![]() ![]() ![]() The Vols need to connect on those opportunities. LSU will take those chances knowing Tennessee’s receivers will be open downfield. They will blitz, and they will blitz from exotic places. They are going to play aggressive defensively. The Tigers have only allowed two touchdowns in the red zone this whole season. They are going to continually pressure Hendon Hooker with arguably the best bookend pass rushers in the SEC. Busted coverages aside though, this is a good LSU defense. The Tigers had a few busted coverages against Auburn and allowed backup QB Robby Ashford to throw for 337 yards. That comes without playing too many offenses that are known to stretch the field vertically Mississippi State & Auburn specifically. They have been good overall, but have shown vulnerability by allowing 16 completions of 20 yards or more. This is a remade LSU secondary, featuring a lot of transfer starters. Opponents are completing just 55% of their passes against LSU, with four interceptions to only five touchdowns. Tennessee will need big plays too against what has been a pretty salty LSU pass defense. Nothing quiets a hostile home crowd like a big play. Tennessee’s 11.3 passing yards per attempt is easily best in the conference. They currently lead the SEC in passing plays over 20 yards. The Vols have been superb in this category under Josh Heupel. No, not more cutaways to Aaron Judge, but rather Tennessee needs to connect on a few long passing plays Saturday. Matchup to watch on Offense: The home run. As always, please gamble within your means. I personally don’t think that’s too far off. If you assume home field still counts for 3 points then the neutral site spread would be around Vols -6. Some folks have commented that the line feels a little phisy at only -3. That was bet down to as low as -2.5, but appears pretty settled in at -3. What Vegas says: The consensus opening line last Sunday was Tennessee -3.5. I want to see how the Vols have adjusted over the bye week. It would be a shame to make it easy for Jayden Daniels and this LSU passing game to get into a rhythm without putting up much resistance. The Vols were Charmin-soft in coverage against Florida, a regular complaint through four games. You don’t need stats to tell you what your eyeballs saw though. Florida averaged nearly 19 yards per completion against this Tennessee secondary. Specifically, what adjustments did they make during the bye week? There is nothing wrong with celebrating the Florida win while also being realistic about the deficiencies it magnified. What will this tell us about Tennessee? I expect this game to tell us plenty about Tennessee’s defense. We will know more when LSU and Florida play in a few weeks. This very well may be the best team Tennessee has played all year. Few teams are without their flaws though. LSU is winning in spite of a ho-hum passing game, and fairly makeshift offensive line. The Bayou Bengals are 4-1 on the season, their only loss a chaotic opening game against Florida State. Where talent was missing, like at quarterback and in the secondary, LSU did a good job filling holes through the transfer portal. While Ed Orgeron may have torpedoed the culture and discipline of LSU football, he left Kelly plenty of talented players. They are a talented team that is still improving under first-year coach Brian Kelly. However, LSU has won the last five meetings, including a win over legendary Tennessee coach Brady Hoke in 2017.Īre they Good? Yes, LSU is a good team. Tennessee leads the all-time series against LSU 20-10-3. Tennessee will meet LSU for the first time under Brian Kelly. ![]() Famed halfback, and Heisman trophy winner, Billy Cannon helped earn the school its first title in 1958. LSU’s football program claims four national titles, three of which come this century. It was founded as a military school in the 1800s and began to take its present shape in the 1920s. The Opponent: Louisiana State University, or LSU, is the flagship university for the state of Louisiana. 8 Tennessee this Saturday in Baton Rouge, LA. ![]()
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