Welcome everyone to the latest game preview for the LSU Tigers! This week, we take a look at their road game against the Tennessee Volunteers.
Last Week: LSU had a solid bounce back game after the loss to Alabama with a 33-10 win over the Arkansas Razorbacks last Saturday. Tennessee had an interesting last few days after getting dominated by Mizzou 50-17.
About 24 hours after the loss the university announced that they have fired Butch Jones, making Brady Hoke the interim head coach for their final two games.
Last Meeting: The last time these two teams faced off, the Tigers dominated Tennessee in 2011 by the score of 38-7. The Vols hold the overall series lead 20-9-3, but the Tigers have won the last three straight matchups.
Storylines to Watch:
Hoke the Interim: With everything that’s gone down in Knoxville the last 72 hours, Brady Hoke being the interim coach will be something to keep an eye on, especially once college football’s silly season gets into full swing. Odds are the Volunteers will hire someone immediately after the regular season wraps up, but how will the players be with a new head coach during the last two games of the season?
If the firing had happened earlier in the season, perhaps the team could rally around Hoke like LSU did last year against Coach O but with two games to go, you can’t completely flip the script and expect it to work when the team’s goals are out of the window.
Spread the Wealth: One of the best parts of the Tigers win last Saturday was seeing Danny Etling not only make passes, but spread the wealth around to six different players. While that may not seem like much, just look at who was receiving passes. Besides DJ Chark’s four catches, you had Stephen Sullivan, Derrick Dillon, Tory Carter, Dee Anderson, and Foster Moreau each get at least one reception.
Last week was a marked improvement from the Alabama game and based off of Tennessee’s defensive performance (or lack thereof), Etling seems poised to spread the wealth once again.
Who’s the Kicker? While the offense looked on point last weekend, the kicking game left a lot to be desired after Connor Culp missed a field goal late in the first quarter. It seemed like after the first half, that missed field goal was in his head and wound up missing two straight before being replaced by Jack Gonsoulin late in the ballgame.
According to Orgeron, Culp has been doing well in practice this week and has made all of his field goals. The freshman prior to last weekend was looking great and getting into a groove so hopefully he’ll be able to bounce back this weekend in Knoxville and it doesn’t require Orgeron to mention anything about recruiting a kicker during his radio show on Wednesday.
LSU Will Win If:
LSU can get the win if they duplicate their performance from last week against Arkansas. Based off of what happened last week in Columbia, Missouri it could be a record-setting day for the offense against the Vols.
Tennessee Will Win If:
Tennessee can pull off the unthinkable if Hoke can coach a perfect game. From what we’ve seen from the Volunteers this season, it’s going to be an uphill climb for Hoke to win this game with how poor their offense has been.
-Clint Domingue