The Sports Network
By Pat Taggart, Associate College Football Editor
GAME NOTES: The second-ranked LSU Tigers take a break from SEC play to do battle with the Tulane Green Wave in a Louisiana showdown. LSU has won 11 straight games dating back to last season and are now 4-0 overall, including 2-0 in SEC play. The Tigers crushed their first three opponents, and while South Carolina put up a fight last Saturday, the result was a double-digit victory (28-16). Despite the fact that LSU is the road team this weekend, the club will have plenty of fans in the stands and is favored by a huge margin. Tulane opened its season by losing to Mississippi State by 21 points, the same Mississippi State team that was blown out by LSU the previous week. The Green Wave is 1-2 this season, but the lone loss came over Southeastern Louisiana by a 35-27 final last week. LSU owns a commanding 66-22-7 advantage in the all- time series with Tulane, including a 49-7 romp over the Green Wave last year.
The LSU offense was not quite as explosive against South Carolina as we have come to expect, but the unit did enough to secure a victory. The Tigers did a great deal of damage on the ground, as they amassed 290 yards. Jacob Hester led the charge with 88 yards on 17 carries, while Trindon Holliday racked up 73 yards and a touchdown on only six attempts. The passing game was largely ineffective, as quarterback Matt Flynn and Ryan Perrilloux combined to complete just 8-of-20 passes for 70 yards and a touchdowns. The Tigers are averaging 41.2 ppg this season to go along with 452.5 total ypg. The offense has already scored 21 touchdowns, 12 of which have come on the ground. Several players contribute to the mighty ground attack, as LSU does not count on one player to carry the load. Flynn has been outplayed by Perrilloux this season, and it remains to be seen how coach Les Miles will used the two signal callers in the coming weeks. Wideout Early Doucet may miss this game with a groin injury, but there is plenty of talent in place to fill the void.
At this point, running the ball with any success against LSU is an impossibility. The Tigers put forth another staggering effort against South Carolina, limiting the Gamecocks to 17 rushing yards. LSU did yield 244 passing yards, in large part because South Carolina connected on three long plays in the fourth quarter. Prior to allowing 16 points to the Gamecocks, the Tigers had yielded just seven total points to their first three opponents. Therefore, they are surrendering 5.8 ppg on average and 161.5 total ypg. It is staggering to see that teams are gaining only 26.8 rushing ypg against LSU, which is permitting less than one yard per attempt. Equally impressive is the fact that opposing quarterbacks have completed only 50-of-119 passes against the defense with one touchdown and nine interceptions. The brightest star on defense is tackle Glenn Dorsey, who has made 22 tackles, including three sacks.
After scoring a total of 27 points in back-to-back losses to Mississippi State and Houston to open the season, Tulane broke out with 35 points against Southeastern Louisiana. The question is, however, how much credit can you give the offense for moving the ball and scoring points against weak opposition. Tailback Matt Forte had a banner day, as he rushed for five touchdowns and 303 yards on 40 carries. The yardage total marked a school and Conference USA record, while the number of touchdowns set program marks. Because of a poor passing attack, including a pair of interceptions, Forte was relied on to carry the offense. Tulane is averaging 20.7 ppg and 322.0 total ypg. Forte has rushed for 435 yards and six touchdowns this season, and his numbers have gone from modest to outstanding because of one week's effort.
Tulane yielded 278 passing yards last weekend, but the defense managed to hold Southeastern Louisiana to 63 rushing yards on 29 attempts. The Green Wave came up with a pair of fumble recoveries, another obvious positive. Still, the overall defensive effort was shaky, and the competition level increases dramatically this weekend. Tulane is surrendering 33.0 ppg and 445.0 total ypg, as the defense needs to improve tremendously. The Green Wave is yielding 176.7 ypg on the ground and 268.3 ypg through the air, poor numbers against both means of attack. With just three interceptions, there has to be improvement in that area as well. David Skehan has two of the three interceptions, and Evan Lee is tops with 29 tackles.
There is no reason to believe that this game will be close. The Green Wave is no match for the Tigers, who may be the best team in the nation. Sports Network Predicted Outcome: LSU 63, Tulane 3

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LSU (4-0) at Tulane (1-2) 12:00 PM ESPN2
Why to watch: After beating ranked opponents in two of the last three weeks, LSU gets a chance to exhale at the expense of Tulane, a familiar face from just a short trip down I-10. The Tigers remained firmly in the national championship hunt with last week’s defeat of South Carolina, giving future opponents something to think about with a little special teams trickery and a complimentary role for backup QB Ryan Perrilloux. The sophomore should get plenty of reps in this weekend’s probable blowout, providing LSU fans with another good look at their likely starting quarterback for 2008 and 2009. The Tigers will enjoy their tour of the Superdome on Saturday, in the hopes of making a return engagement on Jan. 7. For Tulane, this week’s game is a lottery ticket, a one-in-a-million shot of beating one of the game’s superpowers. The Green Wave’s feature attraction is RB Matt Forte, a future pro who ran for a school-record 303 yards and five scores in last week’s win over Southeastern Louisiana.
Why LSU might win: Anthony Scelfo’s task in his first game as the Tulane starting quarterback? Go out and move the ball on a top-ranked Tiger D that’s allowing 161 yards and five points a game. If the Green Wave had any semblance of a passing attack to keep LSU from focusing on Forte, it would have a considerably better chance of reaching double digits on Saturday. However, Tulane has been abysmal through the air, forcing Toledo to bench Scott Elliott in favor of the inexperienced Scelfo.
Why Tulane might win: In an otherwise frightening situation, Scelfo can take solace in the fact that his offensive line has permitted just a single sack in three games. If given time to throw, he has a live arm and a couple of quality pass-catchers in Jeremy Williams and Casey Robottom. As good as LSU has been so far this season, its offense hasn’t been otherworldly, which could spare the Green Wave the indignity of getting lit up for a few strokes under par.
Who to watch: It’ll be interesting to see how Les Miles and Gary Crowton use Perrilloux now that the sophomore has proved he can be a valuable change-of-pace to Matt Flynn and a reliable starter in a pinch. With Flynn still nursing a sore ankle and the game likely to be out of hand by intermission, Perrilloux should get two useful quarters of work to hone his skills and get more comfortable running the LSU offense.
What will happen: Miles’ agenda for this weekend will be simple: Jump out to an early lead, avoid injuries, and start preparing for next week’s mega tilt with Florida.
CFN Prediction: LSU 49 … Tulane 0 .. Line: LSU -40