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The game between Army and No. 19 LSU is just days away. The Black Knights enter the contest at 2-4, losing three in a row to Syracuse, Boston College, and Troy, while the Tigers hold 4-2 record, after back-to-back wins over Missouri and Auburn.
Here are the five questions GoBlackKnights.com presented Jefferson Powell, Publisher of DeathValleyInsider.com (LSU Rivals' Site), as the Black Knights prepare to play the Tigers at 7:30pm EST at Tiger Stadium (aka Death Valley) in Baton Rouge, LA.
GoBlackKnights.com: Can you talk about QB Jayden Daniels and what about him makes him such a weapon and so dangerous to defend?
Jefferson Powell (DeathValleyInsider.com): The first thing that jumps out is his athletic ability. But he's a very smart and patient runner. Most of his runs are when he's taking what the defense is giving him and more times than not he turns those into big gains. He's really developed into a smart quarterback who can work through all of his progressions and make the correct decision based on what the defense is trying to do. He's proven this season to be very accurate and effective and has improved his deep ball tremendously from last season to this season.
GoBlackKnights.com: The Army Black Knights of West Point make their way to Baton Rouge, La. (Tiger Stadium) on Saturday evening to take on the LSU Tiger. Do you sense that there may be a decency by the Tigers to look beyond the visiting Black Knights because next week they hit the road and make their way to Tuscaloosa, Alabama and take on the Crimson Tide?
Jefferson Powell (DeathValleyInsider.com): Brian Kelly has done a pretty good job at keeping his guys motivated and ready to play regardless of the opponent. Whether it be Grambling at home or stopping halfway to Starkville at 9am to let his guys get out and stretch at a car dealership to keep the blood flowing and not allow them to get lethargic and sleepy ahead of an 11 am kickoff against Mississippi State. I wouldn't expect them to look past Army, even as a 30-point favorite I think he'll make sure they're ready to go.
GoBlackKnights.com: Do you expect the renowned LSU fan base, which is known for being very loud and rowdy to be dialed down because it’s Army West Point and not an SEC opponent; or will they be dialed up to “10” since it’s a night game?
Jefferson Powell (DeathValleyInsider.com): It's typically a pretty safe bet that a night game in Death Valley will be loud, it probably won't be as loud this week as it was last week against Auburn or a few weeks before against Arkansas so I guess technically speaking you could say they'll probably be a little dialed down, but I'm sure it'll still be loud.
GoBlackKnights.com: In LSU’s win last Saturday against Auburn, the Tigers established the run early and often. Do you see that being Coach Brian Kelly’s offensive philosophy for Saturday’s upcoming contest against Army?
Jefferson Powell (DeathValleyInsider.com): Brian Kelly has been preaching a balanced attack for the last several weeks. I think that's really who this team wants to be offensively and I think it's who they need to be, so yeah I would expect more of the same in terms of offensive balance. They'll probably get a few different backs carries in this one because they've got a lot of mouths to feed.
GoBlackKnights.com: Some folks would say that the Achilles Heel for the Tigers this season has been their defense, although against Auburn, the ‘D’ showed up. What should fans look for surrounding LSU’s defense coming into Saturday’s game?
Jefferson Powell (DeathValleyInsider.com): The Achilles heel has definitely been the defense. The offense is the only offense in the country that's top 10 in both rushing and passing. The defensive side of the ball has been where the questions reside, particularly on the back end of the defense in the secondary. They've switched to a four-man front with three linebackers, though sometimes they'll sub an LB to run nickel in obvious passing situations.
Harold Perkins has really started to improve in his new role as more of an outside backer. They've experimented with him a lot this season and the initial move to inside linebacker wasn't really working, I've been saying all season he should be on the edge rushing the quarterback, but he is improving every week playing on the outside. I suspect we'll see much of the same. That Auburn game was probably the most complete game we've seen from the defense, I think part of that can be attributed to a struggling Auburn offense, but the defense did what they were asked to do so it's hard to hold that against them after some of the weeks we've seen recently.
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