Matchup Analysis: Alabama Crimson Tide vs. LSU

Over the next week, our staff at BamaInsider.com will provide an in-depth matchup comparison between the Alabama Crimson Tide 8-0 and the LSU Tigers 8-0. Today, we compare the teams side by side by position.

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Keys to the Game: The play of Terrell Lewis

Alabama Ground Game vs. LSU Run Defense

Alabama's Offensive Line vs. LSU's Defensive Line

Alabama by the numbers

43 — Najee Harris has picked up a first down or touchdown on 43 percent of carries this season. That leads all Division I running backs with at least 100 carries.

19 — Alabama has beaten LSU by 20 or more points 19 times, including last year’s 29-0 victory. The Crimson Tide is currently a 6.5-point favorite in Saturday’s game, according to Vegas Insider.

16— Alabama has recorded a combined 16 sacks in its past three meetings against LSU. Last year, the Crimson Tide recorded five sacks against the Tigers as Quinnen Williams lead the way with 2.5. Through eight games this season, Alabama outside linebacker Terrell Lewis is tied for the SEC lead with six sacks. LSU is surrendering 1.88 sacks per game this season.

9 — Alabama has held LSU to 17 points or fewer in the past nine meetings between the two schools. The Crimson Tide is riding an eight-game winning streak during that span with its only defeat coming in a 9-6 overtime loss in 2011. LSU is averaging 46.8 points per game this season.

5 — Alabama has recorded an interception in its past five meetings against LSU. Last year, Mack Wilson intercepted Joe Burrow in the end zone during the fourth quarter to continue the streak. Burrow has thrown just four interceptions through eight games this season.

LSU by the numbers

819 — LSU receiver Justin Jefferson leads the SEC and ranks No. 9 nationally with 819 receiving yards. He’s joined by fellow receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who ranks second in the conference with 749 yards through the air.

78.8 — LSU quarterback Joe Burrow leads the nation with a 78.8 percent completion percentage (205 of 260). That’s 4.1 percentage points higher than Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa (74.7 percent) who ranks No. 2 in the nation. Alabama’s defense has allowed its opponents to complete 55.1 percent of their passes this season.

13 — The last 13 meetings between Alabama and LSU have featured both teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. Alabama and LSU have met 28 times when they were both ranked. The Crimson Tide holds an 18-9-1 record in such matchups.

12 — LSU managed just 12 rushing yards in last year’s loss to Alabama. The Tigers are averaging 158.25 yards per game on the ground this season. Meanwhile, Alabama is allowing 127.38 rushing yards per game.

4 — LSU freshman cornerback Derek Stingley is tied for the SEC lead with four interceptions. The former five-star recruit has recorded a pick in four of his past five games.

— Compiled by Tony Tsoukalas

Special teams will, of course, play a very important role in this matchup between Alabama and LSU. We’ll first look at the Crimson Tide’s special teams kicker and punter. The biggest news as of late is that true freshman kicker Will Reichard who was 4 of 7 with a longest of 49-yards will be questionable for this matchup against the Tigers as he reinjured a hip flexor injury recently. That could be a big blow to the special teams kicking game as Reichard was pound for pound Alabama’s best kicker and he also punted at times. The good news is that Joseph Bulovas has been steady as of late and on the year he is 5 of 7 with a longest field goal of 36-yards.

The Crimson Tide’s punting game has looked to have finally found their stride as walk-on freshmen Ty Perine has emerged as the punter and has been literally booming. While Perine has only punted four times, he has an average of 47.0-yards per punt. The Crimson Tide as you would expect has one of the most dynamic set of kickoff and punt returners in the nation and can take any football they return to the house. Jaylen Waddle who returns punts has returned 14 balls this season for 302-yards and each time he touches the football, the crowd holds their breath with excitement. Henry Ruggs III who is one of the fastest players in all of college football returns kicks and has returned nine kicks this season for 215-yards.

An additional note to mention in this category is that Alabama has blocked two punts this season, with both blocks coming from Ale Kaho, so LSU has to protect their punter, especially if the Tigers are to have to punt pinned inside the shadow of their own end-zone.

The LSU Tigers have a very good special teams unit as you would imagine and they do not make many mistakes. On the season, freshmen kicker Cade York has been very effective. York is 11 of 13 kicking field goals which is an 84% average and has a longest field goal of 48-yards. Against Texas earlier in the season, York hit three crucial field goals from 36, 33, and from 40-yards. Punter Zach Von Rosenberg has been solid this season for the Tigers, he’s punted 26 times for 1,132-yards of punting with a longest punt of 57-yards, and has 12 punts that have landed inside the 20-yard line.

