Bama vs. LSU: Best SEC rivalry? Part 5

“We just have to get back in the groove”. Rankings referenced come from the College Football Playoff committee. Results have occasionally been ugly, but this series is the most compelling old-school football rivalry going today. The Gators lost to LSU on the road in Death Valley while Alabama lost at home to Ole Miss. Henry is facing LSU’s defense and this is not a matchup that looks like a real advantage for the Tide. “I don’t know how much people are talking about him”, center Ryan Kelly said, “But I know how much we love him”. Clearly, the Rebels are beatable with their two losses, but the Crimson Tide were unable to get a victory over the Rebels. Fournette has said his main reasons for staying in Louisiana had to do with family, personal relationships and the desire to be different than players flocking to Tuscaloosa because of the Tide’s recent collection of national titles and SEC dominance. Dietzel also held the Wing-T back in the first half as a fired up Alabama took a 3-0 halftime lead. In freshman Kyler Murray’s first collegiate start, he threw for 223 yards and ran for 156 yards while accounting for two touchdowns in a conference win over South Carolina on Saturday. With Muschamp as the defensive coordinator, Auburn is allowing 29.4 points per game this season. The sophomore has 1,352 yards rushing, best in the country. Despite what happened in the Sugar Bowl, this was to be expected. There hasn’t been a defense that has come close to slowing him down, but Alabama has the depth and talent in the front seven to keep Fournette in check. On the official first-string three-man line, A’Shawn Robinson, Darren Lake and Jarran Reed all weigh more than 310 pounds. Technically, it was an away game for LSU, but the vast majority of the crowd were familiar fan faces. That doesn’t even include All-SEC end Jonathan Allen, who is a mere 283 pounds.

-LB Reggie Ragland. Ragland is sixth in the SEC with 71 tackles.

The run defense for Alabama is actually very simple.

LSU’s strengths play right into what Alabama most likes to defend. Alabama’s veteran offensive tackle appreciates the work Henry does beyond just running the ball.

LSU quarterback Brandon Harris has proven himself to be a surgeon with a football with 1,098 passing yards, 9 touchdowns and no interceptions.

-RB Derrick Henry. Like it has been all season, Alabama’s offense goes behind the legs of Henry.

Harris’ progression is a big story on Saturday, as it is a chance for him to play well on a big stage against a great defense – although we’ve already seen him put forth a productive night in the win over Florida.

No. 7 Alabama (7-1, 4-1 SEC) hosts No. 4 LSU (8-0, 4-0 SEC) this Saturday. Even when they’re competitive, though, they haven’t had a ton of success on the ground. The Midshipmen have a terrific rushing game led by Keenan Reynolds, who is seeking to break the tie for most career rushing touchdowns, and is very capable of giving the Tigers fits with the triple option. He and Leonard Fournette should meet in the hole a few times. He has rushed for at least 140 yards in nine straight games dating back to the last two last season. Ole Miss. 19. Texas A&M. 20. And unlike Florida, Alabama isn’t going to fall for the banana in the tailpipe trick play.

It doesn’t get any better than this. For the first time in four decades, Alabama was playing for national championships nearly every season. That resulted in just two drives that lasted over seven minutes and featured zero points and punts from midfield. And while Henry is a monster, Fournette is more consistently explosive. He plays regularly at cornerback and is a key contributor on special teams for the Crimson Tide.

That’s a lot of football games, and the latest scheduled bye week in the SEC. Alabama has to commit to stopping Fournette, but they can’t over-commit either.