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http://espn.go.com/blog/sec/post/_/id/92616/lsu-alabama-is-secs-toughman-contest
This will be Kendell Beckwith's kind of game.
LSUās new starting middle linebacker knows LSU-Alabama is the SECās version of a toughman competition, and thatās exactly the style of football he likes to play.
āI know itās going to be hard-nosed football,ā said Beckwith, whose team will host Alabama on Saturday. āI know theyāre going to try to come downhill on us and weāre just going to have to do a good job of stopping the run.ā
Perhaps no two programs in the conference are a better match than No. 6 Alabama (7-1, 4-1 SEC) and No. 19 LSU (7-2, 3-2), which is why their annual showdown has become one of the conferenceās premier rivalries.
They recruit at similarly high levels. They turn out tons of professional talent. Theyāre led by stars in the coaching profession. And theyāre both known for their physicality -- particularly along the line of scrimmage.
Teams that are weak up front typically donāt have much of a chance.
āI think itāll be pretty physical and pretty loud and probably like a repeat of the Ole Miss game -- maybe a little more exciting,ā said Beckwith, who was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week last week after his 10-tackle performance helped LSU beat Ole Miss 10-7 and hand the Rebels their first loss of the season.
That was easily LSUās best win of the season following a rocky start in which the Tigers did not perform up to their expectations on the offensive and defensive lines. Mississippi State and Auburn both posted huge yardage totals against John Chavisā defense, and LSU's trademark power running game failed to keep the Tigers in either of those losses.
They have turned things around of late, however, improving on a weekly basis on defense and averaging 254 rushing yards per game during their current three-game winning streak.
Running effectively against defenses from Florida and Ole Miss was a challenge, and the Tigers were successful. But facing Alabamaās defense is an entirely different animal, as the Crimson Tide enter as the SECās leading run defense -- and rank second nationally -- by allowing just 78.1 rushing yards per game.
āTheyāre big up front, so our O-line has just got to be able to handle those guys up front and get moving on those guys,ā LSU running back Kenny Hilliard said. āIf they do that, theyāll create some running lanes for our backs and weāll be able to get in there and hit the crease and get vertical.ā
When the Tigers were struggling a month ago, that seemed like a laughable proposition. Now itās not nearly as funny. LSU was clearly the more physical team against Ole Miss -- which handed Alabama its only loss of the season on Oct. 4 -- and could have won by a wider margin if not for four turnovers and a missed 28-yard field goal.
For the first time this season, LSU looks like a team that can give Alabama a run for its money.
Nick Sabanās Tide will still enter Tiger Stadium as the favorite, just as they have been every time these teams have met after 2007, Sabanās first season at Alabama. Their visits to Baton Rouge under Saban have all been instant classics, and Alabama has won two of the three.
Sabanās return to LSU -- where he coached from 2000 to 2004 -- came in 2008, with Alabama winning 27-21 in overtime. Les Milesā Tigers returned the favor in 2010, fooling everyone in the stadium with a fourth-down reverse to tight end DeAngelo Peterson to set up the go-ahead touchdown in a 24-21 win. In 2012, AJ McCarron and T.J. Yeldon combined to break LSU fansā hearts on a 28-yard touchdown pass with 51 seconds to play, lifting the Tide to a 21-17 win.
LSU and Alabama's performances of late offer every reason to believe this should be another enormously physical and competitive game, which is why itās no coincidence both teams took this past weekend off in order to rest up for Saturdayās rematch. They both know exactly what to expect Saturday: probably the most intense game they will play all season.
āIt was live. It was crazy,ā said LSU receiver Travin Dural, who caught his first career touchdown pass against Alabama last season in Tuscaloosa. āTheir defense was flying all over and they were big and fast and physical and they didnāt make a lot of mistakes.ā
LSUās defense has played cleaner games lately as well, and its timing couldnāt be better. For the Tigers to pull off an upset Saturday, it will require their most efficient, physically imposing outing of the season.
