Saturday, December 31, 2016

Citrus Bowl

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

The LSU Tigers take on the Louisville Cardinals on Saturday, December 31, 2016 in the Citrus Bowl. The opening line for this game has Louisville as 1 point favorites. This season the Tigers are 5-6-0 against the spread and their over/under record is 2-7-2. The Cardinals have an over/under record of 8-4-0 and they are 5-6-1 against the spread.

Danny Etling finished with 324 yards through the air for LSU in his last game. He completed 20 passes out of 28 attempts for a 71% completion percentage. The Tigers were led in rushing by Derrius Guice, who finished with 285 yards on 37 rushes. He ended the contest with an average of 8 yards per carry. Russell Gage was the team leader in receiving with a total of 62 yards and 5 receptions. He finished the game with an average of 12 yards per reception. As a team in that game LSU got a total of 28 first downs. Of those first downs, 13 came on the ground while 13 came through the air. They ran 74 total plays for 622 yards for the game. The Tigers ran for 298 yards on 46 attempts.

Lamar Jackson finished with 281 yards passing for Louisville in his last contest. He went 16 for 25, resulting in a 64% completion percentage. The Cardinals were led on the ground by Lamar Jackson, who finished with 171 yards on 25 carries. He ended the game with an average of 7 yards per rush. Cole Hikutini led the team in receiving with 100 yards and 7 catches. He finished the game with an average of 14 yards per reception. Louisville had 26 first downs total. 14 came from running the ball and 12 came from a pass. They ran 71 total plays for 561 yards for the contest. The Cardinals ran for 280 yards on 46 carries as a team.

LSU scores 28.3 points per game on offense this season, which ranks 68th in Division 1. In the passing department, they average 14.4 passes on 24.5 attempts for a 58.7 percent completion percentage this season. They throw for a total of 187.6 yards per game through the air as well, which ranks them 101st in college football. The Tigers run for an average of 238.2 yards per game on 37.9 attempts for an average of 6.3 yards per carry. That ranks them 20th in the nation. They also run 62.4 plays per contest and average 6.8 yards per play for an average of 425.8 yards per game, ranking their offense 60th overall this season. The Tigers average 19.5 first downs per game which ranks them 98th in the country. They accumulate 40.4 penalty yards per game via 4.9 penalties, which ranks 114th in the nation.

LSU allows 201.2 passing yards per game, ranking 31st in D-1, and they allow 16.4 points per contest on defense, which ranks 6th. They give up 16.7 completions on 30.6 attempts per game for a completion percentage of 54.6. The Tigers allow 121.8 rushing yards per game on 35.8 carries for an average of 3.4 yards per carry, which ranks their rush defense 16th in the country. LSU allows 323 total yards per game including 4.9 yards per play, which ranks their overall defense 13th in terms of yards per game. They force 1.5 turnovers per contest and get flagged for 5.1 penalties for 40.5 yards per game, ranking them 15th among D-1 teams.

Louisville averages 45.3 points per game this season on offense, which ranks them 1st in the country. In the passing department, they complete 19.8 passes per game on 34.1 attempts for a 58.2 percent completion percentage. They throw for 302 yards through the air per game, ranking them 14th in Division 1. The Cardinals run for an average of 256.8 yards per game on 40.8 attempts for an average of 6.3 yards per carry this season, which ranks them 10th on the ground. They also run 74.9 plays per game and average 7.5 yards per play for a total of 558.8 yards per game, ranking them 2nd in the country on offense. The Cardinals get an average of 26.2 first downs per game, which ranks 6th in the nation. They average 71.9 penalty yards per game via 7.8 penalties, ranking them 6th in college football.

Louisville allows an average of 206.3 passing yards per game, which ranks 38th in Division 1. Their defense overall allows 23.3 points per contest, which has them ranked 33rd in the nation. They give up 17.3 completions on 31.8 attempts for a completion percentage of 54.5 per game. The Cardinals allow 110 rushing yards per contest on 36.8 carries for a 3 average per rush, ranking their overall rush defense 10th in the country. Louisville allows 316.3 total yards per game for an average of 4.6 yards per play, which ranks 11th in D-1. They force 2 turnovers per contest and 6.1 penalties for 57.5 yards in each contest, ranking 88th in the nation.

LSU Betting Trends

LSU is 2-7-2 against the over/under this season

LSU has an ATS record of 5-6-0 this season

Louisville Betting Trends

Louisville is 8-4-0 against the over/under this season

Louisville has an ATS record of 5-6-1 this season

Injuries to Watch

LSU

12/05/16 DE Arden Key Suspension Served probable Saturday vs. Louisville
12/05/16 LB Kendell Beckwith Knee expected to miss Saturday vs. Louisville
12/05/16 WR Travin Dural Undisclosed probable Saturday vs. Louisville
12/05/16 CB Tre'Davious White Ankle probable Saturday vs. Louisville
12/04/16 FB Bry'Kiethon Mouton Undisclosed "?" Saturday vs. Louisville
12/04/16 RB Leonard Fournette Ankle "?" Saturday vs. Louisville
11/03/16 WR Jazz Ferguson Suspension out for season
11/02/16 LB Corey Thompson Ankle out for season
10/14/16 S Rickey Jefferson Ankle out indefinitely
08/16/16 DE Isaiah Washington Leg out for season
08/10/16 DT Christian LaCouture ACL out for season

Louisville

12/05/16 WR Jamari Staples Undisclosed "?" Saturday vs. LSU
09/29/16 S London Iakopo Knee out for season
09/26/16 LB Trevon Young Hip out for season
08/19/16 DB Cornelius Sturghill Foot out for season

Josh's Pick: Take Louisville

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Josh Schonwald