Alabama DC explains challenges of defending LSU's offensive weapons

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama has a massive test in front of it this week. The Crimson Tide, currently sitting with two losses on the season and ranked No. 11 in the AP Poll, will travel on the road to take on LSU, another 2-loss team that’s currently ranked No. 14.

The College Football Playoff rankings aren’t out yet this week, but when they do release, it’s reasonable to expect both of these teams to be on the playoff “bubble.” That puts massive stakes on this weekend’s game in Death Valley, with the winner moving itself further in position to make the playoff, and the loser essentially being eliminated with three weeks still left in the season.

If the Crimson Tide wants to leave Tiger Stadium victorious, something not many teams do when that place hosts a night game, it’s going to have to find a way to defend this LSU offense. The Tigers rank in the upper-tier nationally in both total offense and points per game, but the Alabama defense has shown vast improvements in recent weeks after a midseason slump of sorts.

The LSU offense starts with quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, who Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack previewed during his Monday press conference.

“From an offensive standpoint, you can talk about the quarterback all day long. I think Nussmeier, he’s a coach’s kid, you can tell he’s been very well trained. Knows where to go with the ball.” Wommack said. “Has great answers, is probably to me up there with the Carson Becks of the world in terms of his ability to see the field and make great decisions. He’s as good as we’ve seen this year. Aggressive with the ball. I know sometimes that’s gotten him in trouble, but it’s also created a lot of explosive plays that they’ve been able to make because he’s aggressive.”

Nussmeier has amassed over 2,600 yards on the season and thrown 20 touchdowns, showing immense capabilities when he’s on target airing it out. However, he’s also thrown nine interceptions, an area Alabama may be able to take advantage of.

The Crimson Tide is averaging almost 1.5 interceptions per game, ranking in the top-15 nationally. This secondary, and particularly its leader Malachi Moore, have been excellent at taking the ball away from inaccurate or overly-aggressive quarterbacks, which could be a key to the game.

Nussmeier does, however, have plenty of talented receiving threats around him that he’s made plays throwing to time and time again. One of those threats is wide receiver Kyren Lacy, who Wommack actually has familiarity with from his time as the head coach at South Alabama.

“I remember Kyren when he was in the Sun Belt. He was playing at Louisiana my first year as head coach at South Alabama, and I think he transferred maybe the year after in 2022,” Wommack said. “You know, long physical presence. Does a great job with the ball in the air. I think he makes contested catches. I think he’s grown so much as a route runner. And really, you know someone that you can tell that Nussmeier really trusts to get the ball to, even in situations where he’s got body on body to go make a play for him. So very impressed with his skillset. I mean, he’s got all the tools and can run and make contested catches and the makings of a great receiver.”

Lacy has 41 catches for 618 yards and six touchdowns on the season, pretty similar stats to Alabama’s Ryan Williams, which should tell you all you need to know about Lacy’s impact. The Crimson Tide cornerbacks will have their hands full with him all game long, but what’s crazy is Lacy may not even be Nussmeier’s most trusted target.

That title may be held by tight end Mason Taylor, who Alabama fans should be familiar with. Taylor was on the receiving end of a 2-point conversion against Alabama back in 2022 that was the game-winning play the last time the Crimson Tide came to Death Valley. Now two years older, Taylor has grown into one of the best at his position in all of college football.

“I think he is as good a tight end as we’ve seen,” Wommack said. “I think you can tell their quarterback trusts him. Another guy that when the game is on the line he continues to show up in those big moments. He will make contested catches, just even being body on body the guy can make those contested-type throw and catch. Ultimately, that’s what’s hard about covering a tight end, you’ve got some 6-6 guy you’re covering with a linebacker or a defensive back that a good quarterback is gonna throw away from leverage and he’s gonna be able to come down with the ball.

“I think the dude takes pride in not coming off the field. You can tell that’s a thing, they’re constantly keeping him on the field and having different groupings and packages around him. Tight ends, man, when you have a good tight end that can do things in the run game well enough and ultimately be dynamic in the passing game, that’s why those guys are so valuable.”

LSU’s passing offense has been dynamic throughout the season, and is bolstered by having one of the best offensive lines in the league. The Crimson Tide will have its hands full on multiple fronts trying to defend this unit, whether it’s trying to create pressure on the quarterback or trying to adequately cover the multitude of weapons Nussmeier has at his disposal.