TUSCALOOSA — T-Bob comes to the Mount.
It’s not another teen movie. It’s one of the featured matchups in Saturday’s LSU-Alabama showdown.
T-Bob Hebert (pronounced A-bear) is LSU’s sophomore center. The Mount, of course, is Terrence “Mount” Cody, Alabama’s 6-foot-5, 355-pound senior nose guard.
The All-American is coming off one of his most prolific performances. He blocked two fourth-quarter field goals two weeks ago against Tennessee. The SEC recognized him as its Defensive Lineman of the Week.
Cody has LSU coach Les Miles’ attention. Miles said he’ll provide Hebert some help moving the mountain.
“We put two guys over the nose tackle and that nose tackle area,” Miles said. “He’s just a good player and a very good competitor. Our guys will certainly look forward to that challenge.
“I think it’s like any opponent that challenges you to bring out your best, and T-Bob will be inspired to play well.”
Alabama senior left guard Mike Johnson knows what he’s up against.
Asked if he faces Cody in practice, Johnson nodded and said, “Too many times.”
“It happens every week on Tuesdays and Wednesdays,” Johnson said. “We do an inside-run drill and I’ve had to go against him pretty often.”
Not that Hebert needs pointers, but Johnson offered some advice.
“It would probably be to get on him before he gets on you,” Johnson suggested. “Once he gets 350 pounds of momentum going, it’s pretty hard to stop the guy in his tracks. He is strong and he is agile and he is a freak for his size.”
The showdown against LSU features offenses that like to run the football and defenses designed to stop the run first.
Alabama is fourth in the SEC, averaging more than 217 yards per game on the ground. The Crimson Tide is first in the league in rushing defense, giving up just 64.6 yards per game on the ground.
Johnson said working against Cody and the defense throughout the week helped Alabama’s offense. But his respect for his teammates on the other side of the ball is evident.
“Just talking about Terrence, he is the prototypical nose guard that can take up double teams and two-gap center and does a great job at what he does,” Johnson said. “Some of the other guys up front like Brandon Deaderick, Lorenzo Washington and Marcell Dareus and linebackers like Rolando (McClain) and Cory Reamer, those guys are great at what they do.
“They are not just a great defense on Saturday, they are a great defense throughout the week because they work hard. Part of that comes against us as an offense. We’re lucky to have a defense to go up against like that on a weekly basis. It just makes us better in the long run. They are going to continue to get better at what they do and we’re going to continue to get batter at what we do.”
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