LSU Looks to Ride Winning Momentum: Previewing Week 4 Versus UCLA

9/18/2024

Photo By: Jonathan Mailhes

Da Boot Sports
9/19/2024
By: Jason Watson Jr.

BATON ROUGE, LA- The LSU Tigers return home to Baton Rouge following a sloppy performance on the road that nonetheless resulted in a victory. Brian Kelly’s team now sits at 2-1 (1-0), and they’ll look to keep up the momentum of back-to-back wins in a contest against the UCLA Bruins.

Last Week (W3):

LSU opened up SEC play on the road facing off against the Gamecocks of South Carolina. In a hostile environment with national television coverage, the Gamecocks looked poised to blowout the visitors, jumping out to a 17-0 advantage early. The Tigers dug deep and battled through adversity to claw back into the game, going blow for blow in Columbia, scoring the game-winning touchdown in the final minutes. LSU escaped a must-win game on top as the Gamecocks missed the game-tying field goal attempt as time expired. LSU 36- South Carolina 33

The Bruins are in their first season of Big Ten play, and they were given a warm welcome to the league in UCLA’s home opener. The Indiana Hoosiers traveled down to California to open up conference play, smashing UCLA. The Bruins are 1-1 (0-1) on the year, and will be in search of a bounce back performance when they travel to Death Valley. UCLA 13- IND 42

Series History:

UCLA and LSU have only been pitted against one another on the gridiron once before. The Tigers traveled to Pasadena, California for their season-opening game of the 2021 season. In what would ultimately be the beginning to a disappointing season for the Tigers, the Bruins and former head coach Chip Kelly bested LSU, 38-27. The Bayou Bengals will look to even the all-time series at one win apiece on Saturday.

Injury Report:

The Tigers have a relatively healthy squad aside from two veterans in John Emery (RB) and Jacobian Guillory (DT) out for the season. Wide receiver Chris Hilton Jr. remains questionable with a nagging ankle injury.

UCLA is dealing with two key injuries on the defensive side of the ball with Keanu Williams (DL) and Kanye Clark (DB) both questionable for Saturday’s tilt after being injured in last week’s matchup with Indiana.

Keys to Victory:

* Start Fast

LSU fell behind against both USC and South Carolina before getting onto the scoreboard. Brian Kelly has got to find a way to light a fire underneath his team because the Tigers cannot keep falling behind in football games and still expect to win. Perhaps Joe Sloan should try to pull a page out of Klint Kubiak’s book, and beat the Bruins to the punch. It would be nothing but beneficial for Garrett Nussmeier and the offense to play while they’re ahead instead of from behind.

* Cut Down the Mental Mistakes

LSU is averaging over eight penalties per game through three weeks. The Tigers have had ten, seven, and nine calls go against them respectively. You would look at those numbers and think the refs may have a vendetta versus Brian Kelly, but the truth of the matter is that a lot of these penalties are just plain dumb. They are super easy to correct, but the players have got to do a better job at blocking out the distractions. Eight… EIGHT false start penalties including three against Will Campbell… simply inexcusable.

* Create Your Own Noise

Saturday’s contest versus UCLA will not be your typical night in Death Valley. Instead, kickoff is slated for an early-afternoon time slot. Of course LSU is well-renowned for having one of, if not the best, game day atmosphere and crowd attendances throughout the country. However, that status dips a bit when the home crowd has to get up early and sit in the scorching Louisiana sun with sweat beading on their necks to cheer on the Tigers. The folks will still show up, but give them something to get rowdy about and live up to those expectations. Go make a play, knock the Bruins on their heels, and cover the 24+ point spread that you should win by.

* Where to Watch:

Fans can find LSU v. UCLA as the game broadcasts live from Tiger Stadium on ABC. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CST.

*Predictions and Final Thoughts:

Through three weeks, it is still a cloudy forecast on the season for the Tigers. They went into a dangerous environment last week and were able to escape with a conference victory. Brian Kelly and the coaching staff still have a lot of areas to improve in before ramping up to the SEC once again, but for now, LSU fans should rejoice in having a winning record and a return home for two weeks before a bye. In a game that the Tigers should come out on top in, I believe the offense will shine against a banged-up UCLA defense. I think controlling the time of possession will be an important factor as giving the Tiger defense opportunities to catch their breath is critical. I will tab the Tigers as the victors in this one, 38-23.

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