LSU vs. West Virginia: 5 Keys to This Important Top 25 Matchup

It’s Week 4 of the college football season, and LSU will face it’s third Top 25 team of the season when they take on West Virginia Saturday.

Can the Mountaineers do what no other team has yet been able to accomplish?

LSU has steamrolled each of their opponents both by dominating up front and smothering opposing offenses with quickness and athleticism on defense.

They’ve dominated teams that fit the same mold as West Virginia, shutting down Oregon and Mississippi State, two of the better spread offenses in all of college football.

West Virginia, on the other hand, has looked impressive in all three games that they’ve played, but almost lost to Maryland after a defensive meltdown in the second half.

To put it simply, both teams must bring their “A-game" this weekend if they want to stay undefeated.

Here are the five keys to LSU vs. West Virginia.

West Virginia Must Learn from Oregon and Mississippi State Mistakes

Alright West Virginia, I have a little test for you. Should you try to stretch the field horizontally while relying on your up-tempo offense to wear down this Tiger defense?

The correct answer would be no.

Just in case anyone is still skeptical about how great LSU’s defense is, let me throw some stats your way. Oregon is eighth in the nation this year in rushing, averaging 261 yards per game, and they only had 95 against LSU.

Still not convinced?

Mississippi State ranks 18^th in the nation in rushing yards per game with an average of 231, but LSU held them to only 52 yards rushing.

The Tigers have proven that that an up-tempo offense that stretches the field will not be successful against them because of the speed and athleticism in their secondary and defensive line.

West Virginia will have to be unpredictable on offense by mixing in screen plays and stretching the field vertically. Furthermore, they will have to play smart and limit turnovers.

LSU’s defense doesn’t need any help, and West Virginia can’t afford to turn the ball over. 

Big Game Experience: LSU Has the Advantage

College GameDay is coming to Morgantown Saturday, and ABC will be broadcasting this big non-conference match-up in prime time. Basically, ESPN is promoting this as the marquee game of the week.

I would agree with those who say that the Arkansas-Alabama game should get the most attention, but CBS has that game, so go figure.

But if there is a team in college football this year that is used to bright lights, it is LSU.

LSU plays in the SEC, was on ESPN networks or cable network television 10 times last year and opened this season in Cowboys Stadium against Oregon in a game that was hyped for the majority of the off-season.

West Virginia is used to the lights also, but I don’t know if they’re used to getting the exposure that a marquee game on ABC provides.

The College GameDay crew is coming to town, one of the best teams in the nation is coming to play and millions of fans will be watching on television.

Emotions will be running high, and the worst case scenario for the Mountaineers would be to let those emotions get the best of them and find themselves losing in the first quarter.

West Virginia Must Force Jarrett Lee Into Making Mistakes

I understand Maryland has a prolific offense, but if they piled on 188 rushing yards on the Mountaineers last Saturday, how many rushing yards will LSU pour on with their big offensive line up front?

LSU’s bread and butter is to line up and dominate teams at the line while rushing all over them with running backs Spencer Ware and Michael Ford.

The Tigers have already faced two teams in the Top 25 this year and still averaged 166 yards per game on the ground.

West Virginia has to shut down the run, and more importantly, has to force quarterback Jarrett Lee to make plays on his own.

Lee has been outstanding this year for the Tigers. He’s done exactly what his team needs him to do, as he’s managed their games extremely well, taken care of the ball and made plays when they needed.

His 19-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Rueben Randle proved he can make the big plays and win ballgames, so what West Virginia must do if they want to have a chance is force Lee to turn the ball over.

Lee is not afraid to take shots down the field and squeeze the ball into traffic every now and then, and that’s when the Mountaineers need to take advantage.

West Virginia will need turnovers to win this football game, and forcing Lee into making mistakes will be their best bet.

Geno Smith Must Be Electrifying

This game is Geno Smith's time to shine. He is a special talent who had a tremendous year last season but wasn’t overly impressive against the Tigers in 2010.

Last year at LSU, Smith completed 14 of his 29 passes for 119 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Those aren't terrible stats by any means, but he’s going to have to be Superman in this game.

Smith will need to evade the pocket when it collapses and make plays down the field in order to keep the LSU defense from dictating the pace.

He had a career day against Maryland's defense Saturday, passing for 388 yards, and he'll need to produce another big game this week.

Smith has the experience to be poised and deliver a performance West Virginia fans will not soon forget, but he has to start fast and keep the Tigers on their heels early.

LSU Must Play LSU Football

What LSU must do to win this game is really simple—they must play LSU football.

If the Tigers play physically up front, play outstanding defense, manage the game and don’t make costly mistakes, this game won’t even be close. West Virginia is a good football team and that crowd is going to be fired up, but hands down, LSU is the better football team.

They’re getting solid play from the quarterback position, and that was what many people thought to be the weak link of this team. As long as Lee is taking care of the football, LSU is always going to be a tough team to put away for any opponent.

LSU’s defense will give West Virginia fits and the offensive line will create gaping holes for running backs Ware and Ford.

If the Tigers don’t try anything fancy and Lee continues to play well, it’s going to be a long night for the Mountaineers.