LSU @ Syracuse preview

As far as compliments go, LSU running back Leonard Fournette cannot do much better than what Syracuse coach Scott Shafer said earlier this week. "In my 26 years (of coaching), I think this kid is the most talented tailback we will have gone against. ... Remember Earl Campbell? That's who he reminds me of," Shafer said of the LSU sophomore, who will lead the ninth-ranked Tigers into the Carrier Dome on Saturday afternoon.

Fournette's first two games of 2015 have been nothing short of spectacular with totals of 387 rushing yards and six touchdowns on a sparkling 8.2 yards per carry. "We're really good," Fournette told reporters after last weekend's 45-21 trouncing of Auburn. "We're better than what we thought." LSU finished with 411 rushing yards last week, including a career-high 66 yards and two TD plunges by quarterback Brandon Harris. Syracuse, meanwhile, is 3-0 for the first time since 1991 but is down to its third- and fourth-string quarterbacks.

TV: Noon ET, ESPN. LINE: LSU -24.5

ABOUT LSU (2-0): LSU, which has yet to trail this season and also has yet to commit a turnover, has won 49 consecutive regular-season non-conference games heading into this matchup. Fournette's emergence as a Heisman Trophy candidate has allowed the Tigers to mask their relative weaknesses in the passing game, with Harris only throwing 31 times for 145 yards through the first two contests. Travin Dural has eight catches on the season - five more than any of his teammates - although LSU has yet to complete a pass over 23 yards all year.

ABOUT SYRACUSE (3-0): The Orange lost starting quarterback Terrel Hunt to an Achilles tear in the season opener and now must take the field without backup Eric Dungey (upper-body injury), who left last week's victory over Central Michigan after taking a vicious hit in the second quarter. That leaves Syracuse with inexperienced signal-callers Austin Wilson and Zack Mahoney, who combined to go 8-of-11 for 68 yards and a score last week. No Syracuse receiver has more than five catches this season, although freshman Jordan Fredericks (197 rushing yards, 6.4 yards per carry) has been a consistent weapon out of the backfield.

EXTRA POINTS

1. This is the first ever trip to the Carrier Dome for LSU, which has faced Syracuse twice before - at bowl games in 1965 and 1989.

2. The Tigers' last loss in a non-conference regular-season game came in 2002 against Virginia Tech.

3. Only twice in the last 49 seasons have the Orange started 4-0.

PREDICTION: LSU 33, Syracuse 10