BATON ROUGE – LSU will play a game as the No. 1-ranked team in college football for the first time in four years on Saturday, as the top-ranked Tigers host Kentucky in a rare late-morning contest here in Tiger Stadium.
Kickoff between the Tigers and the Wildcats is scheduled for 11:21 a.m. CT. The game will be televised on the SEC Network with Dave Neal, Andre Ware and Cara Capuano on the call.
The game will also be broadcast on the LSU Sports Radio Network with legendary announcer Jim Hawthorne, former Tigers great Doug Moreau and former LSU special teams standout Gordy Rush calling the action. The pregame broadcast begins at 9 a.m. from Zatarain’s Tiger One Village in front of the Maravich Center.
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LSU brings a 4-0 overall record and a 1-0 league mark into Saturday’s tilt. The Tigers are the only team in college football with three wins over Top 25 team as LSU has wins over No. 3 Oregon (41-27), No. 25 Mississippi State (19-6) and No. 16 West Virginia (47-21). LSU will be after its third-straight 5-0 start and the fourth under head coach Les Miles.
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Kentucky is 2-2 overall and 0-1 in conference play following last week’s 48-10 setback to top 10-ranked Florida. Tomorrow’s game will be the first between LSU and Kentucky since the Wildcats upset the Tigers, 43-37, in triple overtime in 2007.
LSU moved past Oklahoma to the top spot in the Associated Press Top 25 on Monday, the first time the Tigers have held the No. 1 ranking during the regular season since winning the BCS National Championship in January of 2008.
LSU is 14-3 all-time in games played as the nation’s top-ranked team.
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“We take the No. 1 ranking as a compliment to the team and our program.” Miles said this week. “We don’t feel that it is an extra burden or target on our back. Every time LSU comes to play, someone is going to try to beat you and they are going to give you their best effort. We’re not going to wear an extra target and this week is no different.
“Kentucky has a very talented team. They have an outstanding coach in Joker Phillips. They have talented players and they are getting better each week. I know that they are 2-2, but I know that Joker will have them ready to play come Saturday.”
LSU’s 4-0 start has come in part to a defense that is ranked among the best in the nation, and with a steady offense that is averaging 38.8 points per game.
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Senior quarterback Jarrett Lee engineered a balanced offensive attack, one that is averaging 350 yards per game – 171 rushing and 179 passing. Lee has completed 64.4 percent of his passes for 624 yards, six touchdowns and just one interception.
When the Tigers turn to the running game, sophomores Spencer Ware and Michael Ford have carried the load. Both are ranked among the top 10 in the SEC in yards per game. Ware leads the Tigers with 318 yards and three TD’s, while Ford has 300 yards and six scores.
Junior Rueben Randle leads the Tigers in receiving with 18 catches for 282 yards and three TD’s, while true freshman Odell Beckham Jr. has 17 receptions for 193 yards and one score.
LSU’s offense is expected to get a lift at some point as senior quarterback Jordan Jefferson has been reinstated to the team. Miles has said that Lee will remain LSU’s starting quarterback but that Jefferson will give the Tigers an additional weapon on offense. It’s unlikely that Jefferson will play against Kentucky as he just returned to practice on Thursday.
Defensively, the Tigers are second in the SEC and fourth in the nation against the run, allowing only 53.2 yards per game. LSU has yet to allow a team to reach 100 net rushing yards this year. LSU is also allowing just 14.2 points and 289 total yards per game.
Cornerback Tyrann Mathieu has been LSU’s most productive defender with a team-best 30 tackles to go along with 3.5 tackles for losses, four pass breakups, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and an interception. Last week, Mathieu tied the LSU career record for forced fumbles with seven.
Other defensive standouts for the Tigers include cornerback Morris Claiborne (17 tackles, 2 interceptions), defensive tackle Michael Brockers (14 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack) and safety Eric Reid (22 tackles).
Freshman punter Brad Wing earned SEC Special Team Player of the Week honors on Monday after averaging 48.7 yards on six punts in the win over West Virginia. Wing had all six of his punts against the Mountaineers downed inside the 15-yard line. Wing, who has played in just two games this year, is averaging 45.0 yards on 12 punts.
LSU scored its 15th special teams touchdown since 2005 last week when Claiborne returned a kickoff 99 yards for a score after West Virginia had pulled to within 27-21 in the third quarter. The Claiborne kickoff return shifted the momentum back to LSU as the Tigers regained control of the contest.
Against Kentucky, LSU will face a Wildcat team that is led offensively by quarterback Morgan Newton (590 yards, 5 TD) and running back Josh Clemons (200 yards, 2 TD). As a team, Kentucky is scoring 17 points per game, while allowing 22 points a contest.
“We’ve had a good week of practice,” Miles said. “The key is to defend well and to execute and take care of the football on offense. Special teams play has been critical to our success this year and I don’t expect anything different on Saturday.
“I’m excited to get back into Tiger Stadium for a game. I know the players are ready for a home game and for the chance to play in front of 92,000 fans in Tiger Stadium.