Saints Quarterback Drew Brees is on track to see his first action of the preseason when New Orleans visits Indianapolis on Saturday night. Brees has spent most of this training camp recovering from an oblique injury, but has taken a majority of the snaps with the first team offense the last two days. Coach Sean Payton liked what he saw from number nine yesterday…:
CUT 16 (13) “fairly well”
A priority for Saturday’s preseason game against the Colts will be to reduce the number of penalties called against the team. The Black and Gold were flagged 22 times for 184 against Tennessee on Friday. Payton says that is unacceptable. He was particularly miffed about Jimmy Graham’s dunk over the goal posts and the tight end says it won’t be happening in the regular season.

LSU Sports Information Director Michael Bonnette says defensive tackle Travonte Valentine is expected to be officially cleared to join the Tigers at practice once he finishes the final stages of the admissions process from the NCAA. Once cleared, Valentine can’t practice until the four-day acclimation period is over, but once that happens the Tigers will be notably improved on the defensive line.

Louisiana Tech announced Monday wide receiver Sterling Griffin has been granted a 6th year of eligibility by the NCAA. Bulldogs Coach Skip Holtz says this is what the 6th year rule is for. Griffin struggled with injuries his entire career, but is in good health in his second season with Tech. He had 33 catches for 357 yards last season.

ULM Head Coach Todd Berry released a new depth chart yesterday afternoon and there’s only a notable difference at quarterback. Senior Pete Thomas is still the starter, but junior Brayle Brown is now at No. 3 behind fellow junior Chazz Carrington.

Don’t expect to see Saints tight end Jimmy Graham dunk the football through the goal posts during the regular season. Graham was penalized twice for his celebratory dunk of the football in Friday’s preseason game, and after the second time, he got an earful from Coach Sean Payton. Graham says you won’t see it in the regular season…
cut 30 (15) “…for the team’
Graham says he and Payton are also fine and there’s no problem between the two.

Four star defensive tackle Travonte Valentine has reportedly received clearance from the NCAA clearinghouse to play football at LSU. Once Valentine joins the team, he’ll have to practice without pads for a few days, but could be someone that Coach Les Miles depends on before the season is over.

The LSU football team will hold its final scrimmage before the start of the regular season tomorrow. Coach Les Miles says several players stood out on defense during Saturday’s scrimmage…
cut 17 (22) “….capable of doing”

Fall camp is over for the ULM Warhawks and Coach Todd Berry has settled on a starting quarterback. Pete Thomas, a transfer from North Carolina state, will take the first snap in the season opener against Wake Forest.

Louisiana Tech learned today that receiver Sterling Griffin has been granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA. Griffin had 33 catches for 357 yards last season.

After missing the first two preseason games because of an oblique injury, Saints quarterback Drew Brees is expected to play in Saturday’s exhibition contest against the Indianapolis Colts. Brees practiced fully yesterday afternoon. Safety Jairus Byrd is expected to have his first full practice today as he continues to recover from offseason back surgery. Also, Saints tight end Jimmy Graham says he will not dunk the football through the goal posts during the regular season, after being flagged twice in Friday’s preseason game.

LSU Freshman defensive tackle Travonte Valentine has reportedly been cleared to participate in practice by the NCAA clearinghouse. Valentine is a four-star prospect out of the state of Florida.

ULM Football Coach Todd Berry has named North Carolina State transfer Pete Thomas as his starting quarterback for the August 28th season opener against Wake Forest. Thomas beat out Brayle Brown and Earnest Carrington.

Big things are expected from the Ragin Cajuns offense as quarterback Terrence Broadway is returning for his senior season. But UL Lafayette Coach Mark Hudspeth says sophomore running back Elijah McGuire has also looked good in preseason camp….
cut 19 (17) “…and explosive”
McGuire rushed for 863 yards and eight touchdowns last season and also caught 22 passes for three more scores.

Louisiana Tech head coach Skip Holtz says wide receiver Sterling Griffin has been granted a sixth year of eligibility. Griffin missed all of 2010 and most of the 2012 season because of injuries. Last year, Griffin started ten games and caught 33 passes for 357 yards and two touchdowns.

We’re less than two weeks away from LSU’s kicking the season off against Wisconsin and Coach Les Miles has provided very little information on who is leading the battle for the starting quarterback. Miles says Anthony Jennings and Brandon Harris are improving and he likes how they are competing:
CUT 16 (17) “handling it”
The Tigers held a scrimmage on Saturday and LSU did not provide any individual statistics on the quarterbacks.

Miles also took the ALS ice bucket challenge Saturday…with the add-age of grass. The Mad Hatter is known for eating grass during football games and before he was dumped with ice to show support for those who suffer from Lou Gehrig’s Disease, he had a buck of grass dumped on him.

In the preseason AP Top 25 Poll released Sunday, LSU is ranked NO. 13. The Tigers are one of eight SEC teams ranked. Florida State is NO.1.

