Drew Gordon Night Games
Tonight's Games... 1. 300,000♦ Louisiana State
2. 50,000♦ Alabama
1. Louisiana State- Deja vu all over again, as seemingly every time these two schools meet, the Tigers end up crushing the Bulldogs. It doesn't get much more dominant than LSU's 10-1 run ATS in this series, inlcuding last year's 45-0 rout of Mississippi State on the road. Now at arguablly the toughest place to win in football, Tiger Stadium, look for more of the same tonight under the lights and here's why:
Let's start with the most obvious, the Tigers tremendous edge on offense, led by RB Charles Scott, and quite possibly the surprise QB effort of last week with redshirt frosh QB Jarret Lee leading the Tigers back from 14-3 deficit at Auburn to win 26-21. Needless to say, RB Scott is a beast, and if Lee can build off that effort, people will soon be asking Ryan Perrilloux who? Perfect situation for this Tigers offense to build against a road-weary Bulldgos team primed for a whipping.
Seriously guys, did you see Mississippi State at Georgia Tech last week? Tech murdered them on the ground, ammassing a mind-boggling 438 rushing yards on an even more mind-boggling 8.1 yards per rush! If the Yellow Jackets can do that, imagine what this Tigers o-line and Charles Scott will do tonight at home! A young QBs best friend is a solid run game, and its safe to say the Tigers will run the ball at will in this one.
Finally, as with most football games (college or pro) the game is won in the trenches, and unfortunately for the Bulldogs, they're at a HUGE disadvantage against LSU's powerhouse defensive line. Just ask Auburn how good they are, as the just 70 rushing yards on 1.9 yards per carry. On the season the Tigers are allowing just 55 rushing yards per game on 2 yards per carry! Neither Bulldog QB has been effective this season, and don't look for that to change tonight on the road.
In the end, the Tigers have all the edges necessary to continue to dominate the Bulldogs, the home field, they're markedly better on both sides of the ball, and with a bye on deck, there's no distractions. Tigers maul the Bulldogs Saturday night!
Take Louisiana State BIG over Mississippi State as your top-rated play of the day.
2. Alabama- Tough spot for Georgia, coming back cross country from a nice win over Arizona State, to face one hell of a good Alabama team playing with a lot of confidence right now. Tide crushed Arkansas 49-14 on the road last week, and many are pointing to that win as a springboard for Saban's troops. Needlees to say, I don't see much more than a field goal separating these teams and here's why:
As with most SEC games, the defense is king and that'll be true once again tonight. Both squads boast excellent defenses, allowing barely anything on the ground, but surprsingly the Dogs have been a bit vulnerable thru the air, allowing 229 passing yards a game thus far. This is the first place I see problems for Georgia, as John Parker Wilson may have been quiet last week, but he wasn't really needed with 'Bama rushing for 328 yards on 9.4 yards per carry! On the flip side, Georgia's Moreno is a beast, but he'll face his stiffest test of the season tonight.
Siding with Alabama in this contest comes down to TWO big factors: A. Expect the Tide to be highly motivated after last year's crazy 26-23 OT home loss to Georgia last season. Revenge factor is extremely strong in this one, plain and simple. And B. With a huge game against Tennessee coming up (the same Vols team that beat them 35-14 last season) coupled with going cross-country last week, one has to wonder about the Bulldogs focus here. Not saying they won't win, but Saban will have his boys ready for a battle in this one.
Bottom line, much like last season, a field goal is all that separates this two teams, and therefore the only play here is on the visiting Tide. Love him or hate him, Saban is a damn good coach, who has his team believing and playing like it. In the end, Georgia may pull out the win, but 'Bama grabs the cash!
Take Alabama plus the points over Georgia in this college football match up.
