SEC Football

LSU and Tulane

Saturday, November 1st, 8:00 p.m. (et)

GAME NOTES: The 15th-ranked LSU Tigers play the second of five straight games at home this weekend, as they take a break from the SEC to host instate foe Tulane in Baton Rouge.

The Tigers hopes to repeat as national champions were all but crushed last weekend, as they dropped a 52-38 decision to than ninth-ranked Georgia. It was the second loss in the past three games for LSU, which now sits at 5-2 on the year. The Tigers though, do have the luxury of playing their next four games at home and that is especially good news for this contest considering they have won 23 straight outings against non-conference foes at Tiger Stadium. LSU has also not dropped back-to-back games since 2002 and is 7-0 under head coach Les Miles following a loss.

As for Tulane, it hasn't had much success this season and brings a three-game losing streak to town. The Green Wave was last in action on Saturday, when it suffered a 42-17 loss to Rice. The setback dropped the club to 2-5 overall and that includes an 0-2 mark on the road. Tulane has played one SEC opponent thus far, falling at Alabama 20-6 in its season opener.

With respect to the all-time series, LSU leads its local rival by a 67-22-7 count and it has won the past 16 meetings, including a 34-9 triumph in the Superdome last year.

Tulane is gaining a solid 404.3 total ypg, including 152.1 rushing ypg, but it hasn't made the most of its opportunities and that is evident in its scoring average of just 19.9 ppg. In a poor effort last weekend, the Green Wave turned the ball over three times and managed just 374 total yards in a lopsided loss at Rice. To make matters worse, star tailback Andre Anderson injured his right shoulder in the loss and is expected to miss the remainder of the season. This is a huge setback to the team, as Anderson has rushed for 864 yards and seven touchdowns already.

"It's a big blow to our football team to lose Andre, especially on offense because he is one of our biggest playmakers and now we are going to have to play with young, inexperienced backs," said head coach Bob Toledo.

The Green Wave may also have a quarterback controversy on its hands, as Kevin Moore was replaced after throwing a pair of interceptions last weekend. Redshirt freshman Joe Kemp stepped in for Moore and fared much better, completing 14-of-20 pass attempts for 201 yards and two touchdowns. Moore has passed for just seven touchdowns against eight picks this season, so don't be surprised to see Kemp under center more often.

After a solid start to the season, Tulane's defense has been exploited a bit, allowing 34.2 ppg over its last four outings. Still, the unit is permitting only 309.3 total ypg and that isn't rather solid for a defense, which has forced a mere 10 turnovers. Last weekend however, Tulane was abused by Rice for 398 total yards, including 230 on the ground, in a losing cause. Rice averaged 6.8 yards per carry in the contest and its offense accounted for five touchdowns. Corey Sonnier had five stops in the game and his 50 tackles on the year are 20 more than the next closest player on the roster.

LSU is producing 32.1 ppg thanks to its balanced attack that is rushing for 179.7 ypg and passing for 233.1 ypg more. The Tigers had also done a good job protecting the ball until last weekend, they threw three interceptions that led to 17 points for Georgia in a 52-38 setback.

"The story is the mistakes," coach Miles said. "You can't make mistakes. When you play a quality opponent, you cannot give them turnovers."

Prior to that game, LSU had turned the ball over just nine times and all three picks against Georgia came from quarterback Jarrett Lee, who finished the game with 287 yards and three touchdowns on 14-of-28 tosses. Lee has struggled with interceptions (nine) on the year and could give way to Andrew Hatch, who saw some time under center last weekend.

Whomever ends up at quarterback will surely look in the direction of Brandon LaFell, the team's top target with 36 catches for 545 yards and five scores. Last weekend, LaFell was on the receiving end of three passes that went for 62 yards and two touchdowns. Tailback Charles Scott also scored twice versus Georgia and he toted 21 times for 144 yards. It was another productive game for Scott, who heads the club with 775 yards and 10 scores on the ground this season.

The Tigers have allowed over 50 points in two of their last three games and that is uncharacteristic of this unit, which is still holding foes to a respectable 316.4 total ypg. The defense though, just hasn't been able to generate many big plays and has forced only seven turnovers on the year.

Against Georgia last weekend, LSU didn't come up with a single turnover, while allowing 443 total yards. The defense allowed 194 yards on the ground and five total touchdowns to Georgia's offense. Harry Coleman paced the unit with eight tackles, giving him a team-best 41 stops on the year.

LSU has lost both its games to teams ranked in the Top 10, so don't expect Tulane to even come close to an upset this weekend. As a matter of fact, look for Scott to dominate on the ground and the defense to get its swagger back in a rout of the Green Wave.

Predicted Outcome: LSU 45, Tulane 9

Web Producer- Brett Haas