LSU puts its perfect record following defeats under head coach Ed Orgeron to the test on Saturday, as the Tigers (7-2, 4-2 SEC) take on Arkansas in Fayetteville.
The game will kick off at 6:30 p.m. CT on the SEC Network and WatchESPN.com, while coverage on the LSU Sports Radio Network – available online at LSUsports.net/live – begins at 4:30 p.m.
Under Orgeron, LSU is 7-0 following a defeat. Thanks to a strong schedule featuring three wins against top-10 teams and four against top-25, the Tigers only dropped to No. 7 in the College Football Playoff rankings.
That means a win over Arkansas (2-7, 0-5 SEC) would keep Orgeron’s squad in the hunt for a 10-win season and a New Year’s Six bowl berth.
“This team’s got to be mentally tough,” Orgeron said. “We got a lot to play for. This is a big game for us in terms of where we want to go in terms of how strong we can finish and in terms of if we do finish strong where we can end up, the things that we can do.”
Defensively, LSU became the first team to stop Alabama from scoring a touchdown on its opening drive last week, and Todd Harris became the first player to intercept a Tide pass this season. The Tigers rank second in the nation with 15 interceptions, paced by five from Bednarik Award semifinalist Grant Delpit.
His fellow Bednarik nominee, linebacker Devin White, has 84 tackles on the year, ranking him fourth among SEC defenders. Their task will be to tame an offense coached by Chad Morris, a proponent of the spread offense in his first year as Arkansas’ head coach.
“I have a lot of respect for him,” Orgeron said of Morris. “I know what he can do, I know what he did at Clemson. He’s an excellent game day calle. He put 31 points on Alabama, had an excellent game plan, so we do respect his offense.”
LSU’s offense, meanwhile, will look to get back into a rhythm in the air and the ground. The Tigers are 15-0 under Orgeron when they feature a 100-yard rusher, so establishing Nick Brossette (702 yards, 10 TDs) and Clyde-Edwards Helaire (535 yards, 5 TDs) will be critical.
The Tigers will also look to get a big game in the air. Joe Burrow and Justin Jefferson continued their effective connection against Alabama last week, linking up on six passes for 81 yards. Burrow, the two-time SEC Offensive Player of the Week, has matched Alan Risher with three top-10 wins as an LSU starter, the most in school history.
Orgeron said he’s confident offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger will have the offense ready for Saturday.
“I think he’s done an excellent job,” he said. “For us to beat Georgia by 20 points, I thought it was a great game plan against Georgia, it was excellent. I thought the comeback victory against Auburn was excellent I forgot how many points we put on Miami, 33 points on Miami, I think he’s done a tremendous job there. Steve’s a Tiger, an I’m very pleased with his work.”
In special teams, Cole Tracy remains perhaps the best kicker in the nation, accounting for 87 points, the most in the country at the position. He’s 21-of-24 on field goals and perfect in 24 point after attempts, and his 21 field goals rank third in single-season LSU history, just seven shy of the all-time record.
With three games left in the regular season, the Tigers’ focus is singular: win out, and let the postseason take care of itself. With two straight wins over Arkansas, there’s also the chance to bring The Boot back to Baton Rouge for the third straight year.
“We’re 7-2 now,” Orgeron said, “and we have a chance to have an excellent season. That’s what we’re going to look at and we’re going to use that as a motivational tool.”