LSU vs. Alabama Complete Game Preview
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Every year it seems the coaches come up with a new way of saying what everyone else knows—that whenever Alabama and LSU meet on a football field these days it's a really big game.
In 2012, Les Miles called it “big boy” football, and last year, Nick Saban described it as a “sort of war of the titans.” When it comes to physical football, these are the two schools that have really stood alone for nearly a decade, and thankfully for fans, they’re in the same division and have to play every year.
Since Saban arrived in Tuscaloosa in 2007, the Tigers have been the one team that has consistently matched up with the Crimson Tide in both size and talent. That’s no disrespect to Auburn, as that rivalry has been outstanding as well during the same time frame but has also included some lopsided scores.
Alabama and LSU like to go toe-to-toe and see who blinks first, and the games usually come down to one possession. The series was even elevated to the BCS National Championship Game, with Alabama winning the 2011 title with a 21-0 victory.
“I think that's what college football is all about, what it’s supposed to be,” said the man who has been on both sidelines at Death Valley.
Last year, this was a No. 4 vs. No. 16 matchup, with LSU the lower-ranked team but with the benefit of playing at home. After a T.J. Yeldon fumble at the Alabama 6-yard line, LSU had first down with one minute and 13 second to go and the scoreboard reading 10-10.
As LSU looked to score, announcements were made during the timeouts that fans not storm the field. But Alabama’s defense held and limited the host team to a field goal.
The Crimson Tide offense subsequently went 55 yards on nine plays for a field goal and then won in overtime. Alabama had more offensive yards on the last-minute drive than the rest of the second half.
Here’s everything you need to know for Saturday’s game:
Date: Saturday, November 7
Time: 7 p.m. CT
Place: Bryant-Denny Stadium
TV: CBS
Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network, LSU Sports Network, Compass Radio, Sirius 84, XM 84
Spread: Alabama -6.5, according to Odds Shark.
Alabama Keys to Victory
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The defensive line must have a big game
The matchup of the game isn’t Leonard Fournette vs. Derrick Henry—it’s LSU’s offensive line against Alabama’s defensive front seven. If LSU gets a good push, the running back will have a big game. If it can’t get off the line of scrimmage, the Tigers could be in for a surprisingly long day.
The strength of the LSU line are tackles Jerald Hawkins and Vidal Alexander, who are both 6’6”, and center Ethan Pocic. The guards are both freshmen. Look for Alabama to attack the guards, rotate heavily (like usual) and try and contain the running game without having to bring up extra help from the secondary.
“They come off the ball,” senior linebacker Reggie Ragland said about LSU’s offensive line. “They are big, physical and if you don’t strike them, they’ll just maul you out of the way. So you got to strike them and win the one-on-one battle. That’s what it’s all about. The front seven is always the judge of who’s going to win this game, so whoever dominates up front is going to win this game, so it’s all about who dominates up front.”
Alabama’s offensive line has to look like Alabama’s offensive line
Center Ryan Kelly suffered a concussion against Texas A&M, and right tackle Dominick Jackson incurred a high ankle sprain on Derrick Henry’s game-winning touchdown against Tennessee. After having surgery his status is questionable for LSU.
The line gave up five sacks against Tennessee and 25 tackles for a loss over the last two games. In comparison, it had just four at Georgia. The guess here is that Alabama will mix in some more tight ends, but either way the line has to play better.
“We had a really good bye week,” Kelly said. “The bye week is really important, because some guys can lose focus of what’s important during that week. For us it was all about fundamentals, getting better, really just trying to improve our game. We kind of dissected what we did wrong, what we could really improve on in the bye week, and I think a lot of guys took advantage of that. I think I certainly did and I think we moved forward as an offense.”
Ball control
One of the more interesting decisions will be if Alabama’s offense goes up-tempo, because the best way to keep Fournette from gaining yards is to keep him on the sideline. In time of possession, Alabama is averaging 33:22, which leads the SEC, while LSU is fifth at 32:18.
“He does a great job for his team in what he does, and every week he brings it,” Henry said about Fournette. “He runs the ball physical, he makes plays for his offense and does a great job of helping his team.”
LSU Keys to Victory
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Get Alabama on its heels
LSU's offense can’t afford to become one-dimensional, which means that Brandon Harris is going to have to step up more in the passing game. It ranks last in the SEC with just 1,098 yards, but the running game has been so good the Tigers are second in scoring offense.
Moreover, the game within the game will be fascinating to watch as Kevin Steele, the former Alabama defensive coordinator who left for Clemson in 2009 and then served as Nick Saban’s linebackers coach last season, replaced John Chavis as LSU’s defensive coordinator.
