A federal appeals court in New Orleans on Friday temporarily limited the scope of a ruling that Louisiana’s law requiring public schools to post the Ten Commandments in all classrooms next year is unconstitutional.

US district judge John deGravelles’ ruling that the law is unconstitutional remains in effect under the order from the fifth US circuit court of appeals. However, the appellate court temporarily blocked a part of the ruling that requires state education officials to notify public schools statewide that the law has been struck down.

State attorneys said in an emergency stay motion filed on Wednesday that deGravelles’ finding that the commandments posting requirement is unconstitutional only affects five local school systems that are defendants in the case. They said deGravelles overstepped his authority when he ordered that schools in all 72 districts tbe notified of his finding. They asked that the notification requirement be paused immediately while they appeal all of deGravelles’ order. That broader appeal was filed later on Friday night.

Friday’s fifth circuit order was a temporary “administrative stay” granted in response to the state’s emergency request. The order may be altered or lifted as the appeal progresses. Judges Jerry Smith, nominated to the court by Ronald Reagan, and Kurt Engelhardt, nominated by Donald Trump, voted to grant the stay in a one-sentence order. A footnote said Judge James Graves, nominated by Barack Obama, would have denied the stay.

Louisiana’s attorney general, Liz Murrill, celebrated the ruling in a Friday evening social media post.

“I look forward to immediately working with all of our school boards who are not involved in this lawsuit to implement the law soon,” she wrote.

The law specifies a version of the Ten Commandments must be posted in all Louisiana classrooms at public K-12 schools and universities by 1 January. It was passed by the Republican-dominated state legislature this year and signed by the Republican governor, Jeff Landry, in June.

DeGravelles ruled on Tuesday that the law was “overtly religious” and “unconstitutional on its face”. He said state superintendent of education, Cade Brumley, and the state education board – both of them defendants in the lawsuit – can take no steps to implement the law. And he told them to notify all school boards that it has been found unconstitutional.

Murrill, a Republican ally of Landry, said the state disagrees with the entire ruling. However, she said the notification requirement created an immediate problem because it will confuse school systems where, the state contends, the law remains in effect.

Data Skrive

Star player Terrance Carter and the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns (8-1) face the South Alabama Jaguars (4-5) on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET, at Cajun Field.

You’ll want to check out ESPN+ for the upcoming matchup featuring the Ragin’ Cajuns and Jaguars.

Keep up with college football all season on FOX Sports.

Learn more about the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns and the South Alabama Jaguars.

How to Watch Louisiana vs. South Alabama

• When: Saturday, November 16, 2024 at 7 p.m. ET
• Location: Cajun Field in Lafayette, Louisiana
• Live Box Score: FOX Sports

Read More About This Game

• Louisiana vs. South Alabama Predictions

Louisiana vs. South Alabama: Head to Head

• Over the past two matchups against South Alabama, Louisiana has collected one win and zero ties.
• The Ragin’ Cajuns have covered two times in those games while not outscoring the point total once.
• South Alabama has put up 10 fewer points than Louisiana in their past two games.

Louisiana’s 2024 Schedule

Louisiana 2024 Stats & Insights

• On the offensive side of the ball, Louisiana has been a top-25 unit, ranking 11th-best in the FBS by compiling 457.1 yards per game. The defense ranks 40th (335.4 yards allowed per game).
• Louisiana ranks 32nd in passing yards this year (266.8 per game), but has been shining on the other side of the ball, ranking 17th-best in the FBS with 173 passing yards allowed per game.
• The Ragin’ Cajuns own the 38th-ranked defense this season (21.8 points allowed per game), and they’ve been better offensively, ranking 24th-best with 35.2 points per game.
• The Ragin’ Cajuns rank 33rd in run offense (190.3 rushing yards per game) and 89th in run defense (162.4 rushing yards allowed per game) this season.
• Louisiana owns the eighth-best offense this season in terms of third-down efficiency (50% third-down conversion rate), but ranks 14th-worst on the defensive side of the ball (45.9% third-down percentage).
• The Ragin’ Cajuns have the 17th-best turnover margin in college football at +8, forcing 12 turnovers (69th in the FBS) while turning it over four times (second in the FBS).

Louisiana 2024 Key Players

South Alabama’s 2024 Schedule

South Alabama 2024 Stats & Insights

• South Alabama’s offense has been leading the way for the team, as it ranks 14th-best in the FBS with 455.2 total yards per contest. In terms of defense, it is ceding 394.4 total yards per game, which ranks 98th.
• South Alabama ranks 51st in passing yards per game (242.8), but it has been worse on the defensive side of the ball, ranking 12th-worst in the FBS with 264.2 passing yards allowed per contest.
• The Jaguars’ defense ranks 69th in the FBS with 24.8 points given up per game, but they’ve been lifted up by their offense, which ranks 20th-best by generating 35.6 points per game.
• The Jaguars’ rushing attack has been paving the way for the team, as they rank 17th-best in the FBS with 212.4 rushing yards per game. In terms of defense, they are ceding 130.2 rushing yards per game, which ranks 47th.
• South Alabama ranks 54th in the FBS with a 42.1% third-down conversion rate on offense, and 58th with a 37.4% third-down percentage allowed on defense.
• The Jaguars have excelled in terms of turnovers, as their turnover margin of +8 ranks 17th-best in the FBS, with 14 forced turnovers (48th in the nation) and six turnovers committed (fifth in the nation).

South Alabama 2024 Key Players

FOX Sports created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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College Football

After dropping their sixth game of the season against the Vanderbilt Commodores last time out, the Auburn Tigers have what should be a chance to correct course this week.

Fresh off their second bye week of the season, Auburn hosts the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday. 

Here are three keys to victory for Auburn.

Run the Football

After his record-setting performance against Kentucky, Jarquez Hunter did not have as many opportunities to make an impact against Vanderbilt.

Auburn’s star running back and one of the nation’s best had 12 carries for 50 yards in Auburn’s loss to the Commodores.

If the Tigers allow Hunter to do his thing against the Warhawks on Saturday, they should have no problem keeping their bowl aspirations alive for at least one more week. Additionally, Hunter is closing in on his first 1,000-yard season at the college level and needs 87 yards to cross that threshold.

Slow Down Ahmad Hardy

As much as establishing the run game could benefit Auburn, it is equally as important for it to prevent Louisiana-Monroe from doing the same.

Hardy, a 5-foot-10 freshman from Monticello, Miss., has played a large role in the Warhawks’ offensive success in his first season at the college level. Hardy has picked up 915 yards and nine touchdowns off 164 carries.

Louisiana-Monroe has struggled to move the ball through the air, so eliminating the run game would increase Auburn’s chances of coming out on top even more.

Get the Ball in the Endzone

This one might sound self-explanatory, but with the way Auburn has struggled with field goal kicking this season, it needs to be stated.

True freshman Town McGough is 5-of-12 (41.7%) on the season with a long of 32 yards. However, McGough is a perfect 27-of-27 on extra-point attempts.

Kick-off is set for 11:45 a.m. CT and SEC Network will carry the television broadcast.