LSU anxious to slow down Tagovailoa, Alabama's high-octane passing game

BATON ROUGE, La. — Rashard Lawrence can’t finish watching the tape of Alabama.

“It’s boring watching them,” LSU’s junior defensive end said. “It’s like a rerun every drive, watching them run up and down the field on everyone.”

Such is Dave Aranda’s task on Saturday when the top-ranked Crimson Tide invade Tiger Stadium in hopes of notching their ninth consecutive victory of the season. In each of the first eight games, Alabama has rolled up more than 500 yards of total offense, the first stretch of that kind in the program’s storied history.

The offensive ingenuity is a new wrinkle for Nick Saban’s team, which has prided itself on being a physical, hard-nosed running team complemented by a stifling defense. The emergence of sophomore quarterback Tua Tagovailoa altered the recipe, causing a bit of an identity crisis for members of the Tigers defense, who are accustomed to battling Alabama in the trenches for 60 minutes on the first Saturday of November.

“When I see Jalen (Hurts), I know they like to run the football and get him in situations to get him free, but when I see Tua in, he’s back there going 5 and 7 yards back, padding the ball and going through his reads,” Lawrence said. “It’s important to shut that down, but it’s kind of surprising to see how much they’re throwing the football.”

The new-look Alabama offense ranks first in scoring offense (54.1 points per game), second in the nation in total offense (564.3 yards per game) and fifth in passing offense (347.4 yards per game). It ranks first among SEC teams in two of those categories, and second behind Ole Miss in passing offense.

Tagovailoa ranks seventh nationally in completion percentage (70.4%) and boasts an unblemished 25:0 touchdown to interception ratio. Unsurprisingly, he leads the nation with a 238.85 quarterback rating, more than 10 points better than fellow Heisman hopeful Kyler Murray. And if those statistics didn’t contextualize the season Alabama’s quarterback is having, then comparisons to Michael Vick and better-than-expected size might.

“He’s a great athlete first of all,” LSU coach Ed Orgeron said. “His release is phenomenal. His ability to run … You’re going to have to contain him, keep him in the pocket and make him throw out of a well. He’s a little bit taller than I expected after meeting him in person. He’s a great player.”

Perhaps no one on LSU’s roster knows Tagovailoa better than fellow Hawaiian Breiden Fehoko, who’ll be lined up about four yards away on Saturday night.

Both Fehoko and Tagovailoa call O’’ahu home. It’s not that big, Fehoko said, despite being the epicenter of the Hawaiian Islands. Fehoko’s parents and Tagovailoa’s parents are family friends, and the two players met on the field Fehoko’s sophomore year — and won. Of course, Tagovailoa was an eighth grader at the time watching from the sidelines, but that hasn’t deterred Fehoko from claiming bragging rights.

Their next meeting, Tagovailoa will no longer be the backup.

“I’ve always been a big fan of him and always supported him,” Fehoko said. “We’re real similar in the way we approach things. We come from a small island, so when you make it out here, you make it to the big leagues, you can’t help but be proud of him.”

“When Saturday comes,” he continued, “he’s my enemy.”

Like Fehoko, the rest of LSU’s defenders are anxious to cause chaos. Pressure will be pivotal to try and throw Tagovailoa off his game, which through two-thirds of the season, no other team has been able to effectively do.

Orgeron deemed Tagovailoa the best player in college football. His players praise his accuracy, his decision-making and his ability to look off defenders.

They’re also anxious for their shot at the nation’s best.

“He does a great job of using his eyes to move the safeties off, but I think we’ve got good guys on the back end, too,” explained LSU safety Grant Delpit, who leads the country with 5 interceptions. “We want to put pressure on the quarterback, make him uncomfortable. Show him a bunch of different looks and the one thing we want to do is try and force mistakes. Disguising some things will be a big thing.

“We can mess with him a little bit and I’m excited to play that chess match … He’s an accurate guy and he makes good decisions. Stopping him will be a challenge, but I think we’re up for it.”