After a week off, Alabama returns to action against LSU on Saturday. The Crimson Tide, ranked 5th by the College Football Playoff committee, will attempt to knock off the No. 16 Tigers for the fourth straight time as they make a run at the SEC West title.

Let’s take a look at some of the interesting numbers behind the matchup.

THE GOOD

  • 5-3. Since returning to the college ranks, Nick Saban is 5-3 against his former team. The Crimson Tide have run off three straight wins against LSU, including a victory over the Tigers in the 2011 national championship game. Landon Collins is already talking smack, saying he plans to leave school having never lost to LSU, and oddsmakers have the Tide as a good bet to come out of Death Valley with a win.
  • 69.6. LSU is about as one-dimensional as it gets on offense. They have 439 rushing attempts this season compared to just 192 pass attempts, meaning they run the ball 69.6 percent of the time. The Crimson Tide have the second-best run defense in the country, giving up only 78 yards per game on the ground.
  • 31. The Crimson Tide have a tendency to get into the backfield no matter where they play, but they’re quite good at it on the road. Alabama has 31 tackles for loss in its four road games this season, eight more than they have in home games. With the way LSU pounds the rock, they’ll need to break up their running rhythm with some stops behind the line.

THE BAD

  • 154.2. LSU is stingy agains the pass no matter where they play, but they’re downright inhospitable at home. The Tigers allow opponents to pass for just 154.2 yards per game in Tiger Stadium, a little over half of what Alabama is averaging through the air this season.
  • 3. Now in his 10th season at LSU, Les Miles has an outstanding record in night games at Tiger Stadium, losing only three times in such contests. Overall, Miles is 46-3 in vaunted Death Valley night games, although one of those three losses came earlier this season against Mississippi State.
  • 3.7. LSU was awful defending the run earlier in the season, getting gouged for a combined 600 yards by Mississippi State and Auburn. They’ve shored that up since then, and are only allowing 3.7 yards per carry and 110.3 yards per game in their last three SEC games. Alabama needs to establish the run in this game, but LSU might not make it easy.