HIGH-SCHOOL

Ascension Parish will be represented when No. 1 LSU clashes with No. 2 Alabama

Michael Tortorich

LSU safety Eric Reid meets with Alabama running back Eddie Lacy after the regular season game at Tiger Stadium last year. Both Lacy and Reid were standout players at Dutchtown High.

Want to talk about hype?

This game has it.

Take No. 1 LSU, add No. 2 Alabama, then mix them in Tuscaloosa, and what do you get??

Quite the recipe to whet the appetite of college football fans everywhere – a game for the ages.

The rankings and national championship hopes just scratch the surface of the story lines for this pairing of Southeastern Conference powerhouses. Lest we forget who’s at the helm for the Crimson Tide – former Tigers head coach Nick Saban.

At the local level, a pair of former Ascension Parish standouts will be in action. Alabama running back Eddie Lacy and LSU safety Eric Reid, both former Dutchtown High stars, have seen playing time this season for their respective teams.

Lacy is second only to starting running back Trent Richardson in rushing for the Crimson Tide. He has recorded 465 yards and five touchdowns so far this year. Lacy also has eight catches for 103 yards.

Reid, a sophomore, starts at free safety on the stingy LSU defense known for its fleet-footed secondary. Last season against Alabama, Reid notched career-highs in total tackles (six) and tackles for loss (1).

This weekend’s matchup marks the first time the top-two teams have met in the regular season since 2006.

LSU head coach Les Miles and his team will face the Crimson Tide after a week off. The last time the Tigers were in action, they dismantled Auburn on Oct. 22 at Tiger Stadium.

“I think they have the right mental approach, the right physical approach to big games,” Miles said on Monday.

CBS?moved the start time to 7:11 p.m. ESPN’s College GameDay will be on location from 8-11 a.m. for the pregame show.

In a schedule note, LSU?will kickoff at 6 p.m. on Nov. 12 for the homecoming game against Western Kentucky.

ESPNU will broadcast the game, the Southeastern Conference announced Monday.

As a result of the late start time, the LSU men’s basketball season opener set for the same day will begin at noon at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Admission is free.