BATON ROUGE — A fast start could one of the biggest keys to LSU success on Saturday as the 15th-ranked Tigers host top-ranked Alabama in a sold out Tiger Stadium.
Kickoff for the Tigers and Crimson Tide is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. The game will be televised nationally by CBS as LSU welcomes a No. 1 ranked opponent to Tiger Stadium for the first time since the 1997 season. That year, LSU shocked No. 1 ranked Florida, 28-21.
Alabama goes into the game having allowed just six first quarter points all season and only 26 first half points in nine contests this year. The Crimson Tide has yet to allow a team to score on its opening possession and they have allowed just a pair of field goals on the opponent’s second possession of the contest.
In eight games this year, the Tigers have scored points on their opening possession four times, which includes three touchdowns and one field goal. Last week against Tulane, the Tigers opened the contest with an eight-play, 86-yard drive capped with a touchdown.
LSU brings a 6-2 overall mark and a 3-2 league record into the game, while Alabama is 9-0 overall and 5-0 in conference play. LSU has won five straight and seven of the last eight against the Crimson Tide, including last year’s 41-34 victory in Tuscaloosa.
The Tigers continued to prepare for Alabama on Wednesday with another productive workout here at the Charles McClendon Practice Facility.
“It was a good practice,” LSU coach Les Miles said. “We tend to cut back this time of the year. We stayed on a reduced schedule and I felt like we got a lot accomplished. (QB Jarrett Lee) was pretty sharp today. Everything he threw was pretty close, if not on the money. I liked the practice; there was great enthusiasm and the guys look forward to playing a very quality football team in Alabama. We certainly welcome the number one football team into town.”
Against Alabama, the Tigers will face a squad who is as equally good at rushing the football as they are defending the run. Alabama is No. 1 in the SEC in rushing offense with 205.3 yards per game and they are No. 2 in the nation in rushing defense, allowing just 65.6 yards a contest.
As in most games in which they have played under Miles, rushing will be a key factor in determining LSU’s success on Saturday. Under Miles, the Tigers are 37-3 when rushing for 100 or more yards in a game. When the Tigers fail to reach the 100-yard mark, the record falls to 3-5.
“It’s a nice recipe: you don’t make mistakes, you rush the football and you play good defense,” Miles said of what the Tigers need to do to have success against the Crimson Tide. “If you can do that you have a great chance of beating any football team. We do that here and, hopefully, we can do that this Saturday.”
LSU’s top runner has been that of junior Charles Scott, who ranks No. 2 in the SEC with 111 yards per game. In eight games this year, Scott has rushed for 889 yards and 11 scores. He’s also topped the 100-yard mark six times.
Miles announced after practice on Wednesday that backup quarterback Andrew Hatch will miss his second consecutive game with a lower leg injury. As a result, true freshman Jordan Jefferson will serve as the backup to Lee against Alabama.
“Everybody’s healthy except for (Andrew) Hatch,” Miles said. “I think Hatch is legitimately out of this one.”
The Tigers will scale things back on the practice field on Thursday followed by a walk-thru at the Indoor Practice Facility on Friday afternoon as LSU will conclude its on-field preparations for Alabama.