September 29, 2018, 11:00am CT / 12noon ET Tuscaloosa, AL SECN - Taylor Zarzour and Matt Stinchcomb will call the game with Kris Budden on the sidelines. It’s Game 5 for the Crimson Tide as they face a real cupcake in Louisiana-Lafayette (aka ULL, aka UL-Laf). Let’s get real: ULL has no chance at winning this game. Even if the Tide’s bus was hijacked and taken to Opelika, the Million Dollar Band could probably suit up and beat these guys. They are awful. Mississippi State beat this team 56-10. ULL lost last weekend at home to Coastal Carolina 30-28. The Ragin’ Cajuns are headed up by rookie head coach and former Bama assistant (2011 analyst, 2013-17 WR coach) Billy Napier. Alabama is a 48½ point favorite with an over/under of 67½. The Tide is 3-1 against the spread and three times have gone over the point total. [Please NO Tweets, jpgs, gifs, etc. We ask these things because it slows down load times.] We always start our game threads with a big... ROLL TIDE!<doc-sep>No. 1-ranked Alabama will host Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday, Sept. 29, for an 11 a.m. CT kickoff at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide’s Week 5 home game will air on the SEC Network, with Taylor Zarzour, Matt Stinchcomb and Kris Budden on the call. Check out this 2-4-7 preview to get you ready for the fifth game on Alabama’s 2018 football schedule. TWO STORYLINES TO MONITOR 1. Consistency in the running game With a comfortable 45-23 lead over Texas A&M, it was the Aggies, not Alabama, that had the football late in the game. In fact, A&M (32:36) held the ball five minutes more than the hosting Crimson Tide (27:24) this past weekend. After the contest, Nick Saban was asked if this was the best offense he has ever coached, and he said a best-ever offense would have been able to “control the line of scrimmage, finish the game, run the ball when we need to run it.” Alabama has the darts at running back to take the air out of a game in the fourth quarter, but it hasn’t been able to do that consistently this season. To that point, Saban took it his desire to see a more balanced offense a step further Thursday evening during his call-in radio show. “I think our receiving corps has done a really, really good job so far this year,” Saban said. “I think four guys have shown the ability to make explosive plays. And I think those weapons are something that creates a tremendous amount of balance for our offense with the running backs that we have. So, if we can get a little more balance in the offense, in terms of controlling the line of scrimmage, then we’re going to be pretty lethal.” 2. Confidence in the back end Much like its offensive counterparts weren’t able to control the game, Alabama’s defense was still on the field as Jimbo Fisher and the Aggies attempted to put more points on the board this past Saturday. Saban is glad the Tide has faced offenses that have thrown multiple looks at its defense, but he wants to see the mental miscues decrease for his young defensive players. Alabama running back Damien Harris carries the football against Texas A&M. “I think the one that our entire back end, being linebackers and secondary from a coverage standpoint, we make too many mental errors on basic adjustments and coverages still,” Saban said. “And I think a lot of that is not lack of knowledge, it’s really lack of confidence. “People are a little uncertain and unsure. They know what they’re supposed to do, but they’re a little bit afraid to do it. I think that comes with the more you play, the more you have confidence, the more experience that you gain.” FOUR PLAYERS TO WATCH 1. Jalen Hurts Saban praised Hurts’ professional approach to handling Alabama’s quarterback situation earlier this week as the junior signal caller has played in all four games and appears to be set to play in more instead of redshirting and saving a year of future eligibility. If Hurts does indeed step onto the field against the Ragin’ Cajuns, he will have one more year left to play in his college career. And in a game the Tide should easily win, we could see a lot of Hurts and early on. 2. Irv Smith Jr. A Louisiana native, Smith tied for second on the Crimson Tide team this past Saturday with a career-high tying four receptions totaling 74 yards, which was also a new career-best mark. The junior tight end has now recorded at least two receptions in every game of his junior campaign and ranks third on the team in total catches with 13 for 196 yards and two touchdowns. Can the New Orleans product keep up his hot start against a team from the Bayou State? 