LSU PREVIEW
Relocated AdvoCare Kickoff against BYU set for New Orleans.
Series history: First meeting. Key players: LSU – QB Danny Etling, RB Derrius Guice, DE Christian LaCouture; BYU – QB Tanner Mangum, C Tejean Koroma, LB Fred Warner WHO HAS THE EDGE Offense – BYU. Mangum is a capable replacement for Taysom Hill. He started 12 games two years ago, throwing for 3,377 yards and 23 touchdowns after Hill went down. He also guided the Cougars to a 20-6 win over Portland State in their season opener. The Tigers were anemic at times last season but look for an offensive resurgence under new coordinator Matt Canada.
Defense – LSU. The Tigers allowed only 15.8 points per game. DC Dave Aranda’s unit has plenty of holes to fill, including replacing four of their top six defensive backs and the leading tacklers on the line and at linebacker. DTs Greg Gilmore and Frank Herron return, along with the promising LaCouture, who was derailed by a preseason knee injury last season.
Special teams – BYU. K Rhett Almond hit two fourth-quarter field goals from 27 and 35 yards to help Brigham Young cement a win in its season opener, but he also missed a 33-yard attempt in the fourth. Almond converted 17 of 21 field-goal attempts in 2016, but missed all three attempts longer than 40 yards.
Notable: The LSU-BYU matchups originally was slated for NRG Stadium but relocated to New Orleans by Hurricane Harvey. … New LSU coach Ed Orgeron, who replaced Les Miles last season, is 12-4 as an interim coach — he also relieved Lane Kiffin at USC in 2013 — but only 10-25 as the full-time head coach.
About LSU: Orgeron rallied the Tigers to a strong finish and cementing his return. Guice filled in beautifully when Leonard Fournette was injured last season, rushing 183 times for 1,387 yards and 15 TDs, and he’s poised for another huge year. About BYU: The Cougars endured a three-game losing streak last season before winning eight of their final nine games to finish 9-4. They opened 2017 on a positive note, handling Portland State behind a solid ground game and stingy defense — the same recipe for last season’s success.