The last day of November will be one to remember for sports fans in Louisiana.
Here’s what all happened on a crazy Sunday that made for a busy day for the folks tasked with putting this newspaper together.
• The New Orleans Saints found their offense in the second half and almost climbed out of a 16-point hole against the Miami Dolphins.
• Cam Jordan found the fountain of youth yet again.
• Kellen Moore found out that receiver Devaughn Vele is indeed on the Saints’ roster.
• LSU found its head coach.
• Tulane found out that it is now in the market for one.
• Oh, and a guy from Northern Ireland (Charlie Smyth) booted a 56-yard field goal on his very first field goal attempt in an NFL game.
Smyth followed that up with a successful onside kick that gave the Saints a chance late in what ended up being a 21-17 loss to the Dolphins. History was on Smyth’s side on the onside kick. The last time the Saints tried one at Hard Rock Stadium was Thomas Morstead’s “Ambush” to start the second half of Super Bowl XLIV in 2010. Smyth’s kick landed right in the arms of Vele, much the same way that many of Tyler Shough’s passes did.
Vele, acquired in a trade with the Denver Broncos in August because the Saints needed a big-bodied receiver, had rarely been used. He had nine catches before Sunday. He almost equaled that in one game, hauling in eight passes for 93 yards and a touchdown. The Saints, unfortunately, weren’t able to move the ball much on their final drive that stalled on a failed fourth-and-1 attempt at the Dolphins’ 36-yard line.
“It was an unfortunate ending,” Moore said afterward.
He certainly wasn’t the only one talking about unfortunate endings. Fans of Ole Miss football were no doubt saying the same thing (except with a whole lot more curse words included) as Lane Kiffin made it official that he was leaving Oxford and heading to Baton Rouge to be LSU’s next football coach. Kiffin was hoping to stick around and coach the Rebels in the College Football Playoff but said Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter denied that request.
Meanwhile, Tulane coach Jon Sumrall made it official Sunday that he has accepted the Florida job. Sumrall could have been in a Kiffin-like situation with Tulane headed to the playoffs if they beat North Texas for the American Conference championship Saturday at Yulman Stadium. But the Green Wave administration has decided to let Sumrall stick around and coach Saturday’s game and continue to the playoffs if the Wave advances.
Fan bases at both Ole Miss and Tulane are split on whether their now exes should be allowed to stick around after the divorces.
“We just believe that it’s the right thing to do for our student-athletes,” Tulane athletic director David Harris said in a statement. “We are just really appreciative that he has the love and concern for his players first and foremost in his mind, that he wants to help them finish the right way.”
After that, Sumrall will head to Florida, about five hours north of where the Saints (2-10) were handed yet another loss Sunday.
The Saints’ offense struggled early, gaining just 63 yards in the first half that ended with them trailing 16-0. A bright spot was the 36-year-old Cam Jordan sacking Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa twice. Jordan now has 6½ sacks, the most he’s had since 2022.
He’d much rather have those sacks come with some wins.
“We are a team that keeps fighting,” Jordan said. “When you are fighting an uphill battle, eventually you have to reach the top of the hill. We are taking shots and we are swinging, and you just wish they would fall in our favor.”
The only thing falling in the Saints’ favor is their chances of landing the No. 1 draft pick. With the New York Jets upsetting the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, the Saints currently hold the No. 2 draft pick.
The Saints return to Florida next week to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs have won the last three games against the Saints and are looking to make it four straight for the first time in series history.
A Saints’ upset of the Bucs sounds crazy.
Not quite as crazy as this last Sunday in November was, though.