Preview: No. 8 Hurricanes clash with No. 25 LSU at neutral-site AT&T Stadium
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) —
No. 8 Miami (10-3 last season) vs. No. 25 LSU (9-4), at Arlington, Texas, Sunday, 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC).
Line: Miami by 3 1/2.
Series record: LSU leads 9-3.
WHAT'S AT STAKE?
Coming off its most successful season in a decade, No. 8 Miami gets a tough test to start coach Mark Richt's third year. LSU made the preseason Top 25 even with relatively low expectations from so many outside the program. A win over the Hurricanes, who lost their final three games after a 10-0 start last season, would be a boost to the team that plays in the brutal SEC West.
KEY MATCHUP
Miami RBs vs. LSU defensive front. The Hurricanes ran for over 2,000 yards last season, and leading rusher Travis Homer (966 yards, eight TDs rushing) is back. LSU allowed only 128 yards rushing per game to rank third in the SEC, behind Alabama and Georgia. All-SEC junior linebacker Devin White, the Tigers' leading tackler last year with 133, is joined by two other linebackers with starting experience.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Miami: QB Malik Rosier set a Hurricanes record last season when he was responsible for 31 TDs (26 passing, five rushing), one more than Vinny Testaverde in 1986 when he won the Heisman Trophy. Rosier also had a school-record 3,588 total yards (3,120 passing, 468 passing) in his first year as the starter.
LSU: Ohio State grad transfer Joe Burrow gets his first college start in his LSU debut. Burrow appeared as a reserve in 10 games over two seasons with the Buckeyes, completing 29 of 39 passes for 287 yards and two TDs.
FACTS & FIGURES
It is the first meeting between LSU and Miami since the Tigers won 40-3 in the 2005 Peach Bowl. ... LSU has won all three of its games at AT&T Stadium, home of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys — all against Top 25 opponents. The Tigers beat Texas A&M in the 2011 Cotton Bowl, opened the 2011 season with a win over Oregon and beat TCU in 2013. ... Miami returns its top five tacklers from last season. ... The Hurricanes are playing a regular-season game in Texas for the first time in 10 years, since a 41-23 win at Texas A&M on Sept. 20, 2008.
