No.11 Alabama 42, No.15 LSU 13
102,000 fans in the Bayou awaited the latest instalment of one of the biggest rivalries in the SEC, as their home team, LSU, prepared to take on Alabama in Baton Rouge. The stakes, high enough based on the history between these teams, have been ramped up. The loser would rule themselves out of contention for a College Football Playoff spot. Season effectively over.
“This gets the blood pouring right here”
ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit announced excitedly as LSU, unbeaten in Death Valley in 25 months, ran out to 113-decibel noise, louder than a New York subway, hoping to feed off the frenzied atmosphere. Alabama had won five of the last six night games at Death Valley, losing 32-31 in November 2022 to Jaylen Daniels’ inspired Tigers team in overtime.
Kalen DeBoer, interviewed before the game, hinted that his quarterback, Jalen Milroe, would need to use his legs to settle into the game and build a platform. Alabama had done their homework. LSU struggle to handle mobile quarterbacks. Replacing Texas A&M's starting quarterback two weeks earlier, Aggies back up Marcel Reed ran in three touchdowns in the second half against the Tigers. South Carolina's quarterback LaNorris Sellers ran for 88 yards and two touchdowns in the Gamecocks' narrow 36-33 loss to LSU.
DeBoer's words proved to be prophetic. Alabama's quarterback had one of the games of his impressive college football career, running in four touchdowns and rushing for 185 yards, slicing through the LSU defense and passing for a further 109 yards. LSU fans must be counting down the days until Milroe is drafted to the NFL. In his last two games against the Tigers, the Crimson Tide passer has scored eight rushing touchdowns and run for 340 yards.
Tide on a roll
Crowd noise caused a false start from Alabama's left tackle Kadyn Proctor costing an immediate five-yard penalty to the delight of this boisterous crowd. It was a momentary blip. An eight-play, 75-yard drive capped by an electric 39-yard touchdown run from Milroe signalled the Crimson Tide's intent.
LSU's first drive started promisingly when running back Caden Durham was sprung by an aggressive block from 6’5, 255 lbs tight end Mason Taylor, and ran to the visitors' 5-yard line. Durham had dislocated two toes in LSU's win over South Alabama and had been playing with a steel implant in his cleat. This was removed for Alabama's visit allowing him the flexibility improved for him to cut and run. Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell LB broke up Garrett Nussmeier's pass on 3rd-and-goal, forcing LSU to settle for a 23-yard Damian Ramos field goal.
The Alabama offense's pre-snap motion and mobility of their backs, Kendrick Law and Jam Miller, catching the ball out of backfield were causing LSU all sorts of problems. Milroe was able to be patient and see how LSU's defense responded to the movement so he could manage the play. Justice Haynes capped a 15 play, 76-yard drive dominated by the Tide tailbacks to put Alabama 14-3 up.
Having held Alabama's offense, LSU started off with three straight first downs but had to settle again for another Damian Ramos field goal. His 43-yard kick narrowed the gap to eight points.
LSU's quarterback, Garrett Nussmeier, came in with a 328-yard per game passing average and 20 touchdown passes for the season. Jihaad Campbell, having an outstanding game, pressurised Nussmeier on a straight blitz and stripped the ball which was gleefully recovered by 6'4, 314lbs lineman Tim Smith. Nussmeier's first fumble of year proved costly. His opposite number, Milroe, ran in a 10-yard touchdown to give Alabama a 21-6 lead.
Second half
Nussmeier was moving much more than usual in this game with Alabama's defense forcing him out of the pocket. A quarterback sneak converted a 4th-and-1 play after which Mason Taylor converted a 4th-and-4 on a pass from Nussmeier. His pass to receiver Kyren Lacy gave LSU a first-and-goal on Alabama's five-yard line, and a chance to recapture the impetus.
Alabama's linebacker Deontae Lawson picked off Nussmeier on the Crimson Tide's goal line for his first career interception on a huge play that brought an encouraging 14-play drive to a cruel halt. LSU's fledgling momentum had been snuffed out.
An ill-considered face mask penalty on their next drive cost LSU the chance to reclaim the ball and handed Alabama the ball back, promoting water bottles to be thrown on to the field by increasingly frustrated Tigers fans. With the ball back in his possession, Milroe immediately punished LSU with a run through the left side of the line for a 19-yard score. The impacts of the interception and penalty on successive drives was huge. LSU could have chipped away at their fifteen-point deficit and were now down by 22.
