South Carolina at LSU

[Mergie Master]

5 things to keep an eye on: South Carolina at LSU

A weekly look at the plot lines as the LSU Tigers try to get back on the horse when South Carolina visits Baton Rouge for a top-10 showdown in Death Valley.

1. Energy needed: LSU's loss to Florida wasn't because of a lack of effort. The Tigers played hard on both sides of the ball, period. What wasn't there consistently was execution, especially on offense but also surprisingly from a defense that has been so good most of the season. What was lacking there can be attributed in part to the raucous and intimidating environment that Ben Hill Griffin Stadium delivered. The Swamp faithful helped the home team and disrupted the visitors. That's exactly what the Tigers need in their backyard this week.

2. Sam, Sam, Sam: As one of LSU's more emotional leaders and best players, defensive end Sam Montgomery is always at the heart of the game plan. That will again be the case this week, but this one is a little different for him with the Tigers taking on his home-state team for the first -- and likely only -- time in his career. Look for big No. 99 to play with a ton of energy and emotion to make sure he delivers a virtuoso performance. Along with that, though, he needs to harness some of that emotion and not let it become an offsides penalty or a later hit, etc. Controlled aggression at a slow burn.

3. Which way did they go: Florida likely established a blueprint for offenses that will face LSU the rest of this season with two second-half touchdown drives heavily fueled misdirection plays that got the Tigers twisted up and flat-footed. As much as that might work for the opponent, don't be surprised if LSU shows a little bit as well in a sport where imitation is so prevalent. It won't be every play, but with South Carolina having a defense similar to the Tigers, built rock-solid from the front seven back, there could and probably should be some jet sweeps, inside reverses and more distinct counter runs mingled in with the power runs and short passes LSU has to execute to be successful.

4. What's in the bag: The last few years have turned South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier and LSU's Les Miles a little more conservative in their approaches as they've built teams around solid defenses and pound-and-ground running attacks. There haven't been as many trick plays, weird formations, gambles, etc. Might this be the game where one or both coaches reverts to form a little bit and reaches into the ol' bag of tricks for something a tad bizarre? It worked for Miles in 2007 when a fake field goal helped fuel a 28-16 win. Don't change that dial.



5. Ah, ah, ah, ah, stayin' alive, stayin' alive: LSU hasn't been in this spot since 2009, looking to avoid a second regular-season loss that would more or less knock the Tigers completely out of any chance of playing for a national championship. That means most of the current roster has no clue how to deal with a new kind of pressure. Is that a good or a bad thing? Gut feeling is that the pressure of not wanting to get saddled with that second loss before November arrives will be high-level motivation for a team with such lofty expectations before the season began. Does that equate to a season-altering victory? Stay tuned...

http://www.nola.com/lsu/index.ssf/20...ye_on_sou.html

[badfaulkner]