The Ragin Cajuns were also among those who held their second scrimmage of preseason camp on Saturday. UL Lafayette Coach Mark Hudspeth says all of the players came out of it healthy and starting quarterback Terrence Broadway was sharp…:
CUT 18 (17) “looked sharp”
The UL-Lafayette Football team will take on Southern at Cajun Field on August 30th.

Saints Quarterback Drew Brees was back at practice on Sunday in a full capacity. Brees took part in team drills for the first time in over two weeks while recovering from an oblique strain that also held him out the first two preseason games. The QB says he does plan to play Saturday night in Indianapolis when the Black and Gold take on the Cotls in the third preseason game of the year.

The Saints improved to 2-and-0 in the preseason with a 31 to 24 win over Tennessee last night, but Coach Sean Payton was very upset about the 22 penalties called against his team….
cut 30 (16) “…job with”
Payton says the penalties will be a point of emphasis when the team returns to the practice field on Sunday afternoon.

There were some bright spots, the defense forced five turnovers, tight end Jimmy Graham caught two touchdown pases and was penalized twice for the dunking the football through the uprights. And the quarterbacks played well. Drew Brees watched from the sidelines but Ryan Griffin threw for 179 yards and two touchdowns and Luke McCown also had two TD passes as well.

The LSU Tigers are set to scrimmage at 10:45 this morning. Freshman running back Leonard Fournette is expected to participate after missing a scrimmage earlier this week because of a minor injury.

Ragin Cajuns Head Football Coach Mark Hudspeth has announced that linebacker Otha Peters has transferred to the program after two seasons at Arkansas. Peters is from Covington and he’ll be eligible to play at UL Lafayette in 2015. In two seasons with the Razorbacks, Peters played in 17 games and was on the 2012 SEC All-Freshman team.

In other college football news…it’s fan day at Grambling State. It all begins today with an open scrimmage at 9 A-M. McNeese State will also have an open scrimmage at 5:45 this afternoon in Cowboy Stadium. Coach Matt Viator says they’ll play five quarterbacks. Northwestern State will scrimmage at 10:15, but there will be no live tackling. Nicholls State also has a scrimmage this morning and Louisiana Tech has a fan event at 6 PM at Argent Pavilion.

The Saints face the Tennessee Titans tonight in preseason football action at the Mercedes Benz Superdome. New Orleans won its preseason opener last week, but Saints radio color analyst Hokie Gajan says that’s not necessarily the main objective in exhibition games…
Cut 18 (05) “the performance”
Gajan says he’s looking for better play out of the rookies on defense like fifth round pick Ronald Powell…
cut 19 (15) “…to me”
Gajan would also like to see fewer penalties. New Orleans was penalized ten times last week. Powell was the guilty party three times. Kick-off tonight is at seven o’ clock.

Former LSU Tiger and current Kansas City Chief receiver Dwayne Bowe has reportedly been suspended for the season opener, because he violated the NFL’s substance abuse policy. In a statement. Bowe says he made an error in judgement and takes responsibility for his mistake. Kansas City kicks off the regular season against Tennessee.

The LSU Tigers will complete fall camp tomorrow with a scrimmage. Coach Les Miles will provide information on that scrimmage afterwards. Nicholls State will hold their final intersquad scrimmage of fall camp tomorrow morning at John Guidry Stadium. Coach Charlie Stubbs says the controlled scrimmage will feature around 75 live action plays in different scenarios. Afterwards, fans are invited to attend the team’s fundraising auction in the Century Club Room.

Lousiaina Tech fans have a chance to meet and greet Bulldogs head coach Skip Holtz and his players during a preseason tailgating kickoff event on Saturday at 6 PM at Argent Pavilion.

Football returns to the Mercedes Benz Superdome tonight as the New Orleans Saints host the Tennessee Titans in preseason action. Quarterback Drew Brees is not expected to play in tonight’s game, as he continues to nurse an oblique injury. That means we’ll see more of both Luke McCown and Ryan Griffin. After last week’s game, there has been some talk as to which will be Brees’ backup for the season. Saints Radio Color analyst Hokie Gajan has his thoughts…
cut 17 (10) “…the other night”
Former LSU Tiger Zach Mettenberger is expected to get some playing time for the Titans tonight. Mettenberger was four for seven for 87 yards in a win over the Packers last week. The game was played in the rain and Metteberger had one interception and one fumble. Kick-off tonight inside the Dome is at seven P-M.

Fall camp wraps up tomorrow for LSU with a scrimmage. There’s plenty of position battles that have to be sorted out. Quarterback is the big one as sophomore Anthony Jennings and freshman Brandon Harris have competing against each other since last spring. There’s also a bunch of young wide receivers pushing for playing time.

