How Alabama's Louisiana natives could impact Saturday's game against LSU
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Alabama’s final home game of the season occurred during last week’s Iron Bowl win over Auburn. However, this week’s trip to Baton Rouge, La. will serve as a homecoming for several members of the Crimson Tide.
Alabama has 11 Louisiana natives listed on its roster, including several key contributors. Here’s a look at how some of them could play an impact in Saturday’s game against LSU.
DeVonta Smith | Sr. | WR | Amite, La.
Smith is the frontrunner for this year’s Biletnikoff Award and has even worked his way into a peripheral spot in the Heisman Trophy discussion. The senior is tied for the nation’s lead with 12 touchdowns through the air and ranks third in both receptions (72) and receiving yards (1,074). Smith already holds the SEC’s all-time record with 35 career receiving touchdowns. He’s currently 280 receiving yards away from tying Alabama’s school record of 3,463 set by Amari Cooper. Smith is 38 receptions away from matching Cooper’s catch record.
What they’re saying: “Defenses can try to lock in on DeVonta. I don’t think… It’s kind of hard to stop somebody like that. Personally, I think Smitty is the best player in college football right now.” — receiver John Metchie III
How he can hurt LSU: LSU defensive back Derek Stingley might still be having nightmares from last year’s matchup against Smith. While the Tigers came away with the 46-41 win over Alabama, Smith torched Stingley for five receptions for 211 yards and two touchdowns on six targets. Nicknamed the “Slim Reaper,” the 6-foot-1, 175-pound Tide receiver has been one of college football's deadliest players of late, combining for 27 receptions for 518 yards and eight touchdowns over his last three games.
Christian Harris | So. | ILB | Baton Rouge, La.
Harris leads Alabama with 57 tackles and is a semifinalist for the Butkus Award. The athletic defender is tied for third on the team with 4.5 tackles for a loss and has two sacks to go with six quarterback hurries. Harris also has two pass breakups, including a near interception in last week’s win over Auburn. The sophomore has started 20 of his 21 games at the college level.
What they’re saying: “Christian, he gained a ton amount of confidence through the course of the season. Last year, he was a freshman. He was a bit antsy sometimes, but as the season went on, he got confident. But now this season, he’s even more confident. He’s more physical, flies around to the ball. He’s a great player.” — defensive back Patrick Surtain II.
How he can hurt LSU: With star receiver Terrace Marshall skipping the remainder of the season, LSU will likely look to get the ball more to five-star freshman tight end Arik Gilbert. Harris, a former defensive back at University Laboratory School on LSU’s campus, has the athleticism to cover the playmaker if called upon to do so.
Dylan Moses | R-Jr. | ILB | Alexandria, La.
After suffering a season-long ACL injury last year, Moses returned to Alabama for his final college campaign. The former five-star recruit is second on the team with 56 tackles and 5.5 tackles for a loss. He’s also recorded 1.5 sacks, a pass breakup and an interception. In 2018 Moses led the Tide with 86 tackles while finishing as a finalist for the Butkus Award.
What they’re saying: “He’s an alpha leader, he’s the alpha dog on the defense. He’s the vocal piece of the defense that we all need. He helps get the guys around, and whenever things might go wrong, he’s that dude that helps get everybody up.” — Surtain
How he can hurt LSU: Despite being injured for last year’s game against LSU, Moses still suited up on the sidelines to show his support for his teammates. It’s obvious this matchup means a lot for the former LSU commit. While he’s had an up-and-down year, Moses was solid last week against Auburn, recording six stops and a pass breakup. As always, his leadership will be influential to the Tide’s success on defense.
Chris Allen | R-Jr. | OLB | Baton Rouge, La.
Allen leads Alabama with four sacks and nine tackles for a loss. The 6-foot-4, 250-pounder is coming off perhaps his best game in a Crimson Tide uniform, recording four stops, including a sack and two tackles for a loss, with two quarterback hurries during Alabama’s 42-13 victory over Auburn.
What they’re saying: “Chris Allen's been really productive this year. He's come a long way, and I'm just proud to see him blow up like this this year. Hopefully, he can continue being great and we can all lead behind him and do the same thing up front.” — defensive lineman Phidarian Mathis
How he can hurt LSU: Allen seems to have turned the corner in terms of production. The redshirt junior has a sack in his last three games and should have an opportunity to continue that streak as he goes up against an LSU offense that is tied for 10th in the SEC allowing 2.43 sacks per game.
Phidarian Mathis | R-Jr. | DL | Wisner, La.
Mathis is one of the most underrated members in Alabama’s defense. The 6-foot-4, 312-pound defensive lineman has made five starts over eight appearances this season, tallying 24 stops, including 4.5 tackles for a loss and a sack with three quarterback hurries. During last week’s game against Auburn, he recorded five tackles and a forced fumble.
What they’re saying: “I think Phil’s doing a real good job stepping up as a leader on the D-line. He’s one of the old guys in the room, but he’s on the field every day in practice. It’s tough going against him because he’s such a good overall player. He can pass rush, he can play the run, so he does a good job. He’s been real productive this season, and it’s been good to see him do his thing." — offensive lineman Emil Ekiyor Jr.
How he can hurt LSU: Mathis continues to start in replacement of LaBryan Ray, who is nursing his way back from an elbow injury. Through eight games, Mathis is second on the team with an 81.9 pass-rush grade from Pro Football Focus. His ability to get into the backfield and provide pressure could force freshmen quarterbacks T.J. Finley and Max Johnson into mistakes.
Slade Bolden | R-So. | WR | West Monroe, La.
Bolden broke into the starting lineup following Jaylen Waddle’s injury against Tennessee but has been limited the past two weeks after suffering an ankle injury against Kentucky. The versatile slot receiver has 12 receptions for 130 yards and is also averaging 7.0 yards on seven punt returns.
What they’re saying: “He’s a guy who knows what to do. He knows where to line up. He’s played a lot of different positions. Shoot, he’s even played defense before in the spring practices before. The guy knows a lot about football. If you go and watch his high school highlights, I always like watching his highlights because it gets me pretty fired up. He’s making plays. So when you have somebody that can make plays like that and put him wherever you want on the field, he’s super versatile.” — quarterback Mac Jones
How he can hurt LSU: LSU’s secondary ranks second-worst in the SEC and No. 120 overall, allowing 302.9 yards per game through the air. If the Tigers look to double up on Smith, Bolden could find some favorable matchups across the field. The redshirt sophomore already proved he can be a dangerous weapon earlier this season, recording a career-high six receptions for 94 yards against Tennessee.
