Louisiana State @ Louisville preview

BUFFALO WILD WINGS CITRUS BOWL STORYLINES

1. Lamar Jackson toyed with defenses for most of 2016 en route to becoming Louisville's first Heisman Trophy winner, but he'll likely face his toughest test of the season on Dec. 31 at the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla against LSU. The sophomore quarterback is the only player in FBS history to throw for 30-plus touchdowns and rush for 20-plus TDs in the regular season. The Tigers rank sixth in FBS in scoring defense (16.4 points) and 13th in total defense (323 yards per game).

2. LSU running back Leonard Fournette will not play after declaring for the NFL Draft earlier in the month. One year after rushing for 1,953 yards and 22 touchdowns - both school records - as a sophomore, the 2015 All-American was dogged by an August left ankle injury that forced him to miss four regular-season games as a junior. Despite missing nearly half the season, he'll leave as the Tigers' single-season leader in rushing yards per game (162.8), career rushing yards per game (119.7) and 200-yard games (five).

3. The Cardinals ended the regular season with a thud - allowing 11 sacks and committing 15 penalties in a 36-10 setback at Houston before losing 41-38 to Kentucky to snap a five-game winning streak in the series - and things have only gotten worse since. Linebackers James Hearns and Henry Famurewa were among three students shot near the school's campus hours after Jackson won the Heisman on Dec. 10. Less than a week later, the school suspended offensive coordinator Lonnie Galloway for his role in the Wake Forest play-sharing scandal.

TV: 11 a.m. ET, ABC. LINE: LSU -3

ABOUT LSU (7-4, 5-3 SEC): Darrius Guice emerged as one of the most explosive running backs in the country, averaging a league-high 7.9 yards per carry and running for a SEC-best 14 touchdowns while finishing second in the conference in rushing (1,249), even breaking Fournette's single-game school rushing record 33 days after he set it with 285 yards against Texas A&M. Danny Etling threw for 324 yards versus the Aggies as well, giving the Tigers a 300-yard passer and 200-yard rusher in the same game for the first time in school history. The defense is led by a pair of All-Americans in junior safety Jamal Adams (70 tackles) and senior linebacker Kendell Beckwith (9.1 tackles per game, second in the SEC).

ABOUT LOUISVILLE (9-3, 7-1 ACC): Despite committing five of the Cardinals' seven turnovers during their season-ending losing streak, Jackson totaled five touchdowns to set the ACC record for touchdowns responsible for in a single season (51) while breaking the single-season school marks for rushing yards (1,538) and 100-yard rushing performances (eight). Tight end Cole Hikutini (eight touchdowns), who is one of four Cardinals with at least 593 receiving yards, joins wideouts James Quick (six), Jaylen Smith (six) and Reggie Bonnafon (five) with at least five receiving touchdowns. Hearns, who is tied for the ACC lead with five forced fumbles and leads the team with eight sacks, is expected to make a full recovery, as is Famurewa and the cheerleader involved in the shootings.



PREDICTION: LSU 41, Louisville 31