LSU coach Les Miles has settled on a starting quarterback for the season opener against McNeese State. Miles says both Anthony Jennings and Brandon Harris showed great progress during training camp and he wouldn’t hesitate to play both quarterbacks but ultimately, Harris will be starting on Saturday.
CUT 8 (08) “an observation”
Kick off on Saturday is at 6:30. Senior right tackle Vadal Alexander says he’s been telling the young guys what to expect when they play their first game in Tiger stadium….
cut 19 (17) “….always done”

In the Sun Belt, the league has officially added Coastal Carolina to the league. Coastal Carolina will begin playing football in the Sun Belt in 2017.

By three o’ clock, the Saints had to reduce their roster to 75. Among the players released…wide receiver Nick Toon, cornerback Terrence Frederick, and outside linebacker Ronald Powell, who was a fifth round pick last season. The Black and Gold also traded wide receiver Jalen Saunders to New England for a conditional draft pick. Saunders is not needed, because of the emergence of Marcus Murphy as a kick returner.

Former Florida quarterback Jeff Driskel will make his first start for the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs this Saturday as they host Southern. Driskel is looking forward to the opportunity…
cut 17 (18) “….here to play”
Kick-off on Saturday is at 6 PM.

LSU Coach Les Miles says Brandon Harris will be the starting quarterback when the Tigers open the season on Saturday against McNeese State…..
cut 30 (10) “…foregone conclusion”
Miles also says he’s okay after spending part of yesterday at the hospital. The coach says it was because he drank too much coffee in a short period of time.

Junior defensive tackle Christian LaCouture says their attention is on the Cowboys…
cut 18 (14) “…we’ll be okay”
McNeese lost to Nebraska 31-24 in last year’s season opener. They have two victories over FBS schools in recent history. They beat South Florida 53-21 in 2013 and knocked off Middle Tennessee 27-21 in 2012.

The Saints have reportedly traded return specialist Jalen Saunders to the New England Patriots for a conditional draft pick. New Orleans doesn’t need Saunders as it looks like seventh rounder Marcus Murphy will be returning kicks this year.

It looks like the Sun Belt Conference is adding Coastal Carolina to the league. ESPN reports the Chanticleers will begin playing football in the league in 2017.

Former Florida Quarterback Jeff Driskel is set to make his first start for Louisiana Tech on Saturday when the Bulldogs host Southern University. Last season, Tech was upset by Northwestern State in the season opener. Driskel says the team hasn’t forgotten and they’ll be ready for the Jaguars
Cut 16 (17) “this week”
Kick-off on Saturday is at 6 PM.

LSU football coach Les Miles names Brandon Harris as the starting quarterback for Saturday’s season opener against McNeese State. Harris has been taking a majority of snaps with the first team over last year’s starter Anthony Jennings. But Miles says Jennings could also see some meaningful snaps against the Cowboys…

cut 30 (15) “any event”

Kick-off Saturday is set for 6:30.

Louisiana Tech head coach Skip Holtz announces that junior defensive tackle Aaron Brown has been suspended for the first two games of the season due to academic reasons. Brown reportedly has struggled academically. He was among six players suspended for the final two games of last season. Brown will miss Saturday’s game against Southern and the Bulldogs’ Conference USA opener at Western Kentucky on September 10th.

It’s reported that the Sun Belt Conference will announce today that Coastal Carolina will be added to the league. The addition of the Chanticleers will give the league 12 members. 12 is the magic number for a conference to be able to hold a conference championship game. Coastal Carolina reportedly edged out Eastern Kentucky to get the invite to join the Sun Belt.

LSU releases its plan to bring Mike the Tiger into Tiger Stadium for home games. MikeVI has been to 32 out of 52 home games that have taken place since he arrived at LSU in 2007. Spokesperson for the School of Veterinary Medicine Ginger Guttner says they aren’t sure what keeps him from attending games, but they keep careful records of which games he goes to and what the weather was like. Guttner says LSU has tried various things to get Mike to go…

cut 14 (10) “with him”

Guttner says if he doesn’t load after the first three games, they will reassess the situation.

LSU Football Coach Les Miles had to be taken to the hospital this morning. Athletic Director Joe Alleva made a statement for reporters who were expecting to hear from Miles about the season opener at his 12:30 press conference…
cut 30 (11) ‘…precautionary basis”
Miles returned to LSU’s football operations building this afternoon and told reporters he may have O-D on coffee, but he is fine.