"Milroe continues to absolutely terrorise this Tigers defense.”
Milroe opened up the fourth quarter with his fourth touchdown run, a 72-yard run on a 3rd-and-9 play. ESPN commentator Chris Fowler exclaimed "Milroe continues to absolutely terrorise this Tigers defense.”, describing the Alabama quarterback's longest career run as “ a dagger to the Tigers hopes", putting the visitors 35-6 up. Alabama were more physical and controlled the game. Tide offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan was creating plays for Milroe to break free.
Nussmeier threw a third interception, seemingly to no-one, handing the ball back to Alabama again. Sensing the opportunity to rest their superb quarterback, Alabama brought on Ty Simpson to shepherd them through the remainder of the fourth quarter. A Richard Young touchdown run with 2:07 remaining put the Crimson Tide 42-6 up and led Alabama fans to start singing “hey hey goodbye” to a sea of LSU fans pouring out of their stadium. A late consolation touchdown from Kyren Lacy with 11 seconds left did little to change the mood. The raucous atmosphere of just three hours earlier had been replaced by opposition fans' taunts ringing out to a near deserted Death Valley.
“We started fast and all week long there was a sense of confidence that we were developing the little plays at the beginning… the little things led to what you see on the scoreboard. We just have to keep getting better and there’s more left out there.” - Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer.
No.16 Ole Miss 28, No.3 Georgia 10
The margins for error in the SEC are so tight. In another stunning conference scoreline, No.16 Ole Miss upset defending conference champions No.3 Georgia 28-10 in Oxford to elevate their playoff chances and put the Bulldogs in danger.. The Rebels' defense was all over Georgia, sacking Carson Beck five times and causing three turnovers. Ole Miss leads the FBS with 47 sacks for the season. Mississippi's off-season investment in their defense appears to be paying off.
Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart talked his two-loss team's lack of "wiggle room" at this stage of the season and treating each game as a playoff game. Georgia's offense has misfired at crucial times this season, critically in one half against Alabama, their other loss, and in a narrow one-point team over a workmanlike Kentucky team. They struggled again, putting their playoff chances in real jeopardy. Georgia now has two conference losses, both to potential tiebreaker rivals Ole Miss and Alabama. They still have to travel to Tennessee, while Ole Miss have games against a poor Florida team and the Egg Bowl against Mississippi State left to keep them in contention for a spot in the SEC title game.
Elsewhere...
No.4 Miami 23, Georgia Tech 28
Miami have ridden their luck at times this year with a loose defense that had relied on the brilliance of quarterback Cam Ward to bail them out. That luck ran out in Atlanta's Bobby Dodd Stadium as the 9-0 Hurricanes slipped to a 28-23 defeat at the hands of Georgia Tech. Their 23 points were their fewest scored in a game this season. Despite the loss, Ward put up three touchdown passes and 347 passing yards. The Yellow Jackets pressured Miami and scored their second upset win of the year, having beaten Florida State in their season opener in Dublin. Miami's loss puts SMU in the driving seat in ACC, having won six straight and boasting a 5-0 conference record.
10-0 Hoosiers gear up for Ohio State showdown
One of the stories of the season, Indiana, have been reborn under new coach Curt Cignetti who has led the Hoosiers to a 10-0 record and a heady No.5 in the rankings in the latest AP Top 25 poll. Indiana haven't just edged past teams, they have dominated them. A 56-7 win over Nebraska and 47-10 beating of Michigan State in recent week cementing their claim and they suddenly find themselves right in the mix for the Big Ten conference title game. A 20-15 win over Michigan means they are 7-0 in the conference and their next game sees them travel to No.2 Ohio State on 23rd November for a huge showdown. The 8-1 Buckeyes eased past Purdue, 45-0, but have a game at Northwestern ahead of their critical match with Indiana.
Latest AP rankings
The latest AP rankings see Georgia slip out of the top 10 for the first time in almost four years and Indiana rise to their highest ranking since 1967. Ohio State, Texas and Penn State all benefitted from Georgia's slip, moving up one place each. Miami's loss to Georgia Tech saw them slip to No.12, while Alabama move back into the top ten after their thrashing of LSU, who fall out of the top 25. Army continue their impressive rise, climbing to No.16, their highest ranking since 1962, as they remain unbeaten. Tulane climb into the rankings, at No.25.
Ohio State
Texas
Penn State
Indiana
Alabama
Ole Miss
Georgia
Miami
Army
Kansas State
Tulane
Comments