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10 best matchups in Week 10 (hint, it’s Alabama-LSU heavy)
By Chris Wright
Published:
They are the best in the business, the standards to which everyone else is compared, the men everybody wants to take down.
Leonard Fournette and Derrick Henry? Sure, them too.
Week 10 is here, and there is only one place to start the 10 best matchups — with the 10th meeting between Alabama coach Nick Saban and LSU counterpart Les Miles.
1. Nick Saban vs. Les Miles: Saban, the former LSU coach, of course, is 6-3 at Bama against Miles. He’s won the past four, the biggest being the January 2012 BCS championship game. Miles isn’t without his moments, most notably a fourth-down gamble that set up a game-winning touchdown in 2010. Let’s hope the 10th version adds to the rivalry’s lore.
2. LSU RB Leonard Fournette vs. Alabama’s front seven: Under Saban, Alabama has allowed just 11 RBs to top 100 yards, but two have come in their past nine games, starting with Ezekiel Elliott’s 230-yard effort in the national semifinals. Elliott is built similar to Fournette, and like Fournette, showed home run capability once he broke one tackle. Elliott and Nick Chubb, who broke a long one to crack 100 yards in Week 5, provided Fournette a blueprint.
3. Alabama RB Derrick Henry vs. LSU’s front seven: Henry has flown somewhat under the radar, almost impossible at Alabama, but that’s largely because of Fournette. He has a chance to upstage his rival and perhaps take over the Heisman race with a huge performance. LSU is holding runners to 3.25 yards per carry. Much like Henry is in Fournette’s shadow, LSU’s defense is in Alabama’s. LSU standout DE Lewis Neal told reporters the game will be won up front. He’s right.
4. LSU QB Brandon Harris vs. Alabama secondary: We know Fournette will get his touches. We know Alabama will ask its corners to play man on the outside and safeties to spy the backfield. Harris, much like Georgia’s Greyson Lambert did earlier this season, will have chances to make big plays through the air. But he better be careful. Alabama’s back end is loaded with ballhawks in corner Minkah Fitzpatrick and converted safety Eddie Jackson, who shares the SEC lead with 5 interceptions.
5. Arkansas RB Alex Collins vs. Ole Miss DT Robert Nkemdiche: Collins is third in the SEC with 960 rushing yards. Nkemdiche, this week named a Bendarik finalist, is one of the nation’s top run-stuffers.
6. Florida’s secondary vs. Vanderbilt’s QBs: Maybe the biggest mismatch of the week. Vanderbilt completed just five passes last week and threw three interceptions against Houston. Florida, led by potential top-10 pick Vernon Hargreaves III is third in the SEC with 11 interceptions. Florida figures to be ahead, which means more opportunities for the Gators to add to that total.
7. Texas A&M receiver Christian Kirk vs. Auburn CB Trae Elston: Kirk ranks second in the SEC in receptions (47) and receiving yards (662). Elston is tied for third with four interceptions.
8. Florida RB Kelvin Taylor vs. Vanderbilt run defense: Taylor cranked out another 100-yard game against Georgia, and Jordan Scarlett added 96. That’s important because Florida, with Treon Harris, can’t drop back and throw it 35 times like it could with Will Grier. Vanderbilt’s numbers look impressive — allowing just 114 rushing yards per game, fourth-best in the SEC — but the numbers are deceiving. Vanderbilt has played four SEC games and allowed 150 or more rushing yards in three of them.
9. South Carolina WR Pharoh Cooper vs. Tennessee CB Cameron Sutton: SDS ranked Sutton the No. 2 CB in the SEC entering the season. Sutton still doesn’t have an interception this season, but his opportunities have been limited. He’s still making explosive plays on special teams, however.
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Cooper is coming off a poor performance against Texas A&M, when he was held to four catches for 22 yards.
10. Georgia coach Mark Richt vs. The Hot Seat: It’s getting so testy in Athens that Richt devoted most of his weekly presser to the topic.
“Here’s the deal everybody. You all can pay attention to this,” Richt told reporters. “We’re Georgia. We’re a team. We work together. We’re gonna fight. We’re gonna fight together.”
If Richt loses at home to Kentucky on Saturday, he might not have many rounds left.
Managing Editor
A 30-time APSE award-winning editor with previous stints at the Miami Herald, The Indianapolis Star and News & Observer, Executive Editor Chris Wright oversees editorial operations for Saturday Down South.
