Difficult road schedule makes repeating hard for LSU

By David Moorman  |   Wednesday, July 16, 2008  |  Comments( 1 )

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LSU faces such a difficult road schedule this season that even if it had everyone back from a year ago, the team would be hard-pressed to successfully defend its BCS national championship.

In their four SEC away games this year, the Tigers have to face three teams they rallied to beat last season and another that saddled them with a loss. That doesn’t bode well for LSU, which also must entertain highly regarded Georgia on Oct. 25. In some circles, the Bulldogs are the early favorite to win the SEC and contend for a national championship.

LSU tackled four difficult road assignments, too, in 2006 and was fortunate to come away with a split. Last season, the Tigers became the first BCS champion with two losses, but a pair of setbacks likely won’t qualify a team for the national title this year.

The Tigers must play three road games in a month beginning with their SEC opener at Auburn on Sept. 13. It took a last-second touchdown catch to lift LSU past Auburn last season, 30-24.

LSU gets a reprieve the next week with homecoming against Mississippi State before embarking on the road again to Florida on Oct. 11 and South Carolina on Oct. 18. LSU overcame a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter last year to beat Florida, 28-24, which returns Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Tim Tebow.

As if all that weren’t enough, LSU has to follow the next week with a trip to South Carolina and perennial nemesis Steve Spurrier. The Gamecocks were the first team to lead LSU last season, and although they lost by a score of 28-16, they showed others how best to attack LSU’s vaunted defense.

If there’s one SEC road game that seems more winnable than the rest, it’s the season-ending contest at Arkansas on Nov. 28. The Razorbacks upset LSU last season in a wild three-overtime affair, 50-48, behind the exploits of running backs Darren McFadden and Felix Jones.

Both have departed, leaving Arkansas with a hole in its offense much wider than the one at LSU, which must replace last year’s leading quarterback (Matt Flynn) and running back (Jacob Hester).

Whatever the case, LSU had best get used to hostile environments because the Tigers will face more than their fair share of them this season.
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About David Moorman

Dave Moormann is an award-winning journalist, who has covered LSU athletics since 1980. He began his coverage with the Baton Rouge Advocate, where he was a writer and editor from 1980-98. In 1996, he authored a book on the history of LSU football entitled, "Fighting Tigers Handbook: Stories, Stats...
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