Quote:
Originally Posted by hoopsguy
So how do the Tigers look this year? Have they been giving their 90,000+ screaming fans at Death Valley much to cheer about so far? Will they have a a chance to extend O'Farrell's anti-run against Top 10 competition?
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At first glance, LSU looks a whole lot like Notre Dame. The Tigers bring a 6-2 record into the game, the same as that of the Fighting Irish. Like Notre Dame, LSU has whooped up on the inferior teams they've played and have struggled against ranked opponents.
The Tigers gave #6 Florida a decent game in the Swamp, losing 27-15. They lost at home against #20 Georgia. Their 37-10 victory over Alabama looks good, until one notices that Alabama has only won two games. Easy wins over teams like Vanderbilt and Mississippi State are just about equally impressive as Notre Dame's romps over Navy and Michigan State.
However, LSU possesses one weapon that will keep O'Farrell up at night: a stalwart defense that makes the '05 Notre Dame roughnecks look mild by comparison.
Opponents average
1.0 yards per carry against LSU. You read that right:
ONE YARD PER CARRY. The Tigers aren't much easier to throw against, either. Only one team, #1 Texas, has allowed fewer points per game than LSU. Even without All-American DE
Courtney Bailen, who is out with a torn ACL, the Bayou Bengals can put a hurtin' on people.
I wouldn't be at all surprised if, without
Ronnie Schulz, Jackie Blanchard, and a healthy
Junior Turnbull, the Irish can't score against the Tiger defense. LSU is favored by five points, and I think that's probably just about right.
LSU is the only Top Ten team the Irish have beaten under O'Farrell. Between us, I don't think the Tigers will let it happen again.