No. 1 LSU is set to take on the No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners Saturday at 3 p.m. in the College Football Playoff Semifinal, the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. There are several storylines surrounding the matchup and here are a few to keep and eye on.
Been here before
LSU captured an SEC Championship on the turf at Mercedes-Benz Stadium a few weeks ago and are looking to earn a chance to play for another Saturday.
Players and coaches were asked all week if there was any advantage to having played in the stadium so recently. And while the Tigers admitted it was nice to be in a familiar setting, head coach Ed Orgeron said the real advantage was getting to practice on the playoff field.
“We had to change cleats during the week.” Oregon said. “We had guys, especially on Tuesday, when we had a tough practice…linemen were slipping, outside linebackers were slipping.
“So we continued to change the right cleats. Every guy needs a different cleat, different footing. So I think we've got it pretty good right now.”
OU’s fast defense
Orgeron and several offensive players said several times in the week leading up to the College Football Playoff Semifinal that Oklahoma is one of the fastest defenses they played all year.
The Sooners think that reputation comes from “straining to the ball.”
Straining to the ball is a phrase Oklahoma players said their coaches use when asking for maximum effort on a given play play.
“I think one of our goals this season was to have one of the fastest defenses in the country,” Oklahoma linebacker Kenneth Murray said. “So I think that's something that's been presented to us by our coaches and that's something that we truly try to embody.”
Murray and his defensive teammates said they use the term strain to remind them to use every bit of energy each play.
“Straining to the ball is something that doesn't require talent or anything, it's just your want, your effort, your understanding that you have a job to do,” defensive tackle Neville Gallimore said.“No matter what the situation is, you selling out, you giving it all can compensate for a lot of things.”
Ceedee Lamb
The Sooners head into Saturday’s matchup with one of the top offensive units in the country and that is in no small way a result of the play of receiver Ceedee Lamb.
Orgeron and Tigers realize what a weapon the 6-foot-2, 190-pound junior is in the offense and will face a tough challenge containing him. LSU has some of the nation’s defensive backs in it’s secondary including freshman All-American Derek Stingley and Jim Thorpe Award winner. Grant Delpit.
Lamb said he’s looking forward to facing the program with a reputation for producing top defensive backs.
“They're very physical,” Lamb said. “They call themselves DBU for a reason, so I can't wait to see on Saturday.”
Delipt who played youth football with Lamb said he’s looking forward to playing against Lamb and the Oklahoma receivers.
“He was the first person I called when I was watching TV and it came out the playoff rankings that we were playing him, so he was the first person I called,” Delpit said. “It's going to be some competition.”
Who carries the ball for LSU?
LSU’s top running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire hasn’t practiced all week after suffering a hamstring injury in the previous week.
His status is a game-time decision but if he’s unable to play, the Tigers will rely on three freshmen running backs Tyrion Davis-Price, John Emery and Chris Curry.
“All three of them have different talents,” Orgeron said. “Clyde can do all three things. All three of them are different. All three of them can do some of the things Clyde does. Not all that they do. They've matured. The game's have gotten them ready. John's improved on the things he had to improve on. Tyrion is a big bull. He's very physical. Chris Curry has learned the offense and can go in there and give us some plays. So I think all three have improved, but they'll have to play very well, if they play, against a very stiff Oklahoma defense.”
The Quarterbacks
LSU’s Joe Burrow won the Heisman Trophy after a record setting season with the Tigers. Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts was the runner up for the award after passing for over 3,000 yards and rushing for roughly 1,200.
Both players however have National Championship aspirations and will be focused on leading their teams against good defensive units Saturday.
“The quarterback has certainly made them go, like a lot of great offenses,” Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley said. “He's a tremendous player. We've thought that for a long time, even when we offered him many years back. So Joe's been phenomenal for them all year and they just don't have a ton of weaknesses.”
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