BOL Round Table

Austin Cooper
4 hours ago

This weekend’s matchup with Alabama is just another SEC game on the schedule.

At least that’s what LSU defensive end Sam Montgomery wants everyone to believe.

While Montgomery is well aware of the history between the two teams, he says the last matchup from January 9th is not even on his mind heading into Saturday’s showdown.

What is on the preseason All-American’s mind, however, is trying to figure out how to stop a team that most people believe cannot be beaten. That is something that puts a big smile on Montgomery’s face.

“I don’t really think about that anymore,” said Montgomery, when asked about the BCS national Championship. “That was such a long time ago that I can’t even remember that night. That was one of those things that happened that people just shut out of their memory.

“All I know is that they have been going through the SEC and smacking people around. It just excites me to head into this game not knowing if we are going to win. It makes me play harder and run faster. This is a game where teams rise to their level of competition.”

With Alabama coming in ranked No. 1 in every major poll, the 6-foot-5, 260-pound Montgomery understands the caliber of the team he is about to go up against. He also understands that with a big matchup comes great respect from both sides involved.

“I think they look amazing,” he said. “There is not one guy on the Alabama squad that I’m not impressed with. I’ve been looking at their roster because this is such a deep challenge.

“Last year, when we played them and finished the game, the respect I was given at the end of those games was mind-boggling. I love big-time games and the competition involved. Everyone is going to have to be on top of their game this week.”

Montgomery, who has 23 tackles and four sacks on the season, said the team has spent a lot of time in the film room and they realize what the Tigers must key on to stop the offense of the Crimson Tide. If the LSU defense performs as expected, Montgomery said the crowd should expect a low scoring affair.

“We’ve seen them on film and this week we are really getting into figuring out how to stop them,” he said. “They have good pass protection and they use their receivers well. And they use multiple tight ends with a blocking tight end. That is a big part of their scoring and it also transitions into them converting first downs.

“Some of the plays that we have require me to knock the tight end on the line. That will be a key thing in this game. That will help us in the passing game as well as in the running game if we can do that. This game is going to be like a chess game.”

While Montgomery feels that preparing for this game physically is a necessity, he also feels that the mental aspect of the team going in is even more important. He explained that the team must figure out a way to cause and exploit a weakness in the opponent, wherever that may be.

“The biggest thing for us this week to get ready for the game is to take a lot of reps,” explained Montgomery. “Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday will all be physical reps, but Thursday is going to be a big mental day for us. We have to realize that no one shows a lot of weaknesses. We have to create those weaknesses, whether they are mental or physical. There will be one and we have to take advantage of it.”

Montgomery has a lot of confidence that the Tigers will take on his mindset in the coming days, especially the younger guys.

“I realize that I’m going to have to play four quarters this week, and I understand that I’m going to leave this game with bumps and bruises,” said Montgomery. “We just have to be prepared, and I think the younger guys are getting there.”

Something that LSU has on its side that could be a factor is the crowd in Tiger Stadium.

Montgomery, a person known for getting the fans fired up, believes that he will be able to get the stadium up early in this contest, something he believes will give the Tigers an advantage.

“This is one of those things where I control the waves of the ocean, and if you can control the waves of the ocean, then you can control the tide,” he said with a laugh