LSU and Notre Dame are two historic college football programs. 2014 was not a year that will loom large in either's history. Nevertheless, they meet tomorrow in Nashville for the Music City Bowl.
Music City Bowl To Be a "Physical" Battle
The Fighting Irish entered the season with major championship aspirations, but stumbled down the stretch, losing five out of their last six contests. Brian Kelly's injury-plagued defense gave up an average of 41 points a game in that stretch.
Starting quarterback Everett Golson was another source of major consternation for the Irish head coach. Kelly repeatedly talked up Golson, even going so far as to predict that he could be one of the best quarterbacks in the nation. However, Golson struggled with ball control, turning the ball over 22 times on the year (14 picks, 8 fumbles lost). He was benched midway through Notre Dame's regular season finale vs. USC in favor of freshman Malik Zaire, and now Kelly is saying he's going to use a QB-by-committee approach on Tuesday.
Brian Kelly Reveals Quarterback Strategy For Music City Bowl
"They're both going to play, and I'm just going to have to just get a feel for it and the flow of the game," Kelly said this weekend, via Bleacher Report. "I've [juggled multiple QBs] several times over several years. I've gone into playoff games when I was in Division II and had to run option with a guy that couldn't throw it.
"We can do a lot of things with two quarterbacks. It can be pretty exciting."
As for LSU, they enter the game ranked third in the nation in scoring defense. A dominant unit, the Tigers haven't allowed more than 20 points in regulation in over two months. Kelly predicted that LSU is going to get "physical" in this game; will the Irish be prepared for that?
Another factor at play is the determined fate of LSU coach Les Miles. He was originally considered a prime contender for the Michigan vacancy, but removed his name from contention very early on in the process. With no rampant speculation or media maelstrom surrounding them, the Tigers have been free to focus solely on football.
ND is 7-5 as an independent and 1-5 in its last six games. LSU is 8-4 as an SEC West team, and two of those losses were to former no. 1 Mississippi State by five and to current no. 1 Alabama in overtime. If Golson snaps out of his funk to regain the promising form he displayed in ND's 2012 championship runner-up season, the Irish have a shot. If he struggles early, however, this one could get ugly.
PREDICTION: LSU 24, Notre Dame 13
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