SCOUTING THE OFFENSE
One week after running for 57 yards against Troy, LSU made a commitment to running the ball against Vanderbilt and rushed for a season-high 273 yards. Unfortunately for the Tigers they also lost senior center Ben Wilkerson to a season-ending knee injury on the final play of the game. That's a bad break anytime, but it's even worse for an LSU team preparing to play an Alabama defense ranked No. 1 in the nation, allowing 221.8 yards per game.

SCOUTING THE DEFENSE
The Tigers have forced only 14 turnovers, and while they did finally force and recover two fumbles against Vanderbilt, they have still gone four games without an interception. LSU is allowing only 15.9 points and 256 yards per game, but coach Nick Saban is looking for the defense to provide more opportunities for the offense.

QUOTE TO NOTE
"When you go out on a golf course and play golf, it really is a metaphor of life. There's a fairway, a rough, a hazard -- there's all these things that happen. You can manage that in a positive way, like, 'If I go in the hazard, that's an opportunity for me to do something significant on the next shot.' Or you can throw your clubs, throw them in the lake, cuss, do all kinds of crazy stuff because you're mad because you got in the hazard to start with. You can do the same thing in your life. You can do the same thing with your team." -- LSU coach Nick Saban.

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