UM vs. LSU: Matchups to Watch

UM vs. LSU: Matchups to Watch

By David Villavicencio
HurricanesSports.com

 
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – From the barbecue and beef to the trucks and football, the saying, “Everything’s bigger is Texas” is fitting when talking about Sunday’s Advocare Classic.
 
Two big-time college football programs will open their season Sunday, as the No. 8/8 Miami Hurricanes are set to face the No. 25/24 LSU Tigers at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. All eyes will be on the top-25 matchup, as the Canes and Tigers are the only two teams on the schedule Sunday. Kickoff is set for at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
 
After the most successful season in a decade, head coach Mark Richt leads his Hurricanes into the highly anticipated 2018 season. With several stars and standouts back on both sides of the ball, Miami was predicted to repeat as ACC Coastal champions and is considered a legitimate contender for a spot in the College Football Playoff. But hype and expectations are just that, and it’s their play on the field that will dictate how far the Hurricanes can go.
 
Richt’s counterpart on the opposing sideline has a Miami connection, as LSU head coach Ed Orgeron was Miami’s defensive line coach from 1988-92. Oregon is 15-6 heading into his second full season leading the Tigers and he will coach a roster that is stacked with talent, including preseason All-SEC selections OL Garrett Brumfield, DB Grant Delpit, DL Rashard Lawrence, LB Devin White and DB Greedy Williams.
 
The Hurricanes trail the all-time series with the Tigers, 3-9, but the two teams have met just twice in the modern era of Miami Hurricanes football (since 1979), with the series split, 1-1. In the last meeting between the two teams – the 2005 Peach Bowl – the Tigers won, 40-3, on Dec. 30, 2005. But Miami beat the Tigers, 44-3, in its last trip to Baton Rouge in 1988 – the last last regular season matchup between the two college football giants. Prior to that game, Miami and LSU had not matched up since the 1969 season.
 
Here are three matchups to watch in Sunday’s game.
 
Miami’s wide receivers vs. LSU’s defensive backs
 
Ahmmon Richards will likely see a lot of Preseason All-American Greedy Williams, but those are just the headliners in what should be an exciting matchup between Miami’s receivers and LSU’s defensive backs.
 
UM co-offensive coordinator Ron Dugans has his deepest stable of receivers since arriving at Miami ahead of the 2016 season. Richards, who set Miami’s freshman receiving record in 2016 and is considered a potential first round pick, is joined by redshirt junior Lawrence Cager and sophomore Jeff Thomas as projected starters. Redshirt senior Darrell Langham, sophomore Mike Harley and freshman Brian Hightower are also expected to see a lot of action, giving quarterback Malik Rosier plenty of talented options to choose from when looking downfield.
 
Williams is arguably the best cornerback in the country. The 6-foot-3, 184-pound redshirt sophomore is a projected top-15 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft after leading the SEC with six interceptions and adding 11 pass breakups a year ago. LSU is also expected to play freshman Kelvin Joseph, who was an Army All-American a year ago and was a four-star prospect before signing with the Tigers. 
 
Junior Kristian Fulton is another player that could be a big factor for LSU after being reinstated following a suspension for tampering with a drug test. A junior, Fulton was a five-star prospect who played in three games in 2016 before missing all of last season due to his suspension.
 
Miami’s defense vs. LSU quarterback Joe Burrow
 
A year ago, Miami’s defense ranked ninth nationally in opponent yards per play (4.5), one of the most important modern metrics when measuring a college football defense. In 2016, UM ranked No. 16 in OYPP (4.7). In 2017, the Hurricanes led the nation in team sacks (3.38) and ranked third in team tackles for loss (8.8).
 
Miami’s top five tacklers (total tackles) on the defensive side of the ball are returning in 2018, including safety Jaquan Johnson (96), linebacker Shaquille Quarterman (83), linebacker Michael Pinckney (68), safety Sheldrick Redwine (59) and defensive end Joe Jackson (59). Add in a larger role for defensive end Jonathan Garvin, the return of defensive tackle Gerald Willis and the addition of freshman Gregory Rousseau and the Hurricanes are expected to make a lot of noise on defense. 
 
Miami defensive coordinator Manny Diaz wants his unit to prove it is an elite defense week after week and the first step in doing that this season is by neutralizing LSU quarterback Joe Burrow. A transfer from Ohio State, Burrow will make his LSU debut on Sunday after appearing in 10 games for the Buckeyes and throwing for 287 yards and two touchdowns. While Burrow may not have much game experience, Diaz and the Canes respect his abilities and have been preparing to face him throughout fall camp.
 
“Hes a coach’s kid, so you know he’s smart,” Diaz said. “You know he has been raised by the game. … But what you saw on the limited film that we have on him is he’s a guy that will go through the reads. He’ll stand in the pocket. To me, he can make the throws. He can anticipate the throws, which, I think, comes back to being raised in the game. … We have a lot of respect for who he is.”
 
Miami vs. LSU at the line of scrimmage
 
The battle at the line of scrimmage will be crucial to either team’s success on Sunday. Miami’s first-team offensive line of Tyree St. Louis, Jahair Jones, Tyler Gauthier, Hayden Mahoney and Navaughn Donaldson will face a talented LSU defensive front led by defensive end Rashard Lawrence. The Tigers, who historically have an outstanding defensive line, will be a big test for the Canes, but it is a challenge they welcome.
 
“Games are definitely won in the trenches, and I am very excited on going against an SEC defensive line,” St. Louis said. “It’ll be the best competition for us and also we can put Miami on the map by saying ‘just because we are the ACC doesn’t mean we can’t compete against the SEC.'”
 
Miami’s defensive line is led by junior sackmaster Joe Jackson, but the line features three new starters in Gerald Willis and Pat Bethel at tackle and Jonathan Garvin at end. Three new starters would be a cause for concern on most teams, but Miami’s defensive line was deep a year ago and both Bethel and Garvin made plays and got plenty of game experience. 
 
Willis’ return is especially exciting, as the redshirt senior was a terror on scout team a year ago and has been Miami’s top defensive tackle since the spring. Add in ballyhooed freshman Gregory Rousseau, graduate transfer Tito Odenigbo and veteran Demetrius Jackson and Scott Patchan and the Canes expect to be a deep group upfront again in 2018.