Winners crowned, run-offs set on Election Day
November 5, 2014LHSAA needs to rebuild trust
November 5, 2014
The LSU football team has righted its ship and is now among the hottest teams in all of college football.
Are they good enough to defeat mighty Alabama? We’ll find out on Saturday night.
Fresh off a 10-7 win against then-No. 3 Ole Miss and well rested after a bye week last weekend, the Tigers will hop onto Tiger Stadium’s grass riding high with three-straight wins against SEC competition.
Opposite the field will be the team’s biggest rival – a Crimson Tide mean machine that will enter play with a lofty national ranking and a 7-1 record.
Oh yeah – the elephant in the room: Alabama’s head coach is Nick Saban, the same guy who resurrected the Tigers’ program in the early 2000s before leaving for the NFL.
Kickoff for the game is set for 7 p.m., and it will be televised nationally on CBS.
Could the stakes and emotions be any higher? Probably not.
Players and coaches on both sides know that this will be about as good as it gets in college football.
“It’s a matchup that is as good as any in college football. Games like this are why you choose to come to LSU,” LSU coach Les Miles said. “Alabama is an incredibly capable football team. Games like these are always the ones in which we want to play in the most.”
“I think LSU is one of the top programs in all of college football,” Saban added. “It’s a tough venue for us to compete in, and they have a good, young football team that is getting better every week. Les has done a fabulous job there.”
For LSU, the past three games have marked a total 180-degree turnaround – both offensively and defensively.
The Tigers opened SEC play with an 0-2 thud, falling to Mississippi State 34-29 at home before being thrashed 41-7 by Auburn on the road.
But since that game, LSU has gotten better in all phases – giving the team an outside shot to reach the NCAA Football Playoffs if it can win-out in its final three games of the year.
The fruits of that labor became known to the rest of the country when the Tigers scored a fourth-quarter comeback to soar past the previously unbeaten Rebels two Saturdays ago in Tiger Stadium – a hard-fought and physical SEC slugfest.
Offensively, sophomore quarterback Anthony Jennings has established himself as the team’s starter over freshman Brandon Harris. Jennings is far from perfect, completing 72-of-144 passes for eight touchdowns and five picks on the year.
But Jennings doesn’t have to be amazing for LSU to move the football, thanks to the Tigers’ powerful running game.
LSU is No. 25 in the country in rushing yards per game, accumulating an average of 225.7 yards each game on the ground.
A four-headed monster at halfback is responsible for that success – a committee led by true freshman Leonard Fournette.
The powerful, bruising halfback leads LSU with 131 carries and 657 yards with seven touchdowns on the year. Seniors Terrence Magee and Kenny Hilliard each have 400-plus yards, as well.
That success has caught the eye of Saban, who said he knows that the Tide must make LSU throw the football to win Saturday night’s game.
“They’ve got a good offensive line. They control the ball. It’s an effective way for them to play with the players they have,” Saban said. “It’s difficult to defend because it’s not what you typically (see) in college football.”
On the opposite side of the spectrum, LSU’s defense is also vastly improved from the early-season unit that got gashed by Wisconsin, Mississippi State and Auburn.
The Tigers have allowed just 10 points combined in the past two games – controlling the line of scrimmage and completely taking away the opponents’ ability to run the football.
One factor in that transformation is Miles’ decision to move sophomore Kendell Beckwith into the starting lineup at middle linebacker – a move that has brought instant success to the team’s defense.
Beckwith said the LSU defense has a goal on each drive: Get the offense back the ball.
“We’re coming along,” he said. “I think we’re making progress and getting back to where we need to be. (LSU defensive coordinator John) Chavis has been challenging us to get better, and I think we’ve responded and have done a good job making strides.”
Plugging the run and keeping Alabama off-balance offensively will be a huge challenge.
As always, the Crimson Tide are one of the most powerful teams in America. Led by halfbacks T.J. Yeldon and Derrick Henry, the Tide have rushed for 218.6 yards per game.
But Alabama’s passing offense is just as proficient as its rushing attack. Senior quarterback Blake Sims has completed 131-of-200 passes for 2,034 yards and 15 touchdowns on the season – the Tide’s first year under offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin.
Defensively, Alabama isn’t too shabby, either.
The Tide allow just 14 points per game – third in the country.
But away from their home stadium in 2014, Alabama hasn’t been nearly as dominant as it has been.
On opening night, the Tide struggled to beat West Virginia on a neutral field – a game still in question late in the fourth quarter.
In the team’s next two road games, Alabama limped around the field, losing to Ole Miss 23-17 and barely getting past lowly Arkansas 14-13.
Their last time on the field, the Tide beat Tennessee 34-20 on the road – another game Saban wasn’t impressed with because if one takes away Alabama’s 20-0 first-quarter start, Tennessee won the final three quarters by a 20-14 margin.
It’s another big-time night game at Tiger Stadium.
Will we see some more magic?
We’ll just have to wait to find out.
“It’s one of the best football games of the year in college football,” Magee said. “It’s a game we always look forward to.”
“It’s two great teams going toe-to-toe,” Saban added. “We look forward to the challenge.”
Emotions are always high when LSU takes on Alabama in football action. This year’s chapter pits young LSU as an underdog over the more-experienced Crimson Tide. The game will kick-off at 7 p.m. on Saturday night.
