Capital One Bowl Game of the Week: LSU vs. UNC

The Capital One Bowl Game Of The Week is a preview of a pivotal matchup featuring teams from the Big Ten or SEC that could impact the bowl picture.

Week One:
#16 LSU (0-0) VS. #18 UNC (0-0)

Saturday, Sept. 4 –- 8:00 p.m.
Georgia Dome -- Atlanta, Ga. (ABC)
LSU leads series 5-1
Last Meeting: Oct. 25, 1986 (LSU 30, UNC 3)

LSU Outlook

LSU enters the 2010 season coming off a 9-4 (5-3 SEC) campaign with each loss having a margin of 10 points or less.  The Tigers return many of their offensive threats including quarterback Jordan Jefferson who started in 12 games, completing 182-of-296 attempts with 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He averaged 180.5 yards per game passing.

The Tigers will look to replace two key elements of their 2009 offense – wide receiver Brandon Lafell and running back Charles Scott – but have the personnel to fill in the gaps. Running back Stevan Ridley ran the ball 45 times last season and totaled 180 yards while scoring three touchdowns. Jefferson’s main targets this season will be Terrance Toliver – who started all 13 games for the squad in 2009 and averaged 13.9 yards on 53 catches while also adding three touchdowns– and Rueben Randle, who appeared in all 13 games and posted two touchdowns on 11 total plays while averaging 15.7 yards.

UNC Outlook

Despite the valiant efforts of the UNC defense, its offense could not pull through in big games and the team finished the 2009 campaign 8-5 (4-4 ACC). The Tarheels return 19 starters to their 2010 lineup. Defensive end Robert Quinn, DT Marvin Austin, LB Quan Sturdivant, LB Bruce Carter, CB Kenoric Burney and S Deunta Williams all made scoring in the ACC challenging and kept all opponents to only scoring 222 points in 13 games (17.1 per game). Austin’s recent suspension for violation of team rules is a big loss, but his fellow standouts on D will still make life difficult for opposing QBs.

Recognizing their inefficiencies, the Tar Heels spent the offseason fine tuning their offensive machine. They will return quarterback TJ Yates who has positioned himself to rank second among the school’s career passing leaders. Last season, he completed 214 passes on 355 attempts totaling 2,136 yards while adding 14 touchdown passes. The team also returns its leading rushers and receivers including running backs Ryan Houston, who finished with 713 yards and nine touchdowns, and Shaun Draughns, who carried the ball 124 times and finished with 567 yards. Wide receivers Erik Highsmith and Zach Pianalto totaled 37 and 33 catches, respectively, and added three combined touchdowns.

Impact on Bowl Picture

Both teams are considered darkhorses for their respective divisions, but have tough schedules. LSU plays at Florida, at Auburn and at Arkansas – another SEC West upstart – while UNC’s gauntlet for a potential ACC Coastal run includes the usual suspects (Georgia Tech, at Miami, Virginia Tech) as well as Atlantic division favorites Clemson and Florida State.   With a challenging road ahead for both teams, a neutral-site non-conference game like this one could be pivotal in positioning for bowl bids at the end of the year.  

Extra Point

Aside from the teams’ first meeting in 1948 (a 34-7 Tar Heel win and their only victory of the series), LSU has outscored UNC 116-26 all-time. This is their first meeting on a neutral field.