re: Just a Bama vs LSU no smack football talk thread

In a matchup this even, special teams is going to have a huge impact. Who can clean theirs up the most in the bye week? LSU has gotten better in KO coverage, but the punter and punt coverage are a freakin dumpster fire. However, we also have a reliable FG kicker who hasn't missed one yet.

Bama has a great punter who can help control field position. That's a big advantage in what should be a close game, but their FG kicker has been VERY shaky. Do you guys think he can hit a big kick to win or tie a game? We've seen that go badly for Bama vs LSU before. Of course, we've also seen LSU's kicker put one out of bounds and give Bama great field position for a game-tying drive just last year.

To me, for all the hype, stars, and playmakers, this is the dividing line. In a wash game, special teams is usually a deciding factor.

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That's a big advantage in what should be a close game, but their FG kicker has been VERY shaky. Do you guys think he can hit a big kick to win or tie a game?

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He's hit 10 of his last 12, and is capable of booting them out of the end zone on kickoffs. His back is healed and his strength has returned. Honestly, I'm not the least bit worried when Adam takes the field anymore. That 0-4 start is in the distant past.

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LSU has gotten better in KO coverage, but the punter and punt coverage are a freakin dumpster fire. However, we also have a reliable FG kicker who hasn't missed one yet.

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Your KO coverage has gotten marginally better, but it's still 81st in the country for the month of October.

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LSU offense reminds me of what Bamas used to look like. It's not sexy, it's not going to score a ton of points against great defense but they keep TOP, they win the field position battle and they don't make mistakes. You don't have to throw the ball much when you stay in positive distance and downs. Punting deep is not always a bad thing especially with a great defense that can take advantage of mistakes.

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I agree with this

Bear ran the ball and did just enough passing

Your Saban NC teams - ran the ball

I think Les has a good staff and they are all on the same page but our ST play is not on par - I hope to see improvement there - also our safeties
get pull up often in run support and get caught up in play action - giving up big play often

I do think Bama has got away from what made them NC 3 out of 4 years

LK - not sure he is good for Bama or not - not my problem so it is what it is

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Bama's over the top passing attack. The LSU defensive backfield has been terrible with blown coverages due to mental breakdowns. On nearly every drive, they blow a coverage...it isn't exposed every time but it's happening. In a game where points could be hard to come by, cheap chunks of yards and points off mental break downs could be the swing factor.

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There is an art to playing a zone coverage scheme. Guys have to know when to release a receiver, and how to handle two men in their zone. Mo Claiborne, a great cover corner at LSU, has admittedly struggled playing zone in Dallas.

Hopefully the return of Mills will help to shore up some of these deficiencies. Jefferson looked good playing aggressive in the first few games, but I think he has been exploited as the season progressed. He may have been demoted last Saturday.

If somehow Cameron finds a way to involve Fournette in the passing game more especially in a slot or wideout position, it could be a long night for the Tide...you guys don't have a DB who can match up with him one on one or even in an intermediate to deep zone.

LSU can afford to put Fournette into that position on a regular basis and utilize Williams and or Guice effectively probably at the same time.

If LSU can limit Henry in the guard tackle gap, and put pressure on Coker's right side consistently, I see LSU by a touchdown or 10 points.

Here is my take Alabama, trying to be as unbiased as possible.


Offense:

