TigerBait.com - LSU-Alabama pre-game notebook

November 7, 2009

Bryan Lazare
TigerBait.com Senior Writer

Since the Southeastern Conference expanded to 12 teams in 1992, LSU's road to the football championship game to Atlanta has always gone through the state of Alabama.

The Tigers have made four appearances in the SEC title game. In all four seasons, LSU defeated both Auburn and Alabama. In none of the other seasons did the Tigers beat both Alabama schools.

In 2001, LSU defeated Alabama 35-21 and Auburn 27-14 in the regular season finale. That season was the only one in which the Tigers played Auburn after Alabama. In 2003, LSU knocked off both teams easily - 31-7 against Auburn and 27-3 against Alabama.

In 2005, the Tigers won two overtime games - 20-17 against Auburn and 16-13 against Alabama. In 2007, LSU won two games late in the fourth quarter - 30-24 against Auburn and 41-34 against Alabama.

The Tigers have already taken care of the first half of the necessary sweep in 2009 with a 31-10 victory against Auburn. LSU has a 3-4 record against Alabama following a victory against Auburn since conference expansion.

Alabama has a comfortable advantage in the series against the Tigers. The Crimson Tide has won 44 games and has lost 27. There have been five ties. LSU has won seven of the last nine meetings. The Tigers have won four straight games at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Alabama's last victory against LSU in Tuscaloosa took place in 1999 (23-17). The home team has won just four of the past 13 games in the series.

Since Les Miles became coach, the Tigers have an 8-6 record against teams ranked in the top ten. Four of those eight victories came on the road - Alabama in 2005, Tennessee and Arkansas in 2006 and Auburn in 2008.

Miles' LSU teams have a 13-5 record in SEC road games. The only West teams to beat the Tigers at home are Auburn (2006) and Arkansas (2008).

Under Miles, LSU has a 13-4 record in November games. Three of the four defeats took place last season - Alabama, Ole Miss and Arkansas. The other November setback came at the hands of the Razorbacks two seasons ago.

LSU is one of two SEC teams with a winning record at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Tigers have a 7-5 record in Tuscaloosa. The other team is Auburn, which has a 4-1 mark at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

If LSU beats the Crimson Tide, it would still have to defeat both Ole Miss and Arkansas to guarantee a berth in the SEC championship game. Alabama would clinch a spot against Florida in the league title game if it beats the Tigers.

Saturday's game will be the fifth between LSU and one of its former head coaches. LSU teams under Charles McClendon defeated South Carolina teams under Paul Dietzel in 1966 (28-12) and 1973 (33-29).

Tigers teams under Miles have split two games with Alabama teams under Nick Saban. LSU won in 2007 (41-34) and lost in 2008 (27-21).

With its shutout against Tulane, LSU is the leader among SEC schools since expansion in 1992. The Tigers have shut out 15 opponents - one more than both Alabama and Auburn.

Linebacker Kelvin Sheppard has recorded 13 tackles in each of the last three games. The last Tigers defender to register double-figure tackles in three straight games was Bradie James in 2002 - 11 against Florida and South Carolina and 14 against Auburn.

LSU's three starting linebackers are the team's leading tacklers - Sheppard with 70, Perry Riley with 55 and Harry Coleman with 52. Sheppard has a team-high 7? tackles-for-loss. Both Drake Nevis and Rahim Alem have six tackles-for-loss.

Alem is the team leader in sacks with three and quarterback-hurries with three. Patrick Peterson has eight passes defended - two interceptions and six breakups. Coleman has forced three fumbles.

Charles Scott needs 58 rushing yards to move past LaBrandon Toefield for seventh place on LSU's all-time list. Scott needs five yards to move into eighth place ahead of Rondell Mealey. Scott is the team's top rusher with 459 yards on 103 carries.

Richard Dickson needs one touchdown catch to set the school career record for tight ends. Dickson and Brad Boyd are tied with ten touchdown receptions.

Brandon LaFell needs six receptions to move ahead of Early Doucet into fourth place on LSU's all-time rankings. LaFell needs 61 receiving yards to move into sixth place ahead of Tony Moss.

LaFell is the active SEC career leader in receptions (155), receiving yardage (2,203) and touchdown catches (22).

Terrance Toliver and LaFell have combined for 75 receptions for 979 yards and 11 touchdowns. Toliver has grabbed 38 passes for 501 yards and three touchdowns. LaFell has 37 receptions for 478 yards and eight touchdowns.