The Tigers are getting ready to host McNeese State this Saturday. In years past, LSU has opened the season with a big-name opponent. But LSU associate athletics director Verge Ausberry says they didn’t want to do that this year, because they’ll face Mississippi State and Auburn in weeks two and three…
cut 18 (05) “…big opponents”

Seventh-round draft pick Marcus Murphy made a strong impression on Saints Coach Sean Payton in yesterday’s 27-13 loss to Houston in preseason game number three. Murphy had 43 yards rushing on eight carrie, had three receptions for 67 yards and also had some nice returns in the kicking game. Here’s what Payton had to say about the former Missouri star…
cut 29 (19) “…quick to accelerate”
The Saints will wrap up the preseason on Thursday at Green Bay.

Former Louisiana Tech standout Josh Scobee has been traded by Jacksonville to Pittsburgh. Scobee is the Jaguars all-time leading scorer. The Steelers need a kicker as both Shaun Suisham and Garrett Hartley both went down with injuries.

The Saints are 0-and-3 in the preseason after losing to Houston 27-13 yesterday. Penalties continue to be a problem for the Black and Gold. They were flagged 11 times for 148 yards. Pressuring the quarterback is also an issue. Just one sack by the defense, the first of the preseason. Coach Sean Payton says they still have time to work on these issues out…
cut 30 (12) “…stand out”
The Saints wrap up the preseason on Thursday night at Green Bay. They also have to make the first round of cuts by tomorrow afternoon.

Former Louisiana Tech kicker Josh Scobee has been traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Scobee is the Jaguars all-time leader scorer as he made 235 field goals during his 11 seasons in Jacksonville.

Game week has arrived for the Tigers as they kick-off the season against McNeese State this Saturday. In years past, LSU has opened the season against big name opponents, but senior associate athletics director Verge Ausberry says with Mississippi State and Auburn looming in Weeks two and three, they didn’t want to start the season with a Top 5 opponent…
cut 17 (05) “…to win”
Ausberry says it just happened to be LSU’s year to play of a couple of early SEC match-ups.

Here’s a look at the rest of the schedule for this weekend…Louisiana Tech hosts Southern. The Bulldogs are looking to repeat as Conference USA Western Division champs.

UL Lafayette travels to Kentucky. Last year, the Cajuns started 1-and-3.

Grambling is at California. ULM is at Georgia. Warhawks coach Todd Berry says senior linebacker Hunter Kissinger will not play because of a lower body injury.

And on Thursday…Tulane hosts Duke, while Southeastern Louisiana visits Northwestern State.

The Saints dropped to 0-3 for the preseason after Sunday’s 27-13 loss to the Houston Texans. The Black and Gold defense was finally able to create a little bit of pressure and recorded their first sack of the preseason. But Head Coach Sean Peyton says penalties is one area the team needs to work on as they were flagged 11 times during the game…

cut 24 (16) “us a game”

The Saints’ final preseason game is Thursday at Green Bay before September 13th’s season opener at Arizona.

The Green Bay Packers have signed former UL Lafayette wide receiver James Butler. Butler caught 87 passes and had four touchdowns in 51 college games with the Ragin Cajuns. He’s been added to the team’s roster as the Packers need more wide receiver depth in the wake of Jordy Nelson’s season-ending injury.

The LSU football team opens its season against McNeese State this Saturday. Jeff Palermo looks at why the Tigers are beginning the year against an FCS school, and not a big-name opponent…

cut 3 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

The state’s college football season begins Thursday night when Northwestern State hosts Southeastern Louisiana in a Southland Conference matchup. Kickoff is scheduled for 6PM and you can watch on the American Sports Network.

UL-Lafayette men’s basketball coach Bob Marlin has signed a contract extension that will keep him at the school through the 2020 season.

LSU offensive coordinator Cam Cameron says he’s been diagnosed with prostate cancer, but he’s fine and his health is good. Cameron says he’s already had it treated….
cut 30 (06) “…ready to go”
Cameron says his treatment did not include radiation and received word two weeks ago that he is cancer free.

The Saints will face the Houston Texans on Sunday in preseason game number three. Coach Sean Payton says quarterback Drew Brees will only play a handful of downs. The Texans will feature a couple of former LSU running backs in the their backfield, rookie Kenny Hilliard and Alfred Blue. Kickoff in the Mercedes Benz Superdome is at 3 PM.

The Green Bay Packers have signed former UL Lafayette wide receiver James Butler. Butler caught 87 passes and had four touchdowns in 51 college games. He worked out for Green Bay earlier this week and has been added to the team’s roster as the Packers need more wide receiver depth in the wake of Jordy Nelson’s season-ending injury.

Former LSU pitcher Aaron Nola improved to 5-and-1 on the season as he threw seven strong innings in the Phillies seven to one win over the Padres last night. Nola allowed just one run on two hits and struck out six. The right-hander from Baton Rouge has given only one run over his last two starts.

Another former LSU star, Kevin Gausman, also pitched last night, but the results were not as good. Gausman gave up four runs in 6.2 innings as his Orioles were defeated by Texas four to one.

