The Saints opponent this Sunday is Tennessee, who announced today that they’ve fired head coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was 3-and-20 as the head coach for the Titans. Former Falcons offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey has been named the interim head coach for the rest of the season.

After a record breaking performance against the Giants, Saints quarterback Drew Brees is up for a couple of weekly awards that fans can vote on. Brees is one of three nominees for the FedEx Air Player of the Week and Brees is one of five nominees for the Castrol edge Clutch Performer of the Week. Winners will be announced on Thursday.

And in other NFL news…there are reports former Saints running back Pierre Thomas has signed with the 49ers.

The Pelicans are looking for their first win tonight as they host Orlando at the Smoothie King Center. The Magic are also winless as former Ragin Cajuns star Elfrid Payton is averaging 10 points and five assists a game, but shooting just 36-percent from the field.

The first college football playoff rankings come out tonight. Will LSU be ranked number one? Ohio State, Baylor, Clemson, TCU, Michigan State, Iowa and Oklahoma State are also undefeated.

A big game on Saturday against Alabama for LSU running back Leonard Fournette and he can likely look forward to winning the Heisman Trophy in December. But Coach Les Miles doesn’t want his talented sophomore to think about postseason awards, just victory…
cut 18 (20) “….highest level”
And the longtime voice of the LSU Tigers will not be on the call for Saturday’s game. Jim Hawthorne is recovering from a successful medical procedure. Patrick Wright, who is the play-by-play man for LSU women’s basketball and softball, will sit in for Hawthorne.

The biggest game of the season has arrived for the 4th ranked LSU Tigers as they will face 7th ranked Alabama Saturday night in Tuscaloosa. LSU is undefeated while the Crimson Tide have one loss. Coach Les Miles says it’s been their goal to be in this position and have a chance to take control of the SEC West race…

cut 17 (19) “this game”

The game kicks off at 7PM and it will be televised on CBS.

LSU says the voice of the Tigers, Jim Hawthorne, will miss the first LSU football game of his broadcasting career on Saturday. In a release, officials say Hawthrone underwent a medical procedure late last week and is still recovering but should be back in a couple of weeks. Patrick Wright will handle play-by-play duties during Hawthorne’s absence.

New Orleans Saints running back Khiry Robinson’s season is over. Robinson suffered a broken leg in the second quarter of the Saints’ 52-49 win over the New York Giants Sunday. Head coach Sean Payton says Robinson underwent successful surgery to repair the leg Sunday night. Robinson scored four touchdowns for the Saints this season. He ends 2015 with 56 rushes for 180 yards, and 17 receptions for 115 yards.

Northwestern State running back De’mard Llorens is the Louisiana Sports Writers Association Offensive Player of the Week. Llorens rushed for a career best 166 yards and tied a school record scoring 4 touchdowns in the Demons’ 37-21 win over Nicholls. UL Lafayette linebacker Dominique Tovell was named Defensive Player of the Week.

The LSU basketball team is set to begin a promising 2015-2016 campaign, and in no surprise, the Tigers find themselves ranked in the preseason AP Top 25 poll. The much hyped Tigers came in at No. 21 in the initial rankings. The last time LSU found itself ranked in the AP basketball poll was the final regular season poll of 2009.

The New Orleans Saints have now won three in a row. Coach Sean Payton says it’s nice to be on a winning streak, but the focus now must be on the Tennessee Titans…
Cut 18 (12) “lot of fight”
Saints quarterback Drew Brees threw for a career high 511 yards and tied an NFL record for most touchdown passes in a game with 7. Payton

Payton says running back Khiry Robinson’s leg injury the win is season-ending. Robinson has scored four touchdowns for the Saints this season. He ends 2015 with 56 rushes for 180 yards, and 17 receptions for 115 yards.

There is also a report that says the Saints are set to sign veteran running back Tim Hightower to replace Robinson. That would put four running backs on the roster.

