ATLANTA — Todd Blackledge has served as a college football analyst for 25 years, starting at ABC Sports in 1994, moving to CBS in 1999 and joining ESPN in 2006.
Saturday, Blackledge will team with Sean McDonough to call the Peach Bowl between Oklahoma and LSU.
Blackledge spoke with The Oklahoman about the game and the two teams involved:
"I think the most interesting thing to me right off the top is the stories between the two quarterbacks. I’m always partial to quarterbacks, but this one’s fascinating to me. They’re both Heisman finalists, they both transferred from another high-profile school, they both have found great success this year and they find themselves squaring off in the playoffs. And in the case of Jalen Hurts, they’re doing it in a building and in a venue where he’s had one of his greatest moments in his career and one of his lowest moments of his career. That whole dynamic is fascinating to me."
How big would the loss of Clyde Edwards-Helaire be for LSU?
"Clyde Edwards-Helaire is a critical piece of what LSU does offensively. Not only is he a 1,200-yard rusher, but he’s caught 50 passes out of the backfield. Really his emergence as a receiver started about halfway through the season as teams started to play more zone to not get beat on the outside against the wide receivers, he became a much more viable option in the passing game for Joe Burrow. He is a great player. If he can’t play or he’s limited, I think that’s a critical thing for LSU."
What’s the key for OU trying to slow down LSU’s receivers?
"On paper and just from a matchup standpoint, those guys are all difficult to deal with. Ja’Marr Chase is very physical. Justin Jefferson is a great route-runner. Terrace Marshall is the fastest. They’re all big. They’re all bigger than the defensive backs that Oklahoma has. Parnell Motley has kind of proven himself over the last few games and is a guy that wants to take on the challenge of playing man-to-man. I think the biggest thing is whether it’s in man coverage or whether it’s in zone coverage, just not giving up easy plays, not getting something thrown over your head where you’re giving them easy, big chunk plays or easy touchdowns. Make LSU earn it by moving the ball down the field throwing the football. That means playing sound on defense in your coverage and in your coverage responsibilities and also being able to tackle well in space and not allowing a short catch to be turned into a long gain."
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December 25, 2019 at 08:04AM
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ESPN's Todd Blackledge: Clyde Edwards-Helaire's injury 'a critical thing for LSU' vs. OU - Oklahoman.com
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