Commentary

Winning the BCS title -- on offense

Neither O fared well Nov. 5; here's how LSU and Bama can put up points Monday night

Originally Published: January 9, 2012

By Todd McShay | Scouts Inc.

Neither offense was able to do much in the first meeting between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the LSU Tigers. A lot of that had to do with the superb defensive performances by both teams in the matchup, but the fact remains that there are ways in which each of these teams can better attack on the offensive end in Monday night's rematch with the national title on the line.

When we broke down the tape and logged every play of LSU's 9-6 overtime victory on Nov. 5, we identified some interesting trends and potential attack plans for both of these offenses. Here are three keys for each offense heading into the Allstate BCS National Championship Game.

Alabama

1. Keep working Richardson into the passing game
This hardly qualifies as breaking news, but Trent Richardson is the Alabama playmaker with the best chance of making big plays against the LSU defense. Richardson carried the ball 23 times in the first matchup, caught five passes and was targeted three more times, for a total of 31 attempted touches.

I think 30 is the number Alabama is going to target for Richardson again -- at a minimum. The reason is clear: Of Alabama's 13 plays that went for 10 or more yards on Nov. 5, seven were produced by Richardson (four on runs, three on receptions).

To read more expert analysis from Todd McShay on how each team can generate offense in the BCS title game, sign up for ESPN Insider.