Here, we have posted for you a few things: numbers, names, etc., for your reading pleasure as you await kickoff. We’ll be back for more at halftime and then for full game coverage after tonight’s game.
For in-game coverage, follow me on Twitter for live stats, photos, videos, analysis and more: @Brett_Hudson.
Numbers to Know
1: LSU is 1st in the nation in third down conversion rate when playing on the road or at a neutral site. When away form Death Valley, the Tigers convert on 60.71 percent of their third downs (34-56).
40: LSU is averaging 40.2 points per game, the highest under Les Miles since taking over in 2005. In four of Miles’ eight full season with the Tigers, LSU has averaged less than 30 points per game, a sharp contrast from this year’s offensive explosion.
9: Alabama has only allowed an opposing first down via a penalty nine times this year, ranking just outside of the top 25 nationally in this category. LSU has done so 10 times.
17: Alabama is second in the nation by only giving up 17 rushes of 10 yards or more (Michigan State has only given up 10 such runs). LSU, on the other hand, ranks in the top 25 in the nation with 59 runs of 10 yards or more this season. (Read: something has to give)
8: LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger is eight yards shy of being the first quarterback in LSU history to throw for 2,500 yards in back-to-back season. Mettenberger has already thrown for 2,492 yards this season after throwing for 2,609 in all of 2012.
118: LSU wide receiver Jarvis Landry is just 118 receiving yards shy of 1,000 receiving yards. With that benchmark, he and Odell Backham Jr. will become the first tandem to both have 1,000-yard receiving seasons in the same year.
0: LSU running back Jeremy Hill has lost 0 fumbles in his entire career (270 career carries).
Players to Watch
Alabama defensive end Jeoffrey Pagan: Pagan will find himself matched up with LSU left tackle La’el Collins often throughout the night, who was voted as a preseason first-team All-SEC offensive lineman and has lived up to the billing. Pagan, if nothing else, has to open things up for the outside linebackers to affect the passer, as Saban would say.
LSU fullback J.C. Copeland: This is one of only two or three times per year Alabama faces a fullback with any regularity, and Copeland is one of the best. He is one of the best lead blockers the Tigers have, and he can be quite the threat out of the backfield as a pass catcher. On a more personal note, Copeland has an incredible background story from his high school days.
Alabama wide receiver Kevin Norwood: Norwood has a knack for coming up big against LSU. He had four catches, all for first downs, against the Tigers in the 2011 BCS National Championship Game and had all three catches leading up to AJ McCarron’s game-winning touchdown pass to T.J. Yeldon last year. FULL STORY: McCarron-Norwood tandem thrives against LSU
LSU punter Jamie Keehn: Former LSU punter Brad Wing had a bigger impact on the previous two games than most casual fans realize, giving LSU favorable field position even when the offense sputtered. This year, Keehn has averaged only 38.8 yards per punt, easily in the bottom half of the Southeastern Conference.
LSU wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.: Beckham Jr. leads the SEC and is second in the nation in all-purpose yards, averaging 207.3 yards per game and a ridiculous 21.2 yards per touch.
Starting Lineup
QB: AJ McCarron
RB: T.J. Yeldon
WR: DeAndrew White
WR: Christion Jones
WR: Kenny Bell
WR: Kevin Norwood
WR: Amari Cooper
TE: Brian Vogler
H-Back: Jalston Fowler
LT: Cyrus Kouandjio
RT: Arie Kouandjio
C: Ryan Kelly
RG: Anthony Steen
RT: Austin Shepherd
DE: Ed Stinson
NG: Brandon Ivory
DE: Jeoffrey Pagan
LB: Adrian Hubbard
LB: Trey Depriest
LB: C.J. Mosley
LB: Denzel Devall
CB: Deion Belue
CB: Cyrus Jones
S: HaHa Clinton-Dix
S: Landon Collins
DB: Jarrick Williams
K: Cade Foster
P: Cody Mandell
LS: Cole Mazza
Final Score Prediction
Alabama 31, LSU 24.
No knock intended on either defense when I predict an increase in the score from the previous three meetings. I just think both teams are better on offense than they were in previous meetings: especially at the wide receiver position for both teams. LSU, overall, is head-and-shoulders above where they have been in the entire Miles era.
I think Alabama is able to take away one of LSU’s biggest benefits: stretching a defense vertically. Alabama can trust Landon Collins and HaHa Clinton-Dix to go step-for-step with Beckham Jr. and Landry so the linebackers and cornerbacks can continue to lurk, limit yards after the catch on the shorter passes and potentially pick one or two off.
Nothing new for Alabama offensively: power running game does everything it can to set up just enough big plays on the playaction pass to get in spots to score. I like Alabama in the red zone this time around: pieces like Brandon Greene and Jalston Fowler, which Alabama did not have for last year’s meeting, will push Alabama in the end zone when the ball gets in the scoring area.
