Coach Brian Kelly and the Tigers have faced quite the gauntlet over the last few weeks. While LSU football vs. Army won’t exactly be a walk in the park, it should be nice for the team to have a break from in-conference play. Earlier this week, coach Brian Kelly broke down the 2023 week eight matchup and what to watch from the Black Knights.
LSU football vs. Army is set to take place this weekend in Tiger Stadium
LSU football finds itself on a two-game win streak but, unfortunately, also suffered two losses early in the season. However, with a BYE week just a little over a week away, all eyes are on LSU football vs. Army.
The Black Knights are a sneaky good team in 2023. While they’ve lost to teams such as Troy and LA-Monroe, they’ve also put up good fights against Syracuse and Boston College.
With the Tigers set to host them this weekend, it’ll be necessary for the team not to overlook things. Coach Brian Kelly is well aware of this and broke down the week eight matchup earlier this week.
“We’re excited about hosting Army,” coach Brian Kelly told the media on Monday. “Certainly, any time you play a service academy, the respect that we have for the academies, and certainly the great leaders that are playing collegiate football, to have them and host them here at Tiger Stadium is a thrill. And we want to be able to honor that, but we also want to beat them. They’re a good football team.”
He also spoke about the coaching staff and how tough the team is as a whole.
“They’re well coached; Jeff Monken is a heck of a football coach; he comes from a great family of coaches. I know him well, I respect him as a football coach, his team will be well-prepared. And much like how they represent the service academy, they represent that as a football team. They keep coming at you, four quarters of football; they’re gonna play physical, they’re rough, their ruggedness shows out in the way they play.”
This isn’t your typical service academy offense
When thinking about service academy football teams, there’s a specific kind of offense that comes to mind: triple-option.
Triple-option is historically a run-first offense designed to confuse defenses. There’s plenty of misdirection, and it’s often difficult to figure out which way the ball is moving.
However, it’s notable to remember that we likely won’t see an overwhelming amount of that kind of offense in LSU football vs. Army.
“Bryson Daily, their quarterback, everything runs through him,” coach Brian Kelly said. “Just for the fans that expect a triple-option, it’s not a triple-option team. They do run principles of triple-option, but it’s run a little bit different.”
In 2023, Army quarterback Bryson Daily has been impressively efficient, making defenses pay both on the ground and through the air. In 2023, he’s thrown the ball for 712 yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions, while adding 412 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
If the Tiger defense hopes to stop Army in week eight, it starts with stopping Daily and making other players step up.
Jayden Daniels could be challenged by the Black Knight defensive line
When looking at the defensive side of the ball for Army, the defensive line is the one specific group that popped out for coach Brian Kelly.
“A very physical defense, long,” coach Brian Kelly started. “You talk about a defense that’s long, their defensive linemen, 6-4, 6-5, great length. And again, we’ll have to be focused on our improvement and playing a really good, physical football team. And can’t be distracted by anything else because it’s gonna require that kind of effort.”
In 2023, the Black Knights have recorded 10 sacks and 28 tackles for loss, constantly putting pressure on the opponent’s ability to run the ball.
This could potentially mean trouble for the Tigers if they find early success in getting to quarterback Jayden Daniels and the Tiger running backs.
However, with the way LSU has moved the ball thus far in 2023, it’d be surprising to see this stop in week eight.
The game time is set for Saturday, 6:30 p.m. CST in Tiger Stadium.
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