Louisiana State passing game vs. Arizona secondary
Skinny: LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell is cut straight from the mold of NFL All-Pro quarterback Daunte Culpepper, a hulking, mobile athlete who can make any throw downfield. At his disposal are a group of blisteringly fast wide receivers – particularly senior Dwayne Bowe and junior Early Doucet – who could make the lives of Antoine Cason and Co. miserable all day long.
Advantage: Push. The Wildcats’ defensive backfield was tested early and often by Brigham Young’s short passing game in Arizona’s season opener. It’s feasible that Cason, cornerback Wilrey Fontenot and safeties Michael Johnson and Dominic Patrick will want to send a message to the entire country justifying their preseason hype.
Arizona passing game vs. LSU secondary
Skinny: The Tigers have two of the best safeties in the nation in seniors LaRon Landry and Jessie Daniels, who aim to further frustrate Arizona quarterback Willie Tuitama in the early part of this season. UA head coach Mike Stoops said he kept talented freshman wide receivers Terrell Turner and Terrell Reese on the bench against BYU because their services weren’t needed. Will Stoops pull out all the stops against a pair of game-changers?
Advantage: LSU. Although the Wildcat wideouts stepped up as a unit last week to rescue Tuitama, the heavy crowd noise in Baton Rouge will work against good communication on offense. Simply finding a rhythm will be a critical task.
Arizona head coach Mike Stoops vs. LSU head coach Les Miles
Skinny: These coaches were rivals during the former’s time as the defensive coordinator at Oklahoma and the latter’s as the head coach at Oklahoma State. While the Sooners have been the dominant team in the rivalry over the years, Miles is 2-1 against Stoops, having pulled upsets of Oklahoma in 2001 and 2002.
Advantage: LSU. This is less an indication of the coaches themselves than the talent at their disposals. Nonetheless, Stoops has said that Miles is one of the best coaches at forming game plans that he’s ever gone up against.
Game notes:
In Arizona’s last trip to Baton Rouge, the Wildcats lost 27-26 against the then-No. 13 Tigers. Arizona quarterback Alfred Jenkins fumbled on fourth-and-four on LSU’s 43 with 18 seconds remaining to seal the loss. … The last time Arizona played LSU, in 2003, the Tigers went on to take a share of the national championship with Southern California. … Saturday’s game marks only the seventh time Arizona will play a team from the Southeastern Conference. The Wildcats are 1-4-1 all-time against the conference, with its lone win coming 31-19 at home against Auburn in 1976.
– compiled by Tom Knauer