Clyde Edwards Helaire returns kicks for the Tigers and as we have discussed during our extensive preview this week, Edwards Helaire is a very dangerous player in open space. Edwards Helaire has returned eight kickoffs for 180-yards which is an average of 22.5 per return. Derek Stingley returns punts for the Tigers and on the season he has 13 punt returns for 127-yards.

This is one area of the game where LSU could struggle with Alabama. While LSU’s offensive line has allowed just 15 sacks on the season, they have not faced a defensive pass rush like they’ll see from the Crimson Tide this Saturday. Upfront, LSU has a PFF pass-blocking grade of just 69.6 and a run blocking PFF grade of 71.5, but grades are average. Against Auburn now two Saturday’s ago, the LSU line read like this: Austin Deculus at 6-foot-7 and 322 pounds lined up at right tackle.

Deculus has a PFF grade of just 66.6. At right guard, Damien Lewis is 6-foot-3 and 322 pounds with a PFF grade of 65.3. At the center position is Lloyd Cushenberry III at 6-foot-4, 315 pounds with a PFF grade of just 59.8 and Cushenberry has allowed three sacks this season. At left guard, it will be Adrian Magee at 6-foot-4 and 343-pounds, Magee has a PFF grade of 73.7 which is the highest on the Tiger offensive line. At left guard, Saahdiq Charles will start, Charles is 6-foot-4 and 295-pounds with a PFF grade of 70.5. The Tigers will also have tight end Thaddeus Moss at 6-foot-3, 250 pounds try and chip Alabama’s defensive pass rushers, Moss has a season PFF grade of 65.0.

For the Crimson Tide’s defensive front, it starts with 6-foot-7, 315 pound Raekwon Davis. Davis has 33 tackles on the season and has a season PFF grade of 84.2. While Davis and Alabama’s entire defensive line does not get to the quarterback a lot, the defensive front prides itself off stoping the run. 6-foot-3, 314 pound DJ Dale will start at the defensive tackle position and he has a season PFF Grade of 74.8 which is outstanding considering he’s just a freshman. The Crimson Tide will rotate in a lot of defensive linemen, look for Phidarian Mathis at 6-foot-4 and 317 pounds to play in run situations as well as for freshmen Justin Eboigbe and Byron Young to see time. 6-foot-5, 310 pound Christian Barmore has one of the highest PFF grades on the defense with a grade of 88.7 and has proven to be one of the only defensive linemen that can get heat on the quarterback and it will be interesting to see if Barmore plays more than 20-25 snaps against LSU.

The difference in this game could come down to this: The Alabama pass rush from the edge. Alabama has two of the best pass rushers in all of college football in 6-foot-3, 259-pound Anfernee Jennings and 6-foot-5, 252 pound Terrell Lewis. Jennings has a pass rush PFF grade of 88.8 and has 16 quarterback hurries on the season with four sacks. Lewis has a ridiculous PFF pass-rushing grade of 90.9 and has 23 quarterback hurries with six sacks. If Jennings and Lewis are able to distribute heat on the quarterback this Saturday, the pressure could force LSU quarterback Joe Burrow to either get moving out of the pocket and make bad decisions.

While the major focus of the LSU offense is on their dangerous passing attack which is No. 2 in the nation, the Tigers can definitely run the football when needed. Junior running back Clyde Edwards Helaire is a power back at 5-foo-8, 209 pounds that is very explosive and is someone that can win games for the Tigers. On the season, Edwards Helaire has rushed for 115-carries for 683-yards with eight touchdowns. He has an average of 5.7-yards per carry and is averaging just 85.4-yards per game, which is not an overwhelming amount of yards, but this season when LSU has played tougher competition, Edwards-Helaire has seen plenty of action. Against Florida, Edwards-Helaire carried the football 13 times for 134-yards with two touchdowns. Against Auburn, Edwards-Helaire carried the football 26-times for 140-yards and during the third quarter, LSU gave the football to Edwards-Helaire 12 times for 76-yards and a score.

Overall, LSU’s us No. 76 in the country as they are rushing the football for 158-yards per game, but their PFF run grade is 87.0, and their offense has shown on the season that they can grind it out with Edwards-Helaire when needed.

