Saturday’s SEC showdown between No. 1 Alabama and No. 3 LSU at Tiger Stadium is, by far, the biggest game of the 2018 season so far. The key to whether the Tigers have any shot whatsoever to upset the nation’s top team is shutting down ‘Bama’s potent offense, led by Tua Tagovailoa.
Looking ahead to Saturday’s game, LSU cornerback Greedy Williams has a bold take on the matchup between his defense and the Crimson Tide offense.
“People are scared to play them,” Williams said, per Max Olson of The Athletic. “Like you see people out there just letting them catch slants and take it for 60 yards. Like no press on ’em. We’re a different team. And they’re like gonna let him throw a slant and let the receiver take it for 60 yards. Like right now, we’re just watching that film and we’re like disgusted with the other teams that have been scared to play them. That will get us more ready. Because they think, ‘We put fear into people’s hearts because we’re Alabama.’ Nah.”
First off, it’s clear that LSU’s defenders think Alabama’s offense is at least in part winning because other teams are afraid. Having watched a ton of Crimson Tide football this year, that may be true to a certain extent. However, it’s also discounting the serious talent gap that is present pretty much every time ‘Bama steps onto a field against another team.
Now, LSU’s defense features some outstanding talent of its own. It’s going to be fascinating to see if Williams and his compatriots can stifle the Crimson Tide offense — an offense that is putting more points on the board than any other in the nation.
This offense is so good with Tagovailoa under center that he has yet to take a single snap in the fourth quarter of any game this year. Even more scary, he’s finally declared himself “100 percent healthy” after suffering a knee sprain earlier this year.
Williams and his LSU teammates say they aren’t scared. And they shouldn’t be. If they are, they’ve already lost. However, this offense hasn’t met a challenge it hasn’t smashed to pieces this year so far. Get your popcorn ready, because Saturday’s game is going to be a blast.