Saturday night's Alabama-LSU football game in Baton Rouge has familiar participants ranging from tight end O.J. Howard and defensive end Jonathan Allen of Alabama to tailback Leonard Fournette and linebacker Kendall Beckwith of LSU.
The two starting quarterbacks - Jalen Hurts of the top-ranked Crimson Tide and Danny Etling of the No. 13 Tigers - will be taking their first snaps in the rivalry. Hurts already has bedeviled five ranked opponents, having led Alabama past Southern California, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Tennessee and Texas A&M.
Etling, who sat out last season after transferring from Purdue, conquered a ranked team Oct. 22, when the Tigers defeated Ole Miss, and has guided an offense that is averaging 41.7 points per game since Ed Orgeron replaced Les Miles as coach. The 6-foot-3, 226-pound junior has quickly won over Alabama coach Nick Saban.
"He's a very smart player," Saban said in a news conference following Wednesday's two-hour practice. "I think he checks into the right plays at the line based on the defense that they're playing against. He plays within himself very well, and they've made a lot more explosive plays because of his ability to pass the ball.
"They have very good skill players who can make big plays down the field, and that balance with their great running game makes it very difficult on defensive teams, and he's the guy who makes it work for them."
The prominent matchup angle to Saturday's showdown is LSU's rushing offense that averages 239.9 yards a game against an Alabama run defense that leads the nation by yielding just 70.1 yards per contest. Fournette is averaging 167.5 yards per game in the four games he's been healthy enough to play, but he's averaged just 55.0 yards in his two previous meetings with the Crimson Tide.
Etling hopes to provide the opportunity for balance, having completed 89 of 147 passes (60.5 percent) for 1,129 yards with seven touchdowns and three interceptions since taking over for a struggling Brandon Harris in the season's second game, against Jacksonville State.
"Alabama's defense is very impressive," Etling said in a recent news conference. "They just jump off the film with their athleticism, size and speed. They've obviously recruited well, and it's just something we have to be ready for."
Crimson Tide starting right guard Alphonse Taylor still hasn't been able to participate in contact work since suffering a concussion Oct. 8 at Arkansas and is not expected to play this week. Backup tailback Bo Scarbrough missed Wednesday's workout with an illness, but Saban did not believe it was serious.
Saban also announced that freshman tailback B.J. Emmons sprained his foot and is out indefinitely.
The Crimson Tide will practice again today before making the trip Friday to Baton Rouge, where they have an all-time mark of 27-9-2.
"If you're a great competitor, you love games like this," Saban said.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.