re: Is it just me,or do the LSU fans feel more confident than ever?

LSU fan here, I come in peace!

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. LSU is a very good, but not elite defense. I think they match up well with Bama though because of their ability to penetrate into the backfield and create negative plays. LSU's zone pass defense has been Charmin soft and if they bring that into BDS, Kiffin will eat them alive on 3rd down.

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. Depending on the health of Tre White and Jalen Mills, I might even give the advantage to the Bama group. 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. Cam Cameron is a lot more diverse then most on the outside believe. Its not just run up the middle and throw a deep play action pass, although thats the basis of his offense. I expect a lot of creativity out of the LSU offense in how they get LF7 the ball. He's a much better receiver out the backfield then people realize.

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.

I am not at all cocky that LSU can roll over the Tide here, but I like our chances for the first time since 2012.

It will be a great one, and remember