Can Alabama football finally play a 60-minute game vs. LSU with SEC West on the line?

Can the real Alabama football please stand up? Or better yet, can the version of the Crimson Tide that plays uninspiring, ugly football please leave the room?

Alabama continues to find ways to win games, but seldom has it done so with complete games. The win over Tennessee on Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium was the latest example of one forgettable half and one half worth replicating.

The abysmal half arrived early vs. the Vols. After allowing sacks on offense, giving up the football twice and allowing too many plays on defense, Alabama trailed 20-7 by halftime. Fast-forward 30 minutes of game time, and somehow the Crimson Tide players and coaches were the ones breaking out victory cigars after a 27-0 second half.

"I love it, it's been great," Nick Saban said of Alabama fighting back from adversity after beating Tennessee. "The challenges are great. I enjoy coaching this team. That’s not to say that they’re taking years off my life, but I’m OK with that. But it’s fun because they’ve got a good spirit about them."

REQUIRED READING: How Alabama football stuffed Tennessee on fourth down to turn momentum for win

KEY HALFTIME: Inside the Alabama football locker room during halftime that flipped game vs. Tennessee

Resiliency is certainly the word that comes to mind, but too often, Alabama has put itself in circumstances where it needed to be resilient. Maybe, just maybe, the Crimson Tide can play a complete game soon. One might be necessary for Alabama to beat LSU. The two teams will face off Nov. 4 after an open weekend for each team.

"I don’t think we sometimes show the maturity from a competitive standpoint to do everything on a consistent basis, which is what we keep trying to work toward," Saban said. "But I’ll tell you, eight weeks in a row and the grind that we’ve had the last four, five weeks with the games in our league, I think psychology, we probably have a little bit of a tired team out there at the beginning of the game, and I think the momentum of the game gave them the energy they needed to play the way they’re capable of playing.”

The group has certainly shown it's capable of playing high-level football. Look no further than the 27-0 second half vs. Tennessee, or the 19-3 second half vs. Ole Miss, or the 31-10 first half vs. Mississippi State, or the 16-3 second half vs. Texas A&M, or the 21-6 first half vs. Arkansas.

But in none of those games did Alabama play to that potential for most of the game. All coaches desire a 60-minute effort, and Saban is no different. But one of these games against a Power Five opponent, just one of them, is bound to field an effort that fits the billing of a true complete game.

There's no better opportunity for that than the LSU game.

The Tigers have the SEC's top offense, averaging 552.88 yards per game. The only other SEC team that averages more than 450 yards is Georgia. LSU is also averaging 47.38 points per game. Quarterback Jayden Daniels could be a Heisman Trophy candidate. He leads the conference with 2,573 passing yards, and he throws to two of the conference's best receivers in Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr.; Nabers leads the SEC with 981 receiving yards and Thomas is fourth with 732. They've combined for 20 receiving touchdowns, too.

The LSU defense has been much more sporadic and has certainly had some struggles. The Tigers have given up 45 points to Florida State, 31 to Arkansas, 55 to Ole Miss and 39 to Missouri. For reference, the Razorbacks just fired their offensive coordinator Dan Enos after Arkansas scored only three points vs. Mississippi State.

Alabama should be able to score against LSU a fair amount, but not if the Crimson Tide plays offensively like it did in the first half against Tennessee or the second half vs. Arkansas.

Alabama can beat LSU, especially considering the game will be at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Maybe the Crimson Tide can beat LSU without a complete game, but why not take care of business and keep your foot on the gas from start to finish?

The SEC West is on the line.

Nick Kelly covers Alabama football and men's basketball for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at nkelly@gannett.com or follow him @_NickKelly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama football: Can Tide finally put together 60-minute game vs. LSU?