🏈 GAME THREAD: LSU vs BAMA
- Thread starter TerryP
- Start date
planomateo
Member
bamafan4ever
Staff
Given the news that came out during Ohio State's bye week, no bad news is indeed very good news.
I think E Jackson being and staying healthy at safety is key in this game. After he went out against 10rc the secondary looked a bit off at times. I think Cy plays better when he knows Jackson has his back. I don't think they should start the game with a stacked box at all. I think they need to trust the defensive front to do what they do and let the back end of the defense work the QB and receivers.
Fournette is a helluva back, no question but Chubb was a helluva back also
On offense I think this is another game where Howard can have a big impact. Obviously pound the ball with the King and take your shots.
Fournette is a helluva back, no question but Chubb was a helluva back also
On offense I think this is another game where Howard can have a big impact. Obviously pound the ball with the King and take your shots.
planomateo
Member
planomateo
Member
When I read this ..."Leonard Fournette has faced the 43rd, 73rd,105th,107th and 127th rush defenses in college football..." my immediate thought is "and he did exactly what you'd expect a running back of his caliber to do against defenses like those."
I do wonder why that tweet didn't include their game against UF—a top 20 team against the run—where Fournette had 180 with two TD's.
Personally, I think the Harris story carries more weight in this game. Considering pass defense rankings ...
#56 - Mississippi St.
#93 - Auburn
#106 - @ Syracuse
#36 - Eastern Mich.
#58 - South Carolina
#30 - Florida
#104 - Western Ky.
Harris had four completions against Eastern Michigan. Granted, a game they didn't need to pass much but still he ended the day at 4-14, 0 and 0. Florida is a bit of a different story where Harris had two TD's (one of which the DB fell down, the other a pass that was thrown up for grabs [Bama been a bit susceptible to those.])
On a side note: How many times have you see "Harris won the job?" How many times have you seen "Jennings was suspended?"
As you can see, I'm thinking Harris is the key to this game, not Fournette.
I do wonder why that tweet didn't include their game against UF—a top 20 team against the run—where Fournette had 180 with two TD's.
Personally, I think the Harris story carries more weight in this game. Considering pass defense rankings ...
#56 - Mississippi St.
#93 - Auburn
#106 - @ Syracuse
#36 - Eastern Mich.
#58 - South Carolina
#30 - Florida
#104 - Western Ky.
Harris had four completions against Eastern Michigan. Granted, a game they didn't need to pass much but still he ended the day at 4-14, 0 and 0. Florida is a bit of a different story where Harris had two TD's (one of which the DB fell down, the other a pass that was thrown up for grabs [Bama been a bit susceptible to those.])
On a side note: How many times have you see "Harris won the job?" How many times have you seen "Jennings was suspended?"
As you can see, I'm thinking Harris is the key to this game, not Fournette.
BAMANEWSBOT
Staff
BATON ROUGE – Platoon football worked excellently for Coach Paul Dietzel and LSU in 1958 and ’59 as the Tigers’ “Go,” “White” and “Chinese Bandits” squads won a school record 18 consecutive games and went 20-2 over the two seasons with a national championship in ’58 and the Heisman Trophy for tailback Billy Cannon in ’59.
But platoons did not catch on as substitution rules changed.
Former LSU coach Nick Saban, who won the 2003 national championship at LSU and won three as Alabama’s coach in 2009, ’11 and ’12, tried to pass a new rule concerning substitutions after the 2013 season as his defense struggled against such attacks at times that season and in ‘12. He and other defensive minded coaches wanted to combat the rash of success by hurry-up offenses with a 10-second rule that would prohibit ball snaps until at least 10 seconds of the 40-second play clock elapsed so as to allow more time for defensive substitutions.
It did not pass, and fast passing has not ceased. Meanwhile, Alabama’s pass defense has continued to struggle here and there. The seventh-ranked Tide (7-1, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) is just No. 5 in the SEC and 38th in the nation in pass defense with 197.3 yards allowed a game entering Saturday’s 7 p.m. home game against No. 4 LSU (7-0, 4-0 SEC) on CBS.
http://www.shreveporttimes.com/stor.../10/31/gladiator-week-lsu-bama-next/74978124/
That secondary allowed 18-of-33 passing for 341 yards and three touchdowns to quarterback Chad Kelly in a 43-37 loss to Ole Miss on Sept. 19. It is also banged up a bit at the moment as it braces for LSU quarterback Brandon Harris, who is second in the SEC and 17th nationally in passing efficiency at 153.9 on 75-of-128 passing for 1,098 yards and nine touchdowns with zero interceptions.
