How Alabama Plans to Make Sam Leavitt Hold the Ball at LSU

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama intercepted Marcel Reed twice before Texas A&M scored a point. Dijon Lee Jr. returned the first one for a touchdown, and Chuck McDonald III picked off Reed on the Aggies’ next offensive snap.

Getting Sam Leavitt to make one of those throws Saturday in Baton Rouge will be the Crimson Tide defense's next challenge. The LSU quarterback completed 63 of 83 passes for 677 yards and seven touchdowns against Mississippi State and Auburn without throwing an interception. Auburn didn’t sack him once in a 38-17 loss.

Alabama safety Bray Hubbard says part of the job starts with where he lines up. LSU coach Lane Kiffin and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. use tempo to get a look at the defense while there’s still time to decide what to run.

“I think Coach Kiffin and their offensive coordinator, they do a good job of trying to figure out what the defense is in and try to make their calls based on what we’re in,” Hubbard said after Tuesday’s practice. “So that’s, that’s part of the tempo and stuff like that.”

Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said Monday that he watches TV broadcasts to get a feel for when Kiffin picks up the pace. One place Wommack sees an opportunity for the Tide is on LSU’s run-pass options. If Alabama can get Leavitt to see an opening before the snap and then take it away, the rush has a chance to get to him while he’s deciding where to go with the ball.

“You’ve got to create enough doubt in their minds and then capitalize,” Wommack said. “So far, we’ve found ways to capitalize and create takeaways off RPOs. Pressure is a piece of that as well, forcing a quarterback to make a tough decision.”

Getting Leavitt to hold the ball comes with a risk, too. The junior has rushed for 324 yards and eight touchdowns through eight games, with five of those scores coming at Tiger Stadium. If an Alabama edge rusher gets too far upfield, Leavitt can step through the opening or get outside and find a receiver on the run.

That’s why Yhonzae Pierre pointed to Alabama’s rush lanes when asked how the Tide plans to keep Leavitt in the pocket. Pierre said Tuesday that he hasn’t been satisfied with the pressure Alabama has generated this season. Against LSU, the rusher who keeps Leavitt from getting outside might be the one who gives a teammate a chance to finish the play.

“I mean, just calling our shots, everybody going hard, everybody in their gap,” Pierre said. “And whenever we, we get the opportunity or that guy get the opportunity, we just gotta take advantage of it.”

Auburn saw how quickly one completion can turn into six points when Leavitt found Jackson Harris for a 70-yard touchdown. Hubbard says limiting those plays Saturday comes down to what each of Alabama’s five defensive backs does once the ball is snapped.

“I mean, we just got to play sound in our coverages, and everybody’s got to do their job,” Hubbard said. “I got to do my job. Whoever else is in there, whatever five are in there, we just all got to do our jobs and, and limit the explosives.”

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