The Alabama rush defense is ranked No. 35 in the nation allowing just 127.38-yards per game. As a whole, the Crimson Tide has a defensive front built to stuff the run and the team’s PFF run defensive grade is an outstanding 95.1. Up front, the Crimson Tide is led by 6-foot-7, 315 pound Raekwon Davis. On the season, Davis who lines up outside of the defensive tackle has a PFF grade of 84.2 with 33 tackles. The Crimson Tide plug up the middle of the field with true freshman DJ Dale who is 6-foot-3, 314 pounds and on the season, Dale has a PFF grade of 74.8 with 15 tackles. Dale has been quite a surprise this season and is one of several true freshmen that start of this defense. Phidarian Mathis is a redshirt sophomore that has played in all eight games this season and has a defensive run grade of 81.4 with 17 tackles this season.

Against LSU, the Tide will likely rotate a good amount of defensive linemen. Look for 6-foot-5, 283-pound true freshman Justin Eboigbe to get playing time, Eboigbe has a PFF grade of 68.3. Another freshman that should get playing time is Byron Young at 6-foot-3, 295 pounds. Young has seen 172-snaps this season, and has a run defensive grade of 68.8. Redshirt freshman Christian Barmore actually has the highest run defensive grade on the team at 91.0, but has only seen 81 snaps this season. The 6-foot-5, 310 pound defensive linemen is really playing well this season and could be a guy that Alabama looks to not only stop the run, but also get after the quarterback.

The Crimson Tide’s inside linebackers are both true freshmen. Shane Lee is a 6-foot-0, 248 pound absolutely jacked backer that has a great nose for the football and is second on the team in tackles with 50. Lee has a PFF grade of 55.2 this season which is among the lowest on the defense, but he continues to be effective against the ground attack, but he has not obviously seen an offense like LSU’s before. Christian Harris at 6-foot-2 and 240 pounds is Alabama’s additional inside linebacker that starts and LSU should be eager to challenge Harris as Harris is a native from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. This season, Harris has a PFF grade of 72.3 with 40 tackles, and five tackles for a loss. Harris is a very athletic backer that can make plays across the middle of the field.

Overall, this is a good matchup on paper and it will be interesting to see how Alabama’s true freshmen at the inside linebacker position fare against LSU and to see if LSU tries to exploit the youth across the middle of the field.

The Crimson Tide is about to face the nation’s top pro-style quarterback in the entire nation on Saturday when Joe Burrow lines up under center. Burrow has thrown for 2,805-yards this season with 30 touchdowns, four interceptions, and has a quarterback rating of 91.5. In LSU’s eight games this season, Burrow has thrown for over 300-yards six times and while he threw for just one-touchdown against Auburn on October 26, Burrow still managed to throw for 321-yards against the Tigers off 32 of 42 passing (76.2%).

Burrow is very accurate, he does not make many bad decisions, and his receivers are some of the most talented receivers in all of college football. At 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds is Terrace Marshall. Marshall has a PFF grade on the year of 77.6 and he’s hauled In 22 receptions this season for 333-yards with seven touchdowns. If Marshall is left alone on the outside, you can expect Burrow to throw up a 50/50 ball and let Marshall use his athleticism to make the play. At 6-foot-3, 192 pounds is Justin Jefferson who has a PFF grade of 87.0 and through eight games, Jefferson has 55 receptions for 819-yards with nine touchdowns and is averaging 102.4-yards per game.

Jefferson is Burrow’s favorite target, so expect Jefferson’s name to be called on quite a bit on Saturday. Ja’Marr Chase is LSU’s second-leading receiver on the year with 43 receptions for 749-yards and nine touchdowns. Chase has a PFF grade of 86.8 and is a very dynamic receiver that has excellent hands and always seems to find the end-zone.

Burrow also likes to use his big tight end Thaddeus Moss. Moss at 6-foot-3 and 250 pounds has caught 21 receptions this season for 246-yards with one score. Tiger running back Clyde Edwards Helaire has caught 19 receptions for 125-yards with no receiving touchdowns this season. Overall the LSU passing game is extremely talented, LSU’s overall passing PFF grade is 91.5, their receiver grade is 84.3, they are averaging 377.6-yards per game, and their passing game is ranked No. 2 in the nation.

The Alabama secondary has plenty of veteran leadership and experience going into this game. At the corner positions are Trevon Diggs and Patrick Surtain II. Diggs is a big corner at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds has 22 tackles this season and five pass deflections. On the season, Diggs has a PFF grade of 89.9 and while he’s been targeted 28 times on the year, he’s only allowed 12 receptions. Diggs is also a player that is very opportunistic, in the last two games he’s returned both a fumble and an interception for scores. Surtain who is a sophomore is a two-year starter that also has good size for a corner at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds.

Surtain has a PFF grade of 87.6, has 22 tackles on the season, and this season he’s been targeted 34 times and has allowed 17 receptions which is a 50% completion percentage. While Surtain has really grown as a player and improved on his man coverage ability, last season he struggled when facing high caliber receivers from Georgia, Oklahoma, and Clemson. Against those three teams, his PFF grade in coverage was just 61.1.

