Hello and Roll Tide!

Saturday night the Alabama Crimson Tide will play against the Tigers of LSU in Death Valley. Kalen DeBoer is 0-2 on the road in SEC play as he’ll look to notch his first win in one of the most hostile stadiums this conference has to offer. Alabama lost their last matchup in Tiger Stadium in 2022 as Brian Kelly beat Saban for the first time in his career. Kalen and team will look to start the newest chapter of this rivalry in the win column. Below are depth/injury notes, a preview of the 2024 LSU Tigers, and week 11 storylines. Let’s go!

Depth/Injury Notes:

· Cole Adams is OUT for Saturday’s game

o DeBoer said to expect Ryan and Mbakwe returning punts

· Keon Sabb is OUT for Saturday’s game

o Bray Hubbard is expected to start at safety, as he did against Missouri

Week 11 Preview: Louisiana State University Tigers

The LSU Tigers are 6-2 (3-1) and currently sit at 4th in the SEC conference. They are 1 of 5 teams with 1 loss in conference play. The other loss came in their opener against USC (Southern California) at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. At the time, USC was ranked in the top 25 but they have been unable to gain any traction in the Big 10 Conference as their record sits at 4-5. LSU is coached by Brian Kelly, who coached for Notre Dame from 2010-2021. Kelly has faced Alabama 3 times going 2-1. The most memorable was the 2013 BCS National Championship game where Alabama defeated the Irish 42-14. Kelly finally got over the Alabama hurdle in 2022 as the LSU Tigers converted a 2-point conversion in overtime to win 32-31.

The last two seasons, LSU has had a lot of success against the Alabama defense. This was primarily behind last season’s Heisman winner Jayden Daniels. LSU had to replace Daniels who was the 2nd overall pick in the NFL draft. A tough task, LSU managed to find a gunslinger in Garrett Nussmeier. Nussmeier ranks 7th in the country in passing yards and 8th in passing touchdowns so far this season. His aggressive style has led to 9 interceptions but more often creates big plays downfield. Nussmeier’s favorite target is Kyren Lacy who has over 600 yards and 6 touchdowns. Alongside Lacy, former Alabama wide-out Aaron Anderson has over 600 yards and 4 touchdowns. This LSU passing attack is dangerous behind one of the best offensive lines in the country. LSU has only allowed 4 sacks all season. The run-blocking has been effective as well as their lead back Caden Durham averages 5.4 yards per attempt. Their offense averages 32.8 points per game, ranking 35th nationally in that category. If this game is a shootout, they’ve got the weapons to compete.

LSU’s defense ranked 108th in total yards allowed a season ago. At 28 points allowed per game, LSU was second worst in the SEC during the 2023 season. They have seen significant improvements on the defensive side of the ball during the 2024 campaign. LSU is now top-60 in both of those categories primarily due to their pass rush. Even without former Freshman All-American Harold Perkins (season ending injury), LSU has 28 sacks on the season. They are led by Defensive Ends Bradyn Swinson (8 sacks) and Sai’vion Jones (4.5). This Defensive line is an elite pass-rush unit and they stop the run well. Behind the front 7 is a below average secondary. LSU’s DBs have forced only 4 interceptions and allow 230 passing yards per game. Notably they gave up 378 passing yards against USC, 281 yards vs UCLA, and 284 against Ole Miss. There is plenty of talent in the LSU secondary, however there may be an opportunity for Alabama to exploit mistakes.

LSU struggles on Special Teams. Their kicker has made 13 of 17 attempts (76.5%) with a long of 48 yards. Punter Peyton Todd is only averaging 40.9 yards per punt. If Alabama can stop LSU on their own side of the field, it could lead to great field position. Kick returner Zavion Thomas has been effective averaging 23.4 yards per return. The Tide may look to send kickoffs into the endzone.

Week 11 Storylines:

Playoff Elimination Game: It is a common opinion in the national media that the loser of this matchup will have almost no shot at making this year’s 12-team playoff. Both schools enter with 2 losses and cannot afford a 3rd. The environment at Tiger Stadium will be electric. How will Alabama fare in such a high intensity game? They’ve struggled on the road and this will certainly be the toughest test yet.

Eliminate penalties on the road: Alabama has struggled in the SEC with penalties, particularly on the road. At Tennessee, the offensive line committed 3 false start penalties as well as one holding. These penalties pushed Bama into 3rd and long plays that they were unable to convert. It will be challenging to hear in Death Valley, so let’s look to see if the communication improves.

Control the line of scrimmage: LSU’s offensive and defensive lines are incredibly talented. Their O-line protects Nussmeier better than any unit in the nation, while they also provide good running lanes to Durham. Alabama’s D-line is going to have to make the big men up front for LSU uncomfortable. They need to limit explosive plays on the ground and hit Nussmeier to disrupt this explosive offense. On the flip side, LSU rushes the passer better than most teams in the SEC. Milroe has been sacked 16 times this season, although the line has been better of late. They need to maintain focus and give Jalen time to read his progressions. Last week the run blocking was excellent, which allowed Nick Sheridan to mix in a healthy variety of run/pass plays. If the run game gets going this week, it will open up the pass game and allow Alabama to attack LSU’s vulnerable secondary.

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Roll Tide!

-Jake