Preview: Football Returns to Death Valley to Face Southeastern

BATON ROUGE — After capturing a win in the SEC opener, No. 3 LSU (3-0) returns to Death Valley on Saturday night for another non-conference matchup with an in-state opponent in Southeastern.

Kickoff is set for 6:55 p.m. CT on the SEC Network and the LSU Sports Radio Network. Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers and Cole Cubelic will be on the television broadcast, while Chris Blair, Jacob Hester and Gordy Rush will be on the radio call, which begins at 4:45 p.m. CT.

Last week, the LSU defense posted yet another stellar performance, even after captain linebacker Whit Weeks was disqualified in the opening possession for targeting. Sophomore Davhon Keys stepped up as his replacement, accounting for 14 tackles and 0.5 sack. The secondary tallied a whopping five interceptions, with two coming from sophomore Dashawn Spears.

“Davhon Keys. Tylen Singleton,” said head coach Brian Kelly. “Those guys had to step up for us in a big moment. We had a lot going on. We were calling blitzes and simulated pressures and those kids did a really nice job.”

The Glory of the Purple and Gold. Opportunity No. 3 in Tiger Stadium this season. pic.twitter.com/oCteW9sasU

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Spears received three national honors for his performance against the Gators: Bednarik National Defensive Player of the Week, SEC Defensive Player of the Week and the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week. 

Offensively, quarterback Garrett Nussmeier went 15-27 for 220 yards and one touchdown and one interception. Aaron Anderson led the team in receiving with four catches for 75 yards, while Caden Durham finished the night with 93 yards on 15 carries. Although an SEC victory – something that should never be taken for granted – there are things to work on, says Coach Kelly.

“There’s some things that we have to get better at,” Kelly said. “Offense. Defense. Special teams. We have to work on ourselves this week.”

The Tigers also received a tremendous night from their specialists. Punter Grant Chadwick garnered 50.4 yards per attempt with a long of 58, downing UF at their own 2, 6, 14, 15. Placekicker Damian Ramos went 2-for-2 on field goals (47, 45) and 2-for-2 on extra points. Game changers.

On Saturday, LSU will play Southeastern for just the third time in history. The Lions (3-0) are led by quarterback Carson Camp, who has totaled 442 yards passing with three touchdowns through three weeks. Jaedon Henry leads the rushing attack with 130 yards on the ground and two scores, while Jaylon Domingeaux leads the team in receiving with 152 yards and three touchdowns. Defensively, KK Reno leads the team in tackles (24) and also has a fumble recovery, while Ian Conerly-Goodley has 13 tackles and two PBUs. Defensive lineman Kaleb Proctor is also a force in the trenches with eight tackles.

“Proctor is an outstanding player,” Kelly said. “Very twitchy and active. Reno is all over the field. They have good players and they are going to be excited about this opportunity. We have to work on ourselves this week, with that sense of urgency, and working on the technical part, the tactical part, so we put a great performance together on Saturday.”

LSU is 2-0 all-time against Southeastern with the last meeting coming in 2018 (LSU won 31-0). The Lions are coming off a 56-3 win over Mississippi Valley last week.