At the star position Alabama will line up 6-foot-0, 190-pound Shyheim Carter. Carter who is a senior at Alabama has a great amount of experience and on the season his PFF grade is 76.9, he’s recorded 28 tackles, and has six pass deflections. At the safety positions, Alabama started Xavier McKinney and Jordan Battle against Arkansas, but Jared Mayden has also played a significant amount of time at safety this season as well. McKinney is the Crimson Tide’s top safety this season and is the leader of the unit. On the year, he has a PFF grade of 80.4, he has 56 tackles, has allowed 26 receptions off being targeted 41 times, which is a completion percentage of 63.4%.

Battle is a true freshman that has really been impressive this season and has 17 tackles with one interception. Battle has seen 251-snaps this season but has not gone up against a high caliber receiving unit like LSU’s before. If LSU can create matchups to challenge Battle’s lack of experience, they’ll could take advantage of it. Mayden is a senior who has played in 470 snaps this season and has a coverage PFF grade of 84.8. On the year, Mayden has 29 tackles with one interception and has been targeted 23 times and has allowed 12 receptions which is a 52% completion percentage.

Overall, Alabama does have quite a bit of experience in the secondary with a unit PFF grade of 92.3 and is only allowing 180.1-yards per game passing which is No. 15 in the nation. The matchup between LSU’s passing game and Alabama’s secondary will be pivotal on Saturday.

Alabama’s offensive line is playing its best football of the season. With Landon Dickerson moving to the center position and Deonte Brown earning the starting right guard position, we’ve seen a transformation with the offensive line play for the better and the trench battle against LSU’s defensive side should present some outstanding matchups. Overall, Alabama has allowed just nine sacks on the season, their run block grade is 85.3, and their pass-block grade is 80.5.

At the left tackle is 6-foot-6, 310 pound Alex Leatherwood. Leatherwood is one of the best tackles in the country and has a PFF grade of 79.9. At the right guard position is Deonte Brown at 6-foot-4, 340 pounds and as mentioned, Brown has been instrumental in run block situations as he has a great burst off the football. At the center is Landon Dickerson who stands 6-foot-6 and 315 pounds, Dickerson has a PFF grade of 74.3 and is a very versatile lineman that has played guard at times this season as well. The left guard position is true freshman Evan Neal, who is a mountain of a man at 6-foot-7 and 360 pounds, and at the right tackle is Jedrick Wills Jr. who stands 6-foot-5 and 316 pounds. Wills Jr. is Alabama’s best offensive line and grades out at 90.3 overall.

An area for concern is the fact that Alabama will be without Miller Forristall their starting tight end who will be out of the game due to a throat injury he suffered against Arkansas. Forristall is Alabama’s best blocking tight end, that the Crimson Tide likes to line up next to Wills Jr. Look for redshirt sophomore Major Tennison at 6-foot-5 and 244 to start in place on Forristall.

LSU's Defensive Line

The LSU defensive line starters for their recent matchup against Auburn were 6-foot-4, 309 pound Glen Logan at defensive end, 6-foot-3, 346 pound Tyler Shelvin at defensive tackle, and Rashard Lawrence at 6-foot-2, 308-pounds at defensive end. Logan who plays on the right side of the football has 12 tackles on the season and his PFF grade is 70.1. Shelvin who is built to stuff the run has 26 tackles on the year with a PFF grade of 85.7, and Lawrence has just seven tackles on the season has a PFF grade of 69.0.

The Tigers have plenty of quality depth on their defensive line and will rotate a lot of big bodies into the game against Alabama. Look for 6-foot-4 Neil Farrell Jr. who has 31 tackles to see plenty of snaps and look for Breiden Fehoko at 6-foot-2, 291 pounds to also sub into the game. The Tigers’ leading pass rusher off the edge is 6-foot-4, 250-pound K’Lavon Chaison who has a PFF grade of 77.0. Chaisson has great moves, good speed, and on the season he has 27 tackles with two sacks, and 4.5 tackles for a loss.

While Alabama’s passing game dominates the headlines, the Crimson Tide still has a formidable run game. On the season, the Crimson Tide is averaging 168.3 rushing yards per game and has scored 16 touchdowns on the ground. 6-foot-2, 230 pound Najee Harris leads the Tide in rushing with 642-yards off 108 carries and has scored five times.

Harris has hit the 100-yard mark twice this season and has looked very impressive and while he did suffer an ankle sprain against Arkansas, our staff was able to see him on Wednesday during the bey week and he looked fine. The Crimson Tide has another 230 pound running back that also sees plenty of time in Brian Robinson. Robinson has carried the football 76 times this season for 356-yards with four touchdowns.

