LSU is heading back under the lights.
The Tigers’ showdown with Texas on Saturday has been set for a 6:30 p.m. kickoff on ABC, giving LSU a night game after a stretch of daytime starts. The Tigers played Mississippi State at home and Auburn on the road in back-to-back 11 a.m. kickoffs, then faced Alabama in Tiger Stadium at 2:30 p.m.
That Alabama slot drew attention before the game, with Lane Kiffin saying he was “shocked” the matchup was not placed in prime time. He added that he wasn’t surprised, though, because of the ongoing tensions between LSU and the conference.
Now LSU gets another marquee stage, and it comes at a moment when the Tigers’ margin for error is razor thin. LSU is 6-3 overall and 3-3 in the SEC after a 31-13 loss to Alabama, a result that left its College Football Playoff hopes hanging by a thread.
The path is still there, at least mathematically. If LSU beats No.
7 Texas, then wins at No. 13 Tennessee and at Arkansas, the Tigers would still have a shot at the 12-team playoff despite three SEC losses.
Those defeats have come against current No. 5 Alabama, No.
6 Kentucky and No. 10 Ole Miss.
The league picture around LSU has shifted a bit, too. Kentucky just fell 34-6 at Tennessee for its second SEC loss, while Ole Miss picked up its third defeat in a 42-7 loss in Oxford, Mississippi.
Texas arrives in Baton Rouge at 7-2 overall and 4-2 in the SEC after knocking off No. 18 Missouri. The Longhorns have now won three straight after back-to-back 27-24 losses to Oklahoma and Florida, and one of those recent wins was a 34-27 victory over Ole Miss.
Quarterback Arch Manning, a graduate of Isidore Newman School in New Orleans, has been especially sharp lately. Over his last two games, he has thrown for 517 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions.
In Other News...
LSU Just Added A Louisiana Linebacker Worth Watching Closely
LSU kept a Louisiana linebacker in the fold with the addition of JaMarquis Hudson, who flipped his commitment from Kansas to the Tigers. The move brings him back closer to home after he built his high school profile in Texas, and it also gives LSU another defender with real ties to the state and a clear connection to the programs staff.
Hudson said family ties to Louisiana and his relationships with LSU coaches played a major role in the change, and he has already developed a strong rapport with linebackers coach Chris Kiffin. He also knows there is work ahead, planning to add weight so he can better fit LSUs defensive scheme, which makes his development one of the more interesting things to watch as this commitment settles in. [Read more 🡒]
LSUs Alabama Grades Exposed One Bright Spot And One Big Concern
Pro Football Focus postgame grades offered a quick snapshot of where LSU held up and where it slipped in the loss to Alabama, and the numbers pointed to one clear offensive bright spot. Wide receiver Jackson Harris came out with the Tigers top offensive grade at 80.7, a sign that he was one of the few LSU players who consistently made his presence felt in a tough matchup.
The bigger concern showed up inside, where center Braelin Moore posted the lowest offensive mark at 49.3. On the other side of the ball, cornerback DJ Pickett led LSU with a 76.3 grade, and the defensive chart did not feature any glaringly poor performances, which leaves the focus on an offense that still has some sorting out to do. [Read more 🡒]
Will Wade Sent LSU A Warning After That Blowout
A big win over Texas Southern did not leave Will Wade sounding particularly satisfied, and that says plenty about where LSU is right now. Even after the Tigers handled business, Wade pointed to offensive inefficiencies and turnovers as the kind of slippage that can get exposed once the schedule stiffens, especially with Louisiana Tech and Gonzaga coming up next.
Donovan Dent said the message from the coach was all about staying locked in and not letting a lopsided result blur the bigger picture. For LSU, the concern is less about the final score from one night and more about whether the Tigers can clean up the details fast enough to be ready when the competition gets tougher. [Read more 🡒]