The Alabama Crimson Tide is headed into Baton Rouge for what could be the biggest game of the season, taking on Lane Kiffin and the LSU Tigers where both teams will try to make a major statement.

After a tremendous start to the year over the first five games – where at times Alabama looked like it may be the best team in the nation – things were ground down to a screeching halt over the next three, with the loss in Knoxville against the Tennessee Volunteers being a particularly significant disaster.

The crowd noise level at Neyland Stadium clearly impacted the Tide’s operation on offense, but Kalen DeBoer is using artificial noise during practice to get his team ready. And as a veteran coach, he knows all too well that the best cure for away crowd noise is not giving them anything to cheer about.

“My ears are ringing,” DeBoer said on Hey Coach this week when he revealed just how much noise Alabama has been using to get ready. “It’s a lot of noise. We don’t just do the noise in practice. You do the noise when we do walk-throughs. You just get yourself so used to what communication is going to be like. It doesn’t matter if it’s a team period, a 7-on-7 period, a walk-through, there is a lot of noise that’s happening around practice.

“There’s one cure: Score.”

In Knoxville, Alabama – who was of course ravaged by injuries – did not look like a team capable of scoring. Now coming off the bye week, hopes are high from both the fanbase, the coaching staff and players that things are going to change.