Time: Saturday, September 26, 11 a.m. CT
Network: ESPN
Location: Carrier Dome, Syracuse, New York
Line: LSU (-24)
The Tigers’ dismantling of Auburn on Saturday proved that they can be contenders for the SEC Championship and beyond. They have proved almost every preseason poll wrong in just two games, which is definitely a sign of things to come for this young team. About a month ago, Kirk Herbstreit predicted LSU to make it to the College Football Playoff, while Lee Corso said that the Tigers would win the National Championship. Many college football fans and experts thought that they were out of their minds with such bold statements. But here they are one month later, laughing at the rest of the world. Granted, the Tigers still have 9 more regular season games left to play, but they sure did impress the entire nation after a spectacular performance against Auburn. The defense shut down reeling quarterback Jeremy Johnson, excluding his 65-yard touchdown run. He was sacked 5 times on the day, and without his touchdown run, he would’ve had negative rushing yards. Auburn’s receivers were kept on lockdown for most of the game and Johnson threw a costly interception to Jamal Adams. On the offensive side of the ball, Leonard Fournette proved to the country just how much of a Heisman contender he actually is. He averaged 12 yards per carry while picking up 228 yards rushing with 3 touchdowns.
He added numerous plays to his highlight reel and wowed everyone with his explosive runs. After such domination, LSU travels to New York to take on Syracuse.
The Orangemen are 3-0 coming into Saturday’s game. Their most recent victory came against Central Michigan, where they narrowly escaped with a 30-27 win in overtime. Syracuse appeared to be dominating the game until freshman quarterback Eric Dungey was injured on a helmet-to-helmet hit in the second quarter. Everything went downhill from there as the Orangemen struggled with two backup quarterbacks. Austin Wilson and Zach Mahoney combined to throw for 68 yards, with Wilson throwing a touchdown and an interception. Dungey’s status for this weekend is doubtful, leaving a battle between Wilson and Mahoney for the starting job. Whoever wins this battle will have to face off against one of the toughest defenses in the nation.
The Tigers rank 1st in total defense in the SEC and 6th nationally. They handled Dak Prescott exceptionally well in the first game of the year and absolutely rocked Jeremy Johnson last week. Mississippi State and Auburn struggled to move the ball in the first half. Though the Tigers played a more complete game defensively against Auburn, they still need to do a better job of containing their opponents. In all likelihood, the defense won’t have this problem against Syracuse. The Orangemen rank 83rd in total offense and are without their starting quarterback. With the way LSU’s defense destroyed Jeremy Johnson, there’s no way Syracuse can pose as a threat. Kevin Toliver shut down one of the SEC’s biggest receivers in Duke Williams, so don’t expect many big completions in the Carrier Dome. Along with Tre’Davious White and Jamal Adams, LSU’s secondary has the passing game on lockdown. As far as the running game goes, Syracuse will have lots of trouble getting past the defensive line. Don’t expect the Orangemen to have much success on offense, if any at all, this Saturday.
LSU should have little to no trouble scoring the ball against Syracuse. After racking up 411 yards on the ground against an SEC defense, the Tigers’ backfield will have no trouble thrashing the Syracuse defense. The nation witnessed the extreme prowess of Fournette against Auburn. He doesn’t need to prove himself against an ACC opponent. Sure, he’ll probably go over the 100-yard mark, but he shouldn’t play for more than a half. Derrius Guice and Darrel Williams will take over the carrying duties for the rest of the day. But more importantly, this is the game where Les Miles should test Brandon Harris. He’s proved that he knows how to play smart, but he hasn’t passed that much. In two games, Harris is 21-0f-31 for 145 yards and a touchdown. He’s been an excellent play-caller, but now it’s time to see just how good he is through the air. LSU has all the talent at wide receiver, so it makes sense to see how dangerous these guys can be. Malachi Dupre and Travin Dural were widely projected to be two of the best receivers in the league. Their stats may not show it, but they actually are. They’ve made big catches before that prove their superior skills. Harris should pass at least 20 times on Saturday, if not more. He needs to test his skills and tricks before getting into more competitive games. If something were to happen to Fournette, Harris has to step it up in the passing game. This is his chance to shine. Syracuse isn’t a bad team, but they’re not great either. It’s better for Miles to have Harris throw now than to wait for Eastern Michigan next week. He’ll have over 200 passing yards if Miles lets him pass more than 20 times this game.
LSU should handle Syracuse without any problems. The Orangemen will be pumped because they’re undefeated, but the Tigers will crush that hype quickly. The defense will work on playing a more complete game, meaning either Wilson or Mahoney will have a rough time on the field. Harris will pass more on offense and some of the starters may rest in the second half. The Tigers will take care of business in New York as they wreck the Orangemen.
LSU 41, Syracuse 14.
