Stephen A. Smith Says Alabama Is Done If They Lose To LSU

Stephen A. Smith is done pretending Alabama deserves a spot in the big dance. The ESPN analyst went hard on Friday, calling out head coach Kalen DeBoer for failing when the stakes are highest. The team sits at No. 5 in the latest rankings with two losses already on the board. A third defeat on Saturday would likely knock them out of the playoff picture for good.

Smith Calls Out DeBoer’s Big Game Failures

Smith told viewers on ESPN’s “First Take” that the program always gets a pass until it doesn’t. “We always sit up there and crown Alabama,” Smith said, according to Yahoo Sports. He pointed to a string of bad showings that prove the team crumbles under pressure. They lost badly to Indiana in the playoffs and got crushed by Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. They lost to Georgia at home in a thriller this year.

He observed that the squad was beaten by Tennessee with “boat-raced” and has now suffered consecutive regular-season defeats for the first time since 2007. In that loss to Tennessee, Alabama accumulated only 201 total yards and committed four turnovers. Smith doesn’t care that DeBoer matched Nick Saban’s win record through 33 games. “Not a d— bit,” Smith said about what his record meant. “Means nothing to me. Nothing.”

LSU Ready to Strike While Alabama Bleeds

Star linebacker Whit Weeks is doubtful for Saturday due to a fibula fracture, yet the team still has hope. Tight end Trey’Dez Green is listed as questionable after returning from a knee injury. Alabama is hoping to get back starting wide receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams and center Racin Delgatty, both of whom are probable after injuries against Georgia.

Smith thinks Lane Kiffin has his team prepared to win this game. He doesn’t think the home crowd or the history will save Alabama this time. “Their playoff hopes are on the line, as far as I’m concerned. I think Lane Kiffin is going to have these boys ready at LSU and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if they won this game,” Smith said. Tiger Stadium will host Saturday’s kickoff at 2:30 pm central.