Paul Finebaum isn’t waiting for Alabama’s trip to Baton Rouge to make up his mind.
With both teams idle next week before that showdown, Finebaum said Sunday on “The Matt Barrie” show that he’s already feeling good about LSU’s side.
“LSU is a getting bye week right now for Alabama,” Finebaum said during his Sunday appearance on “The Matt Barrie” show. “Alabama struggled to get through Texas A&M. I feel rpetty good about LSU’s chances in that game.
“LSU’s a team I’m really intrigued by.”
That intrigue comes with LSU riding momentum from a strong Saturday performance. Sam Leavitt was the centerpiece in a 38-17 win over Auburn, piling up four total touchdowns and helping No. 18 LSU snap an eight-game SEC road losing streak.
Leavitt completed 32 of 45 passes for a career-high 387 yards, added 54 rushing yards and protected the football for the second straight week. He had been just as sharp a week earlier in a 31-0 win over Mississippi State, when he threw for 289 yards and four touchdowns.
LSU, now 6-2 overall and 4-2 in the SEC, scored on five of its six first-half possessions against Auburn and went to the break with a 31-10 cushion. It was the best half the Tigers have played since Kiffin took over and brought in one of the transfer portal’s most coveted quarterbacks.
Alabama, meanwhile, answered its own recent skid with a much-needed win of its own. The 13th-ranked Crimson Tide beat Texas A&M 31-20, getting back on track after consecutive losses to Georgia and Tennessee.
Keelon Russell threw for 311 yards and three touchdowns, including two fourth-quarter scores that helped Alabama finish off the Aggies. The Tide trailed 20-17 in the second half before flipping the game with a fourth-down stop and two scoring drives.
Russell completed 19 of 30 passes and threw an interception, but he still connected with Daniel Hill, Marshall Pritchett and Kalen Edwards for touchdowns. Rico Scott was the main target, finishing with six catches for 156 yards, while Alabama played a second straight game without Ryan Coleman-Williams because of a knee injury.
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Alabama Fans Have A Real Reason To Watch Keon Sabb Closely
Keon Sabbs role bears watching after Alabamas win over Texas A&M, when the safety did not take a defensive snap during the final four series despite showing no obvious signs of injury. With the Crimson Tide already juggling a secondary hit by injuries, a suspension and an ejection, the late-game rotation got even more interesting as sophomore Ivan Taylor and freshman Jireh Edwards both stepped in.
Edwards also replaced Sabb on the punt return unit in the second half, another small but notable wrinkle in a game where Alabama kept adjusting on the fly. The absence came at a point when the Tide were already managing their back end carefully, so whether this was simply a situational decision or something more is now part of the conversation heading into the next week. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Heads Into The Bye With One Big Roster Concern
Alabama walked out of College Station with a 31-20 win over Texas A&M, a result that stopped the skid and gave Kalen DeBoer a much-needed reset heading into the bye week. The victory came after two straight losses, so the mood around the program shifted quickly from frustration to a chance to regroup, evaluate where things stand and get healthier before the next stretch.
DeBoer used his postgame news conference to address all of it, from how the Tide played to how he views the roster heading into the break. The bigger point for Alabama is what comes next, with the staff hoping the bye helps bring some key players back and settles at least one lingering roster concern before the season resumes. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Had The Perfect Birthday Surprise Waiting For Kalen DeBoer
Kalen DeBoers birthday ended the same way Alabamas win over Texas A&M did, with a celebration in the locker room and a little bit of harmless chaos. After the Crimson Tide took care of business against the Aggies, safety Bray Hubbard and left tackle Jackson Lloyd got the party started with an ice bucket shower for their head coach, turning a postgame moment into a birthday surprise.
DeBoer had already given his players a simple condition for the day: celebrate however they wanted, just make sure they left with a victory. Alabama handled the first part on the field and the second part in the locker room, where the coach got his fitting reward for a birthday that doubled as another sign of how much buy-in he has from his team. [Read more 🡒]