Running back Xavier Johnson scored a 16-yard touchdown with less than four minutes to go to lift South Alabama to a 32-25 win over UL-Lafayette Thursday night. The Jaguars defense was able to hold Ragin Cajun running back Elijah McGuire to just 21 yards rushing on the game. Cajuns quarterback Brooks Haack threw for 270 yards and a touchdown. UL-Lafayette falls two games behind conference leader Arkansas State with three games remaining on their schedule.

The 4-and-5 Saints visit the 3-and-5 Washington Redskins, Sunday. New Orleans Quarterback Drew Brees says with the playoffs fast approaching, now is the time to string some victories together….

cut 18 (20) “….is critical“

After Sunday’s game, New Orleans will have a bye week.

In the Southland Conference this weekend. Southeastern Louisiana travels to Abilene Christian, Northwestern State is at Sam Houston State, and Nicholls State will get some TV time Saturday night as they’ll host Central Arkansas on the American Sports Network. The game can be seen on Cox Sports Television.

LSU basketball tips off a new season filled with high expectations tonight as they host McNeese State. Many believe the Tigers can make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, because they have the top freshman in the country. Ben Simmons is a preseason All-American and the six-foot-ten forward from Australia says he has no problem with the high expectations…

cut 16 (15) “prepared for that”

Simmons headlines a freshman class that also features Antonio Blakeney and Brandon Sampson.

Tonight on ESPN-U, U-L Lafayette faces South Alabama in a Sun Belt contest. The Cajuns are expected to play two quarterbacks tonight. Brooks Haack and Jalen Nixon. Haack is expected to start and Coach Mark Hudspeth says Haack’s throwing arm needs to give their offense a spark…
cut 18 (17) “…run game”
Kick-off is at 6:30.

On Saturday night in Tiger Stadium…9th ranked LSU will host Arkansas. Tigers Coach Les Miles was asked to describe the Razorbacks offensive line…
cut 30 (10) “…it’s big”
That big offense line has helped Arkansas running back Alex Collins eclipse the 1,000 yard mark for the third straight season .

Seven Saints players did not practice today as the team continues to get ready for Sunday’s road game against Washington. Sitting out were…tackle Terron Armstead, linebackers Dannell Ellerbe, David Hawthorne, Ramon Humber, cornerback Damian Swann, wide receiver Willie Snead and cornerback Keenan Lewis missed because of illness. Linebacker Hau’oli Kikaha was limited with an ankle injury.

Nicholls State will get some time on television on Saturday night as they’ll host Central Arkansas on the American Sports Network. The game can be seen on Cox Sports Television. The Colonels are looking for their second win in a row, while Central Arkansas tries to improve its record 7-and-1 on the year.

In other Southland action this weekend. Southeastern Louisiana travels to Abilene Christian for its final road game of the year. The Wildcats have a six-game losing streak, while the Lions are looking for a win to get back to the .500 mark.

Also this weekend, Northwestern State is at Sam Houston State. The Demons beat A-C-U 39 to 22 last week.

The college football weekend gets started tonight with the Ragin Cajuns visiting South Alabama in a Sun Belt match-up. The Jaguars are led by quarterback Cody Clements, who has thrown for 17-hundred yards and 12 touchdowns. Coach Mark Hudspeth wants his defense to put some pressure on him….
cut 17 (11) ‘…our DBs”
The Cajuns are expected to play two quarterbacks tonight. Brooks Haack and Jalen Nixon, with Haack the likely starter. Kick-off tonight is at 6:30. ESPN-U will televise the game.

Tennessee Titans linebacker David Bass will reportedly be fined 17-thousand dollars for a hit that he put on Saints quarterback Drew Brees. Roughing the passer was called on the play and Brees needed stitches after the game. Brees says he’ll be fine for Sunday’s game against Washington.

This weekend in the Southeastern Conference….LSU hosts Arkansas on Saturday night in Tiger Stadium. The Razorbacks are coming off a wild one-point overtime victory at Ole Miss. Hogs Head Coach Brett Bielema says his team is not looking back…
cut 20 (13) “…LSU pro”
LSU fans will do some scoreboard watching on Saturday afternoon. That’s when Alabama visits Mississippi State. A win for the Bulldogs and the Tigers will once again have a chance at winning the SEC West.

The Ragin Cajuns begin the stretch run of their season tonight as they visit South Alabama. UL Lafayette has won its last two games and Coach Mark Hudspeth says he wants to keep the positive momentum going, but they face a good Jaguars team tonight…

cut 16 (12) “both teams”

The Cajuns are 3-1 in the Sun Belt, while South Alabama is 2-2. You can watch tonight’s game on ESPNU beginning at 6:30PM.

