contest. A transfer from Alabama who piloted the Tide offense over his first three years, he has to relish the idea—just a little bit, anyway—that he’s playing for an opportunity to win the title while his former coach and teammates are settling for the relatively irrelevant Citrus Bowl against three- loss Michigan. For this little ‘nyah- nyah-nyah-nyah-nyah, boo-boo’ to have juice, however, Hurts has to walk the walk when it counts. And he has done just that in his three previous tangles with the Tigers as ‘Bama QB, so Sooner fans have as much mojo in their signal-caller as they could possibly hope to have as big-time underdogs. Hurts’ battery mate, All Big 12 junior WR CeeDee Lamb (14 TD, 101 yds/g) gives him a big target (6’3”) against sizable LSU defensive backs. Motley and his motley band of defenders have come a long way from their basement-dwelling days of last season. Against the pass, the Sooners were dead last in 2018, giving up an average of nearly 300 yards through the air. This year the unit has clamped down considerably, holding opponents to less than 200 aerial yards per contest, good for a solid top-25 national ranking. LSU’s fleet of deer-like pass catchers will test this resurgent and confident D unit, anchored by Motley, sophomore DL Ronnie Perkins (6 S, 13.5 TFL) and junior LB Kenneth Murray (95 T, 16 TFL). Tigers 2019 has been a season to remember for LSU players and fans. Since the CFP rankings were released in early November, the Tigers and OSU Buckeyes traded the #1 spot three times. LSU claimed it for good when their convincing win over Georgia in the SEC title game coincided with OSU’s come-from- behind victory over Wisconsin during the Big 10 championship. Holding off charges is not an unfamiliar concept to the team, which pounded the ball down Alabama’s throat during their highly anticipated matchup in November after the Tide managed to get within striking distance late. Coach Orgeron has all the modern weapons a football coach could ever hope for at his disposal, including an elite signal caller, big-play skill guys, ornery interior hogs and heat-seeking missiles on the perimeter. Senior Heisman Trophy finalist QB Joe Burrow (48 TD, 6 INT, 363 yds/g) threw for an eye-popping 78% completion rate in the 2019 campaign, an unheard-of display of accuracy that broke Colt McCoy’s single-season record of 76%. And his numbers were not the product of repeated hot reads, screens and dump downs—he took chances and advanced the ball in big chunks— making his precision all-the-more remarkable. Feeding his greedy arm are a pair of long, strong pass catchers who both topped the millennium mark in ‘19: sophomore WR Ja’Marr Chase (18 TD, 1498 yds) and junior WR Justin Jefferson (14 TD, 1207 yds). This unit had a bad case of the dropsies last year, but with innovative new drills like catching the ball through swinging doors, far fewer catchable balls hit the turf this year. Because of the record-breaking offensive explosion, it was the defensive unit that received the bulk of scrutiny—a rarity in Baton Rouge, from where NFL rosters are regularly stuffed with exceptional players at all three levels. The criticism was due to poor performances against Texas, Vanderbilt, Alabama and an anemic Ole’ Miss team that won’t even be bowling in 2019. But against the Bulldogs in the SEC title game, the unit came alive behind two interceptions from freshman DB Derek Stingley Jr. (6 INT, 15 pass breakups), an immovable D-line anchored by senior DL Rashard Lawrence (5 TFL, 3 pass breakups), and the sure tackling of All-SEC sophomore LB K’Lavon Chaisson (52 T, 11.5 TFL). With its newfound balance, LSU is primed for an all-facets smackdown of the Big-12 challenger. Prediction: LSU 48, Oklahoma 31 44 DEC. 26TH, 2019–JAN. 1ST, 2020 PHOENIX NEW TIMES NEW TIMES 2019 BOWL GUIDE SPECIAL RETAIL SECTION phoenixnewtimes.com
