BATON ROUGE, La. — How do you like your football?
Do you like the speed of Oregon, the discipline of Kansas State, the defensive schemes of Notre Dame, the athleticism of Florida State? Or do you like your granddaddy’s football, when men were men and players didn’t leave the field for a play if their helmets got dislodged?
Welcome to Armageddon III: Alabama at LSU.
“A lot of teams try do tricky things, change things up, give you new looks,’’ Alabama center Barrett Jones said. “Not LSU. This is physical football at its best. They’re going to play their defense and we’re going to play our offense. And both teams will be sore [on Sunday].’’
There are some intriguing matchups in Saturday night’s game, but none more so than LSU’s defensive line against Alabama’s offensive line. The Tigers boast two of the best defensive linemen in the nation in end Barkevious Mingo and tackle Sam Montgomery, both of whom are expected to be top-10 draft picks. Alabama’s offensive line is anchored by Jones, last season’s Outland Trophy winner, D.J. Fluker and Chance Warmack, all of whom will be drafted.
“[Alabama’s] front five is as good as anybody in the country,’’ Mississippi State defensive coordinator Chris Wilson recently told reporters. “Not only in the run game but as far as pass protection.”
Pass protection has been the rub. The Tide have allowed 17 sacks, one fewer than the number of touchdown passes quarterback A.J. McCarron has thrown. LSU is 16th in the nation in sacks, getting 2.88 per game.
“It’s always fun to go against a physical defensive line,’’ Warmack said. “We just have a lot to deal with in terms of the blitzes they run and how they come off the ball in terms of rushing the pass. It’s a lot to prepare for, but it’s exciting at the same time.”
Especially if you like your granddaddy’s football.