The Alabama Crimson Tide are headed to Baton Rouge this weekend for their annual showdown with the LSU Tigers.
A lot is at stake for both teams, as it is almost every year when the Crimson Tide and Tigers meet in November. Both LSU (No. 13, US LBM Coaches Poll) and Alabama (No. 11) are 6-2, and a third loss would almost certainly spell doom for the losing team’s hopes of reaching the 12-team College Football Playoff.
On Thursday, Fox Sports analyst and broadcaster Joel Klatt gave his thoughts on Alabama vs. LSU headed into weekend, along with a score prediction. Klatt predicted last week that Jalen Milroe would lead the Crimson Tide to a win in Tiger Stadium, and he stuck to that prediction again this week.
Klatt elaborated on his prediction on his podcast, The Joel Klatt Show: A College Football Podcast:
“Bama is favored for a reason, and maybe by not enough… I like ‘Bama on the road at night against LSU to win this game, 35-28. I just don’t think LSU is going to be able to overcome the ‘one-dimensionalness’ of their offense, and the fact that they do not stop a running quarterback. For those two reasons, I’ve got Bama 35, LSU 28.”
Klatt noted that LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier had thrown seven interceptions in the Tigers’ last four games, including three in their most recent game, a 38-23 loss at Texas A&M on Oct. 26.
Klatt also pointed out that Texas A&M had shut down LSU’s run game, holding the Tigers to only 24 rushing yards on 23 carries. “That’s what Alabama’s gonna have to do,” he said. “Nussmeier has thrown it 50 times in (two of his last three games). That would favor, in my mind, an Alabama team.”
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Alabama football has structural deficiencies on defense
Klatt said that he expected a shootout because Alabama’s defense had given up plenty of its own explosive plays this season.
“There are structural deficiencies to Alabama’s defense,” Klatt said. “You can run on the edge and you can create explosives down the field that’s still available. Can LSU do that? Remains to be seen, but I think what’s more important is the fact that Nussmeier needs to take care of the football.”
Jalen Milroe key to Alabama beating LSU
When the Tide and Tigers met last November at Bryant-Denny Stadium, Milroe rushed for four touchdowns and 155 yards on 20 carries. He threw for 219 more yards on 15-of-23 passing.
Klatt reiterated that LSU had their own deficiencies when playing against mobile quarterbacks this year, highlighting Marcel Reed of Texas A&M and LaNorris Sellers of South Carolina.
Reed rushed nine times for 62 yards and three touchdowns against LSU while Sellers ran for 88 yards and two scores on 10 carries in the Tigers’ 36-33 win over the Gamecocks back on Sept. 14.
Klatt said:
“Death Valley at night cannot overcome deficiencies when you do not stop the opposing team’s quarterback and in particular when he’s running the football. And by the way, Milroe is not their only weapon running the ball. (Alabama) is really dynamic running the football outside of their quarterback. Last time out, they ran it for 271 yards on seven per carry against Mizzou. So, do I believe that LSU is all of the sudden going to fix their problems with mobile quarterbacks and show up and play great defense? I do not see that.”
Kickoff for Alabama-LSU is set for 6:30 p.m CT Saturday. The game can be seen on ABC. The network’s No. 1 broadcast crew of Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit will call the game for ABC.
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