JessN: LSU Preview: Tigers' ability to put up numbers extends to its injury list

[JessN]

LSU Preview: Tigers’ ability to put up numbers extends to its injury list
by Jess Nicholas, TideFans.com Editor-In-Chief

In our preseason look at the 2024 Alabama Crimson Tide, we had the Tide finishing 10-2, with losses to Georgia and LSU.

Alabama wound up beating the Bulldogs, but dropped both its games inside the state of Tennessee and has its two predicted losses already. Now it’s time to visit Baton Rouge, which has historically been a Bama-friendly venue, to face a team that on its good days, boasts one of the best offensive units in the SEC.

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LSU Preview: Tigers’ ability to put up numbers extends to its injury list

In our preseason look at the 2024 Alabama Crimson Tide, we had the Tide finishing 10-2, with losses to Georgia and LSU. Alabama wound up beating the Bulldogs, but dropped both its games inside the …

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[GrayTide]

Thanks, Jess good read as always. I regrettably agree with your prediction, this Alabama team is too inconsistent, especially on the road. BTW I predicted a 9-3 season.

 

[teamplayer]

Unfortunately, I see things about the same way. I hope the Tide proves us wrong and rolls to victory, but i just haven't seen enough consistency to give me confidence. Roll Tide!

 

[64 Grad]

The one thing in your analysis that concerns me the most is their defensive front. They will be a problem for our offensive line and Milroe. I think this game will tell us a lot about the coaching staff. The team needs to be energetic especially on defense. I will be happy to see a team that competes for 60 minutes win or lose. Hope the mystic continues in Baton Rouge.

 

[BamaMoon]

I have given up on any solid "feel" for what will happen. The Vandy game broke many of us in terms of not knowing if we can win a game we are supposed to win, much less beat a team that is equally as good/better.

I'm almost to the point that the only way we win games like this is if the other team folds rather than us just beating them.

And when we "lose" the QB comparison, there goes the most important role in any football game!

 

[CrimSonami]

Ugh! I’ll be satisfied if this prediction is flipped.

 

[BamaNation]

I have given up on any solid "feel" for what will happen. The Vandy game broke many of us in terms of not knowing if we can win a game we are supposed to win, much less beat a team that is equally as good/better.

I'm almost to the point that the only way we win games like this is if the other team folds rather than us just beating them.

And when we "lose" the QB comparison, there goes the most important role in any football game!

The Vandy loss was unacceptable. Still unacceptable under any circumstances.

It also removed crimson colored glasses from many of us and we're now in a "Don't tell me what you're going to do (or how "hard" you're "working"); show me on the field that you can actually do it." LANK has no worth or meaning in any other result. (I don't like the word, regardless, but if folks are going to use it and talk about it and wear/sell t-shirts promoting it, then they better mean it).

I will remain in this mode until we do that consistently ... on the field each and every week. I'm not saying that if/when we lose it's all over for KD, but if/when we do lose, it better not be in the same manner that we lost to Vandy and the level of play better not be what it had been earlier in the season. Keeping it rollin' now that we had a bit of success and are ranked #11 should make us so hungry that we totally destroy LSU tomorrow and every other opponent we face this year.

We're in the playoff hunt. We have to decisively win every game to remain in the hunt. Get it done on the field and I start becoming a believer again.

 

[BamaHoopsBoi]

That ain't good to see. I'm hoping for a surprising showing this weekend. Really hope we dominate Milroe finds some confidence and has one of his better games of the season.

 

[PA Tide Fan]

I think the last sentence of the analysis was most important. DeBoer has to prove he can win a big game on the road in the SEC before I can feel good about Bama's chances.

 

[BamaDMD]

I have relegated myself to enjoying this year for what it is… a team full of talent that has little depth and a few missing pieces that can be world beater one moment and look like novices the next. The coaches are learning how to process what they have and maybe will get it working enough to have a decent showing but this is not a championship team. I will root for my team each game and hope for a few good bounces of the ball our way in the tough games And expect that we will win the games that we should for the rest of the way. Roll Tide!

 

[Bama Fan in KY]

I went to the game last year, LSU could not stop Bama under any circumstances.

Our offense theoretically should be better. And theirs, not so much based solely on replacing Daniels with Nuss. The issue is coaching.....we replaced Saban w/ DeBoer who needs to prove himself.

I'm not optimistic, and I'm not pessimistic. It's nearly impossible to know what to expect from this team. A couple of our impressive performances have been against teams with key injuries. Maybe Saturday will be another.

 

[CB4]

I’ve relegated myself to accept this season and possibly 2025 will be “step back” seasons for the program. How far back depends completely on CKD. I get the feeling the relative success of the program will be held together with zip ties and duct tape. The biggest question is what that look like in terms of wins and losses? A couple of 9-3 or 8-4 seasons? Maybe. But if CKD follows up this year with a 6-6 or a sub .500 in 2025, then heat gets turned up on the pressure cooker.

As it relates to this LSU game, I think this game is more important to Brian Kelly in terms of “program direction”. He is now in Year 3. He has received a ton of “grace” from that fanbase by pulling off a win over Saban two years ago. Yet, Kelly hasn’t shown the ability for any real consistency in putting LSU back to that realm of elite programs. In other words, in terms of narrative, winning this game is more important for Kelly in his third year than for DeBoer in Year One. So IMO the pressure is squarely on Kelly and LSU. They know in order to be relevant in any national title discussions, Kelly must show the ability to win games they SHOULD, but also beat Alabama, even an Alabama program that we know is “transitional” at best.