Matchups to Watch: LSU vs. Nicholls

By Hunt Palmer

Prior to kickoff of the season opener on Sunday, the story for Week 2 was already written.

Should LSU have beaten USC, the home opener would have been a rousing welcome home to a Tiger team ranked in the Top 10 with College Football Playoff odds tilted in its favor. It would have been a celebration of the season-opening triumph.

Instead, we get a fourth straight re-run off this storyline—0-1 team beats a grossly overmatched, in-state FCS team in front of a deflated fanbase.

I’ve watched this episode three times already. It’s not my favorite. LSU has outscored Grambling, Southern and McNeese by 137 points in three Week 2 games.

So, I’m not here to give you the traditional “matchups” piece in previewing LSU and Nicholls State. If I attempted that, in earnest, it would probably look something like this:

• Nicholson Drive Under Construction vs. 100,000 Vehicles
• Eight Hours of Tailgate Sunlight vs. SPF 30
• Tiger Stadium’s New LED Lights vs. Student Eyeballs Under the influence of 14 Domestic Light Beers

I’m not here to tell you who is going to win those fierce battles, but the vehicles are probably -210 against Nicholson.

Instead, Saturday night is about getting some young players to the field and salting the game away early on.

Clearly, a huge emphasis is going to be placed on young players in the secondary. Dashawn Spears, Kylin Jackson and PJ Woodland should get a ton of run in the game. I covered that HERE, so we’ll look elsewhere.

Here are a few of the aspects of the game I’ll have my eyes on.

Second Half Targeting

I say this every year, and it doesn’t become any less true. LSU’s impact defensive players do not need to be on the field in the second half against Nicholls State. The 15-yard penalty for targeting is appropriate, in my eyes. Disqualifying a player for half of a game six days later is asinine. LSU opens conference play in Columbia, S.C., next week and doesn’t need to be doing that without Sai’vion Jones, Harold Perkins or Ashton Stamps because they tried to make a play on a Colonel player and bumped heads. Coaches don’t think like this, but the minute someone gives me a headset (not the postgame one, the coaches’ one), all the starters are taking their shoulder pads off at halftime.

Caden Durham’s Debut

John Emery Jr.’s injury is heartbreaking for a young man with so much adversity in his rearview mirror. Frank Wilson has no choice but to move forward with the players he has healthy and available. Josh Williams is a proven commodity. Nothing we see on Saturday will change any minds about what he can and can’t do. Kaleb Jackson has plenty to prove and will be leaned upon heavily against Nicholls and beyond. Durham is a complete wild card. At this point, all that is certain is that he’s really fast. Saturday is a great opportunity to give Durham plenty of reps. If he fumbles? So what. Misses a pass blocking assignment? No harm done. (I guess that’s easy to write when you’re not the quarterback who could get popped, but it won’t cause you to lose the game). Run the wrong way? No sweat.

To be fair, I have no information at all that suggests Durham isn’t ready to play. LSU was always going to lean on the veteran backs in the opener. Saturday, I expect 10-12 carries from Durham. I’m hoping one of those busts for a big play, because I want to see Durham open the throttle and fly.

Penalties

Ten penalties is too many. Brian Kelly was visibly frustrated with that Sunday night in the postgame press conference. Holding penalties happen. Same with pass interference. Even targeting is often a result of a player trying to make a play. The false starts, offsides, excessive celebration stuff has to go. This will not be a game played with too much emotion. Rarely will the Nicholls personnel put LSU in a position to have to commit a foul. Discipline has to be a focus for the team this weekend. In Kelly’s first two years, LSU has finished 70th and 64th in terms of fewest penalties. That’s right in the middle of the pack nationally. Saturday should be relatively clean.

If you’re headed to campus on Saturday, do your part. Take River Road. Reapply sunscreen. Beware of the new lighting system. Maybe mix in a bottled water.

LSU will win the game by 50 or 60, and the focus will shift to South Carolina. But there are still some things to pay attention to.