Welcome everyone to the latest preview of LSU’s next game! In this week’s edition, we break down the Tigers matchup against the Syracuse Orange.
Last Week: The last time LSU took the field, Mississippi State dominated throughout and took advantage of the Tigers being undisciplined to win 37-7. Syracuse on the other hand wound up getting their second win of the regular season over Central Michigan 41-17.
Last Meeting: The last time these two teams faced off, it was in the Carrier Dome and it saw one of Leonard Fournette’s biggest games as a Tiger with 244 yards and two touchdowns on the way to a 34-24 victory over the Orange. LSU holds a 2-1 series lead with the lone win for Syracuse coming way back in 1989 in the Hall of Fame Bowl.
Storylines to Watch:
Does Guice Being Out Hurt Offense? Throughout the preseason, head coach Ed Orgeron said that the Tigers offense will revolve around Derrius Guice. With Guice’s injury during the Mississippi State game, LSU will be without their proverbial sun.
Imagine if the solar system was without a sun to revolve around. Odds are it wouldn’t exist and this conversation isn’t happening. However, the Tigers will need to figure out what to do without their star running back. The Tigers do have a decent passing game with Danny Etling showing that he hasn’t missed a beat in their previous two matchups. That may be a big factor in how the Tigers will be able to get past Syracuse without Guice.
Defense Needs Confidence Boost: After last week’s loss to Mississippi State, this defense is in need of some kind of a confidence boost. LSU allowed Nick Fitzgerald carve up the defense not only with his arm, but with his legs to score 28 of the Bulldogs 37 points.
Being up against a team like Syracuse could be that opportunity based off of the type of drop off in terms of talent they will be facing on Saturday. Syracuse may be 2-1, but those victories were against teams like Central Connecticut and Central Michigan. LSU will have a fun time getting back on the right side of things against the Orange.
Can LSU Become Disciplined? 30 penalties in 3 games is going to be something that will become a major issue if it’s not corrected in the next two weeks. Coach Orgeron has done a lot of the punishments for these players “in-house”, but if LSU continues to have this problem, perhaps he will need to really show this team that he means business.
Their schedule isn’t getting any easier and 10 penalties is the difference of this team being 3-0 and 2-1.
LSU Will Win If:
The Tigers will come away with a win over the Orange if they don’t get too undisciplined. You can have a few penalties, but not as many as they’ve had throughout the season through three games. Another key for this team will be how Etling performs without having Derrius Guice as a decoy. Losing a big part of the offensive gameplan puts that much more pressure on their quarterback.
Syracuse Will Win If:
The Orange will win if they can get under LSU’s skin. Anytime the Tigers get agitated before the game under Orgeron, it winds up causing some issues. Just look at what happened last weekend and that should tell you more than enough of what you can expect from LSU if they get rattled.
-Clint Domingue