The Daily Reveille asked analysts what the Tigers and the Crimson Tide need to watch out for on Saturday. Here are their answers.
Pat Forde, Yahoo! Sports National College columnist: “Turnovers, kicking game, explosive plays. LSU has only turned the ball over three times all season, fewest in the country. If the Tigers hang onto the ball, they’ll have a great chance to win. Both teams are really solid in the kicking game and dangerous in returns — one blocked kick or big return might be the difference.”
Gary Danielson, CBS Sports college football analyst: “There’s two wildcard factors in my mind. One is turnovers in the fourth quarter, and Alabama has been guilty of this. They turned the ball over last year in the fourth quarter. Remember the John Parker Wilson turnover in the fourth quarter? End-of-the-game turnovers have been a big part of this series, and I think it’ll happen again.”
Desmond Howard, ESPN college football analyst: “The other X-factor in the game is, can Alabama replace Julio Jones? He caught 10 passes in this game last year. He’s averaging a touchdown a game. Remember Patrick Peterson in 2009 went out of the game with cramps, went out for one play and Alabama scored. … Marquise Mays, [Darius] Hanks and Kenny Bell, all those guys are very good SEC football players, but I’m questioning whether Julio Jones can be replaced by Alabama.”
David Pollack, ESPN college football analyst: “I think which team gets the other one out of their comfort zone is the way you win. Neither team has had their power running game taken away from them where their quarterback had to go out and win a ballgame. If one of the defenses can put them in an uncomfortable spot and make them have to throw the football, I want to see how the quarterbacks react.”
 
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