LSU says the voice of the Tigers, Jim Hawthorne, will miss the first LSU football game of his broadcasting career on Saturday. The Tigers play Bama in Tuscaloosa this weekend. In a release, officials say Hawthrone underwent a medical prcedure late last week and is still recovering but should be back in a couple of weeks.

LSU is ranked No. 4 in this week’s AP Top 25 and USA Today’s Coaches Top 25. The Tigers received five first place votes in the AP Poll and one in the Coaches Poll. Alabama remained No. 7 in both polls. The LSU and Alabama SEC battle is set to kickoff at 7:00 p.m.

The LSU basketball team is set to begin a promising 2015-2016 campaign later this month, and in no surprise, the Tigers find themselves ranked in the initial AP Top 25 poll. The much hyped Tigers came in at No. 21 in the preseason rankings.

Kicker Kai Forbath’s 50-yard field goal as time expired lifted the Saints to a 52-49 win over the New York Giants yesterday. Quarterback Drew Brees threw for a career high 511 yards and tied an NFL record for most touchdown passes in a game with 7. Head coach Sean Payton appreciated his team’s effort…

cut 16 (10) “the win”

The Saints have now won three in a row and are 4-4 for the season. The Black & Gold will host the 1-7 Tennessee Titans Sunday.

The Kansas City Royals scored two in the ninth to tie it up and five in the twelfth to beat the New York Mets 7-2 last night and win the 2015 World Series four games to one. This is the Royals’ first world title since defeating the cross state St. Louis Cardinals in the 1985 World Series. The Royals and Mets will next play in April as they open the 2016 season against each other.

UL-Lafayette rallied to defeat ULM in a Sun Belt matchup Saturday 30-24. The Warhawks led by 15 at the half but the second half was all Ragin Cajuns as they outscored ULM 21-0. Quarterback Brooks Haack led the Cajuns by passing for one touchdown and rushing for another. Warhawks QB Garrett Smith threw for 265 yards and three touchdowns in the loss. The Warhawks fall to 1-7 on the season and will travel to Troy Saturday. UL-Lafayette improves to 3-4 and will next face Georgia Southern on the road.

In the Southland Conference: McNeese State remains undefeated after squeaking past Abilene Christian 15-13. The Cowboys will host Sam Houston State Saturday. Southeastern Louisiana fell to Central Arkansas 21-16. The Lions fall to 4-4 on the season and will play Incarnate Word Saturday in Hammond. And it was Northwestern State over Nicholls 37-21. Next up for the Demons is Abilene Christian while Nicholls will host Central Arkansas.

And Alcorn State blasted Southern 48-7. The Jags are now 4-4 and will take on Arkansas-Pine Bluff Saturday afternoon.

Louisiana Tech jumped out to a 28-7 halftime lead as they cruised past Rice last night, 42-17. Bulldog quarterback Jeff Driskel threw for 320 yards and two touchdowns while running back Kenneth Dixon ran for another two TDs as Tech improves to 6-3 overall. Tech is 4-1 in Conference USA and in first place in the Western Division. The Bulldogs will host winless North Texas next Saturday.

On the college gridiron today….the Ragin Cajuns are double digit favorites to beat U-L-M at Cajun Field. U-L Lafayette quarterback Jalen Nixon is coming off a good performance against Arkansas State and it looks like the Cajuns have finally found a replacement to Terrance Broadway at quarterback.

Elsewhere…Tulane is at undefeated and 16th ranked Memphis. McNeese State looks to stay undefeated as they visit Abilene Christian. Northwestern State and Nicholls meet in Thibodaux in a battle of one-win teams. Southeastern Louisiana has a tough game at Central Arkansas. Southern is on the road to face Alcorn State.

After a Louisiana High School Athletic Association investigation, three Shreveport high school athletic departments face penalties due to potential rules violations. In a statement, LHSAA confirms Byrd, Huntington, and Southwood High Schools violated rules against allowing student-athletes to take more than one athletic class during a semester. The schools face numerous sanctions, including a ban from this year’s playoffs. Byrd is the only one of the three schools to qualify for the playoffs.

