BATON ROUGE – LSU hasn’t lost a non-conference regular season game since 2002, a streak that spans 39-games heading into Saturday’s contest. The second-ranked Tigers will look to extend that streak to 40 on Saturday night when LSU hosts Idaho in Tiger Stadium.
Kickoff between the Tigers and Vandals is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Death Valley with the game being carried on LSU’s pay-per-view network – TigerVision. The game will also be broadcast on the LSU Sports Radio Network with Jim Hawthorne, Doug Moreau and Gordy Rush on the call.
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(ESPN GamePlan and ESPN3.com blacked out in Louisiana and Idaho)
Currently, LSU is tied with Kansas State for the longest non-conference winning streak in FBS history. A win over Idaho will make LSU the first team in Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) history to win 40 straight non-conference regular season games. The Tigers are also one victory away from breaking the longest winning streak in Tiger Stadium history, which stands at 19 straight.
LSU brings a 2-0 overall mark into the Idaho game following wins of 41-14 against North Texas in the season-opener and 41-3 last week against Washington. Idaho, members of the Western Athletic Conference, is 0-2 overall with losses to Eastern Washington (20-3) and Bowling Green (21-13).
Saturday’s meeting between the teams is just the second in football and the first since a 53-20 LSU victory in Tiger Stadium in 1998. That year, LSU went 4-7, while the Vandals won the Big West Conference and beat Southern Miss, 42-35, in the Humanitarian Bowl.
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The Idaho game will serve as LSU’s third straight night game in Tiger Stadium to open the season, something that hasn’t happened since 1980 when the Tigers played Florida State, Kansas State and Colorado all at night and at home to start the year.
“It’s great to be back in Tiger Stadium for another night game,” head coach Les Miles said. “There’s nothing better than a night game in Tiger Stadium. We’ve had a really good week of preparation and we are looking to build on last week’s performance against Washington.
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“It’s about improving each week and playing better in all phases of the game. I thought we played much better last week against Washington than we did in the first game. I want to see that same improvement this week.”
Last week against the Huskies, the Tigers held Washington to just 26 rushing yards and only three points in the 41-3 win. Outside of Washington’s first possession of the game that came courtesy of an LSU fumble on the opening kickoff, the Huskies didn’t get inside the Tiger 35-yard line for the entire game.
Offensively, LSU had another 100-yard rusher – Alfred Blue with 101 yards – and quarterback Zach Mettenberger threw for 192 yards and a score as the Tigers looked sharp in every phase of the game.
Against Idaho, the Tigers will face another athletic quarterback in 6-foot-5, 254-pound Dominique Blackman, who completed 30-of-37 passes for 352 yards and a TD in his debut with the Vandals last week against Bowling Green.
“Their quarterback is a good player, who’s big and athletic with a very accurate arm,” Miles said of Blackman. “He has good receivers who did a nice job of catching the football. This will be a good test for us. We are going to have to get after the quarterback because we can’t allow him to sit back in the pocket and throw the ball without any pressure.”
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GameDay Info #3 LSU vs. Idaho GameDay Forecast Times of Interest 9 a.m.
5:05 p.m. In-Game Presentations:
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The Tigers will counter Idaho’s pass-oriented offense with a powerful pass rush led by All-America defensive end Sam Montgomery (4 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1 sack, 3 QB hurries) and Barkevious Mingo (8 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 2 QB hurries).
In the secondary, the Tigers have played well with All-America safety Eric Reid (9 tackles, 1 interception) to go with cornerbacks Tharold Simon (4 tackles, 1 PBU) and Jalen Mills (11 tackles, 1 interception, 1 PBU).
As a unit, LSU’s defense is ranked among the best in the nation under fourth-year coordinator John Chavis, allowing just 8.5 points and 201 total yards (51 rushing, 150 passing) through two games.
Offensively, the Tigers will again look to its powerful running game, led by Blue with 224 yards and one TD and Kenny Hilliard (187 yards, 4 TDs). Michael Ford (98 yards) and Spencer Ware (38 yards) round out the group of running backs for the Tigers as LSU will routinely rotate at this position throughout the game.
A surprise running game threat for LSU through two games has been that of 275-pound fullback J.C. Copeland, who has rushed for 35 yards and two touchdowns on six carries.
When the Tigers aren’t running the football, they turn to Mettenberger and the passing game which has been efficient, completing 31-of-44 passes for 387 yards, two touchdowns and just one interception. Now 2-0 as a starter, Mettenberger has shown the ability to throw both the short and long ball in LSU’s first two wins.
Sophomore Jarvis Landry leads the Tigers with nine receptions for 102 yards, while James Wright has caught seven passes for 90 yards. Kadron Boone has both of LSU’s receiving touchdowns.
The Idaho game will serve as the final non-conference tune-up for the Tigers before LSU opens conference play next week at Auburn. Kickoff for LSU-Auburn on Saturday, Sept. 22 in scheduled for 6 p.m. CT on ESPN from Jordan-Hare Stadium.
LSU vs. Idaho Notes
The LSU game is the first of two contests for Idaho this year in Louisiana. The Vandals return to Louisiana on Oct. 20 when they face Louisiana Tech in Ruston.
Idaho is 2-8 all-time in games played in the state of Louisiana (0-1 vs. LSU, 0-2 vs. McNeese, 1-2 vs. Louisiana Tech, 1-1 vs. Louisiana-Monroe and 0-2 vs. Louisiana-Lafayette.)
Saturday’s anticipated crowd of over 90,000 will be the largest crowd to ever see an Idaho football game.