BATON ROUGE – One of the top programs in the Football Championship Subdivision comes to Tiger Stadium on Saturday as 12th-ranked LSU plays host to Sam Houston State in a contest that will feature an explosive Bearkat offense against a stingy Tiger defense.
Kickoff between the Tigers and Bearkats is set for 6:39 p.m. in Tiger Stadium. The game is nearing a sellout as just 2,000 tickets remain for what will be the first meeting between the teams.
An LSU football game will be televised for the first time on the new SEC Network, with Brent Musburger, Jesse Palmer and sideline reporter Maria Taylor on the broadcast.
The LSU Sports Radio Network begins its CST Pregame Show at 4:30 p.m. on Eagle 98.1 FM in Baton Rouge along with all network affiliates. CST’s new LSU GameDay Live television pregame show will air from 11 a.m. until noon from Zatarain’s Tiger One Village.
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Fans are encouraged to read LSU’s reminders about allowable and prohibited items inside Tiger Stadium, the new concessions items available for 2014, and preview the cover of the first LSU At the Game program of the season featuring offensive tackle La’el Collins.
The game will be the first for LSU in the newly expanded Tiger Stadium, as Death Valley, with the south endzone expansion, now seats 102,321. The addition to the south side of the stadium features two HD video boards with 66 suites, 3,000 club seats and 1,400 general public seats.
“There’s something special about Tiger Stadium,” LSU coach Les Miles said. “Our players have been talking about running out of the tunnel and playing in front of our fans all week. Tiger Stadium has always had a great mystique to it. Now it’s just a little bit bigger and a little bit grander.”
LSU enters the contest coming off a 28-24, comeback win over 14th-ranked Wisconsin last week in the AdvoCare Texas Kickoff in Houston. Sam Houston State is 1-1 overall, beating Alabama State, 51-20 last week. The Bearkats open the season two weeks ago with a 56-35 loss to Eastern Washington.
Sam Houston State, members of the Southland Conference, has advanced to the NCAA FCS National Championship Game two out of the last three years. The Bearkats roster features 12 Division I transfers.
“This is a very good team,” Miles said of Saturday’s opponent. “They present a very specific challenge for us, much different than our first opponent. We have had a good week of preparation and we are excited about getting into Tiger Stadium for our home opener.”
LSU brings the nation’s longest non-conference regular season winning streak into the contest at 46 straight. LSU hasn’t lost a non-conference regular season game since the 2002 season and Miles is 36-0 in non-conference regular season games. LSU is also riding a nine-game winning streak in Tiger Stadium.
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GameDay Info #12 LSU vs. #13 (FCS) Sam Houston St. Saturday, Sept. 6 GameDay Forecast Times of Interest 9 a.m. 4:35 p.m. In-Game:
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Last week, LSU used a suffocating second-half defense combined with some timely passing and the running of senior Kenny Hilliard to rally from a 24-7 third quarter deficit to beat Wisconsin, 28-24. The victory over Wisconsin was the 22nd time under Miles that LSU came back to win a game despite trailing in the fourth quarter.
Miles said that while the win over the Badgers was a great start to the season, his team has moved on and is focusing on this week’s opponent.
“We have really moved on and we are not looking back at last week,” Miles said. “Our guys are giving Sam Houston State the respect that they deserve. We have used this week to prepare hard. We are looking forward to the challenge.”
Against Sam Houston, the Tigers will face a Bearkat offense that is averaging 613 yards and 43 points per game. Sam Houston State ran 105 plays and racked up 685 total yards of offense in the win over Alabama State last week.
“We are going to play our defense,” Miles said of how the Tigers will defend the Bearkats. “We have guys who can cover and we have guys who can rush the passer. That’s what we are going to do. We may sub in some more athletic guys on the defensive line to try to put more pressure on their quarterback.”
Junior linebacker Kwon Alexander led LSU with eight tackles, including two for losses, in the season-opener.
Bearkat quarterback Jared Johnson has completed 62-of-99 passes for 703 yards and five touchdowns in two games. He’s completed passes to 14 different receivers and he’s also rushed for 95 yards and a score.
Last week, the LSU pass defense limited Wisconsin to only 50 passing yards and just eight completions. The Tigers also intercepted two passes, both coming during the fourth quarter rally.
When LSU has the ball the Tigers will face a defense that is allowing 38 points and 513 yards per game. The Bearkats are allowing 229 rushing yards and 284 passing yards a contest.
Offensively, sophomore Anthony Jennings will make his first start at quarterback for LSU in Tiger Stadium after throwing for 239 yards and a touchdown against Wisconsin. Jennings is 2-0 as a starter and has led LSU to a pair of fourth quarter comeback wins during his brief career.
He will be joined in the backfield by Hilliard, who is coming off one of the best outings of his career with 110 yards and the game-winning touchdown against Wisconsin. Hilliard will be joined in the backfield by senior Terrence Magee and freshmen Leonard Fournette and Darrel Williams.
Sophomore Travin Dural leads the Tigers in receiving with three catches for 151 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown against Wisconsin. Dural will be joined in the rotation at receiver by freshman Trey Quinn (1 rec., 11 yards), and redshirt freshman John Diarse (2 rec., 48 yards, 1 TD). Highly-touted wide receiver prospect Malachi Dupre will make his LSU debut on Saturday after missing last week’s game with a minor injury.
Last week, LSU played nine true freshmen in the win over Wisconsin, a figure that Miles expects to increase against Sam Houston State. LSU has played 38 true freshmen over the past three years.
“I expect to play a number of freshmen, including some who didn’t play last week,” Miles said.
The Sam Houston State game is the first of four straight at home for the Tigers. LSU hosts Louisiana-Monroe next week before opening conference play on Sept. 20 against Mississippi State. The Tigers close out their home stand on Sept. 27 against New Mexico State.
Fans coming to campus this season are encouraged to take a look at the new Fan Info page (www.LSUsports.net/faninfo) and the football parking guide at www.LSUsports.net/fbparking.
Need tickets? Visit LSUtix.net or use the Ticket Marketplace to buy or sell.
Order your copy of the 2014 media guide or fall sports’ posters, and download free official wallpapers for fall sports and spirit squads.
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