Moving to 4-0 against Texas A&M on Saturday, Alabama looked every bit the No. 1 team in the country. While Nick Saban is downplaying the dominance of the Crimson Tide through four weeks in 2018, it is clear that this is one of the best offenses he has ever had in Tuscaloosa. Next up for Alabama is a non-con clash with Louisiana.
By Steve Wright
Here are the three keys:
Get the running game back on track
This is an interesting one because the Alabama running game is simply not as dominant as it has been over the past few seasons due to the passing game finally pulling its weight.
In the clash with the Aggies, Alabama rushed for just 109 yards as a team. This was the lowest single-game rushing total for the Crimson Tide in four seasons. The flip side is that Tua Tagovailoa is dominating teams through the air, with Alabama putting up the fifth highest single-game passing total in school history against Texas A&M.
This weekend shouldn’t be one where the Tide needs to air it out. Tagovailoa should be out of the game by halftime, with the running game taking over in the second half to shorten the contest against what will be an overmatched Louisiana squad.
Don’t chase the point spread
Alabama opened up as a 49 point favorite over the Rajin’ Cajuns according to Vegas Insider this week. That score suggests that Alabama is a ridiculous seven touchdown favorite over the team it will face on Saturday over the course of 60 minutes of football.
When seeing a line like that, it is easy to get complacent. We aren’t suggesting that Alabama is in danger of being upset here – Louisiana lost by 46 to Mississippi State a couple of weeks ago – just that the Crimson Tide players should approach this game like any other. That means putting in the hard work over the first two quarters so that the game is won by halftime.
Chasing points is easy to do, but it is also a great way for an offense to fall out of sync. There are big games ahead for Alabama in 2018, so keeping the momentum going through this one will be key to how the rest of the season plays out.
Be aware the Cajuns offense can play
While they might not have been great so far in 2018, the Rajin’ Cajuns offense has been consistently good. Quarterback Andre Nunez completes a healthy 72-percent of his passes, and he has only thrown one interception compared to four touchdowns on the year. Louisiana also has a couple of running backs in Trey Ragas and Raymond Calais that know how to move the ball on the ground.
The key here will be for the Alabama defensive line to come up with stops early. If Alabama can force Louisiana to go three and out a couple of times early – or if they can get an early take away – then it will set the pattern for the game.
Be the first to comment