The Saints finalized their 53-man roster yesterday with the race for backup quarterback still raging. Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener split reps all preseason and Head Coach Dennis Allen says he still hasn’t made a decision…

Cut 20 (20) “…of that nature.”

New Orleans made a few surprising moves including cutting last year’s punter Lou Hedley in favor of free agent addition Matthew Hayball. Second year running back Kendre Miller was added to injured reserve and designated to return this season. Yale undrafted free agent wide receiver Mason Tipton made the roster after impressing early in camp but missing preseason due to a hamstring injury.

Starting defensive tackle Khalen Saunders will miss multiple weeks with a calf injury. Wide Receiver Rashid Shaheed should be available for the season opener despite a toe injury.

The Saints kick off the season Sunday, September 8^th against the Panthers.

Week 1 of the college football season kicks off this weekend. Louisiana Tech will face Nicholls to open up the season on Saturday. Bulldogs Coach Sonny Cumbie named Jack Turner as starting quarterback before training camp started. Turner started four games last year for Tech and Cumbie says he’s the right man to lead this team

Cut 17 (14) “…he can.”

LSU travels to Las Vegas to face 23^rd-ranked USC Sunday. The Tigers have lost their last four season openers going back to 2020. Offensive Tackle Will Campbell says they know they need to start better…

Cut 21 (16) “…knows that.”

The Saints cut their roster down to 53. One of the biggest cuts was last year’s punter Lou Hedley, who lost out to undrafted free agent Matthew Hayball, who is from Austrailia and punted at Vanderbilt. Head Coach Dennis Allen:
Cut 19 (12) “….consistent than Lou”
Hayball averaged 50 yards a punt on seven punts during the preseason.

Allen has also decided to go with Blake Grupe as his field goal kicker over Irish kicker Charlie Smith.

Running back Kendre Miller will start the season on injured reserve. Miller injured his hamstring on the first day of training camp and has not been able to return to the practice field.

Rookie receiver Mason Tipton made the team despite missing a lot of the preseason with an injury. Tipton looked good at the start of camp.

Sunday’s LSU-USC game features two quarterback trying to replace Heisman winners, Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels. The Trojans Miller Moss and LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier have both waited three years for their chance to be the starter. Coach Brian Kelly on what they expect from Moss who …
Cut 18 (23) “…game plans.”

Former LSU baseball star Dylan Crews picked up his first major league hit last night. A double off Yankees starter Gerit Cole. Crews ended up with two hits and a run scored as the Nationals doubled up the Yankees four to two.

Aaron Nola threw seven shutout innings for his 12th win as the Phillies blanked the Astros five to nothing.

The 13^th ranked LSU football team is getting ready for another big-time season opening matchup as they ‘ll face 23-ranked USC on Sunday night in Las Vegas. The Tigers have a history of playing tough opponents to kick off the season. It’s been reported USC tried to back out of this game. Coach Brian Kelly says playing challenging openers might not be the way to go in the future, especially if the SEC expands to a nine-game league schedule…

Cut 19 (20) “….like this”

LSU is scheduled to open the 2025 and 2026 seasons against Clemson.

Today is cut down for the Saints, they have released last year’s punter Lou Hedley, leaving Australian and former Vanderbilt punter Matthew Hayball as the only punter on the roster.

Ben Woolridge has beat out Chandler Fields to be the Ragin Cajuns starting quarterback for Saturday night’s game against Grambling State. Coach Michael Desormeaux explained the decision when he met with reporters on Monday….
cut 17 (09) “…day and out”
Woolridge also won the starting quarterback job out of camp last year, but suffered a season ending foot injury in week three.

Hunters interested in hunting black bears in December in northeast Louisiana can apply for a permit starting on Thursday….

Cut 30 (30) “…Andrew Greenstein”

Several of LSU’s top players are changing numbers. Running back Josh Williams and linebacker Greg Penn will wear number 18, which goes to the LSU Tiger who represents the football program well on and off the field. Offensive tackle Will Campbell will continue to wear a number seven patch, while linebacker Harold Perkins will wear jersey number seven and the seven jersey represents LSU’s top playmakers.