“Kevin Steele is an outstanding coach and did a really good job for us in every way, coaching on the field, working with players, teaching players,” Saban said. “He's a great administrator, very well organized. He's a really good football guy. It looks to me like their defense is playing really well. No surprise to us that he's doing a really good job.”
Force turnovers
LSU’s secondary hasn’t quite lived up to expectations this season, and the Tigers collectively only have seven interceptions, but this is still a talented and dangerous group. Strong safety Jamal Adams has the most interceptions with three, and cornerback Dwayne Thomas has the most passes broken up with six.
LSU has forced only four fumbles, but with the offense only having lost two, its turnover ratio is plus-seven. Alabama has lost 14 turnovers, including five in the game it lost to Ole Miss.
Fixing the miscues was a point of emphasis during the bye week.
“There's too much inconsistency when you don't play at a high level all the time,” Saban said. “Too many negative plays, penalties, which are lack of focus and discipline-type things. Had some mental errors on defense. Had some turnover opportunities that we didn't get. Had more missed tackles than normal. Most of the problems are created by ourselves.
“No one's really satisfied where we are. Everybody's working hard to try to get better."
Outgain the Crimson Tide on the ground
Even though LSU has been doing a better job of being more balanced, its identity is still running the football. But no one is better against the run than Alabama’s defense, which can match up physically with the Tigers.
Overall, the Alabama defense has yielded 78.5 rushing yards per game and 2.6 per carry. The only opponents to gain 100 yards were Georgia, when Nick Chub finally broke a long touchdown after the outcome had been decided, and Tennessee against a tired Crimson Tide defense.
Here’s a interesting statistic from last year’s game: Alabama averaged 3.7 yards per rushing attempt while LSU averaged 3.3. However, the Tigers had 56 attempts compared to the Crimson Tide’s 29.
“It’s fun,” safety Eddie Jackson said about facing LSU. “It’s definitely one of the most competitive games, the most physical games for our defense as well, so we always look forward to that—you know, really testing to see how good we are really.”
Alabama Players to Watch
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Derrick Henry
This might be the only time since he took over as a starter that Derrick Henry will go into a game as being the “other” running back, but he’s also developing a reputation for being a big-game player. For the season, he’s had 1,044 rushing yards on 180 carries (130.5) and 14 touchdowns.
“He gets overshadowed for sure,” senior quarterback Jacob Coker said about Leonard Fournette getting a lot more attention than Henry. “The guy is a beast. And when you see him run on the field it’s a lot different than seeing him on TV, I can tell you that. Because some of those plays when I see him just punish people, I’ll just sit back there and [be like] ‘God, I feel bad for that guy.’”
Jacob Coker
The quarterback was taking a physical pounding just before the bye week not only when dropping back to pass but also taking off with the ball more. He has only 77 rushing yards after you subtract the sacks, but they’re hard-fought yards. It goes without saying that Coker needs to avoid turnovers, but he’s only had one during the last two games and none against Texas A&M, which runs a similar style defense.
“Obviously knowledge and experience is always going to make you better, going to make you more confident,” Nick Saban said. “You know how to prepare better. You have more poise when you're playing. So I think all those things are important. Jake hadn't played that much before this season but he's developed nicely and certainly put together a great drive at the end of the Tennessee game. I think all those things help his confidence, but also help the confidence of the players around him that he can make plays."
Reggie Ragland
If Ragland and his teammates shut down Fournette he’ll win the Butkus Award as the nation’s best linebacker. He leads the Crimson Tide with 71 tackles (no one else has more than 39), including five for a loss and two sacks, with two forced fumbles and three passes broken up. He needs a big game for Alabama to win.
“Oh yeah, I love it,” Ragland said about the physical nature of this game. “It shows what type of guy I am, and what type of guy he is. I'm just ready to get out there really because I'm excited about this game.”
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LSU Players to Watch
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Leonard Fournette
Even though it’s only the first week of November, Fournette can all but wrap up the Heisman Trophy with a big performance against Alabama. He leads the nation with 1,352 yards (193.1 average), despite having played just seven games, and is second in rushing touchdowns with 15. LSU’s 309.1 rushing yards per game as a team leads the SEC by almost 100 yards.
“If you don't wrap up, he goes all day on you,” senior linebacker Reggie Ragland said. “Guys have to run to the ball and wrap up on him. We're gone see what type of guys we got, and what type of guys they got. It's all about wrapping up when you get to him because a lot of guys don't.
Brandon Harris
He’s developed as the season’s progressed and has passed for 200-plus yards in three straight games while moving up to second in the SEC in passing efficiency. For the season, he’s 75-of-128 for 1,098 yards with nine touchdowns and no interceptions (because the most of his attempts are low-risk and/or along the sidelines).
“We’re going to take away their run game and make them resort to passing the ball, getting that quarterback uncomfortable, getting him out of the pocket, things like that,” safety Eddie Jackson said. “Make him make mistakes.”
