When Alabama and LSU get together, they’ve given college football fans some tremendous Saturdays over the years. The Tigers meet the Tide in Tuscaloosa on Saturday.
Though LSU is just 4-4 on the year (2-3 SEC) and will enter as a 4-score underdog, it’s still a clash of 2 of the biggest names in the SEC. As such, Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit will have the call for ESPN. A night game—7 p.m. ET kick—under the lights. Plenty to talk about it.
Fowler was on “SEC This Morning” early Friday to do just that.
“I think the (Alabama) players certainly were aware of what happened in (2019),” Fowler said, speaking on a 46-41 Tiger victory over the Tide the last time these to met at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
“It’s not very often that Alabama can draw on motivation from losing a game, right? They don’t do that very often. I think it’s always been true, this game is more personal to LSU. Alabama gets everybody’s best shot and LSU has always taken the Alabama game very personally, much more than the reverse, especially since Nick got here.”
But the Tigers have a tough task at hand. Alabama is 7-1 on the season and ranked No. 2 in the College Football Playoff rankings. Led by a Heisman Trophy contender in quarterback Bryce Young, Alabama’s offense isn’t that far off its blistering scoring pace from 2019.
The Tide averaged 47.2 points a game that season, only 1.2 points fewer than the nation-leading Tigers. This season, Alabama’s at 45.9 points per contest. LSU is… about two scores short of that.
Naturally, Fowler is thinking back to that barnstormer that featured Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson on one side and Tua Tagovailoa and Najee Harris and DeVonta Smith on the other.
“I was wondering if I could get in a time capsule and go back to 2019 and be there for that one,” Fowler said. CBS had the call that day. “We’re always ready for a blowout, we had nothing but blowouts last year. We’ve been much luckier this year. But whatever happens, however big the score gets, it’s still compelling I think and I think it’s going to be compelling. Talk about LSU, where they’re going next, (the) Ed Orgeron situation and what’s going on with Bama as they get ready for the home stretch. I think there’s going to be plot lines, but yeah, I’d much rather it come down to the last few plays.”
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
