Georgia Southern at LSU 8/31/19 - College Football Picks & Predictions

Last Updated: 08/20/2019 at 10:18 PM ET

On Saturday August 31, the Georgia Southern Eagles visit Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana to play the No. 6 ranked LSU Tigers in the opening game of the college football regular season for both.

Georgia Southern will have starting quarterback Shai Werts back under center and talented running back Wesley Kennedy Jr. returns from last season. Top lineman Jeremiah Culberth is gone, but Curtis Rainey will return as the anchor at center and others are ready to step up to protect the pocket and open holes for the running game. The cornerbacks led by Kindle Vildor are the strength of the defense, while the front seven is adequate by needs a better pass rush than last season.  

LSU is ranked No. 6 in the preseason polls and with good reason as 16 of 22 starters are back. Joe Burrow returns at quarterback as does Burrow’s favorite target wide receiver Justin Jefferson. The Tigers offensive line returns four starters, but must reduce the number of sacks (35) from last season. LSU running game is the one unknown as the season starts with just Clyde Edwards-Helaire returning from last season.

The LSU defense will be aggressive and stingy. Freshman cornerback Derek Stingley is expected to be one of the country’s best from the start. Speed is the key for this Tigers defense and in this one should be a dominating advantage for LSU.

Shai Werts led the Eagles last season with 987 yards passing and 10 touchdowns, while rushing for 908 yards and 15 TDs. The leading running back returning from last season is Wesley Kennedy III who rushed for 495 yards and three touchdowns. The top receiver returning for Georgia Southern is Kennedy III who caught 15 passes for 182 yards.

Joe Burrow threw for 2,894 yards, 16 touchdowns and five interceptions in 2018 for LSU. Clyde Edwards-Helaire returns as the top running back from last season when he rushed for 658 yards and seven touchdowns. Justin Jefferson is the top receiver from last season. Jefferson is coming off a season of 54 receptions for 875 yards and six touchdowns.

LSU has much more talent than Georgia Southern. The Tigers will use a balanced attack of run and pass to put big numbers on the scoreboard. Georgia Southern relies on its running game and will be facing a stubborn and stingy LSU defense. If the Eagles are unable to forge out a ground game, there will be plenty of three-and-outs and LSU will run away and hide with a rout. Final Score Prediction, LSU Tigers win and cover ATS 42-10.

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