Former LSU DL coach Pete Jenkins believes this year is Tigers’ ‘best chance’ to beat Alabama
Published:
If LSU is to finally snap its seven-game losing streak to Alabama, one former Tigers coach thinks Saturday’s game presents as good a chance as ever.
Pete Jenkins, who oversaw LSU’s defensive line for the last two seasons before retiring, said on Matt Moscona’s “After Further Review” radio show he believes the Tigers can pull off the upset despite being two-touchdown underdogs. Chief among Jenkins’ reason is the attrition the Crimson Tide experienced on both its roster and coaching staff.
“It is not what it was at one time, I’ll be honest with you,” Jenkins, who coached for 54 years, told Moscona. “They don’t have great depth. They’ve been growing week-to-week. I think they’re really developing. They had some good ballplayers. They just didn’t have returning guys.”
Jenkins sees that as an issue mostly on defense for No. 1 Alabama, which has dealt with a string of injuries this season. While Jenkins said Nick Saban doesn’t field “the normal Bama defense we’ve been used to seeing for the last ten years,” he acknowledged the team is offensively oriented with star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
To help offset the Crimson Tide’s newfound explosiveness, Jenkings said No. 3 LSU should be able to run the ball against Alabama.
Still, the longtime coach praised Saban for keeping the Crimson Tide at a high level despite the turnover. But he also had plenty of good things to say about Tigers coach Ed Orgeron, and he’s excited to see how things play out once kickoff arrives at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday.
“I do think it’s going to be a heck of a ballgame,” Jenkins said. “This is maybe our best chance in a while.”
Marcus covers SEC football for Saturday Down South.
