In the process, Alabama might have reordered more than the SEC standings; Fournette was the runaway Heisman frontrunner going into the game.
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Henry and Drake picked up 161 yards on 28 carries in the second half and Henry had scoring runs of 1 and 7 yards to give their team a 27-10 cushion going into the final period.
“Yeah, you’re damn right he is [the best running back in the country]”, quarterback Jake Coker said. Harris hit on 11-of-20 passes for a career-high 286 yards and 3 touchdown passes. Henry carried 38 times for 210 yards with three touchdowns. “They’re a very talented team, very capable team, and we look forward to playing in big games, and so many times it’s hard to muster the emotion and the passion when you line up against a team that does not necessarily have the same name recognition as a very quality opponent in Alabama”. Fournette’s struggle was just one sign of how Alabama’s defensive line mauled LSU’s offensive one, racking up seven tackles for loss and two sacks. LSU became the top team in the SEC Power Poll, and we wondered if the Tide could stop Leonard Fournette like they stopped Nick Chubb. Alabama has won the last four, including a 20-13 win in overtime a year ago. Alabama’s offense has been up and down all season long, and will not be able to afford a slow start and sluggish play in this game. LSU came in averaging 309 rushing yards and finished with 54.
Fournette didn’t get much help from the rest of the offense and the Tigers were outgained 434-182 in total yards.
However, Harris threw his first interception of the season on the first play of the second half. “He’s big and strong”, LSU coach Les Miles told reporters Monday, according to a press conference transcript posted at the school’s official website. Arkansas looked revived in its thrilling win over Ole Miss, and we remember what happened previous year after LSU lost to Alabama.
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This will be Miles’ 12th game against Alabama. I believe both will go over 100 yards in this one, but whomever makes the biggest plays will definitely take a step closer to inning the Heisman Trophy. But Fournette’s superlative season had sucked all the publicity from Henry’s stellar start. Players like A’Shawn Robinson, Jarran Reed and Reggie Ragland dominated the game, forming the backbone of what appears to be the nation’s best defense. Auburn running backs had 89 yards on 21 carries September 19th. “He had a great game today”. It will come down to which back will tire the opposing teams defense and break the big run to swing the momentum of the game. But I also think that it would be a miracle it they held Fournette to fewer than 125 yards. For all the talk about how the SEC has not seen elite quarterback play in 2015, Coker and Harris probably deserve more accolades than they’ve gotten.
