In a tough loss to Florida State, Tiger fans thought this would be another tough season during the rebuilding process. However, the new coaching staff kept the program hopeful, as the Tigers have now won four straight games, and have made their season debut in the AP Top 25 rankings at No. 25.
With a rank now next to its name, there is a different feeling within the team in that they can now see they can compete with the “big guys” of the SEC. One of those top in-conference teams will be coming to Baton Rouge Saturday in the Tennessee Volunteers.
There might not be a more explosive team in college football than Tennessee this season. The Volunteers hold the No. 1 ranked offense, according to ESPN, averaging 559.3 yards of total offense per game.
That offense is led by quarterback, Hendon Hooker, who has emerged as arguably one of the top players in college football this season. The Volunteers average 365.8 passing yards per game, which is also ranked first in the nation. Hooker has passed for 1,193 yards on the year with a 71.7 completion percentage. He’s also added eight passing touchdowns.
Tennessee likes to throw the ball; not as much as a team like Mississippi State, but the Volunteers are definitely a pass-first team. They spread the wealth of targets throughout their entire receiving core, as three different receivers have caught double-digit passes, and three different receivers have scored multiple times.
Jalin Hyatt leads the receivers with 325 receiving yards on 23 targets and has scored three times. But Cedric Tillman and Bru McCoy are also impacting players; Tillman has caught 17 passes for 246 receiving yards and a touchdown, and McCoy has caught 13 passes for 211 yards and two touchdowns. Ramel Keyton is not far behind with 183 receiving yards on 8 catches and adds a touchdown.
For how much Tennessee has seen success in its passing game, its ability to run the ball just as effectively sets their offense apart.
The Volunteers have two running backs that have rushed for over 100 yards on the season. Jaylen Wright leads the team with 256 rushing yards on 55 attempts and four touchdowns, and Jabari Small has rushed for 184 yards on 44 attempts and also four touchdowns. Dylan Sampson also adds depth to the backfield, as he’s rushed for 89 yards on 18 attempts and three touchdowns. Not to mention, Hendon Hooker is just as much of a threat on the ground as he is in the air.
The matchup against Tennessee could be the biggest test for not only the Tigers’ secondary, but the entire LSU defense. No team that the Volunteers have played so far has been able to completely control their offense, as they’ve scored over 30 points in every game they’ve played.
Jayden Daniels throwing the ball is more important than ever against Tennessee. Against Auburn, LSU passed for just five yards in the second half. The Tigers were able to beat Auburn while strictly running the ball, but Tennessee is a different animal.
In order to win, the Tigers can’t rely on just one phase of the offense, because Tennessee is too good of a team that they will control it and halt the offense as a whole.
In addition, LSU has to be more than just a second-half team. While scoring 21 unanswered points in the second half was enough to beat Auburn, LSU will have to play aggressively the entire game in order to beat Tennessee.
Winning against Tennessee will require two things for LSU. The first is limiting the Volunteers’ biggest weapon in Hendon Hooker. While this has been a tough task for every team Tennessee faced, cutting the head off the snake is where it has to start.
From there, LSU will have to limit Tennessee’s run game. In Tennessee’s most competitive game against Pittsburgh, in which the Volunteers won 34-27 in overtime, the Volunteers’ run game was held to 100 yards for the whole game. Giving Hooker as little of an opportunity to control the game will give LSU the biggest window to win.
It all comes down to the quality of the depth both teams have. While LSU has a lot of depth, Tennessee does too. So when LSU brings in fresh bodies to avoid fatigue during the game, Tennessee has the ability to do the same thing. This is how LSU was able to beat Mississippi State and Auburn. But Tennessee’s ability to match that takes the value away from LSU’s depth.
The Tigers may have to search and find something in themselves that they may not have had to rely on all season. But in order to stay in the Top 25 rankings, and potentially make a push to be a top team in the SEC, it all starts with their biggest test this season against Tennessee.