McNeese gets to play a football game on Saturday as they will face Tarleton State at 2:30. The first two years in Lake Charles have been a struggle for Coach Garry Goff and he’s ready to starting winning football games, but he’s not putting extra pressure on the players…
cut 20 (19) “…hard work in”
Kick-off is at 2:30.

The Saints will host Tennessee in the preseason finale on Sunday. WWL Radio Saints analyst Mike Detillier on the biggest question mark facing the Black and Gold….
cut 18 (12) “…question mark today”
Trevor Penning is facing competition from Oli Udoh for the starting right tackle position. Veteran Lucas Patrick is trying to secure a starting spot as left guard, but he’s facing competition from rookie Kyle Hergel.

Just in time for the start of a new football season, 535-million dollars in renovations are finally done at the Ceasars Superdome. Dome spokesperson Mike Hoss says the four-year project removed hundreds of thousands square feet of concrete ramps and replaced them with escalators, which resulted in more space and it allowed for natural light inside the building…
cut 10 (09) “…different areas”

LSU football will have two players wearing number 7 and 18 this year. The number seven jersey goes to LSU’s top playmaker. Offensive tackle Will Campbell will once again wear a number seven patch and linebacker Harold Perkins is changing his jersey number to seven. 2-4-7 sports LSU reporter Glen West says Perkins had a strong preseason camp
Cut 14 (10) “…tackles for loss.”
Running back Josh Williams and linebacker Greg Penn will each wear 18, which goes to the player who represents LSU in a significant way on and off the field.

The four-phase renovation of the Superdome that cost 535 million dollars is done. The multi-year project removed hundreds of thousands of square feet of concrete ramps and replaced them with esclators, which resulted in more open space and it allowed for natural light to get inside the building that opened in 1975….
cut 10 (09) “…different areas”
That’s Superdome spokesperson Mike Hoss. New Orleans hosts Tennessee in the Dome on Sunday for a preseason game.

McNeese will be one of the first college football teams to take the field this year as they kick off their season tomorrow against Tarleton State. The Cowboys are led by redshirt senior quarterback Cliffton McDowell. McDowell won Big Sky Newcomer of the Year last season as he led Montana to the FCS National Championship game. McNeese Head Coach Gary Goff says he brings experience to a young squad
Cut 19 (17) “…what he’s doing.”
The Cowboys finished winless in the regular season last year and were picked to finish 6th in the nine-team Southland Conference this season.

Former LSU star Paul Skenes returned to his dominant form last night as he struck out nine and allowed just two hits as his Pirates blanked the Reds seven to zip. Skenes is now 8-and-2 and has 110 strikeouts in 92 innings.

Former Ragin Cajun Sepncer Arrighetti threw six shutout innings last night as the Astros blanked Baltimore six to nothing. Houston leads the A-L West by 5.5 games now.

LSU football will have two players wearing number 18 and two wearing number seven this year . Sixth-year-running back Josh Williams and starting linebacker Greg Penn will each wear number 18, which since the mid 2000s has gone to a player who posses the traits of a great teammate.

The number seven jersey goes to the player that elevates others around them and is from Louisiana or calls Louisiana home. Offensive tackle Will Campbell, who wore a number seven patch last year will do so again, and linebacker Harold Perkins is the other number seven for the Tigers.

In baseball…the SEC has announced the conference baseball tournament will continue to be played in Hoover, Alabama through 2028. It will be a single elimination tournament next year with all 16 teams getting in.

And LSU leads the nation with nine players listed among the Baseball America Top 100 transfers for the 2025 season.

Saints cornerback Paulson Adebo returned to practice this week after missing a couple of weeks with a groin injury. Marshon Lattimore remains out with a hip flexer. Saints Analyst for WWL radio Mike Detillier says if healthy, this one of the best cornerback tandems in the NFL…
cut 17 (20) “…stand out”
The Saints final preseason game is Sunday at home against the Titans.

Former LSU star Paul Skenes returned to his dominant form last night as he struck out nine and allowed just two hits as his Pirates blanked the Reds seven to zip. Skenes is now 8-and-2 and has 110 strikeouts in 92 innings.