Upfront, the Crimson tide is led by an outstanding offensive line that has a run block grade of 85.3 on the season and has seemed to gain momentum with the addition of 6-foot-4, 344-pound Deonte Brown at guard. Brown missed the first four games of the season after being suspended during the end of the 2018 season.

What has been working for Alabama this season

Alabama’s run grade is: 90.4

Alabama’s run block grade is: 85.3

Feeding Najee Harris. When the Crimson Tide has wanted to grind it out, they have gone to Harris who has hit the 100-yard mark in two out of his last three games. Harris has shown a great ability to be patient reading his blockers and we’ve also seen the Tide go to Brian Robinson in short-yardage situations and in and around the red-zone.

For LSU, their run defense is anchored by 6-foot-3, 346 pound Tyler Shelvin and 6-foot-4, 288-pound Neil Farrell Jr. Shevlin has a grade of 85.7 against the run and Farrell has a great of 81.3. On the season, the Tigers run defense is ranked No. 12 in the nation allowing just 97.8 rush yards per game.

Jacob Phillips is the Tigers’ leading tackler on the season, the 6-foot-4, 233-pound inside backer has 59 tackles on the season. On the year, the Tigers have allowed opposing teams to rush for over 100-yards in five out of their eight games, against Auburn the Tigers rushed for 130-yards total of 33 rushes and against Florida, the Gators rushed for 146-yards of 40 carries.

Where LSU’s defensive run game excels

Any team is going to be hard-pressed to run up the middle all game long against LSU. The Tigers have some massive bodies that clog up the holes and their linebackers fill well.

LSU Run defense grade is: 94.3

LSU Run defense is ranked: No. 12

LSU is allowing 99-yards rushing per game

When you talk about the Alabama passing game, you have to obviously start with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Now on Wednesday, Nick Saban said that Tagovailoa would be a game-time decision, but it’s highly doubtful that Tagovailoa misses the biggest game of the season during to what appears to be a minor ankle injury. On the season, Tagovailoa has thrown for 2,166-yards with 27 touchdowns and has thrown just two interceptions, his season passer rating is 212.4 and he is averaging 309.3-yards per game.

His main targets on the outside are some of the best in all of college football. Jerry Jeudy has caught 52 receptions for 682-yards with eight touchdowns this season and has a PFF grade of 83.1. DeVonta Smith has hauled in 43-receptions for 721-yards with nine touchdowns and holds a PFF grade of 80.3 The fastest player maybe in all of college football is Henry Ruggs III also at receiver has hauled in 26 receptions for 531-yards with six touchdowns and super sophomore Jaylen Waddle has caught 21 passes for 297-yards with one score.

Nick Saban also mentioned that on Wednesday, starting tight end Miller Forristall will be out for six weeks with a throat injury. While that is unlikely to affect the Alabama passing game, Forristall is a good target inside the red-zone. The Crimson Tide has also used running back Najee Harris in their passing game this season, Harris has hauled in 16 receptions for 171-yards with four touchdowns and is very dangerous in open space.

On the season, Alabama’s passing offense is ranked No. 5 in the country averaging 338.63-yards per game, but they are yet to face a challenger like the LSU secondary.

The LSU secondary is one of the best in the nation without question. Their corners are very physical and make plays on Saturdays. Freshmen Derek Stingley who suffered a poked eye against Auburn is full go for this matchup with Alabama and that’s vital for the Tigers. On the season, Stingley who has started in all eight games has a PFF grade of 89.8 and the following numbers are very impressive.

Stingley has been targeted this season 49-times and has allowed just 20 receptions, he also has four interceptions and 10 pass breakups. Kristian Fulton is a senior that has a PFF grade of 85.1 and has also shown this season that he’s one of the best cover corners in the land.

On the season, he’s been targeted 41 times and has allowed just 18 receptions and has three interceptions with seven pass breakups. At safety, Grant Delpit is one of the best pure playmakers in all of college football, the type of player that can change the momentum of the game. Delpit has a PFF grade of 76.7 and has 43 tackles this season.

If there is a vulnerability with the LSU secondary, it comes from Jacoby Stevens who has a PFF grade of just 66.2 and has allowed 26 receptions off being targeted 33 times, which is a completion percentage of 74%.

Overall, LSU has a coverage grade of 90.4 which is one of the highest in the nation, but they rank No. 60 in the nation in pass defense.

Next up, our staff will preview the Alabama ground game vs. the LSU rush defense.

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