The LSU Tigers will look to bounce back and perhaps keep theirvCollege Football Playoff hopes alive alive Saturday at home against Texas.
Kickoff is 6:30 p.m. in Tiger Stadium (ABC).
LSU (6-3, 3-3 SEC) is coming off a 31-13 home loss to Alabama. The Tigers dropped to No. 21 in the College Football Playoff rankings, No. 22 in the AFCA Coaches Poll and No. 24 in the AP Top 25.
Texas (7-2, 4-2) defeated Missouri 34-20 last week. The Longhorns are No. 6 in the playoff rankings and No. 8 in the AP Top 25 and coaches poll.
This is the first meeting between the teams since LSU won 45-28 in 2019 in Austin.
LSU Head Coach Lane Kiffin said he always tells his players to not listen to the noise outside the program.
“One of the hardest things to do is letting go of the previous outcome,” he said during his weekly press conference Monday. “That’s hard both ways. You’ve got to let go of good too. You can play really good. You’ve got a lot of work to do to not listen to that noise. I just said,’Here it comes; this is going to be the everything we do is wrong noise, ‘ We lost to Alabama, especially the final score looking the way that it did.”
Kiffin said the playing too-10 teams like Alabama and Texas back-to-back can create the opportunity to get back on track after a loss.
Texas quarterback Arch Manning his making his first appearance in Tiger Stadium. Manning, of course, is Archie’s grandson and the nephew of Peyton and Eli.
Kiffin knows Arch well.
“I really enjoyed the time around Arch,” he said. “Great kid.”
Kiffin said Manning has had a lot to deal with.
“Even when he was in high school the expectations, pressure and everything around him,” he said.
Manning has had his share of critics in his one-plus years as a starter, but he’s led the Longhorns to three straight victories since a 27-24 loss to Florida on Oct. 17.
He ranks seventh in the SEC in yards passing per game. He has completed 168-of-254 for 2,024 yards and 18 touchdowns with seven interceptions.
Three Longhorn receivers have 400 or more yards led by Ryan Wingo with 42 catches for 523 yards.
Raleigh Brown leads the team in rushing with 537 yards on 109 carries and six touchdowns.
Texas ranks No. 12 in the conference in total offense at 360.67 yards per game and third in defense at 280.11.
LSU continues to rank first in both categories at 504.11 and 260.11, respectively.
Sam Leavitt ranks first in yards passing per game at 283.67. He has completed 215-of-303 passes for 2,553 yards and 17 touchdowns with nine interceptions.
Jackson Harris ranks second in receiving at 88.89 yards per game. He has 47 catches for 800 yards and seven touchdowns.
Dilin Jones ranks fourth in rushing yards per game at 79.22. He has 713 yards on 166 carries and seven touchdowns.
LSU had had problems scoring touchdowns in the red zone and even inside the 10. Against Alabama, the Tigers were in the red zone four times. LSU also was 0-for-4 on fourth-down conversions.