BATON ROUGE – In what has become one of the biggest games in college football each year, LSU and Alabama square off in Tuscaloosa on Saturday night in a contest that will have not only SEC title implications, but will go a long way in determining participants in this season’s College Football Playoff.
LSU and Alabama are both ranked in Top 4 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings, which were released on Tuesday. LSU enters the game ranked No. 2 in the CFP rankings and No. 4 in both the Amway/USA Today Coaches Poll and the Associated Press Top 25.
Alabama stands at No. 4 in the CFP ranking and No. 7 in the other two national polls.
This will be 10th straight time that both teams go into the contest ranked in Top 25 and it’s the seventh time since 2005 that both teams go into the game ranked in the Top 10. In four meetings from 2011-13, one of the teams was ranked No. 1 in the nation (LSU in both games in 2011; Alabama in 2012 and 2013).
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Kickoff between the two SEC heavyweights is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. and will be televised on CBS with Verne Lundquist (play-by-play), Gary Danielson (analyst) and Allie LaForce (sideline reporter) on the call.
The game will also be broadcast on the LSU Sports Radio Network with Patrick Wright calling the action along with former LSU great Doug Moreau (analyst) and Tiger special teams sensation Gordy Rush reporting from the sidelines.
Wright will fill in for Hawthorne, who will miss his first LSU football game since taking over as Voice of the Tigers in 1984. Hawthorne underwent a successful medical procedure late last week and is expected to return to the booth in a couple of week.
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GameDay Info #4 LSU (7-0, 4-0 SEC) at #7 Alabama (7-1, 4-1 SEC) – GameDay Central: Video, Social & More Saturday, Nov. 7 Listen Online (5 p.m. CT): Geaux Zone | Apps SEC Network Replays: GameDay Forecast Times of Interest Friday Saturday 8-11 a.m. CT 5:15 p.m. CT Next Game: LSU vs. Arkansas |
Both teams enter the contest coming off an open date. LSU ran its record to 7-0 with a 48-20 win over Western Kentucky in its last outing on Oct. 24. The Crimson Tide scored late to escape with a 19-14 win over upset-minded Tennessee in their last contest. LSU leads the SEC Western Division with a 4-0 mark, while Alabama is 4-1. The Crimson Tide’s only loss came to Ole Miss, 43-37, on Sept. 19 in Tuscaloosa.
A year ago in Tiger Stadium, Alabama forced overtime with a field goal with three seconds left after LSU took a 13-10 lead with 55 seconds remaining in the contest. The Crimson Tide won in overtime, 20-13, for their fourth straight win over the Tigers.
LSU coach Les Miles has a 5-6 mark against Alabama making him the winningest coach in school history against the Tide. Three of Miles’ five wins over Alabama have come in Tuscaloosa, most recently in 2011 with a 9-6 overtime victory in a 1 vs. 2 matchup. Miles and the Tigers won in overtime in Tuscaloosa in 2005 and then posted a 41-34 win in 2007 in Bryant-Denny Stadium.
“This team is looking forward to playing in this environment and they are looking forward to playing against Alabama,” Miles said. “They want to test themselves and this game will certainly do that. We’ve had two really good weeks of practice leading up to this game.
“We’ve played in these games before, and we certainly understand them. I think our guys recognize that we still have to execute and play well in all three phases to have success, not matter how big the game is.
The players should relish this opportunity and look forward to it. Games like this is why come to LSU.”
The LSU-Alabama game features many storylines, but perhaps none bigger than that of Leonard Fournette, the nation’s leading rusher with 1,352 yards and 15 touchdowns, facing a Crimson Tide defense that is allowing just 78.5 yards rushing a game.
Fournette goes into the game riding a streak of nine straight games with at least 100 yards and he’s gone over the 100-yard mark 12 times in his career. LSU is 11-1 in those games. Earlier this year, Fournette became the first running back in SEC history to have 200 yards in three straight games and he also became the player in league history to reach 1,000 yards in five games.
“This is going to the Clash of the Titans,” Fournette said earlier this week. “Alabama has a great defense and we have tremendous respect for them. This is going to a 60-minute battle.”
For the first time in school history, LSU’s offense has had 200 rushing yards and 200 passing yards in three straight games. Quarterback Brandon Harris rates No. 2 in the SEC in pass efficiency as he’s -completed 75-of-128 passes for 1,098 yards, nine touchdowns and no interceptions. Harris, who is 7-1 as LSU’s starting quarterback, is coming off a career-best 286 yards and three TDs in the win over Western Kentucky.
“Brandon has done a great job for us each week,” Miles said. “He’s gotten better with each game and we’ve been able to expand the menu for him each week. We just need Brandon to continue to play the way he has, managed the game and do what we ask him to do.”
As a unit, LSU’s offense leads the SEC in rushing with 309.1 yards per game to go with 156.9 passing yards a contest. LSU is averaging 38.9 points a game and have scored 40 or more points in three of its last four games.
Defensively, LSU under first year coordinator Kevin Steele is allowing just 315.9 total yards a game. The Tigers rank No. 2 in the SEC against the run, allowing only 93.7 yards a game.
The strength of the Tiger defense has been its front seven as linebackers Kendell Beckwith and Deion Jones, both semifinalists for the Butkus Award, led the team with 51 tackles apiece. Defensive end Lewis Neal ranks among the SEC leaders in both sacks (7.0) and tackles for loss (8.0), while defensive tackles Davon Godchaux (26 tackles, 6.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks) and Christian LaCouture (19 tackles) both contribute to LSU’s stout rushing defense.
The Tiger defense will be tasked with defending the other 1,000-yard rusher in the SEC in Derrick Henry, who has 1,044 yards and 14 TDs to his credit. Quarterback Jake Coker has emerged as the perfect complement to Alabama’s running game as he’s completed 64 percent of his passes (143-of-224) for 1,623 yards, 11 TDs and just seven interceptions.
Calvin Ridley is Alabama’s top threat in the passing game with 45 catches for 525 yards and three scores.
Defensively, the Crimson Tide has registered 27 sacks and forced 17 turnovers. Linebacker Reggie Ragland is among the best in the nation as he’s recorded 71 tackles and 2.0 sacks this year.
“This will be an interesting game,” Miles said. “Both sides have great players. I’m looking forward to watching our guys step up and making big plays. We have worked hard and done everything that we needed to do to get to this point. It’s going to take great effort and execution in all three phases of the game. I can’t wait to take my team onto the field.”