Lewis Neal
The defensive ends were thought to be a potential weakness this season, but Neal has had a breakout season. He leads LSU in sacks (7.0), tackles for a loss (8.0) and quarterback hurries (seven) in seven games. His 1.00 sack average is second in the SEC and eighth nationally.
"I think their defensive ends do a great job of playing low to high,” junior tight end O.J. Howard said. “They have great leverage, too. We need to do a great job of blocking those guys, and their linebackers, they play fast, some fast athletic guys that can move from sideline to sideline. We've gotta do a good job of getting a hat on a hat on those guys also."
What They’re Saying
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Les Miles on facing Alabama
“I can always tell you that this is a special week for us. We look forward to playing Alabama. They're a very talented team, very capable team, and we look forward to playing in big games, and so many times it's difficult to muster the emotion and the passion when you line up against a team that does not necessarily have the same name recognition as a very quality opponent in Alabama.
“When you look at our teams as they compare, offensively, we've had success; we've moved the football. Averaging 466 total yards. The SEC, we have the leader in rushing with 309 yards per game. Fournette leads the conference in rushing. Brandon Harris is No. 2 in passing efficiency with 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns.
“Our defense is second in the conference, allowing 93 yards per game in the rush, but getting better every week. The special teams, I kind of focused on that a little bit more this last week and kind of feel like we're tightening things up, and I like our plan. But we look forward to a prime-time event and big-time game, and our guys will practice it and review it in their minds for this week before we play.
"Alabama now scoring 35 points per game, putting 421 yards per game on an opponent, a very, very quality back in Derrick Henry—1,000 yards, 14 touchdowns. Quarterback Jake Coker has thrown for 1,600, 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions. The Alabama defense, first in the conference, allowing 275 yards per game and only 78 yards rushing.
“Good special teams. They got a great punter in JK Scott, averaging 43 yards. Kenyan Drake and Cyrus Jones for the return men, very quality. But I like my team. I like the character. I think they will respond and play well in big games and play hard and have fun and look forward to playing this one.”
Nick Saban on facing LSU
“We've had some great games with LSU through the years. This has turned out to be a great rivalry, and I think it's a great rivalry because of the quality of the programs. I think six or seven times since we've been here both teams are ranked in the Top 10.
"That's obviously a credit to the great job Les Miles has done in the 11 years that he's been there, to their players and the way they compete and the quality of players that they have and the great job of coaching that they do.
"They return 16 starters, a lot of experienced players. They've been very, very productive on offense. I think Leonard Fournette is probably, in my opinion—I haven't seen all of the players—but he is as dominant as any player in the country in terms of the way he plays and what he's capable of doing as a running back, both running the football and as a receiver.
“At quarterback, Brandon Harris has done a really good job of taking care of the football and making big plays when he needs to. He's a dual threat. He can run. They've got really good receivers. Their offensive line is probably the biggest, most physical that we've seen all year long. This is a really, really good offensive team. They rush for over 300 yards a game, and they've been able to make explosive plays in the passing game that have led to a lot of points.
“Defensively, they're still ranked in the top 10 in almost every category in the country. Difficult to run against. Very good secondary. Very good linebackers. They have a really good pass-rusher in Lewis Neal, who has lots of hurries, lots of sacks, one of the top guys in the SEC.
“Always really good on special teams. They've got a lot of team speed. They've got really good specialists. All around, this is a very, very good football team and no doubt deserve every bit of the ranking that they have, and probably one of the best teams in the country.”
Prediction
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Since Nick Saban arrived in 2007, the winner of this game has gone on to place at least tied for first in the SEC West every season except one, 2010.
Three of the games went to overtime, and six were decided by seven or fewer points:
- Year, location, winning team, score
- 2007 - Tuscaloosa, LSU 41–34
- 2008 - Baton Rouge, Alabama 27–21 OT
- 2009 - Tuscaloosa, Alabama 24–15
- 2010 - Baton Rouge, LSU 24–21
- 2011 - Tuscaloosa, LSU 9–6 OT
- BCS - New Orleans, Alabama 21–0
- 2012 - Baton Rouge, Alabama 21–17
- 2013 - Tuscaloosa, Alabama 38-17
- 2014 - Baton Rouge, Alabama 20-13 OT
There’s no reason to think this matchup won’t be close as well, especially since the winner will have the inside track to a playoff spot.
Although this series has a habit of going against home-field advantage, this is the one game this season that Alabama knows its crowd will be relentless. Considering what’s at stake, the team should be as well.
Prediction: Alabama 23, LSU 20
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
Christopher Walsh is a lead SEC college football writer. Follow Christopher on Twitter @WritingWalsh.
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