Foster, Tide have plenty of respect for Fournette

Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster wasn’t watching a video game when he turned on the television last Saturday night to watch LSU take on Ole Miss, it just seemed that way at times.

Watching LSU running back Leonard Fournette bowl over Ole Miss safety Deontay Anderson during the first quarter of the Tigers’ 38-21 win over the Rebels, Foster was reminded of unreal the 6-foot-1, 235-pound back’s power can be.

“He brings the pain,” Foster said of Fournette. “Saw that truck stick. He hit the analog button on that one.”

Despite playing in just four games this season due to an ankle injury, Fournette leads LSU in rushing with 670 yards on 83 carries, an average of 8.07 yards per attempt. Along with his PlayStation moves last week, Fournette also put up video game numbers against the Rebels, rushing for a school-record 284 yards and three touchdowns on just 16 carries.

“I haven’t really seen a guy dominate a game like he did that game for a long time,” Saban said. “We have a tremendous amount of respect for him and he looks as good as ever and maybe even better.”

Big-yardage games are nothing new for Fournette. Last year he broke LSU’s single-season rushing records with 1,953 yards and 22 touchdowns. He started that season with seven straight games of 150 yards or more and appeared to be a shoo-in for the Heisman Trophy.

Then came the game against Alabama.

The Crimson Tide stuffed Fournette in last season’s 30-16 win over the Tigers, holding him to 31 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries, an average of 1.6 yards per attempt. The game all but ended the LSU back’s Heisman chances while propelling Tide running back Derrick Henry to the award.

This year, Alabama will look to replicate last season’s performance as it brings the nation’s No. 1 rushing defense to Baton Rouge, La. Through eight games this season, Alabama has limited its opponents to 70.13 yards per game on the ground, more than 20 less than the nation’s No. 2 rushing defense San Diego State (93.57).

In this season’s trip to Tiger Stadium, Alabama will have more than one running back to worry about. Sophomore Derrius Guice has stepped up in Fournette’s absence this season, rushing for 621 yards and a team-high seven touchdowns through seven games. Like Fournette, Guice is racking up big chunks of yards, averaging 7.96 yards per attempt.

“I look forward to a match like this here with LSU and Alabama coming up,” Foster said. “That’s a tough ballgame — downhill, constantly hitting, physical game. I look forward to those types of games because it’s going to tell you who’s who.”

No. 1 Alabama (8-0, 5-0 SEC) will look to gain a sixth straight win against No. 19 LSU (5-2, 3-1) next Saturday for a 8 p.m. kickoff in Tiger Stadium.

This story was originally published October 28, 2016 at 3:18 PM with the headline "Foster, Tide have plenty of respect for Fournette."