Syracuse (2-1) travels to “Death Valley” for its first road game of the season on Saturday night against Louisiana State (2-1). Last week, the Orange bounced back from an upset loss by trouncing Central Michigan, 41-17, while Mississippi State dominated LSU, 37-7.

Ross Dellenger is the Louisiana State beat reporter for The Advocate, which is based in Baton Rouge, about 10 miles from LSU campus. The Daily Orange spoke with him about Saturday’s matchup.

The Daily Orange: What went wrong last week in LSU’s 37-7 loss at Mississippi State? Was that an anomaly or representative of systematic flaws?

Ross Dellenger: Mississippi State exposed LSU’s defensive and offensive lines, out-muscling those two groups, while also taking advantage of the youth that the Tigers start on defense.

LSU defenders couldn’t stop the outside run and its secondary, late in the game, committed several coverage busts. On offense, receivers had three critical dropped passes, and the O-line allowed several pressures. All around, it was one of the worst performances I’ve seen from an LSU team in four years covering the Tigers.

The D.O.: How would you evaluate Syracuse’s chances to win this game? Do you think you could talk anyone into believing it’s possible?

R.D.: After witnessing the mess LSU made last week, I firmly believe an upset is possible. Sure, the odds aren’t in the Orange’s favor, but it’s possible. Syracuse’s fast-paced, pass-heavy offense isn’t arriving to Baton Rouge at a great time for the Tigers. LSU starts two true freshmen in the secondary, and the Tigers had a handful of coverage busts last week.

In addition to that, the up-tempo style could cause problems. LSU is thin on the defensive line, missing 2-3 rotational players because of injury and suspension.

The D.O.:Derrius Guice has been banged up a little this season and, this week, he already missed two practices as of Tuesday. Do you expect him to play? If no, how does his absence impact LSU’s running game?

R.D.: After listening to Orgeron on Wednesday’s SEC teleconference, I do not expect Guice to play. The coach said he was “very questionable” for the game. He seemed to injure his left knee in the game at Mississippi State, and as you said, he’s missed the first two practices this week.

Guice has a capable backup in senior Darrel Williams. Williams was a highly rated talent out of Louisiana, but he was surpassed by eventual first-round draft pick Leonard Fournette and then by Guice, a year younger than him. Still, Williams is a strong back with speed and size. The dropoff is there, sure, but it’s not as steep as you might think.

The D.O.: How would you compare Danny Etling to LSU’s quarterbacks from the past decade?

R.D.: Etling’s best attribute isn’t his arm, legs or athleticism. It’s his brain. He’s a near 4.0 student and a former Eagle Scout. His knowledge of the offense, decision making and reading defenses all seem to be an improvement from past quarterbacks over the last 2-3 years.

However, Etling struggles on his accuracy while under pressure, and his arm strength sometimes leads to wide passes or those underthrown.

The D.O.: What is one thing we didn’t ask that people from Syracuse should be watching for on Saturday?

R.D.: Arden Key. LSU’s All-American junior edge rusher set the school single-season sack record last season and many project him as a first-round selection in the NFL draft next year. He made his season debut against Mississippi State last week, and the Bulldogs schemed against him well, running or passing away from his side of the field on 80 percent of his snaps.

Published on September 20, 2017 at 11:35 pm

Contact Sam: sjfortie@syr.edu | @Sam4TR