Welcome everyone to the second LSU Tigers preview where we take a look ahead to their next matchup! This week, we look at the Tigers who will be taking on Jacksonville State.
Last Week: The Gamecocks of Jacksonville State started off the 2016 schedule with a 31-12 victory over North Alabama. LSU on the other hand suffered a loss to Wisconsin by the score of 16-14.
Last Meeting:
The two teams have never faced off before their matchup this Saturday night.
What to Watch For:
Roc Is Cooking: If there’s one player that LSU fans need to take a look at, it’s former Auburn running back Roc Thomas. He really showed that he is the workhorse among the group of running backs last weekend against North Alabama with three touchdowns and 71 yards off 20 touches. Roc was largely overshadowed during his time in Auburn by backs like Cameron-Artis Payne and Peyton Barber and also suffered injuries throughout his sophomore season. It should be a real battle in the running back department with Fournette and Thomas duking it out on Saturday.
Will There Be A Second QB On the Field? Since LSU is playing an FCS school, or as some people would like to call them a “cupcake game” you can expect to see Brandon Harris and perhaps another QB seeing playing time. Danny Etling could be given his time to shine under center and try and make a statement that maybe it’s time to think about another QB for the 2016 season after Harris had a less than stellar 2016 start against Wisconsin that saw him throw two interceptions last Saturday afternoon in Lambeau. A good performance from the Purdue transfer could see a change at the position moving forward.
Fournette’s Injury Scare: The road to the Heisman might have been derailed for Leonard Fournette after what happened last Saturday in the closing minute of the game against Wisconsin. After the speculation of his preseason ankle injury arose, his limping off the field raises a lot of concerns for the junior running back, not only for the rest of the season, but his draft stock. It may be time to seriously consider having Buga Nation on some sort of pitch count for Jacksonville State and perhaps moving forward. It will be a day-to-day situation for LSU to look at. If he can’t improve, the Tigers might be hurting their star by using him a little too much.
LSU Will Win If:
The LSU Tigers are up against a cupcake team in Jacksonville State. They just need the defense to do what they do best and have the offense improve from what they did week one. If they do that, they can bounce back to.500 before taking on Mississippi State.
Jacksonville State Will Win If:
The odds for Jacksonville State winning are nearly astronomical. However, the Gamecocks could win if their offense can do what they did last week, especially if Roc Thomas has a good performance. Again, highly doubt that they can pull off the upset.
-Clint Domingue