LSU vs. Alabama: Grading Key Positions for Both Teams

Both the LSU Tigers and the Alabama Crimson Tide having a bye week before their hotly anticipated No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup is too much.

It is too much of everything, really. Too much anticipation, too much predicting, too much over-analyzing of every little thing.

So what am I going to do? 

I am going to give you one more prediction and one more analysis of the game. 

To be fair, when the No. 1-ranked LSU Tigers travel to Tuscaloosa on Saturday to play the No. 2-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, many questions will be answered in the college football world.

The SEC’s best team will emerge, a leading candidate for a spot in the BCS National Championship Game will be revealed and some of the best players in the country will be tested.

So once more, let’s make some predictions about the game. What else are we going to do until Saturday?

Here is how the two teams stack up against one another at key positions. 

Quarterback: Jarrett Lee and Jordan Jefferson, LSU

The two-quarterback system doesn’t work. One player will get jealous, try to do too much and make costly mistakes. The offense will be out of sync because two different people will be under center calling out plays. It is too much for one football team to handle.

Not for the LSU Tigers.

Les Miles has done it again. He has made the impossible work seamlessly. There have been no complaints from Baton Rouge about Jordan Jefferson not getting enough playing time or Jarrett Lee losing his starting spot. Both quarterbacks have played and both have succeeded. 

Lee has thrown for 13 touchdowns and just one interception on the year. He is easily having the best season of his career as a Tiger because he is taking care of the ball and making the throws he is supposed to.

By all accounts, the fifth-year senior will remain calm, even in a crazy environment like Tuscaloosa. He has been there before, but this time, it really feels as if LSU is his team.

Jefferson has not wilted despite his suspension and loss of a starting job. He has come in to provide valuable minutes when asked, throwing the ball and serving as a running threat to keep defenses on their heels.

Jefferson has not seen quite as much playing time as he expected in the beginning of the season, but he has made the most of every time he has stepped on the field.

Quarterback: A.J. McCarron, Alabama

After former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Greg McElroy graduated last season, there was a question about whether his replacement, A.J. McCarron, would be as successful at managing the game and controlling such a potent offense.

In his first season at the helm, McCarron has proved that he is more than up to the task. So far, he is completing 67 percent of his passes with 10 touchdowns and three interceptions.

With a Heisman Trophy front-runner in the backfield, McCarron is not relied on for big plays, but he does what he is supposed to do and does it very well.

Edge: LSU

If Jarrett Lee and Jordan Jefferson continue to play well together, it will force the Alabama defense to stay at home and prepare for different looks. Lee has had more responsibility this season than McCarron and has proved that he can make big plays for his team.

If one team is driving late in the game trying to tie or win, my money is on the fifth-year senior.

Running Back: Spencer Ware, Michael Ford and Alfred Blue, LSU

Much like their dual-quarterback system, the LSU Tigers are employing a run-by-committee approach as well.

Spencer Ware is the leader of the running backs, having run for over 500 yards and six touchdowns on the season. He has a bruising, grind-it-out style that will force opposing defenses to wrap him up before he can be tackled.

Michael Ford provides LSU with speed and the ability to slash through open holes. Ford is also able to pound it between the tackles, but for a change of pace, loves to bounce the ball outside. He is averaging 5.6 yards per carry and can make defenders miss.

Alfred Blue and Jordan Jefferson simply provide another look for defenses. Having multiple runners that can come in on any given play and break off a long run keeps defenses guessing and opens up the playbook. 

Running Back: Trent Richardson and Eddie Lacy, Alabama

Everyone on the planet has heard about Trent Richardson. The kid almost took Mark Ingram’s spot a year after Ingram won the Heisman Trophy. He is that good. 

Richardson needs just 11 more yards to break 1,000 on the season, and there are still four games left. Every time Richardson touches the ball, he is a threat to score a touchdown, whether he is at his own 1-yard line, or his opponents’.

Eddie Lacy is nothing to scoff at either. The sophomore running back is averaging a staggering eight yards per carry. He can simply run through defenders.

Edge: Alabama

Never vote against a Heisman contender in a big game. Especially if his name is Trent Richardson.

Wide Receiver, LSU

The LSU Tigers are led by junior receiver Rueben Randle and freshman wideout Odell Beckham.

Both are threats to go deep, especially Randle, who leads the group with seven touchdowns on the season. 

Randle’s maturity helps his teammates. He has been through SEC wars and has improved each and every year.