Former Ragin Cajun Sepncer Arrighetti threw six shutout innings last night as the Astros blanked Baltimore six to nothing. Houston leads the A-L West by 5.5 games now.

LSU has eight players on the preseason All-SEC Coaches team. Offensive tackle Will Campbell, linebacker Harold Perkins and receiver Zavion Thomas are first-team selections. Thomas made the team as an all-purpose performer. Receiver Kyren Lacy, offensive tackle Emery Jones and defensive back Major Burns are second-team selections. Third-team selections are long snapper Slade Roy and tight end Mason Taylor.

Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier was left off the teams. Nussmeier has a reputation of being reckless with the football as a back-up, but Coach Brian Kelly says his mindset has changed now that he’s the starter…
cut 18 (21) “…team’s hands”
The Tigers will take on USC Trojans on September first in Las Vegas.

Saints defensive end Payton Turner missed practice today as Coach Dennis Allen said the same toe that he had surgery on last year had a flare up.

The Cleveland Browns traded former LSU kicker Cade York to Washington for a conditional seventh round pick today

A week from tonight ULM will be hosting Jackson State to kick off the 2024 season. It will mark the start of Bryant Vincent era as the Warhawks new head coach tries to turn around a program that won just two games last season. Vincent is calling on Warhawk nation to get behind his program…
cut 28 (28) “…six o’ clock”
ULM and Jackson State also faced off in 2021 and the Warhawks won 12 to 7.

The LSU football team is preparing to kick off the season against 23^rd-ranked USC September 1. Junior preseason All-American linebacker Harold Perkins will lead the defensive unit. Perkins has been a dominant edge rushing talent but will move to inside linebacker after failing the same experiment last season. Head Coach Brian Kelly says Perkins has been different this offseason…

Cut 17 (20) “…(x3) around him.”

Former LSU kicker Cade York was traded from the Browns to the Commanders for a conditional 7th round pick. Cleveland selected York in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft but cut him last year after making 24 of 32 kicks his rookie season. He was resigned this offseason and will now look to replace Brandon McManus in Washington.

The SEC has announced the conference baseball tournament will continue to be held in Hoover, Alabama through at least 2028. The Hoover Metropolitan Stadium has hosted the SEC Baseball Tournament since 1998, and the SEC has the option to extend the agreement through 2030.

The Saints play their final preseason game Sunday against the Titans. Wide receiver Chris Olave has been an impact player for the Saints since being drafted 11^th overall in 2022. The Ohio State product has produced back-to-back one-thousand-yard seasons, but with new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak’s play action scheme Olave says he had to work on his run blocking this offseason…

Cut 20 (18) “…this year.”

Kickoff against Tennessee is set for 1:00. The Saints will kick off the regular season against the Panthers September 8.

The LSU football team is preparing to kick off the season against 23rd-ranked USC on September 1. Head Coach Brian Kelly will need his revamped defense to stop Lincoln Riley’s high-flying Trojan offense. LSU brought in five new defensive coaches to improve a historically bad defense from a year ago…
Cut 16 (17) “…third down situations.”
Kelly expects five to six defensive tackles will play every game, up to five edge rushers will see snaps and you’ll also see four to five different linebackers.

The SEC has released the tiebreaker rules for its championship game. The top two teams from the 16 team league will play for an SEC title and if there are two teams tied for second place, the final tie breaking scenario is “F” a random drawing.

The Saints play their final preseason game against the Titans this Sunday in the Caesars Superdome. First-year offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak told reporters he will call plays from the sideline for this game after calling plays from the press box during the first two preseason games. Star wide receiver Chris Olave is eager to play in Kubiak’s new scheme…
Cut 19 (17) “…next step.”
Fellow receiver Rashid Shaheed did not practice yesterday because of a toe-slash-foot injury. Coach Dennis Allen does not see Shaheed’s injury as serious.

The LSU women’s basketball schedule is out. It begins November fourth against Eastern Kentucky. The Lady Tigers travel to South Carolina on January 23rd. They’ll play Tennessee twice and host Stanford on December 5th.