Eastern Michigan Eagles vs. No. 9 LSU Tigers football: Q&A with And The Valley Shook

The Eastern Michigan Eagles (1-3) is coming off of a really poor game against Army and will now have to face the LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge this weekend. Billy Gomila from And The Valley Shook and I talk about Saturday's game:

We all know that Leonard Fournette is great and all: everybody's seen it on Sportscenter. People are actually comparing him to Hershel Walker though. Is Fournette honestly a generational running back, or is everybody just really excited?

He is special, there's no doubt about that. LSU started recruiting this kid when he was 15, and fans were along for just about every twist and turn. It almost felt weird to finally see him in action last year. But he's at a different level this season. The game has slowed down, he's reading blocking and defenses and finding room even when it's not blocked for him.

And it's usually blocked for him.

I've liked LSU as a team from the SEC that I like to root for (don't know why, it just has been since high school). The way I look at it: LSU will make the playoff if they have the quarterback that'll take them there. Do the Tigers have that dude?

Brandon Harris is off to a good start. I know his numbers are pretty low, but he's been poised and very efficient, and the coaching staff has trusted him a little more with each week. It wouldn't surprise me if he cuts it lose a little bit on Saturday.

Eastern Michigan's best offensive threat is running back Darius Jackson. Good mix of speed and strength, a real playmaker. How has your defense looked against other running backs this season? Is there a style that they're vulnerable against?

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Honestly LSU's struggled a little more with running quarterbacks to date, giving up some plays to Auburn's Jeremy Johnson and Syracuse's Patrick Mahoney. To be honest, I just don't think they've had a great test from a running back so far. Shutting down Mississippi State and Auburn don't seem all that impressive in hindslight.

I think if the Eagles move the ball down field, they'll have their opportunities to score via field goal. I'm hoping that 15+ yard pass plays become and emphasized part of the game plan, but has LSU been able to limit big plays this year?

Very much so, with just six plays over 20 yards to date. LSU has a pretty good group of defensive backs, and the pass rush is much improved from a year ago, so that's helped.

Imagine: end of the third quarter, it's a 35-35 tie ball game. How crazy of a thought is that for you?

Pretty crazy. I suspected that Syracuse might be a little more frisky than they should be due to the road trip and the early start time. But that's not the case, and with a night game and a team that has some motivation to clean up a lot of mistakes from last week, I'd be very surprised if this doesn't get out of hand quickly. Especially with Fournette matching up against a pretty bad rush defense.