Alabama vs. LSU Rematch: Which Way Does the Tide Have to Turn to Win?

The Alabama Crimson Tide are now New Orleans bound, but rather than a disappointing Sugar Bowl bid, they will instead play for the national championship.  

They lost the first bout with LSU, but they can make the second outing a different story.

There were a myriad of things that went wrong for the Tide when they first faced LSU.  From the missed field goals to Tyrann Mathieu's dirty hit on Dre Kirkpatrick, nothing seemed to go right for Alabama.

With their new once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a rematch on the biggest stage, the Crimson Tide will rectify their past mistakes.  

Here's how they will do it. 

Lean on the Running Backs

In the loss to LSU, Trent Richardson had only 23 carries, Eddie Lacy had five, Jalston Fowler had zero and A.J. McCarron attempted 28 passes.  

It would seem that Jim McElwain knew something we didn't, because having a rookie quarterback passing 28 times against one of the best secondaries in the country—that is also notorious for being a turnover machine—just didn't make any sense.

Lacy should be healthy by January, and his turf toe likely wont be a problem.  He and Trent Richardson are going to need to combine for 35 or so carries, possibly more, to stop LSU.  

Also, look for a lot of passes to Richardson.  He's deadly in space, and throwing him the ball is the best way to make sure he starts in space.  

Make Red Zone Visits Count

Alabama had plenty of chances in the red zone, but it just couldn't come away with points.  

The touchdowns weren't meant to be, and the kickers were well out of their range, with negative yardage and penalties to blame.  

Expect a bit of trickery to come into play.  

One of the most criticized plays was when receiver Marquis Maze tossed a pass to tight end Michael Williams.  I thought it was brilliant.  It was a bit slow, but he nailed the target.  Williams just let a man 70 pounds lighter than himself wrestle the ball away.  

If there is no trickery involved, then Richardson will pound it away rather than McCarron trying to pass in tight quarters.

Avoid Special Teams Like the Plague

One thing that was certainly proven in the first outing is that LSU's special teams are far and away superior in every way.  

Alabama's two kickers and punter are some of the worst in the nation, with the exception of Tide kicker Jeremy Shelley's accuracy.  The lack of touchbacks, missed field goals, short kickoffs and short punts all speak for themselves. 

Once Alabama crosses midfield, it will have to be four-down territory.  

Tyrann Mathieu's finesse on punt returns is too risky unless the Tide go for short, out-of-bounds punts.  The kickers don't have the leg strength (yes, even Cade Foster has a weak boot) to go for field goals. 

If they get close enough, however, a 20-30 yard field goal would be easy business for Shelley.  His accuracy is severely underrated due to his inability to put some heat behind his kicks.  

Don't Play Dirty

LSU's reputation for playing dirty will likely follow the Tigers into the title game.  The facemask penalties they accrued in the first outing speaks volumes, as did Tyrann Mathieu's "holding" call.

No matter what happens, the Tide has to keep their cool.  If they play a clean game, things will work out for them.  If LSU wants to tucker itself out by giving the Tide free yards on penalties, that is the Tigers' business.  

Nick Saban's squad is better than that, and that is why it's ranked the fourth lowest in the nation for penalties, whereas LSU is 66th.  

Don't Succumb to the Option

The option attack worked well for LSU in the second half of the ballgame, and FCS school Georgia Southern absolutely brutalized the Tide with the option, rushing for over 300 yards.  

This Alabama defense, however, didn't get its No. 1 ranking for nothing.  It's smart, big and fast. It won't be fooled again by the option.  

Jordan Jefferson floundered against Georgia, as the Tigers couldn't even get a first down in the first 30 minutes.  

Playing against Georgia Southern may have been the best thing to happen to the Tide.  That ugly game gave the Tide's defense the experience it needed.  

It'll shut down Jefferson just like it did Tim Tebow in 2009.