BCS Championship 2012: 3 Keys for Alabama to Hoist Hardware

Alabama enters the BCS national championship game seeking revenge for its loss to LSU earlier in the season. The Crimson Tide and Tigers are so evenly matched that next Monday night's game will be all about execution.

Here are the three biggest keys for Alabama in order to walk out of New Orleans victorious.

Establish running game

The dynamic duo of Trent Richardson and Eddie Lacy were both held below four yards per carry in the first meeting. While AJ McCarron does a nice job of filling the game-manager role, he's not a good enough quarterback to win a game solely with his arm.

That means Richardson, who is also playing to impress NFL scouts, will need to show his trademark explosiveness from the opening carry to put Alabama on the road to success. If he's able to have even moderate success, it will open up the play-action passing game for McCarron.

Secondary wide receivers

Everybody, including the LSU secondary, knows about Marquis Maze's game-breaking ability. That means he'll probably be double covered for most of the evening, leaving the other receivers to go up against single coverage almost exclusively.

So whether it's Darius Hanks, Kenny Bell or another Tide wideout, somebody needs to make a couple of big catches to help move the chains. Neither team will be putting it in the air on a frequent basis, so when they do it will be important to make them count.

Create points off turnovers

Alabama forced two turnovers in the first game, both coming on interceptions of Jarrett Lee, and went on to waste terrific field position. They came away with just three points when a touchdown either time would have put them firmly in the driver's seat.

So, should similar opportunities arise in the national title game, the Crimson Tide need to take complete advantage. Neither team is going to run away and hide with this game, so every possession is crucial. Missed opportunities will leave the losing team to spend the offseason wishing it had done more.