The Crimson White caught up with Brandon Adam, the sports editor of LSU’s student newspaper, The Daily Reveille, to preview Saturday’s No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup between the Tide and the Tigers. 

Editor’s note: Some answers have been edited for clarity.

Q: How would you assess LSU’s season to this point?

A: It’s been a remarkable turnaround for LSU’s offense. Obviously, that’s what stands out about this season. There were some issues defensively early on, primarily due to a string of injuries in the second half of the Texas game, but those guys are back now and the defense has looked improved.

Q: Joe Burrow and the LSU offense are putting up impressive numbers so far this season. What can fans expect from them this week?

A: More of the same. Burrow is a heavy Heisman favorite right now, and it’s well-deserved. However, a lot of credit has to go to LSU’s trio of wide receivers and running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, along with the offensive line. As much as people love to point to Burrow and offensive assistant Joe Brady, a lot of the improvement has come because of how much better the skill players and offensive line have gotten.

Q: With Michael Divinity now ruled out, how will that impact the LSU defense?

A: I’m actually curious to see what happens here. Divinity’s impact may not seem to have been very large, but from all accounts, he did a lot of minor things well and was a vocal leader for the defense. However, his actual playing role throughout the season has been limited. He was originally supposed to play as the second inside linebacker this season, but two other guys stepped up next to Jacob Phillips and pushed Divinity back to the edge. But even as an edge rusher, Divinity wasn’t on the field that much because K’Lavon Chaisson is LSU’s premier rusher. We’ll see how much LSU misses him, but I don’t expect his absence to play a major factor in the final score.

Q: Nick Saban has had a history with both schools. Is the decision to leave LSU to come to Alabama still fresh in the minds of fans?

A: Not really. Saban left 15 years ago. Most of the anger or frustration directed at Saban is because he’s kicked LSU around for the better part of the last decade.

Q: What will be the biggest deciding factor in the game this weekend?

A; Who can run the ball the best and force one or two stops on defense. Tua and Burrow are going to get their numbers and whatnot, but the game will come down to who can be multiple on offense and make a defensive stop late.

Q: What is your score prediction for the game, and why?

A: Coming into last week, I was more confident LSU would win, but as the game has gotten closer, I started to get filled with doubt. It’s hard to pick against Alabama, and I’m solely picking the Tide to win because I haven’t seen LSU beat Alabama since 2011. There’s been years where LSU has had Alabama beat but failed to close or years like 2017 when LSU flat-out failed to capitalize on opportunities it had, and until I see them actually win, I’ll stick with Alabama, 35-31.