The Saints will go after their third win in a row Sunday when they host the New York Giants. A win will move New Orleans to 4-and-4 on the season. Wide receiver Brandin Cooks says after an 0-3 start, the team feels better about itself…

cut 18 (14) “good way”

Two Saints players have been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Giants. Linebacker David Hawthorne is out because of a hamstring injury, while offensive tackle Andrus Peat won’t play because of a knee injury.

Tonight on Fox Sports One, Louisiana Tech will visit Rice in a big Conference USA match-up. The Bulldogs and Owls are battling for first place in the West Division. Rice leads Conference USA in rushing as they are averaging close to 200 yards a game on the ground. But Tech Head Coach Skip Holtz says the Owls also have a good passing game…
cut 17 (20) “…last year”
Tonight’s game will kickoff at 7 PM.

At Cajun Field on Saturday…UL Lafayette will host ULM. The Ragin Cajuns are double digit favorites to win. Tulane is at undefeated and 16th ranked Memphis. McNeese State looks to stay undefeated as they visit Abilene Christian. Northwestern State and Nicholls meet in Thibodaux. Southeastern Louisiana has a tough game at Central Arkansas.

Two Saints players have been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the New York Giants. Linebacker David Hawthorne will not play because of a hamstring injury, while offensive tackle Andrus Peat won’t play because of a knee injury. Cornerback Keenan Lewis is questionable as he tries to come back from a sports hernia surgery. And linebacker Dannell Ellerbe is doubtful with a hip injury.

The Giants are 4-3 on the year and there defensive coordinator is Steve Spagnuolo, who had the same job in New Orleans in 2012. Right tackle Zach Streif says they know Spagnuolo will have a specific plan to stop the Saints offense…
cut 19 (22) “…personnel group”

Tonight on Fox Sports One, Louisiana Tech will visit Rice in a big Conference USA match-up. The Bulldogs and Owls are battling for first place in the West Division. Rice leads Conference USA in rushing as they are averaging close to 200 yards a game on the ground. But Tech Head Coach Skip Holtz says the Owls also have a good passing game…
cut 17 (20) “…last year”
The last time La Tech played Rice in Houston, the Owls won 52-14. Tonight’s game will kickoff at 7 PM.

LSU has released its 2016 football schedule. The Tigers open the season in Green Bay against Wisconsin. Other highlights include a trip to Auburn on September 24th, a home game against Missouri on October 1st, hosting Ole Miss October 22nd and Alabama on November 5th and the regular season concludes on Thanksgiving night at Texas A-and-M.

The Saints look to get back to the .500 mark on Sunday when they host the New York Giants. It doesn’t look like the Saints will get cornerback Keenan Lewis back for this game. He did not practice yesterday as he continues to recover from a sports hernia surgery during training camp. New Orleans has reportedly signed linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar, who was with the Saints from 2008 to 2011. He was released by the Rams earlier this week.

Elsewhere in the NFC South this weekend…the Falcons host Tampa Bay on Sunday and Carolina takes on Indianapolis in Charlotte on Monday night.

In college football Saturday….the Ragin Cajuns are double digit favorites to beat U-L-M on Saturday. U-L Lafayette quarterback Jalen Nixon is coming off a good performance against Arkansas State and it appears the Cajuns have finally found a replacement to Terrance Broadway at quarterback.

In other action on Saturday…Tulane is at undefeated and 16th ranked Memphis. McNeese State looks to stay undefeated as they visit Abilene Christian. Northwestern State and Nicholls meet in Thibodaux in a battle of one-win teams. Southeastern Louisiana has a tough game at Central Arkansas.

Louisiana Tech will face Rice tonight in a big Conference USA matchup. The Bulldogs are 3-and-1 in league play, while Rice is 2-and-1. The game will be on Fox Sports One at seven o’ clock and Tech coach Skip Holtz says the national TV audience should be entertained by this game…

cut 16 (16) “to play”

A loss for either team, likely knocks them out of contention to play in the CUSA title game.

