Opposing coaches on what LSU has to do to compete against Alabama

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“I didn’t have any answers at the end of the game. A couple of weeks later I still don’t,” said Missouri coach Barry Odom, whose Tigers held Bama to its lowest point total of the season and still lost 39-10. “You have to eliminate the explosive plays when your defense is on the field. The turnover margin has to be in your favor, and you have to be really good on third down to extend drives. If you can do that, their offense won’t be on the field. But they’re really good in every area. The explosive plays set them apart.”

“You need to be physical up front,” said Pruitt, Alabama’s defensive coordinator the previous two seasons. “If you play split safeties to take the wide receivers away, you are going to be even in the box, so you can’t give up 1-on-1s. If you outnumber them in the box, you have to play them man-to-man and not let them create explosive plays. You have to affect the quarterback. You may have to fool him with disguises, though we didn’t do that very well.”

“Athletic quarterbacks have had success in the past, quarterbacks that can take off running and scramble,” said Napier, referring to something LSU quarterback Joe Burrow can do.

“I don’t know if they’ve sewed up their kicking situation. That was an issue when we played. I think there’s a drop-off in their defensive personnel in the twos, so if you can get the play count up, hold the ball, have some cumulative effect and keep the game tight. That’s the problem: The game gets out of hand in a hurry, you become one-dimensional and that’s kind of playing into their hands when they can play split safety.”

“Right now, I’m watching their tape against Arkansas State, and he’s got a clean pocket all day,” Napier said. “Nobody hardly even touches the guy. If you blitz, they’ve got three speed demons out there on the perimeter, so you have to have the ability to cover those guys. That’s going to be a key: Who can cover their skill and affect the quarterback, take some chances.”

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