UL Lafayette basketball coach Bob Marlin has signed a new five-year contract that will pay him 455-thousand dollars annually. Marlin also has a chance to make more money through bonuses.

Calvary Baptist football coach John Bachman Senior has taken a leave of absence. Bachman has led the Cavaliers to two straight championships. A reason for his leave of absence was not given by the school, but principal Rhonda Honea told the Shreveport Times that it was voluntary and shouldn’t last long.

Saturday marks the ten-year annivesary of Hurricane Katrina. It was the first season for Les Miles as the head coach of the LSU Tigers. Miles was proud with how his team responded by voluntering at the PMAC, which was used as a temporary medical facility. He says many of the players also opened up their campus apartments to evacuees…
cut 30 (11) “…great time”
LSU went 11-and-2 that season, beating Miami in the Chick-fil-a Peach Bowl.

In 2005, LSU had Jamarcus Russell at the helm. This year, Brandon Harris and Anthony Jennings are expected to get snaps. LSU is not the only SEC school that has a quarterback battle still unsettled. Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina have not seen a clear cut starter emerge.

The USA Today is reporting that the Sun Belt Conference is looking at either adding Coastal Carolina or Eastern Kentucky and a vote could happen very soon. The Sun Belt has been interested in adding a 12th football playing member, so they can have a conference championship game. Coastal Carolina and Eastern Kentucky are currently FCS schools.

McNeese State will wear a special camouflage jersey for its home opener against Incarnate Word on September 12th. The camo jerseys have a white base, with camouflage shoulders and numbers.

Nicholls State has reportedly added former Alabama running back Altee Tenpenny to its roster. The Arkansas native was rated as a four-star prospect coming out of high school in 2013. He played two seasons at Alabama and rushed for 218 yards on 48 carries. Tenpenny also spent time at UNLV, but was kicked off the team for an unspecified rules violation.

High School football jamborees are taking place across the state tonight as we are one week away from the regular season opener.

Ten years ago, sports was put on hold in Louisiana as Hurricane Katrina was bearing down on our state. Les Miles was preparing to lead LSU on the football field for the first time, but the season opener against North Texas was postponed. After the storm blew threw, the PMAC was used as a hospital to treat evacuees. Coach Les Miles says many of his players donated their time there….
cut 17 (10) “…and commitment”
LSU will practice today and tomorrow. They’ll take Sunday off and then Monday is the start of game week.

The Saints will practice tonight at Tulane’s Yulman Stadium. It will be open to the public. It’s New Orleans final practice before their third preseason game, which is Sunday afternoon at home against the Houston Texans. The battle for placekicker remains a tight battle. Coach Sean Payton sees it as a dead heat between Dustin Hopkins and Zach Hocker.

It’s being reported that another year has been added to UL-Lafayette football Coach Mark Hudspeth’s contract. If approved by the UL System Board of Supervisors, the amended deal will keep Hudspeth under contract with the school through the 2020 season. Hud is set to make one-million dollars this year and he’ll reportedly be paid one-point-two million in 2020.

Before even coaching his first LSU football game, Coach Les Miles was forced to deal with tragedy of Hurricane Katrina. 10 years ago the Ohio native came to Baton Rouge as the brand new football coach with big shoes to fill. Miles says looking back at that time, the landfall of Hurricane Katrina proved to be one of the strongest moments in Louisiana history.

cut 16 (11) “witness it”

Miles says the community went above and beyond their duties to help those in need. He says many of his players housed their displaced family members in small dorms, but it was a time where he learned what was most important in life.

For what it’s worth, ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit has tapped the LSU Tigers to win the Southeastern Conference. Herbie has the Bayou Bengals advancing to the college football playoff after defeating Tennessee in the SEC championship game. Herbstreit believes his alma mater, Ohio State, will repeat as national champs.

Saints Coach Sean Payton says he’s glad cornerback Delvin Breaux is on the roster. The head coach says Breaux’s initial workout with the team was so impressive, he didn’t want him leaving the building with out a deal. The New Orleans native has looked good during camp, especially in one-on-one drills.

The Saints will hold a practice that’s open to the public tonight at Tulane’s Yulman Stadium before hosting the Houston Texans for a preseason matchup Sunday in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

The Southland Conference football season gets underway next Thursday with Northwestern State hosting Southeastern Louisiana. Demons Head Coach Jay Thomas has still not named a starting quarterback. There are four players battling for that opportunity. Thomas says its possible that he’ll play all four. That game will be televised on the American Sports Network.

It’s being reported that another year has been added to UL-Lafayette football Coach Mark Hudspeth’s contract. If approved by the UL System Board of Supervisors, the amendment will keep Hudspeth under contract with the school through the 2020 season. Hud is set to make one-million dollars this year and he’ll reportedly be paid one-point-two million in 2020.