PLAYERS TO WATCH
–QB Joe Burrow doesn’t have to pass for more yards than Tua Tagovailoa, but he has to play his best game of the year if LSU is going to win. He’s going to have to take care of the football, both running and passing, and make plays with his legs and his arm. That means making good decisions on the option and gaining enough yards on a consistent basis to keep the Alabama offense honest. It also means being efficient with his passes and hitting at least a couple of big passes down the field to prevent the Tide from stacking the box.
–OL Garrett Brumfield has been gone for five games since being injured against Auburn and the offensive line has performed well in his absence. But the Tigers really need his skill and experience in a game that will largely be determined in the trenches. The Tigers are going to have to have at least modest success running the ball and the line will have to give Burrow enough time to make plays in the passing game.
–LB Patrick Queen. You could also put Micah Baskerville’s name here because the two of them are expected to take turns filling in for leading tackler Devin White as he serves a suspension in the first half because of a targeting penalty he received two weeks ago against Mississippi State. Queen will probably get the most snaps early on because he has more experience. He can’t be Devin White, but he needs to be sound in his assignments and make tackles when he has the opportunity. The same goes for Baskerville.
–LB Devin White is the emotional leader of the defense and his and the crowd’s emotions will be running even higher than normal because they feel the targeting penalty and suspension were unwarranted. White will have to keep his emotions in check and channel all his pent-up energy into an efficient performance once he’s allowed back on the field at the start of the second half.
SERIES HISTORY: Alabama leads LSU 52-25-5 and has won the last seven meetings. The Crimson Tide prevailed 24-10 last season in Tuscaloosa and 10-0 the year before in Tiger Stadium.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “I know and everybody knows how big this game is for the state of Louisiana, for our football team. I know the energy in the state of Louisiana and the energy in the stadium is going to be something that we haven’t seen for a long time.” — LSU coach Ed Orgeron.
