Alabama is heading into Baton Rouge with a familiar problem hanging over Keelon Russell: another defense that can wreck a game at the line of scrimmage.
That was the story in last month’s loss to Tennessee, when Russell had little room to breathe. The Volunteers brought one of the nation’s best pass rushes and paired it with a secondary that smothered Alabama’s receivers.
The Crimson Tide’s offensive line got pushed around by Tennessee’s front seven, and Russell spent much of the night scrambling just to stay upright. He finished with three turnovers in a 26-10 loss and looked every bit like a first-year starter.
Russell bounced back some against a far less demanding Texas A&M defense the next week, then had a bye this past Saturday. Now the challenge ramps right back up.
LSU brings one of the toughest defensive fronts Alabama will see all season. The Tigers are second in the country with 34 sacks, just behind Tennessee’s 35.
They also sit 13th in passing defense and 12th in opponent passer rating. Princewill Umanmielen, Jordan Ross and Deuce Geralds form one of the nation’s top pass-rushing trios, while PJ Woodland and the 6-foot-4 DJ Pickett give LSU a cornerback pair that can shut things down on the outside.
Alabama is hoping for help from Ryan Coleman-Williams, who could be ready for the matchup after missing time. His absence has been noticeable, and his return would matter a lot for Russell and the offense in Baton Rouge. Even so, if Coleman-Williams does suit up, he may not be at full strength after arthroscopic knee surgery, which means Russell may still have to create on his own.
That puts even more pressure on Alabama’s offensive line, and on center Racin Delgatty in particular. Delgatty has missed the last two games with a lower leg injury, and the Tide are hoping he can return.
Even with Delgatty back, though, Alabama has been shaky up front all season, and that could spell trouble against LSU.
The stakes are plain enough: Alabama needs this win to keep its College Football Playoff hopes alive. Right now, the Crimson Tide are widely viewed as being outside the 12-team field, and Kalen DeBoer’s team would likely need to win out and get some help to sneak in.
In Other News...
Philip Rivers Could Leave Alabama For A Job That Changes Two Programs
Philip Rivers has built a second football life in Alabama, coaching at St. Michael Catholic High School while guiding his son Gunner, a committed NC State quarterback, through the next step of his career. Now the former NFL quarterback and NC State standout has surfaced as a leading candidate to take over the Wolfpack program after Dave Doeren was fired, a development that ties his current Alabama stop directly to a job with major meaning in Raleigh.
For Alabama fans who have watched Rivers settle into the high school game, the possibility carries an unusual ripple effect because it could pull him away from the state and into a role that would reshape both programs. Rivers has already shown respect for NC State and has drawn NFL head-coaching interest before, but this opening comes with a different kind of pull, one that would put father, son and alma mater on the same collision course. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama May Get A Massive Defensive Boost Before LSU
Alabamas run defense took a noticeable hit after defensive tackle Terrance Green was injured in the Georgia game, and the timing could hardly have been worse for a front that has been dealing with injuries in recent weeks. Green has been a key interior piece for the Crimson Tide, and his absence showed up in the way opponents were able to lean on the ground game as the season wore on.
Now there is at least some optimism that help is on the way before LSU comes to town. Green is reportedly expected to return in time for that matchup, which would give Alabama a much-needed boost in the middle and restore some stability to a defensive front that has been stretched thin. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Suddenly Has A Surprising Role In Alabamas SEC Drama
Alabamas playoff margin is getting thinner by the week, and Paul Finebaum said the stakes of the upcoming road trip to LSU are hard to overstate. With the Crimson Tide already carrying a weaker non-conference schedule, the value of their best early resume win has also been complicated by Florida States recent coaching change, which only adds to the pressure on every remaining SEC test.
Finebaum also pointed to Kentucky as an unexpected piece of the larger picture, another result Alabama has reason to watch closely while trying to keep its own path to the College Football Playoff alive. In a conference race where Alabama and LSU are being measured against one another, the Wildcats performance could end up shaping how the playoff conversation looks around the Tide, even before the league's biggest games finish sorting themselves out. [Read more 🡒]