BamaInsider.com team writer Tony Tsoukalas asked five key questions about the No. 3 LSU Tigers heading into Saturday’s top-five matchup and TigerDetails.com's Jimmy Smith answered them.
1. Can Joe Burrow do enough to keep up with Alabama’s offense?
This season has offered enough of a sample size for us to see that Joe Burrow is a gamer. He appears to play his best in pressure-packed situations despite being under duress for a good amount of his passing attempts. Burrow can make plays with his arm and legs, but keeping up with Alabama's offense will be a tough task. LSU's defense will need to hold Alabama to under 30 points for Burrow and the Tigers to have a shot at winning this game.
2. How much will losing Devin White for a half affect LSU?
Devin White does a ton for the LSU defense, including getting everyone lined up. He has been sensational in blitz packages and is a sideline-to-sideline defender willing and capable of blowing up lead blockers in the running game. His presence will be missed, but the Tigers have some quality backups to replace him, so the drop-off may not be as big as many believe.
3. What’s the confidence level in Baton, Rouge heading into the week?
The Tigers have not beat Alabama since 2011, but there is still a lot of confidence in Baton Rouge that the Tigers could eke out a victory in this contest. LSU has pushed Alabama to the brink in recent years despite poor quarterback play. Burrow's presence is largely responsible for the fanbase's confidence that this could be the year LSU knocks off the SEC West foe.
4. Outside of the obvious guys, is there someone who could make a big difference in the game?
LSU will need to hit some big plays on offense to keep pace with the Crimson Tide. Freshmen wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Terrace Marshall have shown the ability to do just that. They are LSU's best downfield threats and will likely get multiple opportunities to make plays against a good, but not great secondary.
5. Who wins and why?
I really see this being a close game. Dave Aranda has been spectacular at developing game plans to stifle opponents, and he had an extra week to formulate the strategy to challenge this potent Alabama offense for this week's match-up. The Tigers are ready to challenge the nation's No. 1 team, but the opposition's firepower could be too much to overcome. Alabama 30, LSU 23.
