TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Alabama center Barrett Jones wants the world to know more about the linemen of the SEC. To his way of thinking, the skill players have gotten enough love; it's time for the men in the trenches to get their due.
"We always see little kids wearing quarterback, receiver and running back jerseys," Jones pointed out. "You don't see many jerseys out there in the 60s and 70s. It's an issue that we need to address."
When Jones' Crimson Tide meet up with the LSU Tigers on Saturday night, the linemen shouldn't have much trouble standing out. Whenever Alabama and LSU go head-to-head it comes down to what happens in the trenches.
"Winning the line of scrimmage is probably the major factor in this game," UA coach Nick Saban said.
Alabama's offensive line will have its hands full against an LSU defensive front that features a handful of NFL prospects. The Tigers rank fifth in the country in tackles for loss and with the home crowd at Death Valley behind them, the Crimson Tide will have their backs to the wall. LSU fans are among the loudest in the county.
"We have a lot of experienced guys on the offensive line, and we've been there before, opposed to the loudness and dealing with the adversity of times you can't hear," UA guard Chance Warmack said. "I'm pretty sure it's adversity we're going to overcome."
But will the Tide have to deal with trash talk on the field? Not so, says Warmack -- there's too much respect between the two schools and too much on the line to run their mouths.
"It's more about what they're doing, not what they're saying," Warmack explained.
"It's going to be physical all around."