HawgBeat - Know the Foe: Gaining LSU insight with Death Valley Insider
See what Death Valley Insider Publisher Jefferson Powell had to say about LSU ahead of its matchup with Arkansas.
arkansas.rivals.com
As we will do throughout this football season, HawgBeat went behind enemy lines to gain insight on the LSU Tigers from Jefferson Powell of Death Valley Insider.
Here is what he had to say about Saturday's matchup between Arkansas and LSU, which is set to kickoff at 6:00 p.m. CT inside Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge...
Did LSU's performance against Grambling and Mississippi State make you feel like the Tigers addressed the issues that appeared in their loss to Florida State?
Powell: "LSU looked lost in that second half against Florida State and even for the first three drives defensively against Grambling, but I'll give the coaching staff credit, they made the adjustments in game and ever since that point the defense has looked as comfortable as it has all year.
"The offense, maybe outside of the running game was never really a question. There were some major questions on the defensive side of the ball in particular in the defensive backfield, there's been a lot of movement back there since the start of camp and now three weeks into the season it appears they're finally getting settled on a group back there.
"With that came the best complete showing we've seen from this team all season. So I'm not sure I'd say they addressed everything 100-percent but they're definitely trending in the right direction."
Jayden Daniels and Malik Nabers were named SEC Co-Offensive Players of the Week after great outings against Mississippi State. What will Arkansas' defense have to do to neutralize the talented duo?
Powell: "Jayden Daniels graded out exceptionally against Mississippi State and he was at his best in a clean pocket and throwing deep. Arkansas needs to find a way to get pressure on Daniels and force him into quick decisions, but also not over-pursue and give him opportunities to make too many big plays in the ground game, because he has the ability to completely change momentum with a single run.
"So coming up with a plan to create pressure, but also not yield any big chunk plays to Daniels on the ground I think would be at the top of the to-do list for Arkansas' defensive game plan."
Going back to the LSU-Florida State game, what did the Seminoles do against the Tigers' defense that the Razorbacks may be able to exploit?
Powell: "To put it bluntly, they just completely exploited LSU's secondary. They used their tall talented receivers and put them into position to make plays against LSU's smaller defensive backs. That was the biggest question mark coming into the season and FSU attacked it at full force.
"The secondary has since settled in and has improved a great deal, but I still think there's an opportunity there to attack the defensive backs, especially if you have playmakers with some length. Looking at Arkansas receivers, I would say this could be an area of opportunity for the Hogs."
What from the BYU game might LSU be looking to exploit against Arkansas?
Powell: "I think the LSU coaching staff will come in with a similar game plan that we saw against Mississippi State. Which was a plan for a balanced attack. It's encouraging for LSU that BYU was able to pull out the win despite a less-than-ideal showing from BYU's offense.
"BYU only put up 281 yards of total offense, was 4-for-13 on third downs, yet scored five touchdowns. I think offensively the approach this week will be much of the same, but I suspect we'll see some game planning on the defensive side, maybe coming up with a way to utilize Harold Perkins to try and negate some of KJ Jefferson's abilities on the offensive side of the ball.
"They should get a boost this week with starting linebacker Omar Speights being listed as probable. I think defensively from LSU they're going to have to find a way to set the edge. If they lose the edge, I think it would in turn open things up more for this Arkansas offense."
Each of the last three games between Arkansas and LSU have been decided by three points. What suggests there might be a different outcome this year?
Powell: "Well the first thing that stands out to me immediately is the Vegas line. LSU is a three-score favorite, I think the current line is -17.5, seems like a large number given some of the history between these two teams. I think that could be Vegas putting a lot of value on LSU's offensive production over the last two weeks and seeing an improved defense.
"LSU and Arkansas always seem to have close games. So did Vegas get it wrong? I mean if you think about it from a gambling perspective, those are the lines you typically look for are the ones they just missed or got wrong. A lot of it could be public perception too. LSU now has two very strong offensive showings over the last two weeks and the defense continues to improve.
"Arkansas meanwhile, struggled against BYU who is traditionally a very tough out. So do I think LSU wins by three scores? I'm not sure I'd be comfortable enough to put money on it. I'm interested to see what my guy AJ Hoffman says in our weekly Vegas Insider column about this game and what he thinks about the large spread."
How do you think the game will play out and what's your score prediction?
Powell: "Arkansas' best chance to win this game is going to come from causing disruption and getting after Daniels and forcing him into quick decisions. He's been good under pressure, but he's been elite when he's not under pressure.
"I'm not sure I've seen enough from Arkansas' defense to have any faith in their ability to get after Daniels and disrupt the LSU offense. For that reason, I look for Daniels to lead LSU to another SEC win. I think Arkansas has the ability to keep it close, history over the last three years certainly favors that but I'm just not sure the Hogs have it in them.
"I'm sure I won't gain any fans on your board from this prediction, but I think an improving LSU defense makes the difference in this one giving LSU the cushion they need. LSU wins by two scores."
Score prediction: LSU 34, Arkansas 21
