Where do Malik Nabers, Brian Thomas rank among the best wide receivers nationally? 3 LSU questions
BATON ROUGE – LSU football will roll into its idle week on a three game winning streak, smashing Army on Saturday, 62-0 in Tiger Stadium.
The Tigers (6-2) got out to a 38-0 halftime lead on the back of Jayden Daniels' 279 passing yards and four total touchdowns, as LSU also forced three first-half turnovers from the Black Knights to widen its lead.
Here are three questions following LSU's dominant victory.
Where do Malik Nabers, Brian Thomas Jr. rank among WRs nationally?
Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. have been one of the most lethal 1-2 wide receiver combos in the nation this season.
Nabers leads the nation in receiving yards (by nearly 100 yards) and receiving yards per game. He's 19 receiving yards away from becoming the first LSU wideout since Josh Reed to have consecutive 1,000-plus yard receiving seasons.
Nabers is also third in the country in touchdowns, only behind Utah State wideout Jalen Royals and his own teammate in Thomas, who is first. Thomas, meanwhile, is 10th in the nation in receiving yards.
Thiose numbers include the duo's continued dominance this weekend against Army. Nabers had four catches for 121 yards and two touchdowns, while Thomas had three catches for 122 yards and two scores.
"We're going to take advantage of our athletes in space against what you give us in terms of coverages," coach Brian Kelly said. "If you're going to play a lot of cover-2, we're going to run the football. And we're going to push the ball down the field vertically."
How helpful will the upcoming off week be for LSU?
LSU could certainly use this upcoming week of rest.
The Tigers are dealing with multiple injuries and absences in their cornerbacks room.
Denver Harris and Duce Chestnut were inactive and Ashton Stamps was out with an injury against Army. JK Johnson has been out injured since the beginning of preseason practices, and Zy Alexander suffered a left leg injury just before halftime Saturday.
But its not just the cornerbacks room that is ailing. Emery Jones and Mekhi Wingo sat out against Army with injuries as well.
"I definitely want to go 100% healthy," Maason Smith said. "You know, getting in the training room, getting my hands (right). I had a couple dislocated fingers (over) the past few weeks."
A THINNING CB ROOM: Why LSU football's cornerbacks room is on red alert entering off week, Alabama showdown
LSU CRUSHES ARMY: LSU football pummels Army as Alabama awaits following off week
LSU GRADES VS. ARMY: Grading LSU football, Jayden Daniels' dominant performance over Army
How has Omar Speights played recently?
Omar Speights has missed three games and was slowed down in another one this season due to a hip flexor injury. But over the past two weeks, the Oregon State transfer has been healthy – and better results have followed.
Speights has 17 total tackles over the past two weeks. He led the team with nine tackles against Army and had a quarterback pressure against Auburn.
It's also probably not a coincidence that LSU's front seven has been more organized and better against the run with Speights fully healthy and back in the lineup.
Get the latest news and insight on SEC football by subscribing to the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.
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: Malik Nabers, Brian Thomas Jr. statistical rankings
