BATON ROUGE, La. — If No. 14 LSU wants to remain firmly in the AP Top 25, it needs a convincing victory over Grambling State of the lower-tier Football Championship Subdivision.
Grambling seeks what would be one of the more meaningful victories in the history of its already storied HBCU program.
It’s the first meeting between LSU and Grambling. LSU never played a historically black college program until the Tigers hosted Southern a year ago. Grambling State seeks its first win over a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent since defeating Oregon State 23-6 in 1985.
The last time GSU faced an FBS opponent in Louisiana was in 2019, a 20-14 loss to Louisiana Tech. LSU has won 35 straight against Louisiana-based opponents.
GAME NOTES:
Grambling (0-1) at No. 14 LSU (0-1), Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (SECN+)
Line: No line, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Series record: First meeting.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
LSU needs a convincing victory over its lower-tier, Football Championship Subdivision opponent if it wants to remain firmly in the AP Top 25. Grambling seeks what would be one of the more meaningful victories in the history of its already storied HBCU program.
KEY MATCHUP
LSU’s defensive backfield vs. Grambling’s passing game. Grambling quarterback Myles Crawley passed for 311 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a 35-31 loss to Hampton last weekend. LSU’s much maligned secondary allowed 359 yards and four TDs through the air in a 45-24 loss to Florida State in its opener on Sunday.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Grambling: WR Lyndon Rash caught eight passes for 90 yards and a touchdown last week.
LSU: QB Jayden Daniels accounted for 410 yards from scrimmage, with 346 through the air and 64 on the ground.
FACTS & FIGURES
Grambling State seeks its first win over a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent since defeating Oregon State 23-6 in 1985. The last time GSU faced an FBS opponent in Louisiana was in 2019, a 20-14 loss to Louisiana Tech. … Grambling has not played a game in Baton Rouge since 1972. Although Grambling’s archrival is Southern, which is based in Baton Rouge, those teams have matched up annually in the Bayou Classic at neutral sites — usually the Superdome in New Orleans — since 1974. … LSU played its first game against a historically black college program when the Tigers hosted Southern a year ago, beating the Jaguars 65-17. … LSU has won 12 straight and 61 of 62 games vs. non-conference opponents in Tiger Stadium. … LSU is riding a 35-game winning streak against Louisiana opponents. … LSU’s last loss to another Louisiana team came in 1982, when Tulane beat the Tigers in Baton Rouge. … LSU is 3-1 under coach Brian Kelly in games following a loss.
