Alabama Football: What to expect when the Crimson Tide is on offense against Cajuns

What to expect to see from Louisiana Lafayette on defense in an attempt to slow down the high flying Alabama football passing attack of Tua Tagovailoa.

The most similar style of Alabama offense that Louisiana has faced thus far in the season came from Mississippi State. Mississippi State ran their offense primarily out of the shotgun offense with a running back offset. The Bulldogs ran both three and four wide receiver sets with an optional tight end package. Which is very similar to what Alabama football has run thus far into the season.

The Cajuns preferred to operate out of the nickel package instead of the dime because it allowed them to keep an extra linebacker in the box to provide a shadow cover for the quarterback scramble. However, with the nickel package, Louisiana was forced to primarily run a zone coverage due to the linebackers being unable to cover Mississippi State’s slot receivers. Bulldogs QB Nick Fitzgerald made easy work of the zone coverage and forced Louisiana into more dime packages in order to run man-to-man coverages with safety help over the top.

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For Coach Nick Saban, establishing the run game I believe will be his No. 1 priority on offense this week. This will encourage Louisiana to run a nickel package and possibility bring a safety down into the box if Alabama effectively runs the football consistently. This will in turn, only open the field for Tagovailoa and his plethora of receivers.

Last season Calvin Ridley caught a staggering 63 passes, the next in line was Bo Scarbrough with 17. Compared to this year’s top four receivers, currently Jerry Jeudy has 17 receptions, DeVonta Smith has 14 receptions, Irv Smith Jr. has 13 receptions and Henry Ruggs III has 11 receptions. Tagovailoa’s ability to spread the ball around has enhanced the Tide’s passing offense to a level not seen before in a Saban led offense.

With Tagovailoa on the field, expect the slot receivers to receive a heavy dose of work against zone coverage. The middle of the field behind the linebackers and in between the safeties will be red hot for Tagovailoa’s precision to be on full display. However, I think the only limitation to Tagovailoa will be his stable of running backs taking over the game.

As stated before, expect Nick Saban to go early and often to his stable of running backs. I think both Damien Harris and Najee Harris top 100 yards rushing each. Tagovailoa will have his moments to shine but expect the running backs to rush the Tide to victory.

Please comment below on who you think will be the most impactful player for the Alabama Crimson Tide on offense. Give a prediction to the game as well!