Hello and Roll Tide!

After a much-needed bye week, Alabama will host LSU tonight. A lot of attention is on LSU after they fired their head coach Brian Kelly a week ago. Alabama must block out the outside noise and focus on the opponent ahead of them. A major event like this could bring the Tigers together before a heated rivalry game. Below are Injury Notes, an LSU preview, and Week 11 storylines. Let’s go!

Injury Notes:

  • Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. was added as OUT
  • Danny Lewis Jr. is QUESTIONABLE
  • Ryan Williams is PROBABLE
  • Lotzier Brooks and Isaiah Horton are available

Week 11 Preview: LSU Tigers

Alabama will take on a new-look LSU after firing their head coach Brian Kelly last week. LSU will be part of a crazy coaching carousel that includes Penn State, Florida, Arkansas, and Auburn. The Tigers are led by interim head coach Frank Wilson. This is Wilson’s second stint with LSU: Wilson worked as the Running Backs coach and Recruiting Coordinator from 2010-2015. He was the head coach at UTSA from 2016-2019 and HC at McNeese State from 2020-2021 before returning to LSU in 2022. Wilson’s expertise is the running game, an area where LSU has struggled this year. They enter tonight’s contest with a record of 5-3 (2-3). LSU started the season with high hopes, ranked #9 in the AP Poll. After a week 1 win over Clemson, LSU rose to #3. LSU lost three conference games to Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, and Texas A&M leading to Brian Kelly’s firing.

LSU’s shortcomings this season are mainly on the offensive side of the ball. They rank 83rd nationally in scoring (25.5 ppg) and 95th in yardage (355.5 ypg). They were 47th and 25th in these categories a year ago. Garrett Nussmeier returns as the starting quarterback coming off of a great 2024 campaign. Last season Nussmeier threw for 4,052 yards and 29 touchdowns. This season, production has been lower. Through 8 games Nussmeier has only 1,806 yards and 12 touchdowns. He has also been sacked 14 times already, as opposed to 16 all of last season. Nussmeier’s favorite targets this season are Aaron Anderson and Barion Brown. Anderson was part of Alabama’s 2022 recruiting class but transferred after his freshman season. As usual, LSU has a lot of talent at Wide Receiver. If Nussmeier is locked in, they can be very dangerous from the air. Running the ball has been difficult for LSU. They rank 124th nationally averaging only 106.3 rushing yards per game. Sophomore running back Caden Durham and Freshman Harlem Berry split carries. To fix the ground game, LSU has gotten creative bringing Sophomore quarterback Ju’Juan Johnson in for rushing attempts. Johson has 29 carries for 137 yards and 2 touchdowns. We should expect to see packages with Johnson in as Alabama’s struggles with mobile quarterbacks.

While LSU has seen a dip in offensive efficiency, they’ve improved significantly on the defensive side of the ball. LSU ranks 22nd in defensive scoring (18.9 ppg) and 36th in yards allowed (325.9 ypg). They were 59th and 61st in these categories a season ago. LSU added impact players on the defensive side of the ball over the offseason. Their leading tackler is AJ Haulcy, transfer from Houston. Haulcy is 3rd in the SEC with 64 total tackles. As well, he has 2 interceptions. LSU bolstered the secondary with 5-star freshman corner DJ Pickett. At 6-4, he is big and physical like Alabama’s freshman Dijon Lee. These additions have played great compliments to LSU’s superstar Harold Perkins. Perkins was a Freshman All-American in 2022 and followed up with a productive Sophomore season. He missed most of his Junior year due to injury and decided to return to LSU. While the stats may not jump off the screen, he is very disruptive in the pass rush. LSU’s linebackers are led by Senior West Weeks who plays alongside a talented Sophomore Davhon Keys. LSU’s defense is full of talent and will provide a good test for Alabama’s offense.

Week 11 Storylines:

Home field Advantage: LSU is known for Death Valley at Night, but Alabama’s home record is the best in the country over the last 10 seasons. Kalen DeBoer has started 11-0 at home and will need the home fans to show up and help against a fired-up LSU team. Kalen asked for the fans to be loud, leaning into the great atmosphere at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Rest vs Rest: Both teams are coming off of a BYE and have had plenty of time to prepare for one another. We’ve seen opposing teams succeed against Alabama when given time to prepare. Last season, Oklahoma played Alabama after a BYE and were able to replicate the Vanderbilt offense to a tee. Similarly, FSU had all off-season to develop the QB-run game to beat the Tide. LSU has a run-first quarterback in Ju’Juan Johnson who could run this style of offense. Did Alabama properly prepare over the BYE week? Did LSU use the BYE week to script the perfect offense?

Win in the Trenches: Alabama’s offensive line took a step back against South Carolina. The line allowed 8 pressures and did not generate push up front in the run game. Alabama only averaged 3.1 yards per carry. They will be faced with another skilled defensive line in LSU and need to be the more physical group. On the other side of the ball, LSU’s line has struggled this season. Nussmeier has been sacked 14 times and LSU only averages 3.8 yards per carry. This game may be decided by which Offensive Line plays better.

Program not Coach: LSU fired head coach Brian Kelly before the Alabama game stirring chaos among the program. The remaining staff and players will want to show that they are more than a coach, but rather the LSU Program. An event like this could bring the team together. LSU will come out firing and Alabama will need to pacify them.

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Roll Tide! -Jake