Matchups to Watch: LSU vs. USC

By Hunt Palmer

Saturday’s college football schedule could qualify as a sensory overload for the avid fan. Morning kickoffs bleed into the afternoon to set the table for primetime. After that slate is settled, the late night action kicks off for those who haven’t had enough. Sunday, it’s one game. The college football nation will fix its eyes on Las Vegas for LSU and USC. One team takes a step forward. The other sinks into an 0-1 hole. Here are three matchups I think will tell the story at Allegiant Stadium.

USC’s Bear Alexander vs. DJ Chester

LSU’s offensive line has been the darling of the offseason conversation. There’s good reason for that. NFL scouts adore Will Campbell and Emery Jones. LSU’s guards have started 60 combined games. That core is rock solid. What about the new guy? Charles Turner exhausted his eligibility last fall. Enter DJ Chester, the redshirt freshman. Chester got a pinch of seasoning last year. He played 81 snaps in four games. In the shootout at Missouri, Chester got 18 snaps when Turner got hurt. Now the job is his. Chester garnered a four-star rating coming out of high school. He’s got an ideal frame at 6-foot-6 and 322 lbs. Sunday night, the lights come on. And with them comes 6-foot-3, 315 lbs. Bear Alexander.

Rivals tabbed Alexander as a Top 10 player in the country coming out of IMG Academy two years ago. He signed with Georgia and played sparingly for the national champs in 2022. He notched a sack in the blowout win over TCU and appeared to be next in the line of dominant Georgia defensive linemen. Instead, he opted to enter the transfer portal and ended up at USC.

The thought was that Alexander would lead an emergence of the USC defense in the Lincoln Riley era. That didn’t pan out. He recorded 48 tackles, including 6.5 for loss (with 1.5 sacks). He led the team with four QB hurries, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and a PBU. But the Trojan defense was abused week after week.

Still, Alexander is an NFL prospect with elite size and strength. Chester won’t be able to ease into his starting debut. New defensive coordinator D’anton Lynn figures to line Alexander up on Chester’s nose much of the night. Miles Frazier and Garrett Dellinger are more than capable of helping Chester, but ideally, they don’t have to. LSU has plans to run the football early and often Sunday night. An interior push is crucial to the success of that script. If Alexander is disruptive, LSU’s offense could find some bumps in the road. If Chester rises to the occasion, it’s reasonable to suggest LSU could take the game over on the ground.

USC Sophomore Wide Receivers vs. LSU’s Corners

Four of USC top six pass catchers are gone. But Riley has a blue-chip crop of youngsters ready to take over.

Zachariah Branch was a consensus five-star and top five wide out in the 2022 class. He’s a 5-foot-10 water bug with smooth quicks and a serious burst.

Duce Robinson was the No. 1 tight end in America coming out of Phoenix. The Trojans use him as a wide receiver. He’s 6-foot-6 with long arms and soft hands.

Makai Lemon was a Top 10 player in California at 5-foot-11 and 190 lbs. And Ja’Kobi Lane stands 6-foot-4 and can really sky.

It was the best receiving crop in the country when the ink dried, but it’s not a proven bunch. Last year the group only accounted for 60 catches.  It’s now their time.

LSU’s pass defense was awful last year. Jordan Travis, Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson shredded the Tigers in the opener, and things never slowed down. Only Vanderbilt allowed more passing yards than LSU among SEC teams. Quick note to SEC newcomers Texas and Oklahoma, don’t keep company with Vanderbilt in any statistic.

Corey Raymond is back with the corners. Jake Olson is coaching the safeties. Things must improve.

Ashton Stamps has been LSU’s best corner in camp. Last year he was thrust into duties. He played in 11 games, starting four. The results weren’t great, but that’s excusable. If LSU is going to take a step forward as a defense, Stamps will have to be a huge part of that in his second season.

The other side is manned by Sage Ryan. After coming in as a five-star recruit, Ryan’s career has taken a number of twists and turns. He’s played safety. He’s played nickel. He’s played corner. There have been highs and lows. It can be argued the end of last season was a high for Ryan who was probably LSU’s best cover player. He’s got great speed and isn’t afraid to tackle. Coverage has been hit or miss. With Zy Alexander working toward full speed after knee surgery, the second corner spot is Ryan’s.

It appears Jyaire Brown is the starting nickel. He was a reserve at Ohio State last year, making just one tackle in four games.

No matter the year, school, quarterback or circumstance, Riley has produced yards and points. In the last seven years Riley’s offenses have never finished outside in the Top 8 in points per game. It’s a wide-open system that has produced three Heisman winners. That you know. How well does LSU handle it? That, you don’t.

Raymond loves to play man-to-man.  He loves to trust his guys. That generally works when Tre’ White, Kristian Fulton and Derek Stingley Jr. are out there. Can he trust this group? Yards are inevitable. To an extent, points are inevitable. Can LSU contest some third down throws? Can the secondary make a couple of plays in the red zone to force field goals? Can they tackle on the screen passes that are coming in bulk, especially to Branch? Those are the plays to watch.

Prowler Package vs. USC Offensive Line

Based on the reaction and quotes from Harold Perkins and Greg Penn on Tuesday, LSU is gearing the defense toward getting into the Prowler Package. That’s going to be Bradyn Swinson and Da’Shawn Womack on the edges with Paris Shand on the interior. Perkins will pick a side with Whit Weeks playing the lone linebacker spot. Those guys will move around and attack at the snap. LSU feels like they can win with this pressure look and the deception it creates.

Perkins is a certified hellraiser. He’s going to be ripping off the edge. Swinson produced some pass rush wins late last year. Womack may be a beak out candidate this year, and Weeks is an elite speed guy at linebacker. This package plays to some of LSU few proven strengths on defense.

Southern Cal’s offensive line does return three starters, but two redshirt freshmen are likely going to enter the fold Sunday. That includes projected left tackle Elijah Page. You won’t miss Page. He’s 6-foot-7 and 315 lbs. His first start was the Holiday Bowl last year. Now it’s his job. Riley and his staff didn’t venture into the portal for offensive linemen during the offseason. That generally means a staff feels good about the unit.

LSU’s interior defensive line is a bit of a question. This prowler look is not. It’s loaded with potential game changers. The key for LSU will be creating enough obvious passing situations to get to the look. Those will come on long third downs and potentially late game drives should the Tigers hold a lead.

This game figures to feature a lot of blitzing to try to force a mistake from an inexperienced quarterback. LSU’s prowler front will surely be part of that design. How well the offensive lines react to those looks may determine the outcome.