3. Dylan Moses A member of the position group Saban would like to see less mental errors from, Moses said he played well for two quarters against A&M, but “being able to play throughout a whole game and being able to sustain is one of those things I have to get used to.” As one of the signal callers of the defense, along with junior Mack Wilson, Moses will look to continue his improvement versus ULL after paced the defense with nine tackles, including one for a loss, last week. Moses is also dealing with a sore back after colliding with a security guard. Alabama tight end Irv Smith Jr. picks up yards after a catch against Texas A&M. 4. Brian Robinson Saban wants to control and finish games with Alabama’s running game, and one of the backs that will be tasked with doing that is Robinson. The sophomore from Tuscaloosa has carried the football 22 times for 90 yards through four games and is a talented runner. He’s just behind an also talented trio of Damien Harris, Josh Jacobs and Najee Harris. But once the Tide has a big lead late, expect to see plenty of touches for the 6-foot-1, 221-pound tailback. SEVEN NOTES TO KEEP IN MIND 1. Alabama leads the all-time series with the Ragin’ Cajuns, 8-0, including a 7-0 mark in the state of Alabama and a 3-0 record at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The most recent meeting was the Tide’s lone trip to Lafayette, La., where UA came away with a 25-6 victory on Oct. 6, 1990, when Louisiana was known as Southwestern Louisiana. Alabama head coach Nick Saban is 1-0 all-time against the Ragin’ Cajuns. His LSU squad defeated Louisiana-Lafayette (as the school was known then), 48-0, in Baton Rouge in 2002. Louisiana head coach Billy Napier is in his first season at the school and will be returning to Bryant-Denny Stadium for the first time since his stint on the UA staff from 2013-16. 2. Saban owns a 10-1 record against current members of the Sun Belt Conference. At Alabama, Saban sports a 6-1 mark with his lone loss coming to Louisiana-Monroe (now ULM) in 2007, his first season at the helm of the Crimson Tide. Saban-coached teams have outscored Sun Belt opponents by a margin of 457-114 (41.5-10.4 points per game) and have limited teams to seven points or fewer in seven of those contests, including three shutouts. In the most recent matchup, Saban led the Tide to a 57-7 win over Arkansas State in UA’s 2018 home opener on Sept. 8. 3. Alabama’s matchup with Louisiana will be the 14th meeting -- and the second in as many weeks -- between Saban and one of his former assistants. Napier was Alabama’s wide receivers coach under Saban from 2013-16. Saban is 13-0 all-time against his former staffers during his tenure at Alabama. 4. The Crimson Tide defense has held its opposition to 12.8 points per game and 325.0 yards per game through four contests this season. But those numbers look more impressive when compared to what the Tide’s first four opponents have averaged in their other matchups. Louisville, Arkansas State, Ole Miss and Texas A&M have scored 37.6 points and 467.9 yards per game in their games played before and after their meetings with UA, a difference of 24.8 points and 142.9 total yards per contest. Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa directs the Tide offense against Texas A&M. 5. Alabama’s 524 yards in total offense against Texas A&M on Sept. 22 marks the fourth time the Crimson Tide has topped 500 yards this season and the 16th time in the last 48 games. This is Alabama’s first four-game run of 500-yard total offense performances since the first four games of the 2014 season. 6. Sophomore quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is the highest rated passer in the nation through the first four weeks of the college football season. He leads all passers in the ESPN’s Total QBR metric at 97.8 (out of 100) and his 153.5 NFL passer rating is the highest among all FBS quarterbacks with at least 80 attempts. The sophomore leads the nation in collegiate passer efficiency at 230.5.<doc-sep>We knew Alabama had a pretty good chance of beating Louisiana-Lafayette at home on Saturday, but we probably weren’t prepared for the offensive explosion the Crimson Tide created in just the first half of action. Running back Josh Jacobs started off Alabama’s dominant first half with a 9-yd TD run on the first drive of the game. Check out the play here, courtesy of @bamainsider on Twitter: Alabama’s Josh Jacobs with 9-yard run for a touchdown. #Alabama 7, Louisiana 0 with 11:25 in the 1st quarter Follow game live online:https://t.co/MoubpQK5Mj pic.twitter.com/1brx4Bm287 — BamaInsider.com (@bamainsider) September 29, 2018 The next drive, it was Tua Tagovailoa’s turn to get in the action, finding Henry Ruggs III in the back corner of the end zone for the Tide’s second score in as many drives. Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa with 13-yard pass to Henry Ruggs III for a touchdown. #Alabama 14, Louisiana 0 with 9:25 in the 1st quarter Follow game live online:https://t.co/MoubpQK5Mj pic.twitter.com/ltHiWoovxY — BamaInsider.com (@bamainsider) September 29, 2018 Then, the game was blown wide open. The Ragin’ Cajuns went three-and-out and had to punt back to Alabama, but the offense didn’t even have to step on the field for the next score. Freshman Jaylen Waddle took back the punt 63 yards to the house to extend Alabama’s lead to 21. https://twitter.com/bamainsider/status/1046074549765312513 After another Louisiana-Lafayette punt, Alabama drove 69 yards down the field and Jacobs scored his second touchdown of the game from one yard out. Alabama’s Josh Jacobs with 1-yard run for a touchdown. #Alabama 28, Louisiana 0 with 2:28 in the 1st quarter Follow game live online:https://t.co/MoubpQK5Mj pic.twitter.com/fCDbheP6hH — BamaInsider.com (@bamainsider) September 29, 2018 Alabama’s offense has scored three touchdowns in three drives, and it wouldn’t stop there. The next possession, Jalen Hurts entered the game and found Ruggs III for a 54-yard touchdown. It’s just too easy for them. Alabama’s Jaylen Hurts with 54-yard pass to Henry Ruggs III for a touchdown. #Alabama 35, Louisiana 0 with 13:50 in the 2nd quarter Follow game live online:https://t.co/MoubpQK5Mj pic.twitter.com/mEfyldA1JA — BamaInsider.com (@bamainsider) September 29, 2018 On Alabama’s fifth possession of the game, the Crimson Tide drove 70 yards on 10 plays, and Najee Harris scored his first touchdown of the game on a 5-yd rush. Alabama’s Najee Harris with a 5-yard rush for a touchdown. #Alabama 42, Louisiana 0 with 7:26 in the 2nd quarter Follow game live online:https://t.co/MoubpQK5Mj pic.twitter.com/Y0O6QeujXP — BamaInsider.com (@bamainsider) September 29, 2018 It’s just getting ridiculous right? Well, we aren’t done yet. Waddle scored his second touchdown of the game on a 20-yard pass from Tagovailoa the following drive, extending Alabama’s lead to 49. Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa with 20-yard pass to Jaylen Waddle for a touchdown. #Alabama 49, Louisiana 0 with 1:28 in the 2nd quarter Follow game live online:https://t.co/MoubpQK5Mj pic.twitter.com/GUTrAmfK6g — BamaInsider.com (@bamainsider) September 29, 2018 Alabama’s offense scored touchdowns on all six of its offensive possessions, and Waddle’s punt return score made it 7 total TDs. What an incredible first half for this Alabama team.<doc-sep>
It’s cupcake week in Tuscaloosa, and the rat poison has been running rampant as Bama is set to welcome in the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns. When I first arrived at Alabama, I loved these types of games. They not only seemed less stressful, but they also presented an opportunity for younger players, like myself, to finally see some live game action. That is until the fall of 2007, when my worst fears as a football player became reality. The cupcake jumped up and got us. UL-Monroe (+24) left Bryant-Denny with a big check and a straight-up win, and I left the stadium with one of the lowest moments of my college career. It was a tough lesson, but one that has followed me around every day of my life since then. It was one that I preached continuously as a captain in 2009, and one that I carry with me every day in the professional world. That day, I found out that anything worth doing is worth doing full speed. It’s also a lesson that has seemingly been carried by every Bama team since that day. Not only has the talent level gone through the roof since 2007, but so have the wins. However, if there’s been one flaw for Bama from a betting perspective, it’s that the Tide haven’t always crushed these ‘cupcakes’ since Nick Saban has been in town. Like I wrote earlier this week, Bama is just 5-13-1 against the spread vs non-Power 5 teams over that span. The reasons might not always seem apparent, but there are plenty of them. Snaps for younger players, the lack of willingness to adjust game plans and an overall lack of energy have seemingly made Bama impossible to bet on in these types of games. Oh, and then there are those crazy spreads. Big spreads are something Crimson Tide bettors know all too well, but even my eyeballs got huge this week when I glanced at the early week lines and saw Bama as a 51.5-point favorites. That line has adjusted a little bit down to 48.5 but seems set to hover right around a 7-touchdown victory for Bama on Saturday. This is Alabama’s second straight game against a Saban assistant. Coach Billy Napier, who coached at Bama from 2013-16, called the opportunity “humbling,” saying how excited he was to get an opportunity to coach against the best ever. He might really be excited, but he shouldn’t be. Napier might know the ins and the outs of the Alabama program, but this isn’t 2016 Alabama. It’s actually not even close. As I’ve written before, this Bama team does it a completely different way than other Saban teams did. A recipe that once valued time of possession and turnover margin has since turned its attention to explosive plays and a vertical passing attack. The Ragin’ Cajuns, for their part, will be led by senior quarterback Andre Nunez, an efficient passer (72.3 completion percentage) but not quite an explosive one (180 yards passing per game). He will attempt to spread the ball around to a trio of good wide receivers in Ryheem Malone, Keenan Barnes and Ja’Marcus Bradley, but it will not be easy. In fact, only one passer this year has completed more than 50% of his passes against this Bama secondary. The RPO principles will no doubt serve as a primer for Bama as it moves toward the second half of its schedule that will feature similar looks, but I don’t expect them to be much of an issue on Saturday. When Bama’s offense takes the field, there will undoubtedly be a number of deep balls thrown into the Lafayette secondary. I don’t, however, expect that this game plan will look exactly like the one we saw a week ago. Expect Bama to try to get the ground game back on track. Alabama has not been forced to run the ball very much this year, but Saban knows at some point the Tide probably will have to do it. Bama has obviously done the right thing by playing to its strengths with Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback and a slew of good pass catchers, but at some point, the numbers will need to balance out. The Tide offensive line somewhat struggled to put the game away on the ground against a stout Texas A&M defensive front last week. Bama’s leading rusher, Najee Harris, averages only 9.5 carries per game.