QB Darron Thomas put up big numbers last year in an offense that is built for putting up big numbers. He is a better passer than Jefferson, but i give Jefferson the edge in rushing. They had about the same amount of rushing yards, but Jefferson played tougher competition. Also, if Thomas goes down Oregon has no experience with a backup. If Jefferson gets hurt, LSU can turn to someone with a lot of game experience. Jefferson had a down year last season, but has looked great in the spring and fall. He will be much improved. Advantage Oregon RB We all know that LeMichael James is a heisman candidate. Kenjon Barner is also very good and very similar. Oregon fans aren't as aware of Spencer Ware. He was a 5 star coming out of Ohio and looked great when given the chance last season. He even threw a pass for a td. LSU also had Michael Ford and Alfred Blue to give Ware some breathers. Ford is the big play threat and runs the option well. Advantage Oregon WR/TE Oregon's leading returning reciever is a TE. Receiver is a weak point in the offense. Losing Maehl and Davis will hurt big time. LSU has Reuben Randle as their #1 guy who is primed for a breakout season as a jr. He had 544 receiving yards and 3 td's last year. He will also be a future top 2 round draft pick. The #2 guy is Russell Shephard who can beat you both running and catching. He ran for 226 yards and caught passes for 254. He also accounted for 3 td's. Behind these 2 are some incredibly talented freshman and sophomores in Kadron Boone, James Wright, Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry. Don't forget about Deangelo Petersen who was out the beginning of last season and creates major matchup problems at TE. Major Advantage LSU O-Line This is Oregon's weak point since they lost some key guys. LSU returns 4 of 5 starters and oh yeah they brought in the #1 o-lineman in the country. Major Advantage LSU D-Line Oregon's other weak point. This unit is ripe for the picking. LSU on the other hand is known as defensive line u. They brought in the #1 dt with anthony "freak" johnson. Sam Montgomery returns after a season ending knee injury. Keke Mingo is a resilient pass rusher. Michael Brockers fills up the middle at 6'6 306 lbs. Major Advantage LSU LB This is the weak part of LSU's defense even though it isn't that weak. They return 2 of 3 starters and the other starter is a converted starting safety. Ryan Baker is the anchor at OLB and tied for the team lead in sacks last year. Michael Clay is probably the best of the bunch for Oregon, and is primed for a breakout year. The other guys are solid but not world beaters Advantage LSU Secondary LSU has the most young talent in the country in the secondary. Tyrann Mathieu is a 1 man wrecking crew, but he even has a ton of help. Morris Claiborne is the lockdown corner. He is faster than Patrick Peterson. Eric Ried is a sophomore safety with a knack for big plays. Brandon Taylor returns from an injury which held him out the second half of last season. Oh yeah the backups are just as good. Oregon doesn't have Cliff Harris for this game unless Chip Kelly goes back on his word. The rest of the secondary is good, but losing Harris is huge. Who will Oregon put on 6'3 Rueben Randle? Advantage LSU Special Teams LSU has a new kicker, punter and return man. The new ones do look good though. Oregon doesn't have Harris to return punts. They do return their kicker. Advantage Oregon Coaching Chip Kelly is an offensive mastermind. He has taken flack for running a loose program for doing things like kicking Blount off the team the entire season and then re-instating him mid season. He has had great success in his 2 seasons as head coach. Miles is portrayed by the national media as being wacky, but he plays this up so people don't expect anything. You can't argue with his results. He is phenomenal when having a lot of time to prepare. John Chavis is a career defensive coordinator and loves to attack. Miles also brought in Steve Kragthorpe to help with the offense. Slight advantage LSU Intangibles LSU will no doubt have the crowd advantage. Oregon is bring 12,000 and LSU will bring at least 50k. Plus any neutral tickets sold will be pulling for LSU. LSU is much better with a long time to prepare than Oregon. It is a disadvantage for Oregon for a team to have more than a week to prepare for them. It doesn't really matter for LSU. Neither team has had a quiet offseason. Both teams are caught up in the Lyles thing with Oregon's situation being much worse. LSU is on probation for a penalty from 2 years ago. Also, Kragthorpe had reduce his role because of an illness. Oregon doesn't have Cliff Harris for the opener because of a suspension. Advantage LSU :tigereye:
I'll buy most of that. I don't think that our linemen are overwhelming better than Oregons, however. clearly better, but Oregon's are not pushovers.
this. we dont know who has a major advantage in anything til they play this year. And Kelly knows how to utilize his talent on offense around these guys as well as anyone. Oregon will rack up some yards, folks. Its a matter of keeping them out of the end zone. Big plays can kill any defense even when keeping them in check for 55 mins. i doubt it. a decent advantage-probably.
I actually agree with A LOT of the OP. If LSU can control the ball, T.O.P, Tempo, and keep DT,LJ, and company on the side lines by forcing a few 3 and outs and punts, it will be a long night for both Jefferson and the Oregon defense. I say Jefferson, because I know that even though we will out muscle the Oregon D by rushing, we will only win if we beat them with the pass, and JJ will have that pressure on him. I think he is ready, edit: I hope he is ready