In college football action Saturday, UL-Lafayette celebrates homecoming by hosting Sun Belt rival ULM, Tulane visits number 16 Memphis, McNeese State is at Abilene Christian, Nicholls State hosts Northwestern State, and Southeastern Louisiana travels to Central Arkansas.

The Saints will go after their third straight victory on Sunday when they host the New York Giants. A win will move New Orleans to 4-and-4 on the season. Wide receiver Brandin Cooks says after an 0-3 start to the season, the team feels better about itself…

cut 18 (14) “good way”

The Giants are 4-3 on the year and there defensive coordinator is Steve Spagnuolo, who had the same job in New Orleans in 2012. The game’s slated for a noon kickoff Sunday and it will be televised on Fox.

In high school football last night, it was Rayville all over Sterlington 50-33, Archbishop Hannan defeated St. John 35-23, Captain Shreve edged Loyola College Prep 24-21, Kaplan beat Erath 14-10, Easton trounced Karr 40-14, and Belle Chasse shut out Riverdale 41-0.

Not a good start to the season for the Pelicans as they are 0-and-2 after losing to Portland 112-94 last night. The team announced this afternoon that they’ve released guard Nate Robinson, after he failed to score in 23 minutes of action this season. New Orleans is reportedly interested in signing Toney Douglas, who played in 12 games for the Pels last season. The Pels next game is Halloween night at home against Golden State.

If you’re looking to secure tickets for next week’s SEC showdown between LSU and Alabama, Stubhub’s Cameron Papp says upper level seats behind one of the end zones are going for about 200-dollars…
cut 6 (07) “…end zone tickets”
Papp says at this point, ticket prices were higher for the 2013 LSU-Alabama matchup.

The Saints will go after their third win in a row on Sunday when they host the Giants. It will be a homecoming for Eli Manning, who is seeking his first win in the Superdome. He’s 0-and-2 in the dome as a pro.

UL Lafayette and ULM will meet on Saturday at Cajun Field. The Warhawks are desperate for a win as they’ve lost five straight, while the Cajuns are looking to bounce back from a Sun Belt loss to Arkansas State. UL Lafayette Coach Mark Hudspeth says despite the defeat, they can still win a league title…
cut 20 (20) “…against ULM”
Kick-off is at 4 PM on Saturday.

Week nine of the high school football season begins tonight. The New Orleans Saints-LHSAA Game of the Week is Rayville at Sterlington. Sterlington is 6-and-2 on the season, while Rayville has won four of its last five. Kick off is at 7 PM on Fox Sports New Orleans.

The Pelicans are off to an 0-2 start after losing to Portland 112 to 94 last night. Anthony Davis played better in this game compared to his performance in the season opening loss to Golden State. Davis had 25 points and 10 rebounds against the Trail Blazers, but the Pels allowed Portland to shoot 50-percent from the field and New Orleans was outrebounded 51-39.

The Saints Drew Brees will need to be careful with the ball on Sunday when they take on the Giants. New York is second in the NFL with 11 interceptions. They had three picks last week in a win over Dallas. Brees says the Giants are an aggressive defense that likes to dial up blitzes…
cut 17 (13) “…quite a bit”
Kick-off on Sunday is at noon.

Louisiana Tech leaves for Houston today where they’ll play Rice in a big Conference USA match-up that will be shown on Fox Sports One. The Bulldogs are 3-and-1 in league play, while Rice is 2-and-1. It’s a must win for both teams as the loser will likely be out of contention to win the league’s West Division.

It’s homecoming weekend on the UL Lafayette campus as the Cajuns host in-state rival U-L-M. Coach Mark Hudspeth doesn’t want his players getting caught up with all of the festivities…
cut 19 (11) “….out stadium”
The Cajuns are coming off a loss to Arkansas State, while ULM is trying to snap a five-game losing streak.

In high school football tonight….the New Orleans Saints-LHSAA Game of the Week is Rayville at Sterlington. Sterlington is 6-and-2 on the season and Rayville has won four of its last five. Kick off is at 7 PM on Fox Sports New Orleans.