surgery in time for the bowl game.

What bowl game is Louisiana Tech heading too. Most analysts who do bowl projections have the Bulldogs playing in the New Orleans Bowl. But Bryan Fischer at NBC Sports has Tech playing in the Independence Bowl in Shreveport against Wake Forest.

The Cajuns could have become bowl eligible with a win at home against Georgia Southern on Saturday, but the Eagles upset UL Lafayette 34-24. Coach Mark Hudspeth says they were without some key players because of injuries, but they should play this Saturday against Appalachian State….
cut 20 (21) “…definitely help”
Kick-off in Boone, North Carolina is at 1:30 PM.

The SWAC Championship game between Grambling State and Alcorn State is at 3:30 in Houston. This will be the sixth meeting between the two teams over the last three years and this will be the third consecutive year they’ve played each other in the league title game. The G-Men easily defeated Alcorn 41-14 in October.

With his 347 yard passing performance in the victory over Texas A-and-M, LSU’s Danny Etling became the fifth quarterback to throw for over 2,000 yards in multiple seasons. Jeff Wickersham, Zach Mettenberger, Toddy Hodson and JaMarcus Russell are the others. Etling is glad he ended up at LSU, after losing his job as the starter at Purdue…:
Cut 16 (15) “next level”
In 12 games this season, Etling has thrown for 2,234 yards, 14 touchdowns and just two interceptions.

LSU’s Devin White made history Monday as he became the first player to be named SEC Defensive Player of the Week for a fourth time in one season.

Former LSU coach Les Miles has purchased a home in Baton Rouge for about $1.3 million, according to documents filed with the Clerk of Court.

For U-L Lafayette to be bowl eligible this season, they’ll have to go on the road and beat one of the best teams in the Sun Belt Conference. The Ragin Cajuns will visit Appalachian State this Saturday for a 1:30 kickoff. Coach Mark Hudspeth…:
Cut 19 (19) “bowl berth”
The Cajuns could have become bowl eligible last Saturday, but Georgia Southern upset UL Lafayette 34-24.

Louisiana Tech running back Russell Farris has been named Conference USA’s Defensive Player of the Week, following his performance in the Bulldogs’ 20-6 victory over UTSA on Saturday.

Trinity Valley Community College athletic director and head football coach Brad Smiley has announced his resignation to become offensive coordinator at Northwestern State University.

The Saints eight game winning streak ended yesterday with a 26-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. The Saints were just 3-for-13 on third downs and running back Mark Ingram was held to 31 yards rushing. Other than a 74-yard run by rookie Alvin Kamara, New Orleans offense didn’t do much. Coach Sean Payton says penalties made it difficult to sustain drives…
cut 17 (16) “….20 calls”
The Saints also missed injured cornerbacks Ken Crawley and Marshon Lattimore as Jared Goff threw for 354 yards and two touchdowns. Up next the Carolina Panthers.

NBA…Anthony Davis was named Western Conference Player as he averaged nearly 30 points last week as New Orleans won three of four. The Pels host Minnesota on Wednesday.

LSU’s Devin White made history today as he became the first player to be named SEC Defensive Player of the Week for a fourth time in one season. After recording 13 tackles in the win over Texas A-and-M, White received SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors.

LSU defensive line coach Pete Jenkins will retire following the bowl game. Jenkins is completing his third stint as an assistant coach with the Bayou Bengals, totalling 15 seasons. Current outside linebackers Coach Dennis Johnson will replace Jenkins on the D-Line.

Here’s the latest with the SEC coaching changes. Bruce Feldman reports big-money Tennessee boosters are trying to force A-D John Currie our after nearly hiring Greg Schiano. Currie sent out a statement defending the search. Dan Mullen was introduced as the new head coach at Florida today. And there are indications Florida State’s Jimbo Fisher will be the new head coach at Texas A-and-M.