LSU vs. Alabama Rematch: What LSU Will Do Differently This Time
Larry Burton (Syndicated Writer) Both coaches are going back and watching a lot of video this week to look at things that worked well in the first meeting and those that didn't.
They'll also spend a lot of time looking at what other teams did that worked well against their opponent, and how they can incorporate some of that into their own game plans.
Here is what LSU's coach Les Miles will see and what he might change:
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Look For More Option Plays From LSU
Teams that ran the option on Alabama had more success than teams that ran hand-offs or wildcat plays.
Jordan Jefferson has done a few of those plays in the past, and with Jarrett Lee on the bench for this one, look for Jefferson to do a lot of option plays using all four of the LSU running backs.
Miles knows that even little Georgia Southern ran for more yardage and put up more points on Alabama than LSU did—and they used the option to do it.
The option is something Miles feels his team can run, and with the preparation time they have, they can get it going well.
More Play Action Deep Throws
Alabama has been burned more than once this season on deep throws and on throws that incorporated play action.
LSU coming out in a running mode is the perfect way to catch Alabama safeties and corners cheating so that LSU receivers can burn them.
Jefferson has a strong arm and you should look for him to try more deep passes than he did in the first game. Especially on plays that incorporate either a play action or a fake quarterback sneak.
More Blitzes and Stunts
In the last game, LSU played its cards close to the chest defensively, and didn't want to risk getting burned by trying any full blitzes or jailhouse break packages.
That's because teams that have tried that in the past have been burned by AJ McCarron dumping off a two yard pass to a back that became a 50-yard toss-and-run.
Look for LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis to spy the running back, blitz everyone else and try to force McCarron to make a mistake in the game.
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