Hello and Roll Tide!

On Saturday Alabama will face off against the LSU Tigers in Death Valley. Kickoff is a rare 2:30pm CST, whereas LSU is used to having every home game at night. This is the 91st matchup in a longstanding rivalry dating back to 1895. Alabama leads the all-time series 58-27-5. Both teams enter the match 6-2 making this a pivotal game for both teams’ Playoff aspirations. DeBoer and staff have had all BYE week to prepare for Lane Kiffin’s Tigers. Below are injury updates, an LSU preview, and week 10 storylines. Let’s go!

Injury Updates:

  • Dez Zulu remains OUT for the LSU game
  • Ryan Coleman-Williams, Zabien Brown, Racin Delgatty, Terrance Green, and EJ Crowell were upgraded to QUESTIONABLE
  • Starting left guard William Sanders is listed as QUESTIONABLE
  • Dre Kirkpatric Jr. was removed from the Football Program

Week 10 Preview: Louisiana State University Tigers

The LSU Tigers are led by a familiar face in Lane Kiffin. This is his first season at LSU after serving as the head coach at Ole Miss for the past 6 seasons. Lane played a pivotal part in Nick Saban’s modernization of the offense while serving as Alabama’s Offensive Coordinator from 2014-2016. As he seems to do everywhere, Lane left Alabama abruptly right before the 2017 National Championship game. He spent 3 years at Florida Atlantic, winning 2 conference titles, before taking the job at Ole Miss. In true Lane fashion, Kiffin accepted the LSU job just before the 2025 College Football Playoffs, leaving Ole Miss without a head coach. Former Alabama DC Pete Golding stepped in and won Ole Miss’ first ever CFB Playoff games. LSU dominated the offseason, not only by stealing Lane Kiffin, but also spending significant money in the transfer portal. LSU brought in 44 players via the transfer portal, securing 3 of the top 10 transfers in the country. The top transfer in the country was Arizona State quarterback, Sam Leavitt, who secured a $4.5M deal from LSU. LSU’s expensive investment in Lane Kiffin and the portal has paid dividends this season. LSU is ranked 9th in scoring offense averaging 40.1 points per game. Last season, they were 103rd, averaging only 22.1 points per game. Sam Leavitt is a major upgrade for the program as LSU has the 6th best passing attack in the country, averaging 318 passing yards per game. Sam’s favorite targets have been transfer-receivers Jackson Harris (Hawaii), Winston Watkins Jr. (Ole Miss), and Eugene Wilson (Florida). Lane completely rebuilt the offense in one off-season. LSU also has a strong rushing attack, ranked 30th nationally averaging 192 rushing yards per game. Wisconsin transfer, Dilin Jones, is the lead back. He’s carried the ball 149 times for 657 yards and 6 touchdowns. The second leading rusher on the team is QB Sam Leavitt, with 324 yards and 8 touchdowns. He is a threat with his legs in the red zone. LSU’s offense is full of talent and can attack you from anywhere on the field. On the other side of the ball, LSU is a stout defense. The unit ranks 16th in scoring defense (16 ppg) and 4th in total yards allowed (258.1 ypg). LSU had a good defensive unit in 2025, ranking 24th and 27th in these categories a season ago; they went from good to elite. The defense is a mix of returning talent and the transfer portal. LSU beefed up their defensive line in the portal adding Princewill Umanmielen (Ole Miss) and Jordan Ross (Tennessee) who lead the team with 8.5 and 5 sacks respectively. True freshman Deuce Geralds has been very effective rushing the quarterback, adding another 5 sacks. LSU is 2nd in the SEC with 34 sacks. Behind them, linebackers TJ Dottery and Davhon Keys lead the team with 58 and 43 tackles. The safeties do a good job in run support and blitz occasionally; the units has 3 sacks this year. Cornerbacks are physical in coverage: PJ Woodland and DJ Pickett both have 6 pass breakups. LSU’s defense is strong on all three levels and will be a challenge for the Alabama offense.

Week 10 Storylines:

Hold the Line – LSU’s defensive line is one of the best units in the nation. They only trail Tennessee in the SEC when it comes to sacks. Alabama was unable to stop the Tennessee pass rush and completely folded. Alabama either needs to win up front, or take the defensive line out of the game. Quick screens to RCW or Lotzeir Brooks can act as sudo-run plays. The team had 2 weeks to prepare for LSU so hopefully Grubb has multiple strategies if the offensive line struggles. It would be a shame to see Alabama try the same thing over and over again with no success.

Strike First – Alabama has only scored one touchdown on an opening drive this season. Nighttime or not, LSU is a hostile environment with rabid fans. The best way to affect them would be grabbing an early lead. Alabama has scored first in 4 of 8 games this season. In both losses, Alabama trailed by 2 scores before their first touchdown. LSU is a great team and Alabama does not want to find themselves playing catch-up. It is very important that Alabama’s first scripted drive results in points.

Stand tall when your back is against the wall – LSU has attempted the 4th most 4th down plays in the SEC this season, with 16. They convert 81.3% of the time, best in the SEC. With this success, they are more than willing to go for it on 4th down, even in the red zone. These failed conversions hurt their red zone scoring percentage which is 86.7%, or 51st nationally. The high number of 4th down attempts paired with a lower-than-expected red zone conversion percentage point to one thing: LSU does not trust their kicker. LSU has only attempted 11 field goals this season, 80th nationally. Sophomore Scott Starzyk has not attempted a kick from 50+ yards, and is just 1-2 from 40-49 yards out. If Alabama can hold LSU to 4th and long situations while defending their half of the field, it will put pressure on Lane Kiffin to make a decision between his kicker or a red-hot 4th down offense.

As always, reach out with any questions or comments that you have. Do you have a score prediction? Breakout players? If you know anyone interested in joining the newsletter, send their info my way.

Roll Tide! -Jake