By Dalton Ray–
Playing in their seventh consecutive bowl, No. 13 Louisville football aims for their fifth bowl win since 2010 against No. 20 LSU. TLC spoke to Josh Thornton, the sports editor of The Daily Reveille, on the first match-up between the teams.
Q: One of the biggest headlines of the 2016 bowl season is Leonard Fournette sitting out the Citrus Bowl. What are your thoughts on the decision and how are his teammates taking it?
A: Fournette had been hampered by his ankle injury all season. From watching games this season, Fournette was never 100 percent. He has a bright NFL future ahead of him and he didn’t want to risk further injury. Like Ed Orgeron said, the decision was best for him and his family. Most of his teammates understood his choice and Orgeron noted Fournette spent a lot of time with the team not practicing and was very involved.
Q: What does this LSU do well and what do they struggle with?
A: LSU’s strength is running the ball and attacking defenses with play-action. Interim offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger has implemented a few wrinkles, such as involving tight ends in the passing game. Despite Fournette being injured, there hasn’t been much drop-off from Derrius Guice.
Q: Danny Elting wasn’t the name most casual fans expected to be starting at quarterback by the end of the year. How has he performed this year? What are his strengths and weaknesses?
A: Danny Etling does everything Orgeron and Ensminger asks him to do. He doesn’t turn the ball over much. He makes safe throws and he rarely forces anything. In the past, LSU’s passing game hasn’t been much of a threat, but with Etling, teams are starting to respect LSU’s passing game.
Q: Coach Orgeron isn’t the flashy name most people expected to land the LSU job. Why does he deserve the job or is this a mistake to promote the former defensive line coach?
A: When LSU athletic director Joe Alleva went into his coaching search, he highlighted a few different things. One of them being a change in culture. Orgeron has definitely done that. Players love him. The team responds to his messages. Most of the team talks about how motivating Orgeron is and how they enjoy shorter practice times and more time in the film room. Alleva vetted about 10-12 candidates for the head coaching job, after the search was done, Orgeron fit the bill.
Q: Another year, another top five defense for LSU. Who is the key part of the defense and where does the 2016 defense rank to previous years?
A: The only player similar to Lamar Jackson that LSU has faced was Alabama’s Jalen Hurts. To a degree, defensive coordinator Dave Aranda was able to limit Hurts. Besides Hurts’ game-sealing touchdown run, Hurts had an average game. LSU sent pressure a lot to get in the face of Hurts and used a few quarterback spies to make sure he didn’t scramble for big plays.
Q: Stopping Lamar Jackson is obviously the key the defeating Louisville. Has LSU played anyone similar to Jackson, and if so, how did they fare?
A: The key piece on LSU’s defense all season has been senior linebacker Kendell Beckwith. He leads the team in tackles and is sort of the quarterback on defense. In his first season, Aranda has done a great job of installing his defense and the players have responded. This year’s defense is just as talented as the 2011 team who went 13-1.
Q: Who wins and why?
A: LSU 35, Louisville 21. I think Guice has big game and Aranda and LSU’s defense will find a way to slow down Jackson.
File photo / The Louisville Cardinal