This will be Kendell Beckwith's kind of game.
LSUās new starting middle linebacker knows LSU-Alabama is the SECās version of a toughman competition, and thatās exactly the style of football he likes to play.
āI know itās going to be hard-nosed football,ā said Beckwith, whose team will host Alabama on Saturday. āI know theyāre going to try to come downhill on us and weāre just going to have to do a good job of stopping the run.ā
Perhaps no two programs in the conference are a better match than No. 6 Alabama (7-1, 4-1 SEC) and No. 19 LSU (7-2, 3-2), which is why their annual showdown has become one of the conferenceās premier rivalries.
They recruit at similarly high levels. They turn out tons of professional talent. Theyāre led by stars in the coaching profession. And theyāre both known for their physicality -- particularly along the line of scrimmage.
Teams that are weak up front typically donāt have much of a chance.
āI think itāll be pretty physical and pretty loud and probably like a repeat of the Ole Miss game -- maybe a little more exciting,ā said Beckwith, who was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week last week after his 10-tackle performance helped LSU beat Ole Miss 10-7 and hand the Rebels their first loss of the season.
That was easily LSUās best win of the season following a rocky start in which the Tigers did not perform up to their expectations on the offensive and defensive lines. Mississippi State and Auburn both posted huge yardage totals against John Chavisā defense, and LSU's trademark power running game failed to keep the Tigers in either of those losses.
They have turned things around of late, however, improving on a weekly basis on defense and averaging 254 rushing yards per game during their current three-game winning streak.
Running effectively against defenses from Florida and Ole Miss was a challenge, and the Tigers were successful. But facing Alabamaās defense is an entirely different animal, as the Crimson Tide enter as the SECās leading run defense -- and rank second nationally -- by allowing just 78.1 rushing yards per game.
āTheyāre big up front, so our O-line has just got to be able to handle those guys up front and get moving on those guys,ā LSU running back Kenny Hilliard said. āIf they do that, theyāll create some running lanes for our backs and weāll be able to get in there and hit the crease and get vertical.ā
When the Tigers were struggling a month ago, that seemed like a laughable proposition. Now itās not nearly as funny. LSU was clearly the more physical team against Ole Miss -- which handed Alabama its only loss of the season on Oct. 4 -- and could have won by a wider margin if not for four turnovers and a missed 28-yard field goal.
For the first time this season, LSU looks like a team that can give Alabama a run for its money.
Nick Sabanās Tide will still enter Tiger Stadium as the favorite, just as they have been every time these teams have met after 2007, Sabanās first season at Alabama. Their visits to Baton Rouge under Saban have all been instant classics, and Alabama has won two of the three.
Sabanās return to LSU -- where he coached from 2000 to 2004 -- came in 2008, with Alabama winning 27-21 in overtime. Les Milesā Tigers returned the favor in 2010, fooling everyone in the stadium with a fourth-down reverse to tight end DeAngelo Peterson to set up the go-ahead touchdown in a 24-21 win. In 2012, AJ McCarron and T.J. Yeldon combined to break LSU fansā hearts on a 28-yard touchdown pass with 51 seconds to play, lifting the Tide to a 21-17 win.
LSU and Alabama's performances of late offer every reason to believe this should be another enormously physical and competitive game, which is why itās no coincidence both teams took this past weekend off in order to rest up for Saturdayās rematch. They both know exactly what to expect Saturday: probably the most intense game they will play all season.
āIt was live. It was crazy,ā said LSU receiver Travin Dural, who caught his first career touchdown pass against Alabama last season in Tuscaloosa. āTheir defense was flying all over and they were big and fast and physical and they didnāt make a lot of mistakes.ā
LSUās defense has played cleaner games lately as well, and its timing couldnāt be better. For the Tigers to pull off an upset Saturday, it will require their most efficient, physically imposing outing of the season.