But overall, Saban is beating the substitution rule by joining it. He and coordinator Kirby Smart’s defense is No. 1 in the SEC and fourth in the nation in rush defense with a mere 78.5 yards allowed a game and is first in the SEC and sixth nationally in total defense with 275.8 yards given up a game. And In pass efficiency defense – a more comprehensive statistic than the above passing yards allowed – Alabama is also No. 1 in the SEC and seventh nationally with a 100.54 rating because of its 12 interceptions, including three that were returned for touchdowns against Texas A&M.
Saban and Smart have returned dominant defense to Alabama with a dizzying display of front seven substitutions in their three-linemen, four-linebackers alignment, involving as many as 15 players rotating in and out for the seven positions. Eight linemen play regularly, keeping everyone energized.
“They play a lot of guys, and they perfect their technique with whoever’s in,” said LSU junior left offensive tackle Jerald Hawkins. “They all rotate. That’s why film comes into play. You have to perfect what you’re going to do against each one. You’ve got to know each one. It’s like studying for a test – a big test. Can’t just focus on one guy because you never know who’s coming to get you.'
http://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/sports/college/lsu/2015/10/31/lsus-list-bama-showdown/74952722/
“We have had a lot of very good players here at Alabama in the front seven,” Saban said. “We probably have a little more depth and a little more diversity in terms of the kind of players that we have this year. We have some power guys that can play the run, and we have some guys that are pretty good pass rushers and are pretty athletic. I think the depth has helped keep us a little fresher than what we’ve been able to be in the past, especially on the fastball teams. The diversity in the players helps us with the kind of offenses that we see now.”
Senior starting nose guard Darren Lake (6-3, 315), for example, is the run stopper and gap plug and played more against traditional pro set teams like Georgia and Wisconsin and will likely play more against LSU. True freshman nose guard Da’Ron Payne (6-2, 315), meanwhile, is more explosive and has played more against spread teams, or “fastball teams,” like Texas A&M and Ole Miss.
“We can play some situation defense with some of those guys,” Saban said.
And some stay in the game on virtually every play, which is the case with 6-2, 252-pound senior middle linebacker Reggie Ragland — Alabama's team leader in tackles with 71 and in solo tackles with 42. He has two sacks, two hurries and two forced fumbles.
What doesn’t rotate in and out along with Ragland is the size and nature of Alabama’s front seven platoon.
“They’re all big and physical,” Hawkins said. “Plus, they don’t quit because they’re not in the game long. When they rush, they keep coming. Most guys probably die out after two or three quarters, but these guys just keep going. They focus on that. They have motors.”
LSU’s offensive line tends to not substitute very much, but the Tigers do have tailback Leonard Fournette, who leads the nation with 1,352 yards and with 193.1 yards a game. LSU is fourth nationally in rushing with 309 yards a game.
“I believe it will just take will to run against Alabama,” Hawkins said. “You’ve got to have that will to try to win each individual battle. Each play will be a battle — a test. Whoever comes out with the most outcomes wins.”
And LSU may not have to run to win, considering the way Harris has played recently. The sophomore quarterback has passed for more than 200 yards in each of the Tigers’ last three games and tossed seven touchdowns.
“Offensively, we’ve taken strides,” said wide receiver Malachi Dupre, who leads the Tigers with five receiving touchdowns and has 21 catches for 397 yards. “We’re better than we were last year offensively, and hopefully we can show it when we play. Alabama has a great defense again with a lot of depth, but we have balance like we haven’t had before.”
LSU offense will have to combat Saban’s substitutions
But platoons did not catch on as substitution rules changed.
Former LSU coach Nick Saban, who won the 2003 national championship at LSU and won three as Alabama’s coach in 2009, ’11 and ’12, tried to pass a new rule concerning substitutions after the 2013 season as his defense struggled against such attacks at times that season and in ‘12. He and other defensive minded coaches wanted to combat the rash of success by hurry-up offenses with a 10-second rule that would prohibit ball snaps until at least 10 seconds of the 40-second play clock elapsed so as to allow more time for defensive substitutions.
It did not pass, and fast passing has not ceased. Meanwhile, Alabama’s pass defense has continued to struggle here and there. The seventh-ranked Tide (7-1, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) is just No. 5 in the SEC and 38th in the nation in pass defense with 197.3 yards allowed a game entering Saturday’s 7 p.m. home game against No. 4 LSU (7-0, 4-0 SEC) on CBS.
http://www.shreveporttimes.com/stor.../10/31/gladiator-week-lsu-bama-next/74978124/
That secondary allowed 18-of-33 passing for 341 yards and three touchdowns to quarterback Chad Kelly in a 43-37 loss to Ole Miss on Sept. 19. It is also banged up a bit at the moment as it braces for LSU quarterback Brandon Harris, who is second in the SEC and 17th nationally in passing efficiency at 153.9 on 75-of-128 passing for 1,098 yards and nine touchdowns with zero interceptions.
