NEW ORLEANS - Road warriors or road kill? That's the option facing the No. 14 LSU football team when it plays 1:30 p.m. Sunday against No. 16 Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., on ABC. <br>
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The Hokies (1-0), who beat visiting Arkansas State 63-7 Sunday, will be the first team LSU plays on the road in a season opener since losing 33-17 at No. 3 Texas A&M in 1995. <br>
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That is the last time a season opener was lost by LSU, which is 6-0 since with victories over the likes of Houston, Texas-El Paso, Arkansas State, San Jose State, Western Carolina and Tulane. Only Houston and San Jose State gave the Tigers any trouble. <br>
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``We have a different kind of opponent in the first game,'' LSU coach Nick Saban said. ``It's on the road. They are a really good football team. <br>
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``It's tough to always win the first game playing a good team. And maybe you could have a really good football team and not have success in the first game.'' <br>
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An easy opening opponent at home can almost serve as a preseason game. <br>
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``I think you obviously have a much better chance to overcome errors, lack of preparation and maybe lack of conditioning if you play someone you have better people than in the opener,'' Saban said. ``And you have the ability to play more players.'' <br>
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There will be no preliminaries this year or next for LSU, which opens at Arizona in 2003. <br>
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NEW OPPONENT: LSU and Virginia Tech meet for the first time on the football field on Sunday in Blacksburg, Va. . The Tigers are 11-5 all-time against current members of the Big East Conference. LSU last played a current member of the Big East in 1989 when Syracuse posted a 23-10 win over the Tigers in the Hall of Fame Bowl in Tampa. <br>
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FIVE TIMES THE TOUGHNESS: No. 16 Virginia Tech is the fifth-straight ranked team LSU has played. The streak began on Nov. 23rd of last season when the Tigers hosted No. 24 Arkansas. LSU then hosted No. 25 Auburn before playing No. 2 Tennessee in the SEC Championship Game and No. 7 Illinois in the Sugar Bowl. This is the first time in school history LSU has played five straight ranked teams.
