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By Matthew Couden
Contributing Writer
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This weekend, Alabama faces a challenging road matchup against SEC rival LSU that could impact the College Football Playoff rankings for these two teams.
The Crimson Tide are expecting multiple players to return from injury, including junior wide receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams. In addition, On3's Pete Nakos reported that defensive lineman Terrance Green and center Racin Delgatty are expected to play, with offensive lineman William Sanders a game-time decision.
With those injury updates emerging, former Alabama coach Nick Saban, now an ESPN analyst on "College GameDay," appeared on "The Pat McAfee Show." Saban gave his honest assessment of the Crimson Tide and their quarterback for the upcoming matchup.
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"I think the big thing with Keelon Russell in the past couple of weeks, he got more turnovers, got sacked more. Alabama is gonna get the center back, which will help. They'll get Ryan Coleman-Williams back, which will help. They get the nose guard back on defense which will help," he stated.
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"But going to LSU and playing, you gotta have a special maturity as a team to be able to be, I mean, on top of your focus to go in there and be able to overcome the noise, the circumstance, and LSU's got a very good team. So you're gonna have to overcome a lot, and that's gonna have to take a lot of maturity on [Alabama]'s part," Saban said.
"They didn't show they could do that at Tennessee, and to me, LSU is a little bit of a similar team," he indicated.
Saban indicated that the Tigers have a strong defense and will put pressure on Russell throughout the game. He also noted that LSU can "put points on the board" better than Tennessee. He called it a "big, big challenge for Alabama" after their bye week.
Saban reiterated that Russell needs to "play with a little more consistency" than he has been. He suggested that punting the ball isn't always a bad idea, rather than forcing a play that could lead to costly mistakes, including turnovers.
Russell currently ranks fifth among quarterbacks with an 85.0 QBR. He's thrown for 2,057 yards, 15 touchdowns, and five interceptions this season. Three of those interceptions came in the past two games, with two thrown in the 26-10 loss to Tennessee.
Russell was also sacked five times in that loss to the Volunteers, further illustrating Saban's point about the Crimson Tide needing to handle LSU's pressure on the quarterback.
This is also a big game for both teams, as each of them has two losses this season. In the first edition of the College Football Playoff rankings, Alabama ranked No. 5. Meanwhile, LSU ranked No. 14 and was on the outside of the first CFP bracket.
The Tigers boast one of the top defenses in the country, allowing opponents just 258.1 total yards and 16 points per game. They are also within the top 14 in pass defense, allowing just 172.8 passing yards per game.
With Russell and Alabama facing a hostile environment at LSU, the Crimson Tide could have an especially difficult challenge to overcome in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The Alabama Crimson Tide face the LSU Tigers at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 7.
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