Louisiana Tech will have an open practice tonight at Independence Stadium in Shreveport this afternoon. Bulldog players and coaches will be available for autographs after today’s practice. Tech will also hold a tailgating kickoff even tomorrow in Ruston at the Argent Pavilion. Players and coaches will be available for autographs at six o’ clock.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the NFL has suspended former LSU Tiger and Kansas City Chiefs receiver Dwayne Bowe for one game for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. That means he won’t play in the regular season opener against Tennessee. Bowe was arrested last fall for possession fo marijuan and he missed four games in 2009 for violating the league’s PED policy.

The Saints return to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome tonight to take on the Tennessee Titans in NFL preseason action. Saints color commentator Hokie Gajan says he’s keeping his eye on the running game and the defense. Gajan hopes the running game has another strong showing like they had last week against the Rams…
Cut 16 (13) “that he did”
Quarterback Drew Brees is not expected to play in tonight’s game, as he continues to nurse an oblique injury. That means plenty of snaps for Luke McCown and Ryan Griffin, who are battling to be Brees’ primary back-up.

Another position battle to watch tonight is at center. Jonathan Goodwin and Tim Lelito have been battling it out since the start of training camp. Kicker Shayne Graham also needs a good game today after missing a 33-yard extra point last week.

Ragin Cajuns quarterback Terrance Broadway is on the 2014 Manning Award Watch List. The list features 32 of the top quarterbacks heading into the college football season. Broadway threw for 24-hundred yards and 19 touchdowns last season.

The LSU Tigers are scheduled to have two practices today and then hold a scrimmage tomorrow at 10:45 AM. Louisiana Tech will have an open practice and meet-n-greet with the fans at Independence Stadium today. Practice is scheduled to start at 3:15.

The LSU Tigers are optimistic that defensive tackle Quentin Thomas will soon be able to fully participate in practice soon. It was reported last week Thoms could miss the season, because of a biceps injury. But Head Coach Les Miles says Thomas is not as serious as once thought
Cut 18 (13) “he can be”
Running back Leonard Fournette did not partcipate during the live portion of a scrimmage yesterday. But Miles hopes Fournette can see more action on Saturday, when the Tigers hold another scrimmage.

Preseason season game number two is tomorrow night for the New Orleans Saints. They’ll host the Tennessee Titans. Coach Sean Payton has said he’s not sure if quarterback Drew Brees will play because of an oblique injury, but LSU fans will get a chance to see Titans rookie QB Zach Mettenberger.
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Ragin Cajuns Quarterback Terrance Broadway has been named to the 2014 Manning Award Watch List. The list includes 32 of the top quarterbacks in the nation heading into the 2014 season. The Baton Rouge native led U L Lafayette to a nine and four record last season. Former Haughton star and Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott has also been named to the Manning Award Watch List.

In Ruston, the battle for starting quarterback is down to two players, Iowa transfer Cody Sokol and sophomore Ryan Higgins. Louisiana Tech head coach Skip Holtz is pleased with the work both quarterbacks have put into practice…
cut 17 (11) “….going along well”

And the SEC Network begins airing programming tonight. The cable channel dedicated to the Southeastern Conference will be available to 90-million homes nationwide. Every major cable and satellite provider in Louisiana is carrying the channel.

The long anticipated SEC Network, which promises to air more than 1,000 live events in its first year, officially launches at 5pm today. Herb Vincent, associate commissioner of communications for the Southeastern Conference, says the SEC Network will broadcast 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all SEC all the time…:
Cut 30 (06) “a lot of action”
Vincent says the first show on at 5 will be a special 3 hour “SEC Now” which will spotlight live shots from each of the 14 campuses.

Will Saints Quarterback Drew Brees see any action in tomorrow night’s preseason game against Tennessee? Coach Sean Payton told reporters yesterday that he wasn’t sure if Brees will play because of a left oblique injury. He’s been limited in practice all week. So has cornerback Champ Bailey, but guard Ben Grubbs has returned from practice after nursing a back injury.

Former Arkansas linebacker Otha Peters has decided to transfer to UL Lafayette. Peters posted on twitter that he’s a Ragin Cajuns. The former Covington High standout will his redshirt year this season, so he’ll have two years of eligibility remaining next season. Peters started seven games for Arkansas in 2012, but didn’t see as much playing time last season because of injuries and coaching decisions.

The battle for the starting quarterback position at Louisiana Tech is heating up between Iowa transfer senior Cody Sokol and sophomore Ryan Higgins. Head Coach Skip Holtz says the competition between the two is tight…
cut 16 (07) “….right now”
Holtz says both quarterbacks have also done a good job of NOT throwing interceptions.

The Louisiana High School Athletic Association has announced only four schools have decided to play up this season. And they are John Curtis, Evangel, St. Thomas More and Teurlings Catholic. They’ll compete in the Division One playoffs, after playing in the Division Two playoffs last year.