Roaring to geaux: LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger says he’ll definitely be back in 2013, and he’s looking to use Monday’s Chick-fil-A Bowl game against Clemson as a springboard for a national title run next season, The Times-Picayune reports. “Just want to get a win by any means and send these seniors out on a positive note,” Mettenberger says of his first bowl game as a starter. “We have a lot coming back on offense and we want to keep the momentum going that we’ve built up the last four games.” The full story is here.
Buzz kill: The New Orleans Hornets snapped their 11-game losing streak on Wednesday, but the team needs to string together a number of additional wins to begin digging themselves out of its 6-22 hole. In the latest USA Today NBA Power Rankings, the Hornets are second to only the Washington Wizards (3-23) as the weakest team in the league. The full rankings are here.
Black and blue: The New Orleans Saints (7-8) still have one more game on the schedule—noon Sunday against the Carolina Panthers (6-9) in New Orleans—but CBS Sports blogger Will Brinson is already looking back on the team’s disappointing season as one marked by an inconsistent offense and one of the league’s worst defenses. While Brinson acknowledges the suspensions and distractions brought about by the bounty scandal played a role, “the scandal wasn’t 100% responsible for the Saints struggles,” he says. Read the full post here.
