Well, these guys think our offense finally gets back over that 24 point total. I bolded a statement at the end - I have been waiting for a national journalist to say this for weeks. Sorry if posted...

Keys to the Game - By John Harris (College Football News.com)

a. The Skyler’s the limit – There’s no question that the 2004 LSU offense is at a different place, as compared to the 2003 Tiger offense. One of the most evident aspects of that statement can be found in the use, or lack thereof, of Skyler Green. Now, don’t misunderstand - the standout has not been healthy all year, as he’s gutted it out, playing on a bum wheel all year long. However, he started to flash some of the ‘old’ #5 two weeks ago against Vandy when he took a punt return 65 yards to the house to seal the Tigers 24 – 7 victory in Baton Rouge. Thus, with a week off, #5 has the opportunity to get himself re-immersed in this year’s offensive game plan, and this seems to be the best opportunity for LSU OC Jimbo Fisher to use Green like the chess pawn that he was in last year’s offense. Green doesn’t need the number of touches he got last year, as the Tigers are well-stocked with offensive skill players, but he gives the two-headed quarterback duo and Fisher an ‘outlet’ in a lot of ways. Dependent on how Alabama chooses to cover Green when he lines up in the slot, that position might be where he can do the most damage, especially when he is aligned on the same side as Dwayne Bowe and/or Craig Davis. Alabama can’t afford to man up on those three when they are trips, unless they go nickel to cover Green in the slot with an athletic DB type, not a linebacker. But, that should leave six in the box, which should turn into an automatic inside gap play to Alley Broussard. If Bama stays basic and walks a linebacker, more than likely will backer Freddie Roach, out to Green, the Tiger QBs should take advantage of that mismatch all day long. Also, if Bama chooses to punt to Green, that could be an even worse move. Regardless, there’s no time like the present for #5 to have a breakout game, 2004 style.


b. How ‘bout them Bama Lahnbackas? – Even though the LSU offense has struggled at times to really reach their utopian level this season, they still have the offensive weapons to explode on the Tide this weekend. But, the Tigers must be able to establish Broussard and Joseph Addai in the LSU power running game to be able to open things up down the field. That puts the pressure on Alabama’s three best defenders, its linebackers – Cornelius Wortham, Freddie Roach and DeMeco Ryans. Between these three defenders, they have a total of 617 career tackles and it’s going to take about that many to slow down this Tiger offense. Okay, just a little short of that amount, but you get the point. The key for this trio is to be able to run free to the football, but with the upheaval in the LSU line due to Ben Wilkerson’s season ending injury, it’s possible. Why? The Bama front four is active enough to cause concern for Fisher, so he’ll more than likely take steps to ensure that his line doesn’t allow any Tide penetration, i.e. doubling all DL, especially the Tide DTs. In so doing, these three LBs should be able to scrape to the football easily. And, as mentioned above, they know what to do when they get there. This might be the best trio of backers in the SEC (Auburn and Georgia fans may balk at that, but you’ve got to give this Tide bunch their just desserts), and there may not be a whole lot that LSU can do to keep them out of the mix. If Wortham, Roach and Ryans are running around hitting all that moves without much opposition, the Tigers may have to go to the air, early and often. That’s not a bad result for the Tide.

c. Blitz happy? – Bama’s down to their third string quarterback. Tiger DC Will Muschamp loves to blitz. But, is this a recipe for disaster for the Tigers or the key to totally shutting down the Alabama offense? Although it would seem that the answer is obvious, the all-out blitz packages can backfire against the run-heavy Tide offense. In blitzing, Muschamp is essentially ‘guessing’ run or pass and the location. If the Tigers bring three off the weakside, but Bama has a sweep or zone stretch to the other side, Kenneth Darby could be running for a long, long time. Furthermore, to keep Pennington upright, Mike Shula will utilize more max protection. As a result, the Tide has only two or three receivers in a route, but if Muschamp is bringing seven or even eight, Pennington’s read is not overly difficult and he’s got a lot of room (time is a different story altogether) to throw the football. LSU is almost better served to sit in their base look, rolling strong safety Jesse Daniels or LaRon Landry into the box, on occasion, to shut down the running game on first and second downs, forcing Alabama into worst case scenario – third and long.

Conclusion: Maybe it was the way that they lost to Georgia. Perhaps, it’s because they’re out of the SEC race. Regardless, LSU is flying way below the radar. They have struggled with injuries and youth at a lot of key positions, but this team still can get to nine wins, which would be a near miracle with all that they have had going on this year. Likewise, Shula has the Tide at six wins, but getting more is going to be very difficult, starting with this trip to Baton Rouge. LSU is rested and ready for the Tide.

LSU – 28 vs. Alabama - 17

thats a great breakdown, do u know where john harris is from? cuz there's a john harris that does sports editorials in the Toledo blade, not sure if its the same guy
yea well 28-17 sounds about right
i'd pick 27-14 LSU