As No. 7 Alabama gets ready to face No. 4 LSU, a matchup of rivals that once again could be the game of the year in the SEC, it might feel a bit like looking in the mirror. Each team has gotten to this point riding a nearly unstoppable running game and a run defense that’s just as good. They’ve also each survived with adequate, and not really spectacular, quarterback play.
So this game will be billed as LSU running back Leonard Fournette versus Alabama’s Derrick Henry. The one who prevails could come away as the Heisman favorite, and the leader of the team on the fast track to the College Football Playoff.
But perhaps the players to watch most closely are not the running backs, but instead the players on the front seven charged with stopping them.
LSU’s numbers on both sides of the ball are astounding. The Tigers have rushed for 2,164 yards through seven games and allowed opponents just 656. They’ve racked up 97 first downs on the ground and 24 rushing touchdowns while giving up 48 rushing first downs and just 5 touchdowns.
Fournette is obviously the LSU workhorse, carrying 176 times for 1,352 yards so far. But if Saturday’s game turns into the kind of grueling, grind-it-out affair in the trenches that can be expected, Fournette may need help. That’s where true freshman Derrius Guice could come in. He’s rushed just 34 times this season but has averaged 9.3 yards per carry and could function as both somebody who can get Fournette some rest as well as a change-of-pace back.
Defensive tackles Davon Godchaux and Christian LaCouture do a nice job clogging up the middle while defensive ends Lewis Neal and Arden Key, along with middle linebacker Kendell Beckwith, are all over the field helping to make stops.
If they can limit the production of Henry and force others on the Crimson Tide offense to beat them, it could make the difference.
LSU TIGERS: A CLOSER LOOK
Best offensive player: Leonard Fournette, So. RB — LSU’s best offensive player just might be the best offensive player in the country. A 2,000-yard rushing season is a real possibility for the sophomore back who is so hard to bring down. If Alabama’s going to win this game, it might come down to whether or not it can do a better job slowing down Fournette than any of LSU’s previous challengers.
Best defensive player: Deion Jones, Sr. LB — Jones is tied for the team lead with 51 tackles and has been a big playmaker all season long. He’s got 6 tackles for a loss, 2.5 of them sacks. He also has a pair of interceptions, one returned for a touchdown, broken up another pass and hurried the quarterback 5 times.
Best special teams player: Tre’ Davious White, Jr. CB/PR — White is explosive enough to change a game when he fields a kick. He’s returned 9 punts for 103 yards, including a 69-yard touchdown. Defensively, he’s a solid contributor. On special teams, he has the ability to make a huge difference.
Shane Mettlen is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers Texas A&M, Missouri and Alabama.
