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LSU vs. West Virginia betting odds were available at Sportsbook.com, where the line and total were listed at Tigers -6 and 48.5. The line opened at -5.5.
No. 2 LSU and its stingy defense visits Morgantown to face No. 16 West Virginia and its high-octane air attack on Saturday night.
The Tigers have smothered opposing passing games, but they have seen nothing like the Mountaineers’ spread attack under Dana Holgorsen. LSU held Mississippi State to 141 passing yards (a large chunk in garbage time) in last Thursday’s 19-6 win, and has given up just 480 passing yards through three games. However, WVU has thrown for 819 yards in the past two games. The Mountaineers defense is a question mark. It allowed 477 yards to Maryland last week, and LSU QB Jarrett Lee was very good at Mississippi State (21-for-27, 213 yards, TD, INT). The Tigers have won a nation’s-best 35 consecutive regular-season non-conference games, and will likely keep that streak intact on Saturday night.
LSU is the only team in the nation with three Top 25 opponents in its first four games. Lee has done a great job orchestrating the offense while the suspension to No. 1 QB Jordan Jefferson continues. Lee has completed 30-of-37 passes (81.1%) in his past two contests. The Tigers have also done a nice job rushing the football, as RBs Spencer Ware and Michael Ford have 444 yards (4.7 YPC) and 7 TD combined. The LSU rush defense has been immaculate, holding opponents to a mere 47.7 rushing YPG, good for third-best in the country. A big reason for this is the team’s ability to get into the backfield, showcased last week with 15 tackles for loss. Only Stanford (31 TFL) has more than the 30 TFL the Tigers have amassed this year. LSU has also forced seven turnovers this season and ranks sixth in the nation in total defense (208 YPG).
West Virginia has been led by Geno Smith, who is one of four FBS players with more than 1,000 passing yards. He posted a career-best 388 passing yards in last week’s win over Maryland. He has spread the wealth on offense, as six different players have receiving touchdowns and three have more than 200 yards (Tavon Austin, Stedman Bailey and Ivan McCartney). The rushing offense has been virtually non-existent, ranking 107th in the nation with 78.7 YPG. Another area severely lacking is the pass rush, as WVU has the eighth-fewest sacks per game this year (0.33).
the departed Kendall Hunter. Randle has rushed for 120+ yards in all three games, totaling 378 yards (6.1 YPC) and seven touchdowns. The numbers are more impressive when you consider that all of OSU’s opponents could be bowl-bound at the end of the year (Washington State, Troy and Tulsa). Defensively, the Cowboys still need plenty of work, as they rank 84th against the pass (242 YPG) and 82nd against the run (171 YPG).
The Aggies offense is usually led by the RB duo of Cyrus Gray and Christine Michael, who have combined to rush for 349 yards (5.1 YPC) and six touchdowns in two games. However, the passing attack has been even more potent (312 YPG, 18th in nation) with QB Ryan Tannehill completing 72.3% of his passes for 4 TD and only one pick. WRs Ryan Swope and Jeff Fuller have combined for 25 catches, 314 yards and two touchdowns. The most impressive aspect of the Aggies first two games has been their line play on both sides of the ball. The O-line has not allowed a sack and the defense leads the nation with 5.5 sacks per game.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
