Saturday, October 25, 2030 | Gerald J. Ford Stadium (Dallas, TX)
Week 9 Preview: vs LSU (3-4, 1-2)
Synopsis
The rightly-crowned number one team in the country, SMU, will continue to wreak havoc through the SEC, this time taking on Josh Heupel and the LSU Tigers at home. The Tigers are coming up against a highly-motivated Mustangs team coming off the heels of one of their most thorough beatdowns of a good Georgia team that just couldn't stop turning over the ball. LSU has a potent offense of their own, led by junior quarterback Taj Veal and a stout running game that begins and ends with senior Dalvin Abraham.
The unfortunate part of how LSU matches up against SMU is the fact that their defense has been unable to stop a cold. They have allowed an average of 33.3 points per game through nine weeks of play and haven't been able to get to the quarterback with their pass rush just yet. Allowing SMU quarterback Steven Bequette to dice up a lackluster LSU secondary with weapons like Kenyon Natson and Eric DeLuca, not to mention the walking-talking mismatch that is Bobby Goodspeed speaks disaster for an already struggling LSU defense.
This isn't expected to be very close for LSU. They are a team that just hasn't been able to catch their bearings in the last few years and move back into the upper echelon of college football - a far cry from the days of Coach Ed Orgeron and Joe Burrow. This forecasts to be yet another beatdown at the hands of SMU football.
Spread: SMU -17.5
SMU Team Stats
Points: 35.5
Points Allowed: 17.6
Total Sacks: 26
Red Zone Conv.: 46%
Turnover Diff.: +8
LSU Team Stats
Points: 37.7
Points Allowed: 33.3
Total Sacks: 11
Red Zone Conv.: 52%
Turnover Diff.: 0
SMU Impact Players
QB Steven Bequette, Fr -- 80 overall | 92 Throw Power | 86 Short Throw Accuracy | 76 Throw Under Pressure
WR Eric DeLuca, Rs So -- 90 overall | 92 Speed | 86 Catching | 95 Spectacular Catch
CB Cole Crews, Jr -- 93 overall | 99 Speed | 97 Change-of-Direction | 86 Man Coverage
LSU Impact Players
QB Taj Veal, Rs Jr -- 89 overall | 92 Throw Power | 94 Short Throw Accuracy | 93 Medium Throw Accuracy
HB Dalvin Abraham, Sr -- 92 overall | 97 Acceleration | 90 Carrying | 88 Ball Carrier Vision
SS Ethan Costanzo, Rs Sr -- 95 overall | 92 Acceleration | 98 Jumping | 99 Hit Power
Injury Report
SMU: SS Melo Briggs - Torn Bicep (4 weeks)
LSU: RG Gabe Brooner - Dislocated Ankle (2 weeks)
Key Matchup
CB Jameson Cotton vs 
WR Daniel Land
(4:54) Team Safety [SMU 2 - 0 LSU]
(4:41) Russ Epperson, 29-yard field goal [SMU 19 - 3 LSU]
Any given Saturday - unranked Texas A&M knocks down Oklahoma with a walk-off field goal
Alabama gets back in the CFP picture, upsetting Clemson 38-30
Southern Miss shakes up the Top 25, handing Louisville their first loss of the season
Illinois shocks the Big Ten, knocks down Miami in 44-41 shootout win
QB Lee Hippenhammer, Rs Sr » 2,491 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, 1 interception, 58% CMP, 138.9 QB RTG, 81 carries, 244 rushing yards, 3.0 AVG, 4 touchdowns
QB Brendan Mercer, Rs Fr » 2,595 passing yards, 26 touchdowns, 6 interceptions, 63% CMP, 158.4 QB RTG, 85 carries, 496 rushing yards, 5.8 AVG, 4 touchdowns
WR JaMichael Locke: 9 catches, 195 receiving yards, 4 touchdowns
CB Terrence Brightful: 6 tackles, 3 interceptions, forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries
WR Victor Yeboah