Dandy's - LSU - Miami: Who Has The Edge?

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If we could just draw a big question mark under this unit comparison, it would certainly be easier and maybe more accurate.

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(1) it’s a different LSU playbook (though we have a decent idea of what Steve Ensminger will run), (2) we don’t know really what to expect from Joe Burrow, and (3) we don’t even know which running back will get the most handoffs from Burrow. On the flip side, Miami forced 30 turnovers last season

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The Hurricanes lost four of their top six disrupters up front, so their linebacker corps and secondary, while talented, will have more pressure on them this fall. Because LSU has too many questions to answer, it’s impossible to give the Tigers the edge against a defense that gave up 21 points per game in 2017. But if LSU’s right tackle situation blossoms into a strength and Burrow is as good as we think he’ll be, don’t be surprised to see the Tigers move the football down the field with its athleticism on the perimeter.

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If LSU is going to beat Miami, it’s going to be because the defense delivered the performance we all think it can. On paper, Miami’s offense is far from the best unit LSU will see this season.

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Miami’s strength on offense resides on the outside with WR Ahmmon Richards and in the backfield with RB Travis Homer. The offensive line is good, not great, and quarterback Malik Rosier’s performance suffered the deeper the Canes got into the 2017 season. In Miami’s final three games, which the Canes lost, Rosier completed just 45 percent of his passes.

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But Ed Orgeron has already stated that Rashard Lawrence would play against Miami, and when you have studs like Ed Alexander coming into the game as a reserve, that Miami offensive line could be in for a long night. LSU’s ceiling on defense truly is the best in the nation. If the Tigers can hold up health-wise, it should be a prosperous season on that side of the ball.

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Miami’s special teams are a lot like LSU’s offense. At a certain point, you just have to throw up your hands and say, “I don’t know what to expect.” The Hurricanes have to replace their best return man as well as their record-setting kicker, Michael Badgley, who made the most field goals (76) in Miami program history.

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As for their punter, Zach Feagles is entering his second season as a starter but didn’t instill a lot of confidence last year as a freshman when he was 97th in the nation in punt efficiency.

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For starters, Cole Tracy looks to be a big upgrade at placekicker. Some of you are probably mumbling, “That’s not saying a whole heck of a lot after those missed field goals against Notre Dame.” Tracy was the top junior college kicker in the nation last year, and Ed Orgeron made a statement by offering the young man a scholarship in the offseason. Kickoffs should be improved, too, as walk-on Avery Atkins has been drawing rave reviews for consistently kicking the ball into or out of the end zone.

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One intangible in LSU’s favor is the fact that outside of Death Valley, this is almost as close to a home game as one can get for the Tigers. Tiger fans will show up en masse and LSU has historically played well in these Texas neutral site games.

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That said, coaching factors into the intangibles, and Orgeron still has much to prove as a head coach at LSU. Mark Richt does not at Miami. Richt’s success over the last couple of decades at big-time programs gives the Canes a big boost in this department.

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Two other intangibles to consider, though, are that LSU enters the game with a huge chip on its shoulder and Miami has virtually no idea what to expect from Steve Ensminger’s offense and quarterback Joe Burrow. That, combined with a home-field advantage of sorts is enough for us to give The Tigers the edge here.

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