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Alabama QB Blake Sims hoping to emulate AJ McCarron's composure at LSU

Graham Watson

In preparing for Alabama’s game at LSU this weekend, quarterback Blake Sims looked back at the 2012 contest at Death Valley, studied the play of quarterback AJ McCarron and got some tips on how to deal with one of college football’s most intense atmospheres.

"I've been watching him when he was there ― not pretty much on the LSU defense, pretty much just seeing how he kept his composure, seeing how other quarterbacks kept their composure,” Sims said. “Maybe I can do the same thing. Knowing how loud it is, communication is going to be very big for us. We've got to talk. That's the main thing we've got to do."

While Alabama has been playing about as well as any team in the country in its past couple games, Sims spent the bye week trying to correct mistakes that were plaguing the Tide offense. Most of those mistakes were chalked up to miscommunication and communication won’t get any easier in LSU’s raucous environment.

While Sims might want to emulate McCarron’s composure during the 2012 game at LSU, he’ll probably want to post better numbers. McCarron completed just 14 of 27 passes for 165 yards, but he did lead a game-winning drive when found running back T.J. Yeldon on a 28-yard screen pass with 51 seconds remaining.

Yeldon’s status for this year’s game is uncertain while he continues to heal from a foot injury. Yeldon did not practice during the bye week and has done individual work during Monday and Tuesday’s practice.

Alabama begins a tough four-game stretch this weekend, which includes three games against ranked opponents. LSU is No. 16 in the recently released College Football Playoff rankings and is coming off a 10-7 win against then-No. 3 Ole Miss. Sims knows the Tide will have to be perfect in its communication if it wants to come away with a victory.

"I noticed certain times in the game that he didn't have to say nothing because the players can look to the sideline or they can look at each other, know the hand signals very well," Sims said. "He kept his composure very well. That was a tight game that year. I think he did a great job and hopefully I can go and do the same exact thing."

For more Alabama news, visit TideSports.com.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter!

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