Game To Watch: #16 LSU vs UCLA: September 4, 2021

LSU travels to UCLA for their game this Saturday at 8:30 EST. LSU had a tough 2020 after winning the National Championship in 2019 and will look to start strong as they attempt to bounce back in 2021. UCLA started the season with a 44 – 10 win over Hawaii, but will get a much tougher match-up against the Tigers this week. This is another excellent non-conference game in week 1 as both teams attempt to build towards a big season.

Recent History

LSU and UCLA have not played one another before Saturday’s match-up.

Top 25 Players

What To Watch For…

Can UCLA’s Passing Game Get On Track?

UCLA opened the season with a convincing 44 – 10 win, but Dorian Thompson-Robinson was not able to get on track in the passing game. He completed just 10 of 20 pass attempts for 130 yards for the game. Thompson-Robinson seemed out of rhythm and missed some throws that he has regularly made in the past. The bottom line is he has to be better than 6.5 yards per attempt and a 50 percent completion percentage against LSU on Saturday night. LSU may have struggled defensively last season, but they have the best cornerback duo in the country with both Derek Stingley Jr and Eli Ricks healthy and ready to go. Ricks and Stingley have the ability to lockup the opposition’s top receivers and will make a quarterback pay for bad throws. UCLA needs to find a way to attack the dynamic duo, or get production from the passing game while scheming away from those two. A performance like last weeks will not cut it on Saturday night.

How Will the Bruins Contain Kayshon Boutte?

Kayshon Boutte was a true freshman in 2020 and despite taking a few games to get going he closed the season with a bang. He had over 100 receiving yards in each of the last three games of the season, including a 308 yard performance against Mississippi to close the season. Quarterback, Max Johnson seemed to develop a good chemistry with Boutte down the stretch and the duo will look to build on that in 2021. If Boutte is able to make explosive plays in the passing game it will open up the field for the rest of the offense and make it difficult for UCLA to slow down the Tigers’ offense. UCLA will attempt to contain Boutte with coverage schemes that are aware of where he lines up and provide help for the defender responsible for him and by pressuring the quarterback so the ball cannot get to him. UCLA created good pressure against Hawaii in their opener and will need to do more of that on Saturday night. Kayshon Boutte is capable of taking over the game for LSU and UCLA had better be prepared to slow him down.

Which Defense is Ready to Rebound?

Neither team played good defense in 2020. LSU allowed 34.9 points per game and a whopping 7.26 yards per play. The Tigers lost a plethora of talent from the 2019 defense, had several opt outs, had Derek Stingley Jr in and out of the line-up and defensive coordinator Bo Pelini struggled schematically and was ultimately let go. New defensive coordinator, Daronte Jones, is tasked with getting this unit back on track after an abysmal 2020. He got some help through the transfer portal, when LB Mike Jones transferred in from Clemson and S Major Burns transferred in from Georgia. With a year to fill in the gaps left by the departures from the 2019 team, LSU will need to show significant improvement on defense this year. UCLA had a tough 2020 as well, allowing 30.7 points per game and 5.44 yards per play last year. They have had an opportunity to show improvement and looked much improved against Hawaii, allowing just 10 points and 3.64 yards per play in the opener. LSU’s offense will be a much tougher test and UCLA will need to prove their defense can hold up for four quarters against an explosive offense. Both teams are capable of winning a shootout but improvement on defense is a must in the long run.

Prediction

LSU and UCLA should provide an entertaining game Saturday night. With Chip Kelly’s offense and Thompson-Robinson’s dual threat skill set, UCLA will put pressure on LSU’s defense. Max Johnson proved late last year he is capable of moving the offense in big games and will team with his receivers to make big plays against the UCLA defense. LSU may not have completely fixed their defense yet, but they will make enough plays to outlast UCLA. LSU 41 UCLA 33.

College Football: Cal at UCLA, November 30, 2019, Los Angeles, CA Image taken by Steve Cheng is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

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