Randle has handled the quarterback changes brilliantly, catching touchdown passes from both Jarrett Lee and Jordan Jefferson in LSU’s game against Auburn. He knows what a game in Tuscaloosa will be like. Expect him to try to prepare the younger players.

Wide Receiver, Alabama

Marquis Maze and Darius Hanks are the two senior leaders of the Alabama Crimson Tide’s receiving corps.

Maze has grown every year with the program and is poised for his best season yet, having already caught 39 balls for almost 500 yards.

Hanks has become McCarron’s go-to receiver on third down and simply has a knack for finding the first-down marker.

Alabama’s group of receivers can stretch six deep, giving McCarron many options and forcing opposing defenses to be honest.

Edge: Alabama.

Experience and depth work in the Crimson Tide’s favor. They have a number of players who can come in at any time and make plays.

Defensive Line, LSU

LSU’s defensive line is allowing 76.6 rushing yards per game.

They held Auburn Tigers running back Michael Dyer to 60 yards rushing, Florida Gators RB Chris Rainey to 52 yards rushing and LaMichael James of the Oregon Ducks to 54 yards rushing.

All three of those players are among the best in the nation, and none of them could find holes against LSU’s defense.

LSU also has 19 sacks on the season and will undoubtedly try to put pressure on A.J. McCarron to force him into bad throws. 

Defensive Line, Alabama

The Alabama Crimson Tide are first in the country in rushing defense, allowing only 44.9 yards per game on the ground.

Alabama has allowed one 100-yard rusher in its last 55 games. Just one.

The defensive line simply does not allow running backs to get past them. Teams cannot break off big runs against Alabama.

Edge: Alabama

You can’t argue against those statistics. Alabama’s dominance on the front line in the past few years has been unbeatable. LSU is certainly nothing to scoff at, but they will also have a much bigger task ahead of them in having to contain Trent Richardson.

Secondary, LSU

The LSU Tigers are allowing 174 yards per game through the air, and the team has 11 interceptions on the season.

The Tigers also have a gem of a player at cornerback, sophomore Tyrann Mathieu. Mathieu has three forced fumbles and two interceptions on the season as well as being the team's second-leading tackler. His nickname is the Honey Badger.

Only someone who is very, very fearsome and very, very skilled can pull off a nickname like that. Mathieu most certainly can.

He has a knack for making a big play at the right time. He is a player that wants to be defending a receiver on an important third down. Mathieu comes up with interceptions when his team needs them the most.

Secondary, Alabama

Alabama's secondary is allowing 135 yards per game through the air. There is a reason Alabama is first in the nation in points allowed (6.9 per game. Seriously? How is that even possible?)

Opposing teams realize they will be unable to gain yardage on the ground, so they turn to the air. That works no better. Alabama has a tremendous defense with a mindset that they will not let anyone make a big play or score points.

Edge: Tie

Alabama wins in the yardage and statistical categories, but with a player like Tyrann Mathieu, LSU can never be counted out.

Coaching: Les Miles, LSU

Les Miles has had his share of coaching gaffes. Somehow, though, almost all of them have worked out in his favor.

Miles is notorious for mismanaging the clock at the end of games. He gets penalties called on him at the worst possible times. 

Miles has also dealt with suspension upon suspension this year. First, his starting quarterback, Jordan Jefferson, was unable to play for the first four games of the season. Then, Tyrann Mathieu, Spencer Ware and Tharold Simon were all suspended for the game against Auburn. All three should be back Saturday.

Miles has some sort of power that is impossible to define, quantify or predict. He succeeds at times when all indications are that he will fail. He is able to stop game clocks with the blink of an eye. My guess? There’s something in that Tiger Stadium grass.

Coaching: Nick Saban, Alabama

As wacky and lucky and off-the-beaten path as Les Miles is, Nick Saban is just as traditional.

Saban’s teams are characterized by tough defense, perfectly managed game plans and execution. 

The two coaches could not be more different, but their results are strikingly similar. Each has a winning percentage of 72. Each has a team that is traditionally atop the SEC standings. Each has a championship under his belt. And this year, each has one of the two top teams in the country. 

Edge: Les Miles

I am convinced that there are supernatural powers that have a tendency to sway certain key factors in Miles’ favor. Nick Saban has probably done something to make those powers angry at him.

If this game is decided in the last few seconds of regulation, my bet is on Les Miles and his grass.