Bet LSU Tigers – Tigers Trying To Find Momentum

2009 LSU Tigers Betting Recap

Those with experience in online betting have to begin wondering just what is happening down on the Bayou. Head coach Les Miles inherited a team from Nick Saban that was primed for a national championship run and Miles carried out that mission in 2007. Since then, the program has resembled Saban’s well-oiled machine less and less by the day. The 2009 edition had a baffling combination of up and down moments that leave pundits wondering just what is in store in 2010.

LSU’s struggles in 2009 can be summed up with one word: offense. Particularly, the Tigers’ lack of it hurt them in crucial games. Quarterback Jordan Jefferson was forced into playing as a freshman late in 2008. The hope was that the emergency experience would bode well for the offense in 2009, but the points and yards never came and the Tigers faltered down the stretch following a hot start.

After starting 5-0 and peaking at No. 4 in the polls, the Tigers offense sputtered against top ranked Florida. The Tigers completed just 11 passes for 92 yards en route to a 13-3 loss. They rebounded to beat Auburn and Tulane at home before again seeing the offense disappear in a 24-15 loss at Alabama. That loss was particularly disheartening since the Tigers’ defense had kept them in the fray until the final minutes of regulation. Rock bottom arrived in a last-second loss at Ole Miss in which LSU gained just 290 yards and was unable to attempt a last-play game- winning field goal due to poor clock management. After slipping by Arkansas in the regular season finale, the Tigers were stymied again by Penn State in the Capital One Bowl and lost 19-17 to finish a disappointing 9-4.

2010 Preview to Bet LSU Tigers

NCAA football betting enthusiasts are plenty wary of LSU in 2010, and with good reason. Just 10 starters return and only four on the defense that carried the team so much in 2009. The defense does return its leading tackler, linebacker Kelvin Sheppard, plus All-America candidate Patrick Peterson at cornerback. The Tigers will need both players to play at an extremely high level to compensate for the loss of three defensive linemen. Miles and defensive coordinator John Chavis have to be concerned with so much turnover on a defense they relied on so heavily last year.

The offense returns six starters, including Jordan Jefferson at quarterback. Talented dual threat Russell Shepard will be a full-time wide receiver in 2010 after being used as a change-of-pace running quarterback as a freshman. The coaching staff hopes that his athleticism will breathe some life into the passing game. Talented senior wide receiver Terrence Tolliver will line up opposite Shepard, giving LSU two legitimate pass catching threats. There’s talent but little experience at running back. Whoever carries the ball will run behind three returning starters on the line.

A sports betting veteran will wince at LSU’s schedule. The Tigers open in Atlanta against North Carolina, a team that will field as many as eight future NFL players on defense. Road trips to Florida, Auburn and Arkansas will all be tremendous tests. The home schedule is even difficult with Alabama, Tennessee, and Big East foe West Virginia coming to Baton Rouge. This is a tough slate against which to recapture momentum that was decidedly lost in 2009.