LSU has shown a knack more often than not this season for responding in critical junctures.
But when the No. 14 Tigers (6-3, 3-3) finally overcame a series of ultimately costly missed opportunities and took their first lead Saturday, No. 5 Alabama (7-2, 5-2) was the team with the decisive answer in the final annual meeting of longtime SEC rivals’ series.
The Crimson Tide scored three touchdowns in four possessions and forced a pair of key stops to seize the 31-13 victory that sent big swaths of the sellout Tiger Stadium crowd filing to the exits a half-quarter early.
“Really disappointed end to the game,” coach Lane Kiffin said. “With all the stuff we did wrong, especially offensively, earlier in the game, we take the lead with three minutes left in the third quarter. And then after that, they go down and score, and we play a really bad 18 minutes of football. So, disappointed in that. Really disappointing for our fans. I think at that point of taking the lead, the stadium was ready to kind of help take over. And they went down and scored. And then once we got some situations obviously having to go for it on fourth down just to try to have a chance in the game, it got kinda ugly there at the end.”
LSU outgained Alabama from nearly start to finish and more effectively limited penalties, but a combination of missed opportunities and a late-half turnover miscue kept the Tigers playing from behind for nearly three quarters.
Junior quarterback Sam Leavitt and company finally appeared to turn a corner with an 11-play, 90-yard drive to a go-ahead touchdown on a 5-yard Dilin Jones late in the third quarter.
But Alabama was back ahead within two minutes with a quick, five-play strike bookended by sophomore quarterback Keelon Russell finding junior wide receiver Rico Scott for a 57-yard catch and run to the red zone and then junior tight end Josh Ford open in the end zone four plays to pull back ahead, 17-13.
The Crimson Tide defensive strung together four straight stops with a three-and-out sandwiched between three turnovers on downs.
And Russell cashed in a pair of short fields, 25 and 18 yards, with touchdowns to freshman receiver Cederian Morgan and sophomore tight end Kaleb Edwards to pour on cushion.
“It’s difficult for anybody playing defense when that happens,” safety Ty Benefield said. “If you make mistakes like that and give them opportunities, that’s what’s going to happen.”
LSU outgained Alabama, 457 to 285 yards — including 380 to 206 through the air — and had few penalties (four to seven) and a better third-down efficiency (5-for-15 to 3-for-11).
But the Tigers gave up the game’s long two turnovers and came up empty on two of its four red-zone trips, finding the end zone just once, and four failed fourth-down attempts.
“It comes down to red zone and fourth downs,” Kiffin said. “We didn’t make any, 0-for-4 on fourth downs, and we got in the red zone more than they did. That’ll give you a problem on the scoreboard. You have a lot of yards and not many points when that happens. Also, I credit them. They did a really good job, some good stuff with the blitz-zero in the red zone and disguising it and had some pick-rub plays that their guys got open and scored some touchdowns.”
Leavitt finished 35-for-47 for 380 yards and an interception in his first game of the season without a touchdown and rushed 15 times for 16 yards
Junior wide receiver Jackson Harris again led the Tigers with 11 receptions for 166 yards, and junior tight end Trey’Dez Green (East Feliciana, Zachary) added 10 catches for 85 yards in his second game back from a knee injury.
Jones finished with 56 yards and the team’s lone touchdown on 17 carries.
Linebacker T.J. Dottery led LSU with nine tackles, all solo stops, and Benefield and linebacker Davhon Keys each added eight tackles, including one for loss.
Benefield and sophomore cornerback D.J. Pickett recorded sacks, and edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen had three hurries and a deflected pass.
Promising opening drives by each team stalled into traded field goals by Conor Talty from 43 yards and Scott Starzyk from 23 yards.
LSU’s next three possessions ended in a Staryzk miss wide left from 56 yards, a red-zone turnover on downs on a Leavitt throw deflected on a Chuck McDonald III blitz and then an interception to Luke Metz over the middle of the field.
“That’s on me, 100%,” Leavitt said of the pick. “Second-and-20, it was 2-Tampa, and the mike (linebacker) carried, so I tried to bang it, and the will actually pushed all the back in the window. It was a really good play by him. But I’ve just got to check the ball down and live for a field-goal opportunity there.”
The Crimson Tide meanwhile broke through the Tigers’ defense, between a pair of quick three-and-outs, to piece together an 11-play, 62-yard drive midway through the second quarter with two third-down conversions and an eventual goal-line end-around by Ryan Coleman-Williams to stroll easily into the end zone.
A 41-yard field goal by Starzyk to cap an 11-play, 53-yard opening possession of the third quarter trimmed the deficit to 10-6.
And after a strong defensive possession to force Alabama to punt shy of midfield, LSU mounted an impressive, 11-play, 90-yard go-ahead drive.
The Tigers began backed up because of a holding penalty that negated a potential spark of a Eugene “Tre” Wilson III punt return, but quickly connected on big gains to Harris and Green to begin picking up momentum en route to Jones’ go-ahead run with 2:44 remaining in the quarter.
But Alabama swung back immediately and controlled the remaining quarter-plus from there.
“The tiny littlest details and things is gonna come back to bite you late in the game, and it’s the difference between wins and losses,” Leavitt said. “It’s a game of inches. It’s a game of inches in your mind and the way you think about things and your preparation and everything. It really is just an incredible league to play in, and you’ve got to execute in the small moments when you have those opportunities. So, just back to work.”
LSU will host No. Texas (7-2, 4-2) next Saturday in its final home game of the season before visiting No. 13 Tennessee (6-2, 3-2) and Arkansas (3-6, 1-5) in the back half of the month.
“There’s a lot of outside noise about what people think about us opinion-wise,” Dottery said. “I’m going to stick with my guys in the room. I believe in us wholeheartedly. Regardless of what the record is, I’m going to go back to work and look at is a new week and new opportunity.”
