Citrus Bowl 2016: LSU vs. Louisville TV Schedule, Time and Odds
One of bowl season's most interesting matchups occurs Saturday morning when the No. 20 LSU Tigers meet the No. 13 Louisville Cardinals in the 2016 Citrus Bowl.
The Tigers (7-4) ride one of the nation's best defenses into the matchup and look like one of the best stories of the season after head coach Ed Orgeron led the program to a 5-2 mark after taking over for Les Miles.
The Cardinals (9-3), of course, boast Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson, who will look to finish his campaign with an exclamation point while bringing the Cardinals back from a shocking two-game skid.
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Call it the perfect matchup given the opposing strengths, and one of the best ways to spend the morning for College Football Playoff matchups later in the day. Here's everything to know.
Citrus Bowl 2016
Date: Saturday, Dec. 31
Time (ET): 11 a.m.
Location: Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Florida
Watch: ABC
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Tickets: ScoreBig.com
Over/Under: 59.5
Spread: LSU (-3)
Team Injury Reports
| Andre Anthony | DE | Doub Sat |
| Tre'Davious White | CB | Prob Sat |
| Arden Key | DE | Prob Sat |
| Kendell Beckwith | LB | Out Sat |
| Bry'Kiethon Mouton | FB | Prob Sat |
| Leonard Fournette | RB | Out Sat |
| Travin Dural | WR | Prob Sat |
| Corey Thompson | S | Out for season |
| Rickey Jefferson | S | Out for season |
| Isaiah Washington | DE | Out for season |
| Christian LaCouture | DT | Doub Sat |
| Henry Famurewa | LB | Doub Sat |
| James Hearns | LB | Doub Sat |
| Jamari Staples | WR | Ques Sat |
| L.J. Scott | RB | Ques Sat |
| London Iakopo | S | Out for season |
| Trevon Young | LB | Out for season |
| Cornelius Sturghill | CB | Out for season |
Injury reports courtesy of USA Today.
No Backing Down
LSU isn't one to be intimidated by Jackson.
How could the Tigers flinch? Safety Jamal Adams looks like an NFL first-round pick and corner Tre'Davious White can run with anyone in the country. On the year, only one team scored more than 21 points against the unit.
Orgeron deserves much of the credit for a steady transition. Over the team's 5-2 march to the end of the season, the losses came in 10-0 fashion to No. 1 Alabama and 16-10 to then-No. 23 Florida.
As corner Donte Jackson put it, the contest against Louisville is just another game.
"We understand that he is a dynamic player, we understand that he's the Heisman Trophy winner ... but we're going to treat it like a regular game. He's a great player, but we're a great defense, and we're going to be ready to play," Jackson said, according to Stats LLC (via ESPN.com).
If LSU does need to put points on the board in a hurry to counter Jackson, it won't have running back Leonard Fournette. This isn't as terrible as it sounds, though, not with Derrius Guice leading the team in rushing anyway at 1,249 yards and 14 touchdowns while averaging eight yards per carry. The electric sophomore has two games at 250 or more rushing yards and multiple rushing scores in four.
If the defense shows up as usual, Guice will have LSU fans thinking quite highly about the future, led by Orgeron.
Finishing Strong
The Cardinals did anything but finish the regular season strong.
Looking a great bowl berth in the eye, Louisville went to Houston in mid-November and took a 36-10 whipping. It then returned home and went down in another upset against Kentucky, 41-38.
As great as Jackson has been on his march to the Heisman, he only threw three touchdowns over those two games, threw as many picks and lost two fumbles.
Those hiccups shouldn't diminish Jackson's entire campaign, though, not after he threw for 3,390 yards and 30 touchdowns against nine interceptions while also leading the team in rushing with 234 attempts for 1,538 yards and 21 touchdowns.
Brandon Radcliff, a mainstay for the Cardinals, complemented his star quarterback well with 877 yards and six touchdowns on a 6.6 yard-per-carry average. Jeremy Smith also scored six touchdowns, with the run-first approach producing notable wins such as a 63-20 thumping of then-No. 2 Florida State.
Jackson and his rolling offense understand the challenges LSU presents.
“They have a great D-line, great secondary,” Jackson said, according to Inside the Ville's Mike Hughes. “We have to get ready. From watching film, their D-line (looks like a strength). They’re fast and they move a lot.”
LSU will indeed look to fluster Jackson much in the same way Houston and Kentucky did. The caveat for Louisville is it owns the same tape and Jackson played in those games.
Should the Heisman winner learn from mistakes made to close the season, he'll reinforce his individual hardware while getting the program a much-needed win.
Prediction
The allure of rolling with Jackson in this matchup is strong, but it is far too difficult to ignore Louisville's struggles down the stretch.
Whereas LSU made a coaching change and even looked strong in losses to two of the top programs in the SEC, the Cardinals took losses to one game opponent and a 7-5 team while struggling in the cold.
The closest thing to LSU's defense Louisville saw all year was then-No. 5 Clemson's in a 42-36 loss in which Jackson could only throw for one score and an interception.
Saturday, look for the LSU defense to fluster Jackson at times, giving Guice enough wiggle room to carry the load and nurse a lead late in the game.
Prediction: LSU 28, Louisville 24
Statistics courtesy of ESPN unless otherwise specified. All betting information courtesy of OddsShark.
Follow Chris Roling (@Chris_Roling) on Twitter.
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