Two SEC West powerhouses will meet Saturday afternoon in the biggest game of the college football season so far, as undefeated LSU and Heisman Trophy favorite Joe Burrow face off against Tua Tagovailoa and the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Tagovailoa is expected to play Saturday just 20 days after undergoing a tightrope procedure on his injured ankle, and a loss may knock Alabama out of College Football Playoff race completely. Burrow, meanwhile, can boost his Heisman case in the biggest game of his college career.
Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban – who claimed he didn’t know Alabama’s current ranking because he’s been so focused on the game – sat down with ESPN’s Tom Rinaldi and explained exactly what makes Burrow so dangerous.
“I think No. 1 is, they’re spreading people out, they’ve got really good skill guys, they’ve got a good runner. I mean this is as good an offense probably as we’ve had to face for a long time. I mean, one of the best.
[Burrow] does a great job. He understands exactly what they’re doing. Because people are spread out, it makes it a little bit easier to see, the defense has to declare itself so he knows exactly what you’re in, where to go with the ball. He gets rid of it quickly.
But where he’s been most effective to me is when plays break down, he’s been able to extend plays and make plays down the field as well as convert critical third-down situations by running, because he’s such a good athlete. So you’ve got to defend all of the above, which is a pretty difficult task.”