But overall, Saban is beating the substitution rule by joining it. He and coordinator Kirby Smart’s defense is No. 1 in the SEC and fourth in the nation in rush defense with a mere 78.5 yards allowed a game and is first in the SEC and sixth nationally in total defense with 275.8 yards given up a game. And In pass efficiency defense – a more comprehensive statistic than the above passing yards allowed – Alabama is also No. 1 in the SEC and seventh nationally with a 100.54 rating because of its 12 interceptions, including three that were returned for touchdowns against Texas A&M.
Saban and Smart have returned dominant defense to Alabama with a dizzying display of front seven substitutions in their three-linemen, four-linebackers alignment, involving as many as 15 players rotating in and out for the seven positions. Eight linemen play regularly, keeping everyone energized.
“They play a lot of guys, and they perfect their technique with whoever’s in,” said LSU junior left offensive tackle Jerald Hawkins. “They all rotate. That’s why film comes into play. You have to perfect what you’re going to do against each one. You’ve got to know each one. It’s like studying for a test – a big test. Can’t just focus on one guy because you never know who’s coming to get you.'
http://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/sports/college/lsu/2015/10/31/lsus-list-bama-showdown/74952722/
“We have had a lot of very good players here at Alabama in the front seven,” Saban said. “We probably have a little more depth and a little more diversity in terms of the kind of players that we have this year. We have some power guys that can play the run, and we have some guys that are pretty good pass rushers and are pretty athletic. I think the depth has helped keep us a little fresher than what we’ve been able to be in the past, especially on the fastball teams. The diversity in the players helps us with the kind of offenses that we see now.”
Senior starting nose guard Darren Lake (6-3, 315), for example, is the run stopper and gap plug and played more against traditional pro set teams like Georgia and Wisconsin and will likely play more against LSU. True freshman nose guard Da’Ron Payne (6-2, 315), meanwhile, is more explosive and has played more against spread teams, or “fastball teams,” like Texas A&M and Ole Miss.
“We can play some situation defense with some of those guys,” Saban said.
And some stay in the game on virtually every play, which is the case with 6-2, 252-pound senior middle linebacker Reggie Ragland — Alabama's team leader in tackles with 71 and in solo tackles with 42. He has two sacks, two hurries and two forced fumbles.
What doesn’t rotate in and out along with Ragland is the size and nature of Alabama’s front seven platoon.
“They’re all big and physical,” Hawkins said. “Plus, they don’t quit because they’re not in the game long. When they rush, they keep coming. Most guys probably die out after two or three quarters, but these guys just keep going. They focus on that. They have motors.”
LSU’s offensive line tends to not substitute very much, but the Tigers do have tailback Leonard Fournette, who leads the nation with 1,352 yards and with 193.1 yards a game. LSU is fourth nationally in rushing with 309 yards a game.
“I believe it will just take will to run against Alabama,” Hawkins said. “You’ve got to have that will to try to win each individual battle. Each play will be a battle — a test. Whoever comes out with the most outcomes wins.”
And LSU may not have to run to win, considering the way Harris has played recently. The sophomore quarterback has passed for more than 200 yards in each of the Tigers’ last three games and tossed seven touchdowns.
“Offensively, we’ve taken strides,” said wide receiver Malachi Dupre, who leads the Tigers with five receiving touchdowns and has 21 catches for 397 yards. “We’re better than we were last year offensively, and hopefully we can show it when we play. Alabama has a great defense again with a lot of depth, but we have balance like we haven’t had before.”
LSU offense will have to combat Saban’s substitutions
B
Bamabacker
I really like our chances to win big in this game. I've always felt that John Chavis when at LSU had our offensive playbook..haha. He always had thoroughly prepared defenses with clever stunts and well timed blitzes. He had our number! I'm glad he's gone. He don't have quite the manpower at TAM currently. LSU's Steele is familiar with Bama but not Kiffin. I think a huge advantage for us offensively.
planomateo
Member
I said before the season that A&M overpaid for a name when they brought in Chavis. Steele actually worries me quite a bit more at LSU with the talent plus scheme that I think he will devise whereas Chavis always struck me as a DC living off pure talent of the players. I think Steel will be much more dynamic with the use of his LB'ers etc. JMO but I've never been sold on Chavis being the DC mastermind that seems to be his rep. 10rc didn't call it "3rd and Chavis" for nothing
planomateo
Member
B
Bamabacker
I guess I will humbly disagree here. Steeles history of DC/LB coaching and HC (Baylor 9-36) is not impressive at all. Even at Bama in 07, 08, he was mediocre in my opinion. Clemson ran him off to in 12'. He lived off his years at Nebraska but never has been able to have phenomenal success. I think his time has came and gone.
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