Alabama Football: How the Tide Will Dominate LSU's Tyrann Mathieu

Tyrann Mathieu is a once-a-career type cornerback for coaches to find, but Les Miles and the LSU Tigers were fortunate enough to have Mathieu replace an equally great cornerback, Patrick Peterson, who was drafted fifth overall by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2011 NFL Draft.  

They both wear the No. 7 jersey.

Tyrann was not a highly-touted recruit, but recruiting agencies must feel silly right now with how well he is performing.

Mathieu has been all over the field this year, and there are actually some voices being raised giving very valid arguments as to why Mathieu should be considered for the Heisman Trophy.  

He would be the second defensive player since Charles Woodson to receive the award, but that's a story for another day.  

The hype aside, Mathieu is a very good cornerback and a veritable turnover machine, with two interceptions and three forced fumbles on the year.  

Making Tyrann Mathieu irrelevant is the goal, and if Alabama can do this, their odds of winning skyrocket. 

Here is how the Tide will not only counter Tyrann Mathieu, but dominate both him and the LSU Tigers.  

1. Limit His Coverage to One Man

Tyrann is going to be stuck like glue to Marquis Maze the entire game, as his body-type will allow him to strand Marquis on "Mathieu Island," never to escape.  

I have a lot of faith in Maze, but to pretend that Mathieu wont shut him down most of the game is folly.

Maze is going to be running very complicated routes, really putting Mathieu to the test.  If Maze can break away, great!  If not, he provides a reliable distraction.

What happens if Mathieu wises up to Maze being used as a decoy and tries to do too much?  It's simple: Maze catches a pass.

If Marquis Maze can make Tyrann Mathieu work his Bengal butt off trying to cover him, it will make things a lot easier for quarterback A.J. McCarron.

It very well may take Maze out of the stats equation, but it will keep Mathieu out too.  It's just like trading queens in chess.  

Other receivers could pose a challenge to Mathieu, but Maze is the undisputed go-to receiver.  

2. Use His Size Against Him: Height

Tyrann Mathieu is small; there's no way around it.  He is 5'9" (some list him at 5'10"; very generous of them.) and 175 lbs.

That isn't very big, and before he can be compared to the Tide's legendary cornerback, Javier Arenas, it must be recognized that Javy had close to 25 lbs. on Tyrann at 197.  

That being said, the Tide will use his height against him.  

Alabama's top receiever, Marquis Maze, may be around the same height as Tyrann, but everybody else is six feet or taller.  

When Tyrann is trying to cover one of those guys, A.J. McCarron will just throw it too high for him.  

A.J. has been criticized for over-shooting his receivers, whether too high or too long, but he always places that ball where only Crimson hands will catch it, or nobody at all.  

He will play the ball just high enough for his receivers to catch, forcing Mathieu to hope to knock the ball loose for an incomplete pass.  

Six-foot DeAndrew "The Grasshopper" White will come in handy for this with his astounding jumping ability.  

3. Use His Size Against Him: Weight

So Mathieu is short, but he's also light.  This makes him quick to change direction and fast in a straight line.  This also makes him a liability when trying to tackle larger opponents, no matter how ferocious he might be.  

Though he will be largely focused on covering Marquis Maze, he may be called on to bring down someone else with the ball.

This is going to make colossal tight end Michael Williams (6'6", 270 lbs.) a little more important to the passing game than he has been so far this season.  

Not only can Williams reach well over Tyrann's head, but he's a load to bring down.  How will Mathieu fare after trying to tackle an opponent that has 100 lbs. on him, with or without assistance?

You can bet that Williams, who has greatly improved his pass-catching ability, will be quite involved with this match.

4. Trent Richardson Will Make Him Bleed

Trent Richardson is known for making it into the secondary on runs, whether it is between the tackles, on sweep routes or screen passes.  

Linebackers and even defensive tackles can't bring him down alone, so how will an undersized cornerback fare?

Here's a video of Trent Richardson making quick work of a cornerback on a screen pass.  

How long will Tyrann's night be after taking a few licks like that?

The Tide must—and willmake sure Mathieu takes 'em as good as he gives 'em.  

5. Nick Saban Will Focus on Ball Security

As said before, Tyrann Mathieu is a turnover machine.  He is a danger to cause a turnover on every play.  He's currently tied for most forced fumbles in LSU history with seven (five in 2010, two in 2011).  

Now, it's simple football logic that when you go for a turnover it really inhibits your ability to make a proper tackle.  Go to strip the ball, and your quarry may very well slip from your grasp.  

Nick Saban will implement this into his game plan.  Ball security will be stressed more than ever before.

When—not if—Mathieu goes for a forced fumble, he will come up dry.  Unless he gets lucky and knocks it loose with his helmet, he won't be putting any on the ground.  

Nick Saban and running backs coach Burton Burns are known for churning out top-notch players with an iron grip on the pigskin.  

6. Crush Him on Special Teams

Tyrann Matheiu is the Tiger's punt return man, and this is actually where he can pose the greatest threat. The Tide's special teams coverage has been slacking the past few games.

It's simple, though.  Get to him, and get to him quick if you have to punt.  Punt it high, and when you get there, lay the wood.  

If Tyrann receives enough of a beatdown on punt returns, it is really going to affect his play on defense. So much that Les Miles might just take him off returns for the night, as he's more valuable as a cornerback than a returner.

There are a few guys perfectly suited for this.  

First, you have Dont'a Hightower.  He's been seeing some special teams play, along with several other starters.  If Hightower can lay just one big hit on Mathieu, it will be enough. 

Courtney Upshaw has also shown a penchant for hurting people, along with several other starters on special teams.  

You also have freshmen special teams stars Trey DePriest and Vinnie Sunseri, who have been laying brutal hits on people all year.  One of them is sure to give him a few licks.

The Rest of the LSU Defense

Tyrann Mathieu is only one piece of a stellar LSU defense, but he has had the most impact.  

Making Mathieu irrelevant is just step one in the preparations for the Nov. 5 showdown.  If they can make this happen, it will be all downhill from there.  

Now, if they can also find a way to remove the other star cornerback, Morris Claiborne, from the equation...