BATON ROUGE – After two consecutive victories, No. 19 LSU looks to keep the momentum going against Army for a historic meeting on Saturday night in Tiger Stadium.
Kickoff is set for 6:39 p.m. CT on the SEC Network and the LSU Sports Radio Network (live starting at 4:30 p.m. CT). Voice of the Tigers Chris Blair, along with Doug Moreau and sideline reporter Gordy Rush are on the call for the radio network, while Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers and Cole Cubelic will be on the call for the SEC Network.
It’s only the second meeting between LSU and Army with the Black Knights holding a 1-0 advantage in the series. Army won the only other meeting between the teams, 20-0, on Nov. 7, 1931, in West Point.
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Last week, quarterback Jayden Daniels and the LSU offense continued to impose their will on the opponent, accounting for 563 total yards against Auburn in a 48-18 victory, which marked the second-largest margin of victory over Auburn in series history.
The Daniels-led offense has put together a school-record streak of six consecutive games with 500 yards of total offense. LSU is also one of only two teams nationally to be ranked in the Top 10 in both rushing and passing. The Tigers are No. 7 nationally in passing (337.7) and No. 10 in rushing (214.6).
“It’s fun to watch an offense like that,” Kelly said on Monday. “I hope our fans are taking it in. I know 2019 was a trendsetter because it led to a national championship, and rightfully so, but you should not take this for granted. This is pretty remarkable stuff.”
Running back Logan Diggs set the tone early on Saturday with a 35-yard rush on the opening possession, leading the way with 97 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown.
Senior Kyren Lacy posted his best outing of the season, leading all receivers with 111 yards on just four catches with a touchdown, averaging 27.8 yards per reception. Malik Nabers also recorded six catches for 89 yards and a touchdown.
“This game is still about getting the ball to the players that make plays,” Kelly said. “(Mike Denbrock) targets the playmakers. That’s what you have to do because they aren’t going to be here long. Get them the ball and let them do their thing.”
Defensively, LSU made encouraging strides in the right direction. Cornerback Zy Alexander led the team in tackles with nine, along with two pass breakups. Linebacker Omar Speights tallied seven tackles, while Andre Sam and Greg Penn III had six of their own. Junior defensive end Paris Shand was all over the field, finishing with six tackles, one for loss, with a pass breakup.
Harold Perkins made an impact on the game in various ways with five tackles, two for loss, one sack, one pass break up and a quarterback hurry.
“I thought it was a complete game for our football team,” Kelly said. “Certainly there are things we can do better. Got off to a great start. Couple of three and outs set the momentum for the game. Playing consistency on both sides of the ball.”
Honoring the Army Black Knights On Saturday night in Tiger Stadium pic.twitter.com/P9xbtZFZmi
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Army is led by junior quarterback Bryson Daily, who has tallied 712 yards passing for six touchdowns through seven weeks of play. He also leads the Black Knights in rushing with 412 yards on the ground, averaging 4.1 yards per touch, with three touchdown scores.
Junior Isaiah Alston leads the team in receiving with nine catches for 266 yards and two touchdowns, while Noah Short has 15 receptions for 223 yards and two touchdowns of his own.
Senior linebacker Leo Lowin leads the Army defense with 35 total tackles to go along with a forced fumble and recovery. Kalib Fortner has 29 tackles and a sack, while defensive back Quindrelin Hammonds has 28 tackles and an interception for the season.
“We’re excited about hosting Army,” Kelly said. “Anytime you play a service academy, the respect that we have for the great leaders that are playing collegiate football. We want to be able to honor that, but we also want to beat them. They are a good football team.”