(Photo: Roll Tide Wire-USA Today)
Saturday Spotlight
(11) Alabama Crimson Tide at (15) LSU Tigers
Alabama: Truthfully speaking, this has been a better year than anticipated. After years and years of winning and success with Nick Saban, I don’t think many knew what to expect in the first year under Kalen DeBoer as the successor to Saban. He did get that signature win, that’s the marquee game when a new Head Coach beats that elite team in the sport and that happened on September 28th when they played the Georgia Bulldogs. Since then, it’s been a rocky path. When they were ranked number one, they fell short of Vanderbilt, looked shaky against the South Carolina Gamecocks, and fell short to the Tennessee Volunteers (the state of Tennessee has not been nice to them this year). The best I’ve seen the Crimson Tide this year was when they played the Missouri Tigers as they did it on both sides of the ball. Jalen Milroe got back to playing how he did earlier in the year and the defense didn’t let up and played a complete football game. This is a different feel for this program this year and I say this because around this time, they usually are undefeated, ranked within the top four, and a threat to at least make the conference title game. Now, they are in November with a total of two losses, ranked 11th in the first set of College Football Playoff rankings, and fighting for their playoff lives. Every game here on out is approached as if it were a playoff game. Win, you stay alive, but a loss eliminates you. Tonight, they make their way to Baton Rouge.
LSU: They were trending in the right direction at one point. After the loss to USC in week one, they went on a winning streak, a six-game winning streak to be exact and a spot in the first set of playoff rankings looked to be in the cards. That all came tumbling down when they fell short to the Texas A&M Aggies in week eight. This happens to always be a common theme with Brian Kelly football teams. I’ll just come right out and say it, he’s a good coach, yes. Everywhere he’s been, his teams have always won. After all, look at what he did in South Bend for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish! He left as the winningest Head Coach in school history. I can’t label him as a great coach and I say this because he never prepares his teams for the big games. This has been a trending topic with him which takes me to LSU’s game against the Texas A&M Aggies. In the first half of that game, they were dominant and controlled everything, then came the second half and they self-destructed. I bring this up to say that this happens to a Brian Kelly team at least two or three times a season. When they were winning, Garrett Nussmeier was playing well which meant they went as far as he took them. Tonight, they will look to keep their playoff chances alive in a rivalry game.
Alabama X-Factor: Jam Miller– One thing I can say about the Crimson Tide is they will always have a quality Running Back on their roster. During the Saban era, two of them won Heisman Trophies and I’m talking about Mark Ingram and Derrick Henry. Jam could be one of those backs we talk about for years to come. He finds a crease on the field, bursts through, and is pushing for more yards. This is a straightforward runner who wants to power through you any opportunity he gets. Jam is also a nice receiver out of the backfield and can capitalize on any mismatch with a Linebacker.
LSU X-Factor: Whit Weeks– Football is the one sport that has always been next man up. Whit has evolved as one of the elite Linebackers in the country and took over for star Linebacker Harold Perkins who unfortunately tore his ACL and is done for the season. He has held down the second level of the defense and hasn’t looked back. Whit is quick, instinctive, and wants to lay a hit. He can blitz on a-gap pressures and he’s a strong tackler in the open field. Whit is as read and react as they come and will serve as the spy tonight against Jalen Milroe.
Final Thoughts: This rivalry has given us so many memories over the years, from the 2011 defensive struggle to the National Title game where Alabama shut down the Tigers that same year, the battle in 2019 which all but sealed up the Heisman for Joe Burrow, and even two years ago when LSU stunned Bama in Death Valley. Last year’s battle was a good one too that saw Alabama get their revenge. Now, it’s time for the latest edition of the Saban Bowl. The winner of this game will be in a strong position to make the playoffs while the loser will be eliminated. So much is on the line here. Jam was my X factor for a reason for the Crimson Tide. This LSU defense allows over 115 rushing yards per game which means they will come out and attack the weakness early on. Alabama has also struggled to stop the run, but LSU struggles to generate much of a running game. This could be a huge game for Jalen Milroe as LSU also struggles to contain mobile Quarterbacks, look at the game against South Carolina earlier in the year when LaNorris Sellers ran circles around the Tigers. Jalen is the key to Alabama’s offensive success and his mix of the deep pass down the field and mobility make him a threat each time he’s on the field. This is such an evenly matched football game and both teams have advantages against each other’s weaknesses. I expect this to be a close game throughout and I like Alabama to win and remain in contention for the CFP.
Prediction: Alabama 38, LSU 35