Also in the Sun Belt, ULM looks to snap a seven game losing streak Saturday when they host conference leader Arkansas State. The Warhawks are 1-8 and coming off a 51-14 loss to Troy. The Red Wolves are undefeated in league play and averaging close to 45 points a game in their five Sun Belt contests.

Arkansas will have its opportunity to slow down LSU running back Leonard Fournette this Saturday. Fournette only ran for nine yards in a shutout loss to the Razorbacks last year. Hogs Coach Bret Bielema says Fournette has improved a lot since that game…

cut 19 (11) “think twice”

The Bayou Bengals are looking to bounce back from last week’s disappointing loss to Alabama, while Arkansas is coming off a wild overtime win over Ole Miss. Saturday’s game will be televised on ESPN.

The Pelicans are now 1-7 after losing to the Atlanta Hawks last night 106-98. The Pels held a 9 point lead at the half, but the Hawks scored 59 in the second half to secure the victory. Al Horford led Atlanta with 26 while former Louisiana Tech stand out Paul Milsaps added 19. The Pels were led by Eric Gordon’s 26. Anthony Davis did not play in last night’s game after suffering a bruised hip Tuesday night.

Both the Saints and LSU are looking to bounce back from losses last weekend. The Tigers host Arkansas this Saturday. LSU guard William Clapp says they are using the loss to Alabama to motivate them to do better…
cut 20 (15) “…as you can”
LSU is a 7.5 point favorite to win on Saturday.

The Saints are at Washington on Sunday. Quarterback Drew Brees spoke with reporters today and said he got stitches in his jaw after taking a big hit in the loss to the Titans. But he’ll be fine for Sunday. But there were several Saints players who didn’t practice today. And that list includes tackle Terron Armstead and linebacker Danell Ellerbe. But cornerback Keenan Lewis was not on the injury report.

ULM hopes Saturday’s home game against Arkansas State will result in their second victory of the season. The Warhawks are looking to snap a seven-game losing streak. Last time out, they were blown out by Troy 51-14. Arkansas State is 5-0 in the league, and they are averaging close to 45 points a game in their five Sun Belt contests.

UL Lafayette is at South Alabama tomorrow night. The Cajuns are 3-and-1 in league play and need a win to keep their hopes alive for a Sun Belt championship.

In the NBA…the Pelicans will look to make it two wins in a row tonight as they visit Atlanta. New Orleans beat Dallas 120-105 last night, but Anthony Davis did not play in the second half because of a hip injury. And he’s listed as doubtful to play tonight. Team officials say X-rays on his injured hip were negative.

Conference USA has announced that it will hold its league baseball tournament in Biloxi, Mississippi from 2017 to 2019.

After a physical game against Alabama, LSU is now getting ready to host Arkansas. Freshman offensive guard Will Clapp says there’s a lot of film study going on this week, so they can correct the mistakes made in the Alabama game…
cut 19 (15) “…high level”
LSU rushed for only 54 yards against Alabama.

The Saints get back to practice today as they get ready for Sunday’s game against Washington. Both of these teams ahve been inconsistent and each team has five losses. The Redskins like to rush the football with Matt Jones and Alfred Morris. On defense, they are allowing 133 rushing yards per game on the groupnd, which ranks 29th in the league.

After picking up their first win of the season last night, by beating Dallas 120 to 105, the Pelicans begin a three-game road trip tonight in Atlanta. Will Anthony Davis play. Davis didn’t play in the second half last night because of a hip contusion. Davis had 17 points last night and so did Ish Smith, who scored 17 and had a career-high 12 assists.

LSU wants to get past the disappointment of Saturday’s loss to Alabama. Running back Leonard Fournette says the Tigers have another big game this Saturday night as they host Arkansas…
cut 19 (08) “…us together”
According to CBS, the LSU-Alabama game was the most watched college football game of the season as it had 11 million viewers, up 20-percent from last year’s game.

The new college football rankings are unveiled on ESPN tonight. Jerry Palm, with cbs-sports-dot-com, says he has LSU at number five in his projections…
cut 16 (10) “…schedule”
LSU will play the rest of the season without fullback JD Moore, who re-aggravated a knee injury in the loss to Alabama.

The Saints have added former LSU Tiger Matt Flynn to their roster. New Orleans was in need of another quarterback because Luke McCown suffered a back injury that will reportedly force him to miss the rest of the season. Flynn has thrown 18 touchdown passes during a long professional career, where he’s been a back-up for several teams.

A win this Saturday for Grambling State and they’ll clinch the Western Division title in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Grambling is undefeated in league play and they’ll visit Arkansas Pine-Bluff this Saturday, who has just one win of the year.

Tonight at the Smoothie King Center, the Pelicans go after their first win of the season as they host Dallas at 7 PM. After tonight, New Orleans will embark on a three-game road trip, so this is the time for them to get a win.

