The No. 25 LSU Tigers have been undefeated in the three games they have played at the home o the Dallas Cowboys, but winning another contest there this coming Saturday is not going to be easy as they will face the No. 8 Miami Hurricanes, who are eager to remove the bitter taste off their mouths after a bad ending to their 2017 season.
Will the Tigers move up in the AP Poll by upsetting the Canes? Or will Miami open its season with a bang?
Miami zoomed into a 10-0 record to start the 2017 season, but faded down the stretch, losing all of their finals three games, which includes the Hurricanes’ loss in the ACC Championship Game to Clemson and a defeat at the hands of Wisconsin in the Orange Bowl. Nevertheless, the Hurricanes are not going to be pushovers this season, at least likely not in their first game of the season, as they have 14 starters returning to the team. Quarterback Malik Rosier is back as a fifth-year senior along with 2017 leading rusher Travis Homer. Last year, Rosier passed for 3,120 yards and 26 touchdowns against 14 interceptions, while Homer paced the team on the ground with 966 rushing yards and eight rushing scores.
Miami seems to remain sturdy with seven starters returning, including the team’s top five tacklers in 2017. Last year, the Hurricanes coaxed opponents into committing 31 turnovers, third most in the nation. The team’s stop unit also ranked No. 1 with over 2.6 forced miscues per contest.
The total is 8-2 in Miami’s last 10 games.
Betting on the LSU Tigers
LSU was shaky during the early phase of the last season, as they went 3-2 SU in their first five games. However, they recovered and went 6-1 SU in their final seven games prior to the postseason, with the only loss during that stretch coming against eventual national champion, Alabama. Like Miami, the Tigers failed to notch a win in the postseason, as they succumbed to Notre Dame in the Citrus Bowl.
The Tigers will begin the season with a new quarterback taking snaps under center in the form of Ohio State grad transfer Joe Burrow, who played in limited action with the Buckeyes. However, it’s also possible that sophomore Myles Brennan will see some action in the game.
On defense, LSU looks more solid and reliable, especially with cornerback Kristian Fulton getting reinstated after serving a one-year suspension. Three of the team’s top four tacklers in 2017 are also back after being part of last year’s defense that held opponents down to only 19.7 points and 3222.3 yards per game.
