NEW ORLEANS

William Vlachos and Barrett Jones were among Alabama’s players in the spotlight and on the spot Thursday morning in the city known as the Big Easy.

Only, the staccato-fire questions being launched at them from all angles were anything but easy. And, of course, they were mostly about the first meeting with LSU and the Tide’s failure to get the job done, especially in the area known as the Red Zone.

Here’s the sampling:

n What did you learn from the first game, from that loss as a team, and how have you used that to improve for this rematch?

n Why do you think you were able to move the ball effectively between the 30s but struggled once you got there

n How tough is it to play a defense that can roll a fresh guy in there every three or four plays and there’s no dropoff?

n When you look at film of that first game, what do you see that maybe stands out where you can improve?

You get the picture of how the days leading up to Monday’s BCS championship game are going to go for members of the Crimson Tide. It’s all about what went wrong in that 9-6 loss and how those mistakes can be fixed to reverse the outcome in the rematch.

Vlachos said it was the little things that scuttled Alabama in the first game of the century.

“Hand placement, footwork — just little things that will allow you to finish a block that might mean the difference between a 6-yard run and a 60-yard run,” Vlachos said. “It’s paying attention to detail and refining the execution of it.”

Vlachos said it was both aggravating and reassuring that much of the first game miscues were seemingly minor details.

“It was aggravating because we lost the first game, but at the same time, we know what we need to do to improve. We’re lucky to have this opportunity the second time around.”

Lost in the aftermath was that Alabama finished with 56 more yards that LSU, but only 96 of it came via the Tide’s ground game. Trent Richardson finished with 89 yards on 23 carries, well below his season average of 131.9 yards per game.

Much of the focus from the first game centered on Alabama’s four missed field goals, although all were 44 yards or longer. Jones said the offensive line took some of the responsibility for those misses.

“We know that we gave our kickers low percentage kicks last time,” Jones said. “We want to score touchdowns — that’s no secret. When we got into the red area for some reason

we didn’t execute. That’s something we have to adjust.”

If there is a point of emphasis for this game, Jones said it is to avoid negative plays -- something that hampered the Tide each time they threatened the end zone/

“When this defense -- as good as they are rushing the passer and in their odd package, if you get in third and long it’s really tough sledding. It’s something we have focused on -- we get down there having successful first downs and having second and manageable and then third and short.”

It was the first day of the endless scrutiny to come leading up to the rematch. From the demeanor, Vlachos and Jones are aware that a reversal of fortune for Alabama starts up front on the offensive line.

Gregg Dewalt can be reached at 256-5748 or gregg.dewalt@timesdaily.com.