LSU football vs. Tennessee: Score prediction, scouting report for underdog Tigers

BATON ROUGE - LSU football will have its toughest test of the season thus far when No. 8 Tennessee travels to Baton Rouge this Saturday (11 a.m., ESPN).

The Tigers (4-1, 2-0 SEC) enter the matchup after winning at Auburn last Saturday, 21-17. LSU – No. 25 in the AP poll but unranked in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA coaches poll – came back from a 17-0 first-half deficit to pull away with the win, its first road victory under coach Brian Kelly.

Tennessee (4-0, 1-0) had last weekend off after beating Florida at home, 38-33. The Vols are favored by 3 against the Tigers.

Here's a scouting report and score prediction for this week's game.

Will LSU be able to clean up communication issues in secondary?

LSU's secondary struggled with multiple coverage busts against Auburn, especially in the first half.

A lot of it had to do with safety Major Burns not being in the lineup, as he's been sidelined since the New Mexico game with an upper neck injury. The redshirt sophomore has been lauded for his communication skills in the secondary and was a key part of the unit's excellent performance against Mississippi State in Week 3.

Burns started running with the team this week, Kelly said, but won't begin performing noncontact drills until next week.

Without him, LSU will have to rely on Joe Foucha and Jarrick Bernard-Converse at safety next to Greg Brooks for another week.

Brooks was the hero vs. Auburn, thanks to a crucial interception late in the fourth quarter. But Foucha struggled in his first game back from suspension last week, and Bernard-Converse has mostly been a cornerback since arriving at LSU.

Whoever lines up at safety will have to be on their A-game. The Vols have one of the most explosive passing games in the nation.

Can LSU take advantage of Tennessee's secondary?

Tennessee's secondary is suspect, to say the least.

The Vols ranks 128th out of 131 FBS teams in pass defense. They'll also be missing a starter at cornerback in Warren Burrell, and allowed 453 passing yards to Florida's Anthony Richardson two weeks ago.

It's the right matchup for LSU's passing attack to straighten itself out after an inept performance against Auburn. Daniels completed just 8-of-20 passes for 80 yards, as LSU finished the game with only 85 passing yards.

How the passing game bounces back this week will go a long way in determining Saturday's outcome.

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Player to watch: Ramel Keyton

With star wide receiver Cedric Tillman likely not available this Saturday, Keyton is the next man up for Tennessee. But that's not necessarily a bad thing for the Vols.

Keyton, despite being the No. 4 wideout, has nine catches for 189 yards on 11 targets this season. He's averaging three yards per route run, and when quarterback Hendon Hooker has thrown it to him, Hooker has a 149.1 NFL passer rating, according to Pro Football Focus.

Bru McCoy and Jalin Hyatt have been fantastic, and Tillman is one of the best wideouts in the nation. But thanks to Keyton, Tennessee still has depth behind those three.

Score prediction: Tennessee 34, LSU 28

Tennessee has more paths to victory, in large part because of an unstoppable offense. Hooker has thrown just two interceptions since taking over as the starter last season. And although LSU has the personnel to potentially exploit the Vols' weaknesses, it will need to be drastically better than last week in those phases of the game, which is a lot to ask.

Koki Riley covers LSU sports for The Daily Advertiser and the USA TODAY Sports South Region. Email him at kriley@theadvertiser.com and follow him on Twitter at @KokiRiley.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: LSU football vs. Tennessee: Scouting report, score prediction