No. 4 Alabama will host LSU at Bryant-Denny Stadium in the 90th meeting between the two teams.
The Crimson Tide lead the series 57-27-5 overall, with a 15-10 record in games played in Tuscaloosa. Alabama dominated last year’s meeting in Baton Rouge with a 42-13 victory.
Here are a few things to watch this Saturday.
- Take LSU Seriously
LSU comes into the game unranked, which is only the third time since 2007 that this matchup wasn’t between two ranked teams. The record may not be what LSU would like it to be, and their head coach has been fired, but the talent is still there. Alabama will have to look past the record and interim head coach on the LSU sidelines and take the Tigers seriously in a game that LSU will be looking to grab the upset.
- Who Will Get the Run Game Going?
Saturday’s matchup will feature two of the worst rushing teams in the SEC. Alabama comes in ranked 15th, while LSU comes in at 14th in rushing in the SEC. Both teams have spent their week off focusing on the run game in the hope of getting the ground game going to open up the pass game. Jam Miller should be fully healthy and have a chance to give the run game a spark against an LSU run defense that ranks 10th out of 16 SEC teams.
3. Defend Home Field
Alabama enters this matchup riding the nation’s longest home winning streak at 16 games, a run that began early in the 2023 season. Coming into the game, the Crimson Tide have won 86 consecutive home games against unranked opponents, dating back to 2007. Crimson Tide fans have made night games in Tuscaloosa a tough environment for the road team and will look to do the same on Saturday.
- Connect on the Deep Ball
Maybe the only weakness Ty Simpson has shown this season is an inaccurate deep ball. Simpson is just 15 for 32 for 431 yards with five touchdowns and an interception on passes over 20 yards this season. In his last game against South Carolina, Simpson was a meager 1 for 8 for just 25 yards in deep passes. Deep routes have been open all season, but the accuracy has been lacking. Simpson and the Crimson Tide spent time during the off week to improve on the deep ball accuracy in hopes of connecting on a few big plays downfield.
5 Bring the Pressure
LSU’s offensive line has had some similar struggles on the offensive line just like Alabama. LSU has rotated eight different starters on the offensive line throughout the season while battling injuries. With the rise of Yhonzae Pierre's ability to rush the passer, Alabama has a good opportunity to bring pressure and get sacks on a non-mobile quarterback that tends to stay in the pocket.
Alabama will host LSU Saturday at 6:30. The game will be televised on ABC.
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