Predictions: LSU vs. Grambling in Week 2 Battle

LSU will host Grambling in Tiger Stadium on Saturday with this program looking to get back on track following their Week 1 loss to Florida State.

With star defensive lineman Maason Smith making his long-awaited return, the Tigers will see one of the top defensive players in college football suit back up in the purple and gold.

Here's a look into Saturday's best bets, three players to watch and predictions:

Best Bets via BetMGM Sportsbook:

Not only will fans in Baton Rouge be happy to see Grambling State rather than Florida State, they’ll simply be happy having a home game this weekend. Traveling to take on a top-10 team to open the season is never an easy task, but the College Football Playoff committee will certainly take that into account.

We still saw Heisman-hopeful Jayden Daniels throw for just under 350 yards and rush for 64 yards. The fact that he led the team in rushing is a concern, but again, the Seminoles defense won’t be on the field this Saturday. Instead, they’ll be facing a Grambling rushing defense that just allowed two RBs to eclipse 100 yards and three touchdowns between them.

That came against another team you may not have heard of - Hampton. That’s right, Grambling allowed a whopping 283 yards on the ground in their loss Week 1, so LSU should get those rushing numbers up in comparison to last week. When the Tigers opened the season against a lesser opponent last season, they poured it on in a 65-17 win over Southern University.

With Daniels still looking strong, we expect more of the same. So, if we get odds at BetMGM Sportsbook, we’d make our best Grambling vs. LSU prediction on a big home Tigers win.

Three LSU Players to Watch:

Maason Smith - Defensive Line

LSU defensive lineman Maason Smith will make his long-awaited return in the purple and gold in Week 2 against Grambling. It's been a journey for the redshirt sophomore after tearing his ACL on Sept. 4, 2022 in the season opener, but now it's his time to make an impact.

The return of Smith had to wait a week. After receiving a suspension from the NCAA for the 2023 season opener against Florida State, Smith has reached the finish line.

It'll be an emotional night for Smith but a night where he slowly eases back into things.

“I think we have to be realistic that when you haven’t played in over a year, he’s not going to be able to play the duration of the game," Kelly said on Wednesday. "If we can get somewhere near 30 snaps we’d be really excited about that. He’s practicing for us but it’s going to take a little bit of time. Hopefully we can get somewhere in that range of quality snaps from him and give him a chance to impact the game.”

Look for Smith to get his legs back underneath him against Grambling as the Tigers gear up for SEC play beginning with Mississippi State in Week 3.

Kaleb Jackson - Running Back

True freshman running back Kaleb Jackson has the chance to get significant run against Grambling on Saturday with an opportunity to make an impact. Jackson shined towards the end of Fall Camp, and with a run-game that struggled in Week 1 against Florida State, we could see this coaching staff shake things up.

Notre Dame transfer Logan Diggs will return this week, but with Jackson set to earn some playing time as well in the backfield, we could see the youngster begin to take strides in the right direction.

Look for Jackson to get run with the second and third team on Saturday as the freshman prepares to take on a larger work load in his first game in Death Valley.

Chris Hilton - Wide Receiver

Chris Hilton has an opportunity to take significant snaps on Saturday and Brian Kelly alluded to that in his Thursday press conference. After Hilton didn’t see the field against Florida State in Week 1, it raised eyebrows after the deep threat wideout impressed during Fall Camp.

Now, Kelly is prepared to let Hilton loose. On Thursday, Kelly detailed how Hilton has “earned” the chance to receive playing time and on Saturday he’ll get just that.

With an opportunity for second and third team players to see significant snaps, look for Garrett Nussmeier and Hilton to shine. The two looked the part during fall camp as they connection grew, and now with a chance to prove it in Tiger Stadium, it’ll be a key piece to monitor on Saturday.

Final Prediction:

Prediction: LSU 56, Grambling 10