AUSTIN, Texas – Texas thinks it's ready to jump back into the conversation for a Big 12 title and a spot in the College Football Playoff, and LSU is in a similar position. One team will take a big step toward proving it belongs at the top of the NCAA rankings when the sixth-ranked Tigers visit the ninth-ranked Longhorns on Saturday.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC. LINE: LSU -6
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LSU unveiled a new spread offense in the opener against Georgia Southern to go with its customary fearsome defense and will attack Texas with a unit that piled up 472 yards in a 55-3 drubbing. "Whenever they call a play and you have an answer to every coverage, every blitz they can give you, you feel good as a quarterback, as long as you can handle it mentally," Tigers quarterback Joe Burrow told reporters. "I know I can handle it mentally. Whatever I see against the defense, I have answers for it." Texas did not face much of a challenge in its opener while cruising to a 45-14 victory over Louisiana Tech, but coach Tom Herman sees plenty of room for improvement. "We were rusty," Herman told reporters. "(Quarterback) Sam (Ehlinger) missing throws; dropped the ball; we had six penalties. You know, that happens in first games. But I thought we started really, really fast, and that's what helped us overcome some of those miscues."
ABOUT LSU (1-0)
Burrow went 23-of-27 passing for 278 yards and five TDs and 14 different players recorded at least one catch in Week 1, and spreading the ball around is key to the offensive system the team is implementing. "That was the motto from when (passing game coordinator Joe) Brady first got here: Everybody eats," tight end Thaddeus Moss told reporters. "To finally be able to put that on the field and show everybody catching the ball, everybody getting touchdowns." Burrow is trying to get the ball out quicker this season and was not sacked in the opener.
ABOUT TEXAS (1-0)
Ehlinger completed 28-of-38 passes for 276 yards and four touchdowns without an interception in the opener but knows he is facing a Tigers secondary on Saturday that might be one of the best in the country. "I know that they're an incredibly talented backfield," Ehlinger told reporters. "They recruit extremely well. And the guys that play for them, they're always extremely talented. So, I'm looking forward to the challenge. I guess we'll see on Saturday." The Longhorns beat their last SEC opponent, Georgia, in a Sugar Bowl upset last season behind three rushing TDs from Ehlinger.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Burrow owns 15 TD passes in his last three games, dating back to last season.
2. Texas RB Jordan Whittington (sports hernia) is expected to miss four to six weeks.
3. The Longhorns own a 9-7-1 lead in the series, with the most recent meeting a Texas win at the Cotton Bowl in 2003.
PREDICTION: LSU 24, Texas 20