Jordan Jefferson has completed 64 percent of his passes (123-of-193) for 1,421 yards and 11 touchdowns with four interceptions. Opposing quarterbacks have hit on 54 percent of their passes (136-of-253) for 1,429 yards and seven touchdowns with 11 interceptions.

Trindon Holliday has accounted for 451 return yards - 261 on kickoffs and 190 on punts. Holliday has a 49-yard kickoff return and a 50-yard kickoff return. LSU opponents have returned just five punts for 30 yards.

The Tigers lead the SEC in kickoff coverage (46.1 net yards), punt returns (17.3 yards per return), turnover-margin (plus-nine) and red-zone defense (66.7 percent of opportunities have resulted in points).

LSU is last in the SEC in kickoff returns (17.7 yards per return), sacks (11) and fourth-down conversions (22 percent).

LSU and Alabama have committed the fewest turnovers among SEC teams. The Tigers have seven turnovers, while the Crimson Tide has nine turnovers.

Alabama leads the SEC in rushing defense (64.6 yards per game), sacks allowed (8) and time of possession (32:35 per game).

Only two quarterbacks have completed more than 50 percent of their passes this season against Alabama. Kentucky's Mike Hartline was 17-of-31 for 168 yards and Tennessee's Jonathan Crompton was 21-of-36 for 265 yards.

Since Saban became coach, the Crimson Tide has a 25-1 record when leading at the half. The lone loss came against LSU two years ago. The Tigers trailed 20-17 after the first half in that game.

Alabama has registered 23 sacks through eight games this season. The Crimson Tide finished the 2008 season with 26 sacks. Defensive end Marcell Dareus is the team leader with 4? sacks.

Linebacker Rolando McClain is the top tackler with 57, including seven behind the line of scrimmage. Safety Mark Barron, who has 48 tackles, has intercepted four passes and broken up seven other passes. He leads the SEC with 11 passes defended.

Linebacker Eryk Anders has eight tackles for loss, including four sacks, and nine quarterback-hurries. Nickel back Marquis Johnson has broken up a team-high ten passes.

Mark Ingram has four 100-yard rushing games, but three have occurred in the past four contests. Ingram ran for 140 yards against Kentucky, 172 yards against Ole Miss and 246 yards against South Carolina. Ingram had 99 yards in the last game against Tennessee.

Ingram, who has also gained 186 yards on pass receptions, has nearly 1,200 yards from scrimmage. More than half of his yards (645) have come after the initial contact by a defensive player.

Greg McElroy has completed 60 percent of his passes (121-of-202) for 1,445 yards and nine touchdowns with three interceptions. Julio Jones has a team-high 20 catches for 229 yards and one touchdown.

Javier Arenas has totaled 598 yards on returns - 320 on punts and 278 yards on kickoffs. Arenas is averaging 16.8 yards on punt returns, best in the SEC, and 27.8 yards on kickoff returns. Arenas also has made 45 tackles, including 8? for loss.

Arenas is second on the all-time SEC list in punt returns with 1,579 yards. The conference leader is Vanderbilt's Lee Nalley (1947-49) with 1,695 yards. Arenas is tenth on the league's all-time kickoff return rankings with 1,843 yards.

Arenas is second in the SEC in career total return yardage with 3,422 yards. Leading the list is Florida's Brandon James with 3,657 yards. Arenas has six career punt returns for touchdowns - tied with Kentucky's Derek Abney (2000-03) for No. 1 in the SEC.

P.J. Fitzgerald is averaging 42.5 yards on 33 punts. Leigh Tiffin has made a SEC best 20-of-23 field goal attempts and 24-of-26 extra points. Tiffin, whose average kickoff reaches the opponent's 7, has seven touchbacks out of 55 kicks. He leads the SEC with 84 points.

Tiffin is the SEC active leader in career points with 337. Tiffin needs nine points to move past Alabama's Philip Doyle into sixth place on the SEC's all-time rankings. Tiffin is the active league leader in field goals with 72 - fourth all-time.

Six members of Alabama's coaching staff have ties to LSU. Saban was the head coach from 2000-2004. Secondary coach Kirby Smart had the same position with the Tigers in 2004.

Defensive line coach Bo Davis, a former LSU player, was a Tigers assistant strength coach from 2002-05. Linebackers coach Sal Sunseri had the same responsibility at LSU in 2000.

Tight ends coach Bobby Williams handled the Tigers' wide receivers in 2004. Strength coach Scott Cochran, who graduated from LSU, was a member of the Tigers' strength and conditioning staff from 2001-04.

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