Oct 17, 2015; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU Tigers running back Leonard Fournette (7) carries the ball against the Florida Gators during the second quarter at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Crystal LoGiudice-USA TODAY Sports
BATON ROUGE, La. — Every season LSU knows that its game against Alabama will be a major factor in whether the Tigers can reach their loftiest goals.
Winning the SEC West and getting a chance to play in the conference championship game usually requires a victory against the Crimson Tide. Getting a chance to go the College Football Playoff figures to require getting past Alabama to reach the SEC title game.
If the fourth-ranked Tigers (7-0, 4-0) beat the seventh-ranked Tide (7-1, 4-1), it won’t guarantee that LSU achieves any of those goals. But those goals will be much easier to achieve if the Tigers can prevail in Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday night.
“This is a special week for us,” coach Les Miles said. “We look forward to playing Alabama. They’re a very talented team, very capable team, and we look forward to playing in big games, and so many times it’s difficult to muster the emotion and the passion when you line up against a team that does not necessarily have the same name recognition as a very quality opponent in Alabama.”
The Tigers have not beaten the Tide since an epic 9-6 overtime win in Tuscaloosa in 2011, but the significance of that win was greatly diminished when Alabama won a rematch 21-0 in the BCS title game in the Sugar Bowl two months later.
This is the 10th consecutive meeting in which both teams are ranked in the top 10.
“The good news is we’ve played in these games before, and we certainly understand them,” Miles said. “You’re playing for all the things that you wanted to play for at the beginning of the year.
“You’re playing for the lead in the west, and you put yourself with your achievement, this team in position to do so. So they should look forward to it. They should relish it. It’s why you came to LSU, to be a part of this game.”
This will be Miles’ 12th game against Alabama. He’s 5-6 and seven of those games have been decided by seven or fewer points. Four of the games have been decided in overtime with each team winning twice and the visiting team prevailing each time, including the Tide’s 20-13 win last season in which they tied the score on a field goal with three seconds left in the fourth quarter.
“The opponent is just like the teams we’ve played in the past — great defense, talented offense, very capable special teams,” Miles said. “I think it’s going to be just that. I think it’s going to be a quality game with the best of both teams being featured, and some special players on both sides.”
Both teams had open dates last week.
NOTES, QUOTES
PLAYERS TO WATCH
–QB Brandon Harris has been getting more productive each week. With Leonard Fournette, the nation’s leading rusher facing the SEC’s top-rated defense, Harris will have to make some plays running and passing. “I think his ability to use his legs certainly will be a part of this game,” Miles said.
–MLB Kendell Beckwith is one of the Tigers’ most versatile defenders. He’s tied for the team lead with 51 total tackles and usually stays on the field on both running and passing downs. He had 10 tackles, including two for loss, in the Tigers last game, a 48-20 win against Western Kentucky on Oct. 24.
–P Jamie Keehn has been erratic this season, as have the Tigers special teams. LSU ranks second to last in SEC in net punting (33.1). An effective game by Keehn, a three-year starter who was second-team All-SEC last season, could be a big boost for the Tigers, but any breakdowns could be lethal.
SERIES HISTORY: Alabama leads LSU, 49-25-5.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “I think that this is a unique team. I think this is a team with pretty special players and guys that understand that games like this are won with character and hard work and really months ago.” — LSU Coach Les Miles on his team’s mindset going to Tuscaloosa.
