The LSU Tigers are set to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide this Saturday night in Tuscaloosa. It's the first game without Brian Kelly, as Frank Wilson takes over on an interim basis following Kelly's firing two weeks ago. Wilson's first game as the interim coach is a tough one, as Alabama is riding a 7-game win streak and ranked as the No. 4 team in the country in the initial College Football Playoff rankings.
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Alabama junior quarterback Ty Simpson is looking like a legitimate Heisman Trophy contender. In fact, with odds of +450 on DraftKings Sportsbook, Simpson has the 3rd-best odds to win the prestigious award. On the season, Simpson is completing 67.8% of his passes for 2,184 yards, which is good for 3rd in the SEC. He has thrown 20 touchdown passes and just a single interception over 261 pass attempts.
Simpson gives the LSU defense a lot to worry about, but LSU fans might be happy that the Tigers aren't dealing with Jalen Milroe again this season.
Jalen Milroe was a matchup nightmare for LSU
Over the past two seasons, Blake Baker's defenses at LSU have struggled mightily against mobile quarterbacks. In last year's matchup between the Tigers and Tide in Baton Rouge, Milroe torched LSU on the ground. In a game that Alabama dominated from start to finish, Milroe ran for a whopping 185 yards and 4 touchdowns on 12 carries. He averaged over 15 yards per carry and put the game on ice with a 72-yard touchdown run early in the 4th quarter. It was a sheer disaster for Baker and LSU, who ultimately fell by a score of 42-13 in a game that was never close. The loss dropped LSU to 6-3 on the season, which put them outside of the playoff race.
LSU has struggled against mobile quarterbacks again this season, as all 3 of their losses have come at the hands of mobile QBs. Ole Miss' Trinidad Chambliss ran for 71 yards and 5.1 yards per carry in LSU's 24-19 loss to the Rebels. Vanderbilt's Diego Pavia ran for 86 yards and 2 touchdowns in Vandy's 31-24 win over LSU. In their most recent game, LSU allowed Texas A&M's Marcel Reed to run for 108 yards and a pair of touchdowns in LSU's embarrassing 49-25 loss to the Aggies.
Simpson is more lethal through the air, but LSU has an impressive secondary that is capable of giving Simpson and the Tide passing game some issues. Baker trusts his DBs in man coverage, which allows him to utilize different blitz packages in an effort to put pressure on opposing QBs. That could be the game plan when going up against a less-mobile Simpson, who has just 79 rushing yards on 51 carries (1.5 yards per carry). Not having to worry about Simpson running wild could bode well for the Tigers as they try to pull off the upset.
As a whole, Alabama's rushing game is not what it was last season. The Tide ran wild for 311 yards against LSU in last year's matchup. So far this season, Alabama ranks 121st in the country in rushing success rate. With that in mind, look for Baker to dial up the pressure on Simpson. He's a better QB than Milroe, but his skill set may present a better matchup for LSU on Saturday night in Tuscaloosa.