| 09 January 2012
Allstate BCS National Championship Game
You may have heard of this one.
The Tigers crushed everything in their path en route to a 13-0 record. They started the year by thumping then-#3 Oregon in Texas and never looked back. LSU played eight teams who were ranked at the time of the game and demolished them all. Other than that 9-6 game, the closest anyone came of beating the Tigers was 13 points. Powered by a stifling defense and punishing running attack, LSU has been the dominant team in college football all year long.
The only team to seriously challenge the Tigers was the Alabama Crimson Tide. A bevy of missed field goals cost the Tide in that game, and Alabama has been itching for a rematch ever since. Alabama did not play nearly as rugged a schedule as LSU, only facing five ranked teams, but the Tide similarly demolished everyone in its path. The closest any non-LSU team came of beating Alabama was Penn State, and the Nittany Lions still lost by 16 points. Like LSU, Alabama deploys a suffocating defense and a powerful ground game.
Key matchup: Special Teams
This game could come down to the feet of Alabama K Cade Foster (L) and LSU P Brad Wing (R)
Special teams cost Alabama dearly in the first matchup as the Crimson Tide missed four field goals in a game that was ultimately decided in overtime. In a game featuring the top two defenses in the country, scoring opportunities are going to be few and far between. Each team is going to have to take advantage of those opportunities when they arise. Will Alabama’s kickers Jeremy Shelley and Cade Foster be able to shake off their dreadful performance the first time around and make their kicks on the sport’s biggest stage? LSU’s defense and relentless rushing attack get most of the attention, but the Tigers’ special teams are one of its biggest weapons. Tyrann Mathieu, aka “The Honey Badger”, is best-known for the electrifying plays he makes on defense, but he is also one of the nation’s most dangerous punt returners. He led the nation with 16.2 yards a return and helped spark LSU against Arkansas with a 92-yard return for a touchdown. In the SEC title game against Georgia, Mathieu returned four punts for 119 yards, including a 62-yard touchdown. Freshman punter Brad Wing is one the country’s premier punters and consistently punted Alabama out of good field position. He also showed he can be dangerous if a fake punt is called, as he scored a touchdown on a long run earlier this season only to have it called back by penalty. Kicker Drew Alleman has made 16 of 18 field goals on the year and went 3-for-3 against the Crimson Tide back on November 5, including the game-winning 25-yarder in overtime.
Why you should watch: Seriously?
Why you shouldn’t watch: Surprisingly, there are several reasons not to watch this game. First, the initial game between these two teams back in November was awful. It was 6-6 at the end of regulation. Neither team had more than 300 yards of offense. There were four turnovers. LSU couldn’t throw (only 91 yards passing). Alabama couldn’t kick (four missed field goals). The teams were a combined 8-of-24 on third down. Simply put, it was boring. Sure, competent defense is fine, but incompetent offense is not. Not everyone likes a shootout, but 15 total points? Further, if you despise the BCS and/or wish to see a playoff system implemented in top-level college football, then here’s your chance. Take a stand by not watching the game.
Prediction: Alabama was statistically superior in the first game and probably should have won if they could kick a field goal. Ergo, they should win this time, right? “Not so fast, my friend!” as Lee Corso would say. LSU has had a long layoff, and the last time they had such a layoff, they throttled Oregon. They held Alabama running back Trent Richardson in check last time, and quarterback A.J. McCarron doesn’t figure to have much success going up against an LSU secondary that features two first-team All-American cornerbacks in Mathieu and Mo Claiborne. LSU’s offense will struggle against an Alabama defense that’s as good as, and perhaps better than, the Tigers’ own vaunted defense. In a game between such evenly-matched teams, special teams are often the deciding factor, and LSU has a decided edge in that regard. Whether it’s Wing pinning Alabama deep in their own territory and giving them lousy field position, Alleman nailing a clutch field goal, or Mathieu generating a big return to either give LSU some points or set them up with great field position, the Tigers’ special teams will be the difference. LSU wins a tight-low scoring game. Second prediction: there will be a touchdown scored at some point during this game.
