When No. 10 LSU meets No. 9 Miami in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Dec. 30, the Tigers will compete against a team whose season mirrors their own.
The Hurricanes and Tigers developed into similar teams, both led by their defenses.
“You have to get excited to play a team like LSU,” Miami coach Larry Coker said in a news release. “LSU is very talented. They have great speed and great athletes. We are a top-10 team, they are a top-10 team, you can’t find much of a better matchup than that.”
Miami is No. 2 in the nation in scoring defense at 12 points allowed per game, and LSU is No. 8 at 15 points allowed.
Clemson was the only team to score more than 17 points against the Hurricanes, while Arizona State, Tennessee and Georgia all scored at least 30 points against the Tigers.
The Tigers and Hurricanes are also in the top five in total defense. Miami is third in the country with 252 yards of offense allowed per game. LSU has allowed 276 yards per game, which ranks fifth.
The strength of the Tigers’ defense is their ability to stop the run, where they have allowed only 95 rushing yards per game.
Miami’s strong point on defense is in the passing game. The Hurricanes have the No. 1 pass defense in the nation with 148 passing yards allowed per game.
LSU’s defensive line and blitzing schemes should present problems for Miami. In the Hurricanes’ two losses, their opponents put constant pressure on quarterback Kyle Wright, who is in his first season as a starter.
Wright was sacked 16 times in the two losses, while he was sacked only 16 times in Miami’s nine wins. In LSU’s 12 games this season, the Tigers have averaged three sacks and nine quarterback hurries.
During a news conference before the SEC Championship game, Georgia coach Mark Richt said LSU has the ability to pressure the quarterback with or without blitzing.
“The teams that could pressure the quarterback and stop the running game without getting blitzing involved and safeties involved are the ones that are the most dangerous,” Richt said. “LSU can do that, but they also have a great package of blitz.”
The Tigers and Hurricanes are also similar in the path their seasons followed to the Peach Bowl.
Both teams struggled early in the season. Miami lost its season opener to Florida State and then defeated Clemson in triple overtime the following week, which was the first victory of an eight-game winning streak.
LSU snuck past Arizona State on the road to open the season before the Tigers lost their home-opener to Tennessee in overtime. The Tigers then went on to win nine straight games.
The duo each beat undefeated conference opponents on the road during the latter part of the season. The Hurricanes handed an 8-0 Virginia Tech team its first lost on Nov. 5 and the Tigers gave a 9-0 Alabama team its first defeat on Nov. 12.
Both teams’ chances of winning their respective conference and playing in a BCS bowl came to a thundering halt late in the season.
Miami lost to Georgia Tech on Nov. 19, which prevented the Hurricanes from playing in the ACC Championship game.
The Tigers managed to win the SEC West but were manhandled in the SEC Championship game by Georgia.
LSU and Miami each lost a tailback for the season because of a torn ACL. The Hurricanes lost starter Tyrone Moss in their win over the Hokies.
During preseason camp in August, Alley Broussard tore his ACL. Broussard was the Tigers, leading rusher the 2004-05 season. Joseph Addai stepped in the feature role and carried the load for the Tigers before he suffered a nagging ankle injury against North Texas on Oct. 29, which has held him back ever since.