And in college baseball news…UL Lafayette Coach Tony Robichaux has suspended relief pitcher Colton Lee for violating team rules. Police reports indicate Lee was arrested over the weekend and charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated.

Running back Leonard Fournette and the rest of the LSU Tigers are trying to move on from their disappointing performance against Alabama last Saturday. Fournette says Bama played great team defense and the Crimson Tide players didn’t gloat about what they did…
cut 18 (12) “…stay focused”
Fournette was held to a season low 31 yards rushing.

Tonight the new college football playoff rankings come out. Does LSU still have a chance to make the four-team playoff. Jerry Palm studies this kind of thing for cbs-sports-dot-com and believes the Tigers still do, but they’ll need to win their final three games…
cut 14 (07) “….other teams do”
LSU can still win the SEC west, if the Tigers win out and Alabama to lose against either Mississippi State or Auburn.

Former LSU quarterback Matt Flynn is expected to join the Saints. New Orleans was in the market for a back-up quarterback, because of a back injury to Luke McCown that will sideline him for the rest of the season. Flynn said on twitter that it looks like his hunting season is over.

The rumors of Saints Coach Sean Payton leaving New Orleans are not over. Yahoo Sports reporter Charles Robinson says he’s heard from a source that there’s a 50-50 chance Payton will not return for the 2016 season and a lot of the decision depends on the legal battle with Owner Tom Benson and his former heirs.

The Ragin Cajuns have a game Thursday night game against South Alabama. Coach Mark Hudspeth says he’s leaning towards statrting Brooks Haack at quarterback, but plans to play Jalen Nixon as well.

In the FCS Coaches Poll…McNeese State is ranked second. Grambling State is ranked 28th.

In the NBA…the Pelicans have re-signed shooting guard Jimmer Fredette. New Orleans seeks its first win tonight against Dallas.

After losing to the Crimson Tide, LSU is ranked 9th in the latest AP poll. They can still win the SEC West, but the Tigers will have to hope Alabama losses another SEC game and LSU will have to win out. Coach Les Miles believes his team can rebound to finish the season strong…
cut 17 (14) “…on Monday”
On a postive note, Leonard Fournette’s game worn jersey was auctioned off for 101-thousand dollars. Proceeds will go to the South Carolina flood victims.

McNeese State improved to 9-0 after beating Sam Houston State 27-10. The victory, which clinched at least a share of the Southland crown for the Cowboys, moved them to number two in the FCS Coaches Poll and third in the STATS FCS poll. It’s the highest ranking for the Pokes since 2008.

Execution is the reason why the Saints lost to the lowly Tennessee Titans in overtime yesterday. New Orleans had a chance to win the game in the final minute of regulation, but Kai Forbath’s field goal was blocked. Coach Sean Payton says that’s just one of the many reasons why they lost…
cut 19 (16) “…of areas”
The Saints are at Washington this Sunday.

The high school football playoff pairings are out. Here’s your top seeds…in Division Four its Ascension Episcopal, Division Three its Riverside, in Division Two its University and Division One its Rummel. On the non-select side, its Kentwood in Class-A…in double-A Many is the number one seed, in three-a its Lutcher, in four-a its defending champ Neville and in Five-A its West Monroe. The televised LHSAA Game of the Week on Friday will be Alexandria at Hahnville.

Saints fans are shaking their heads today after another disappointing loss. Tennessee had just one win on the year, but picked up their second by beating the Black and Gold 34 to 28 in overtime. Coach Sean Payton says his team made too many mistakes…
cut 19 (16) “…a lot of areas”
You knew it was going to be a long day in the Dome when Saints defensive backs Keenan Lewis and Jairus Byrd collided while trying to make an interception and the play turned out to be a long touchdown pass for the Titans.

McNeese State gave football fans in Louisiana something to cheer about this weeknd as they won the Southland Championship by beating Sam Houston State 27-10. Cowboys Quarterback Daniel Sams was named Southland Offensive Player of the Week as he rushed for 164 yards and threw for another 168 yards and he was involved in two touchdown plays.

After losing to the Crimson Tide, LSU is ranked 9th in the latest AP poll. They can still win the SEC West, but the Tigers will have to hope Alabama losses another SEC game and LSU will have to win out. Coach Les Miles believes his team can rebound to finish the season strong…
cut 17 (14) “…on Monday”
Leonard Fournette was held to just 31 yards rushing and he’s no longer considered a slam dunk Heisman Trophy winner.

How about the performance of Louisiana Tech running back Kenneth Dixon on Saturday. Dixon scored six touchdowns in the Bulldogs 56-13 win over North Texas. He’s now two away from tying Wisconsin’s Montee Ball’s record for most career touchdowns at 83.

In the NBA…the 0-and-6 Pelicans are off tonight.