I have said before that Alabama doesn't have any players in the passing game who scare you. After watching their last couple of games, I admit I was wrong. Calvin Ridley is very good. He's better than I thought he was and they are getting him the ball all over the place recently. OJ Howard is obviously a mismatch as he's an athletic freak, but they seem to forget about him at times in the passing game. I think they try to match him up against Debo and take advantage a few times in this game. That could be a big one. Some Bama fans believe Henry is nearly as good as Fournette. And while Henry is very, very good, he is no LF7. He is very powerful and fast, but he isn't so good when you change his direction at the line of scrimmage. LSU will need to get penetration and make gang tackles on him. The Bama offensive line has been talked about a lot. They are not as good as a usual Saban team, but they can still be championship caliber I believe. LSU's improved pass rush might be able to give them some trouble. The Drake is a solid player, but I don't see him being much more than a role guy in this game. He will be able to do a few things here and there, but overall I think LSU can handle him athletically. The final piece is Coker. He's protecting the football better, making plays with his feet when things break down, and overall taking command of this offense. He is big and surprisingly athletic. However, I think LSU's pass rush will force him into mistakes. I don't expect him to have a big game (ala AJ Mcarron in 2012), but he will get a chance in the 4th quarter to make his plays. We will see if he can bring the magic. Kiffin is a wildcard here. He is a very creative coordinator, but I think his one weakness is he can try to get too fancy instead of sticking to the ground and pound that Bama can kill teams with. If LSU has a big weakness on defense, its that their front 7 is paper thin. Will kiffin commit to the run game and have the patience to try and wear LSU out in the second half? We'll see.

Defense:
The front 7 is deep, fast, and angry. They are scary good. I don't think they have any weaknesses really, except possibly defending the edge rush. LSU has a tendency to toss the ball around the left tackle, but we will see if Bama puts extra emphasis on shutting that down. I think Harris will have to be able to help out by improvising with his feet. He is a very quick runner, and I think he can help move the chains by getting around the ends. The secondary is much improved from the last two seasons. You will hear a lot of LSU fans crow about how our secondary is so much better than the Bama group, but I think in reality its a lot closer than people realize. LSU's passing game is world's better than it was a year ago or even a month ago. They have the playmakers on the outside to create big plays, and they will need to be careful to avoid the big mistake against Bama's ballhawks. This is the best defense in college football. LSU has the most physical offense in the country. LF7 might be able to break a long run on them, but i wouldn't count on it. He will get the most carries of his career in this one.

Special Teams:

Both of these teams have had disastrous moments, but are filled with great athletes. Bama's punter is clearly the better of the two, while LSU clearly has the better FG kicker. I think Bama can make a game changing play in the return game. I'm not confident LSU can do the same.


Bottom line is this: Can LSU's physical offense outmuscle the Bama front 7 long enough to sustain drives? Can Kiffen commit to the run game long enough to wear down the defensive line of LSU? Will both QBs continue their recent trends of protecting the football? Will either special teams unit make a crucial error?

Thats the 4 keys to the game.

It will be a great one, and remember

Man this has been some solid, no trolling analysis and is what this board was created for! It is going to be a long two weeks of work leading up to this game. I am traveling solo from Waco, TX to see it live. I think this is going to be an awesome game and so many points have been accurately made that I don't know what's left to say.

These teams are built to beat each other. That is why this is the greatest game every year. I honestly don't know what to expect. LSU gets the edge on Offense (that's weird to type) and bama has the edge on defense. Special teams will be huge just like everyone said. I think this game will be just as special as the 9-6 game was (I was there for that one as well and no one...not one person seemed to sit down or relax the entire game). I do think the points will be a little higher. I like a 24-21 type game or 27-24. Both teams will focus on fixing penalty and special teams errors in the bye week. Both teams will throw in some wrinkles to scheme against each other.

Have no idea how this one will turn out and thats what makes it so great. Of course the homer in me thinks that LSU pulls it out, but regardless, I don't think I will regret the trip to BDS just like i didn't in 2011 or 2009. It will be good to get back to one of the best venues in the country for one of the best games of the year and definitely one of the best environments. Gonna be awesome

And you honestly think Coker has a better cast of supporting players that B.Harris and L.Fournette?

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As far as rushing defense - Florida gave up 254 yards to Tennessee, as opposed to Alabama giving up 132.

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This answers the question as to which team between FL & AL has the better front 7.

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I'm not trying to knock Harris down - he was impressive against a top 25 pass defense in Florida. All I am saying is that he hasn't faced a defense nearly as capable against the pass as Alabama (12th nationally, 1st in the SEC in pass defense rating).

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This tells you what a great front 7 can do for a secondary.
Obviously, this doesn't tell you who wins, but it does tell you Bamas D is legit.