LSU vs. Alabama: Jordan Jefferson and 5 Players Who Will Be Key to an LSU Win

In tonight's BCS title game, the LSU Tigers are going to need some big-time performances from their top guys in order to claim another victory against the Alabama Crimson Tide. The last game wasn't exactly a walk in the park, and this one won't be either.

In their matchup early on this season, the Tigers just squeezed past the Tide, as the game was a battle of the kickers. While it wouldn't matter to the players, the fans are likely hoping to see a lot more action coming from the star players on each side of the ball.

The Tigers will have to come up big tonight to be named the national champs, so they will need to see some continued big performances from these reliable stars.

Rueben Randle

One of the best big-play threats for the LSU Tigers this season has been junior wide receiver Rueben Randle.

This season, he has 50 receptions for 904 yards. He has also hauled in eight touchdowns, which is four more than the the team's second best receiver, Russell Shepard, has.

The Tigers will need a huge performance from Randle in this game, as he will be a huge game-changer on the offensive side of the ball.

In their first game against the Alabama Crimson Tide, he was virtually ineffective. He had only two receptions for 19 yards—his worst game since Week 1 against the Oregon Ducks.

It remains to be seen if he will be able to get past the Tide this time around, but if he can, the Tigers should be able to make some noise in the passing game.

Morris Claiborne

The LSU Tigers have a strong offense, but their defensive is also quite impressive. Most notably, junior cornerback Morris Claiborne has been critical in stopping opposing offenses.

This season, he has taken away six passes from opposing quarterbacks while also totaling 46 tackles. He also managed to take one of those picks back for a score.

Claiborne also has been a threat this season as a kick returner, averaging 27 yards on 17 returns. He took one back against West Virginia in late September.

The Tide haven't been all that impressive this year in the passing game, as quarterback AJ McCarron has only thrown for 2,400 yards with 16 touchdowns.

If there is a toss up, expect to see Claiborne right there to claim it.

Drew Alleman

The last time these two teams met, the game came down to the foot of LSU Tigers' kicker Drew Alleman. After how much they relied on him for the win—all nine points to be exact—they will have to hope that he will be just as consistent as last time.

This season, Alleman is 16-for-18 on kicks. The Tigers haven't had to rely on the field goal that often this season, but they may be calling for No. 30 again this game.

With all the weapons on the Tigers' offense, their sophomore kicker may end up being the most important guy in claiming another national championship for LSU.

Tyrann Mathieu

The Alabama Crimson Tide have been relying on running back Trent Richardson to make things happen over the course of this season, so the LSU Tigers are going to have to hope that cornerback Tyrann Mathieu will be able to stop him in both the backfield and open field.

This season, Mathieu leads the team in tackles with 70. Six-and-a-half of those were for a loss, and the Tigers need him to continue to attack the backfield.

They could benefit by allowing Mathieu to make his move as a spy, while having players like Morris Claiborne worry about the Tide's average passing game.

There is going to be a lot of weight on the sophomore's shoulders tonight, but if he can continue to do what he has done all season long, there is no doubt that he will be effective.

Jordan Jefferson

After being suspended for the first four games of the season, senior quarterback Jordan Jefferson has come through big over the last four games since being named the starter.

He has shared time with with fellow senior Jarrett Lee from time to time, but it will be Jefferson who will lead the Tigers' offensive attack tonight.

In the first game against Alabama, Jefferson didn't appear until the team pulled Lee after he threw an interception and was completely ineffective. Lee managed to make another appearance in that game, to simply throw the ball away.

For the game, Jefferson completed 6-of-10 passes for just 67 yards, while gaining 44 yards on 11 attempts on the ground. Even though he didn't score, he changed the direction of the game.

Since then, Jefferson has taken over this team and they have been dominating the opposition ever since.

Now that the Tigers' offense has become accustomed to their new man under center, they hope that he will be able to provide some fire—and potentially more scoring—in this second game against the Tide.

Jefferson was able to win in pretty much just a half—who knows how well he can do given an entire game? It could very well be a completely different result this time around.