After a hard-earned win over TCU in Week 1, LSU got a breather against UAB, and it will get one more this week in the form of Kent State. The Tigers begin SEC play on Sept. 21, but for now they can keep their focus primarily on making refinements.
How to watch Kent State vs. LSU: Preview, TV schedule, odds and more
Here’s the info you need in order to catch Saturday’s game between Kent State and LSU.
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Kent State earned some national attention last year en route to 11 victories, but 2013 hasn’t looked as promising -- the Golden Flashes opened the year with a seven-point win over FCS Liberty and followed that up with a 19-point loss to Bowling Green, a team they beat by a touchdown in 2012.
The numbers
Rankings and records: LSU is No. 8 in both major polls. These two teams have never met before.
Vegas: LSU opened as a 38-point favorite and the line has crept down to 37, while the over-under opened at 52.5 and moved up to 55.
Weather: The high is expected around 91, and there is a small chance of rain.
Three names to know
Zach Mettenberger -- Mettenberger may not have been spectacular last season, but he wasn’t especially mistake-prone either, averaging an interception for every 50 pass attempts or so. He has yet to throw a pick in 2013 and is already halfway to his touchdown pass total from 2012.
Dri Archer/Trayion Durham -- This was one of the best running back tandems in the nation last season; the two combined for more than 2,700 yards on the ground and 30 touchdowns. But Archer has logged only three carries in 2013 thanks to a leg injury suffered in the opener, and Durham is averaging just 3.6 yards per carry. If Kent State's offense is going to do any damage against the Tigers, it's going to need much more production from this position.
Odell Beckham Jr. -- The experienced junior has been a big-play guy for the Tigers in the early stages; he has 254 yards receiving and three scores on just 10 receptions.
Two things at stake
LSU stays in the national title hunt with a victory, and while the Tigers are stuck in the lower half of the top 10 at this point, they have plenty of time and plenty of opportunities ahead of them to change the picture drastically. A loss to Kent State, however improbable, might throw all of that out the window.
Kent State would no doubt like to avoid the crisis of confidence that can come when your head coach takes a job elsewhere. The Flashes are coming off a great season, and while they can’t reasonably expect to get out of Baton Rouge with anything other than a loss, they could use some positives after the Bowling Green defeat, especially with Penn State up next.
How to witness
TV: ESPNU (7 p.m. ET)
Online streaming: ESPN3
Further reading
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