LSU football vs. Grambling State: Score prediction, scouting report on historic matchup

BATON ROUGE — LSU football has never faced Grambling State on the football field.

But that's set to change on Saturday when coach Brian Kelly and the Tigers (0-1) host Grambling (0-1) for their home opener in Tiger Stadium (6:30 p.m., ESPN+).

Here's a preview of the historic matchup and a score prediction for the game.

What will LSU do with Harold Perkins?

Harold Perkins' lack of activity last Sunday became a major storyline following LSU's embarrassing 45-24 to Florida State last Sunday.

And it became a big topic for good reason.

Instead of terrorizing Seminoles quarterback Jordan Travis as an outside pass rusher, Perkins' duties mostly limited him to standing in the middle of the field as an inside linebacker. He didn't adapt to his new role well, recording four tackles and two quarterback pressures, according to Pro Football Focus.

But there's a chance Perkins will revert more to his old pass-rushing role this weekend. Kelly on Tuesday said that LSU is reevaluating its role for Perkins on defense.

"I think there's a happy medium there that we could probably strike," Kelly said.

Can Jayden Daniels push the ball downfiled more often?

A point of emphasis for Daniels this offseason was to improve his aggressiveness and ability to throw the ball deep.

But on Sunday against the Seminoles, Daniels' averaged depth of target was only 7.8 yards, according to PFF. He completed one pass of more than 20 yards and completed just five passes that went at least 10 yards.

Daniels has a good opportunity to test and improve his downfield throwing capabilities this weekend against Grambling State, a weaker FCS opponent. LSU will need him to work on it because surviving the SEC West without an effective deep-passing attack won't be easy.

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Player to watch: Lewis Matthews

A Ferriday native, Matthews is a senior middle linebacker for Grambling. He led the team with 103 total tackles a season ago, also recording 12 quarterback pressures and a pass breakup, according to PFF.

Matthews had eight total tackles last week against Hampton and figures to be the focal point of Grambling's defense as it tries to slow down LSU.

Score prediction: LSU 49, Grambling State 14

LSU jumps out to an insurmountable lead in the first half before its second and third teams take over in the second half.

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Koki Riley covers LSU sports for The Daily Advertiser. Email him at kriley@theadvertiser.com and follow him on Twitter at @KokiRiley

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: LSU football score prediction vs. Grambling State