Tigers, Tide Clash Saturday night at Tiger Stadium – LSU

On By Littum

BATON ROUGE, La. – No. 15 LSU (6-2) and no. 11 Alabama (6-2) will meet in Tiger Stadium for a subsequent showdown in early November on a Saturday night in Death Valley.

Kickoff is set for 6:49pm CT on ABC. Chris Fowler (pxp), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst) and Holly Rowe (sideline reporter) will be on the call.

The iconic College Gameday show will also be present and set up in the Quad on LSU’s campus. It will mark the 14th time College Gameday has appeared in Baton Rouge, and the Tigers have a 7-6 record in those instances. It will be the 12th time LSU and Alabama meet when College Gameday is in town.

“We’re excited to have them here,” head coach Brian Kelly said. “Obviously, it’s great for the community and our campus. The exposure does a lot for the whole identity of Baton Rouge, the state of Louisiana and LSU.”

The Tigers are coming off a disappointing loss to Texas A&M in College Station, but as it stands right now, everything is still ahead of LSU with a five-way tie atop the conference for first place. There’s still a lot on the line — as it is with all LSU-Alabama matchups, and narratives continue to swirl around the country. But for coach Kelly and his team, nothing is more important than putting together a complete effort that will capture a critical win at home.

“We’re a lot more focused on playing four quarters of football,” Kelly said. “Everything else is out there, but it doesn’t help us in terms of what we do. This is about playing our best when our best is needed.”

Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier enters Saturday’s contest ranked No. 2 in the SEC and no. 8 in the FBS in passing touchdowns with 20. In nine career starts, Nussmeier has thrown for at least two touchdowns eight times, and his 328.4 passing yards per game ranks No. 2 in the league and no. 5 nationally.

Although in a losing effort, redshirt sophomore receiver Aaron Anderson continued to shine last Saturday by leading the team in receiving with 126 yards and a touchdown on three catches. Junior receiver Kyren Lacy posted an impressive showing with 106 yards on five catches.

Defensively, linebackers Whit Weeks and Greg Penn have been instrumental in the improvements all year long under first-year coordinator Blake Baker. Weeks has tallied 75 tackles, 7.0 for loss, with 2.5 sacks, while Penn has tallied 59 tackles of his own. Defensive ends Bradyn Swinson (8 sacks, 10.5 TFL, 2 FF) and Sai’vion Jones (4.5 sacks, 5.5 TFL, 2 FF, 1 FR) have the most impactful games for the Tiger defense.

“The keys to success are pretty obvious: taking care of the football,” Kelly said. “We will have to have better balance offensively. Defensively, stopping the quarterback will be paramount.”

Alabama is led by junior quarterback Jalen Milroe, who has accounted for 1,937 yards through the air for 13 touchdowns. Milroe delivered an outstanding performance vs. LSU in 2023 with four total touchdowns and 155 yards with his legs while also passing for 219.

Freshman wideout Ryan Williams has taken college football by storm with 702 yards receiving and seven touchdowns, averaging 20.1 yards per carry. catch on 35 receptions this season. Defensively, the Tide are led by linebackers Deontae Lawson and Jihaad Campbell, who led the team in tackles with 66 each.

“Probably as balanced of a team as we’re going to play this year as far as talent level across the board,” Kelly said Monday. “There are no weaknesses in my eyes.”