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.”