Eerie silence: Different backdrop as #2 Tide face struggling Bayou Bengals
The Oregon era at LSU is ending in a whimper, but the Tide can’t overlook the Tigers.
By: Dave in Tuscaloosa
Bryce Young hopes to continue the Tide’s march towards winning the SEC West. (Photo: CBS Sports Radio)
There is a strange, almost eerie quiet that has descended on Tuscaloosa, for this is LSU week...you know, the one that has produced numerous SEC instant classics in the last 10 years. Yet due to the recent struggles of lame-duck coach Ed Orgeron’s Bayou Bengals, the luster on this intense rivalry has grown temporarily dim. The Tigers are suffering through their second straight .500 season, have been riddled with off-the-field controversy, and have been hit by the injury bug (massive understatement). Still, it’s LSU week and the last time the Tigers visited Tuscaloosa in 2019, they came away with a win that propelled them to a national title. Coach O had some choice words after that game about how LSU would now own the series. Those words have proven to be empty, and oh how things have changed in the span of just two years.
LSU enters the contest with a record of 4-4 (2-3 in the SEC) and are coming off a bye week (one where Coach Orgeron stated his team was not able to practice for a part of last week due to injuries). The Bayou Bengals have dropped 3 of their last 4, yet on a positive side, their win was a then impressive 49-42 shootout victory over a heavily favored Florida Gators team. Offensively, the Tigers rank 83rd nationally, averaging 382 yards and 30.5 points per game. A bright spot for LSU has been sophomore quarterback Max Johnson. The southpaw is completing 61% of his passes for 20 touchdowns against 5 interceptions. Due to an inconsistent offensive line, too often Johnson has had to run for his life and the run game has struggled mightily, making his stats even more impressive. Junior tailback Tyrion Davis-Price averages 5.2 yards per carry, has scored 6 touchdowns on the season (half of which came against said Gators), and is a capable back. He ran roughshod over Florida, gaining an LSU record 287 yards in the upset win, yet that performance seems more like the exception rather than the norm.
The receiving corps took a major hit when game-changing sophomore Kayshon Boutte (9 touchdown receptions on the season) went down with a season-ending injury several weeks back. Freshman Jack Bech now leads the way for the receivers, averaging 11.9 yards per catch. Junior placekicker Cade York, the hero of last year’s upset of Florida in The Swamp, is solid and has hit on 9/10 attempts with an impressive long boot of 56 yards. Defensively, LSU has struggled and will be without 7 defensive starters when they face the Tide on Saturday, including impact defensive backs Derek Stingley and Eli Ricks. Nationally, they currently rank 87th, surrendering 408.5 yards and 28.7 points per game. The unit is led by senior linebackers Damone Clark and Micah Baskerville.
Meanwhile, the 2nd ranked Alabama Crimson Tide is also coming off a perfectly placed bye week and has won two straight since falling to Texas A&M on October 9th. The Tide offense currently ranks 10th nationally, averaging 494 yards and 45.9 points per game. Heisman hopeful sophomore quarterback Bryce Young is completing 70% of his passes for a touchdown to interception ratio of 26 to 3. Senior tailback Brian Robinson Jr. has waited his turn to shine and he has taken full advantage of that opportunity, averaging 5.0 yards per carry and logging 11 touchdowns on the ground. In addition, Robinson has surpassed the century mark 3 out of the last 4 games. The receiving corp, led by juniors Jameson Williams (averaging 20.6 yards per catch with 6 touchdowns) reliable John Metchie III (11.5-5), and tight end Cameron Latu (14.4-5) have the ability to stretch the field as well as pick up key third downs, as evidenced in the Tide’s nation-leading 59% conversion rate.
The line still has issues here and there but seems to be settling in. Junior placekicker Will Reichard is a weapon, connecting on 10 of 12 field goals with a long of 51 yards. On the defensive side, the unit has been hot and cold all year and currently ranks 13th in the nation, surrendering 306 yards and 20.6 points per game. Linebackers Henry To’oTo’o, Will Anderson, and Christian Harris are all having fine seasons, especially sophomore Anderson, who is a certified terror on the edge and leads the team with 8.5 sacks. Senior defensive lineman Phidarian Mathis has been impressive as of late. The secondary has had communication and misalignment issues throughout the season and has been pegged for numerous critical pass interference calls. This group is ultra-talented and has yet to play to its full potential.
Johnson will test the vulnerable Tide secondary and Bama will attempt to make LSU one dimensional. Look for LSU to come out fired up after falling to the Tide 55-17 last season. Will it be much of the same? With no room for error, the Tide needs to roll over their final four opponents to set up a 1 vs. 2 matchup with Georgia for the SEC championship and a berth in the college football playoff. The Texas A&M defeat may have been the single worst thing that could have happened for the rest of the country, as all opponents will see Bama’s very best from here on out. A motivated and focused Young and company have a huge night and the Tide defense makes progress as they make it two in a row and 10 out of the last 11 over LSU in a rout.
Alabama 56
LSU 20