SEC football: Alabama's receivers

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Tua Tagovaolia and receivers Jerry Jeudy, DeVonta Smith, Henry Ruggs and Jaylen Waddle.

LSU possesses a Grant Delpit and cornerback Greedy Williams.

It will be strength versus strength Saturday night when the No. 1 Crimson Tide (8-0, 5-0 SEC) challenge the No. 4 Tigers (7-1, 4-1) in Baton Rouge. It's also a showdown the two head coaches would love to admire if they were not so busy with their countless in-game decisions.

"It's college football at its best," LSU's Ed Orgeron said. "In this game, there will be more NFL players playing than most, that's for sure, and it's a matchup, especially at those positions." We feel we have some of the best defensive backs in the country, and they definitely have the best in the country in Tua and some of the best receivers.

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"It's going to be a tremendous matchup, and it will be fun to watch."

Tagovailoa is on pace to set an NCAA single-season record in efficiency, having established a 238.8 rating by completing 107 of 152 passes (70.4 percent) for 2,066 yards with 25 touchdowns. He has yet to throw an interception this year.

LSU has snagged 14 interceptions, which is tied for the national lead, and picked off Georgia's Jake Fromm twice during a 36-16 win over the Bulldogs on Oct. 13. Delpit has five of LSU's interceptions.

"Up to date, this is the best front seven we've played, and they have a really good," Tagovailoa said Monday in a news conference. "This is what college is all about. This is what the fans want to see."

What's most amazing about the first clash in Saturday's game is that Tagovailoa and his top receivers are mostly sophomores. The exception is Waddle, who has 21 catches for 457 yards and three touchdowns as a freshman.

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Delpit is a sophomore, while Williams is a redshirt sophomore and is eligible for the 2019 NFL draft. CBS recently rated Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa and Alabama left tackle Jonah Williams.

"Alabama coach Nick Saban said," We have a lot of respect for their players, and I certainly respect what our players have been able to do this year. "It's going to be a real competitive matchup." "When you're in the game, you're focusing on the next play and what do you think? play and you go, 'Wow, that was a good play.' "

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Alabama's gamedy is leading receiver with 31 catches for 777 yards and 10 touchdowns, with Waddle next in line. Ruggs has 24 catches for 444 yards and seven touchdowns, while Smith has 21 receptions for 409 yards and three scores.

The last time these two teams took the field, which was Oct. 20, Alabama scored 51 points in the first 33 minutes of a 58-21 win at Tennessee, while LSU intercepted Nick Fitzgerald four times in a 19-3 victory over Mississippi State . LSU's win was before its home crowd, which should be gone Saturday night.

"I thought Tennessee was a very loud atmosphere," said Tagovailoa, "but a lot of guys who've played in this year.

Hurts update

Tagovailoa said Jalen Hurts is not as certain. Hurts sprained his ankle during the second half of the win at Tennessee.

"It's going to be day-to-day," Saban said. "He's going to start throwing again, and we'll see how he moves around in the pocket." He's making good progress, but these things typically take a week before a player starts feeling really comfortable.

RELATED: The 5 best quarterbacks in Alabama football history

"We'll just have to respond to each other's workload as we increase it throughout the race of the week."

Tide tidbits

Tagovailoa is among the 20 semifinalists for the Maxwell Award, which is presented annually to college football player of the year. Alabama's game next Saturday against visiting Mississippi State will be televised by CBS at 3:30 pm. With Alabama favored this week by 14.5 points, LSU is the biggest underdog at home this century.

This article is written by David Paschall from the Chattanooga Times Free Press, Tenn. and was licensed by the Tribune Content Agency through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to [email protected].

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