LSU senior center Elliott Porter did his best to hide his emotions, but he couldn’t help it.
This was his last chance to win a game in Tiger Stadium, his last chance to sing the LSU alma mater after a home victory, his last chance to beat Alabama.
After being asked how difficult it was to swallow the pill of the No. 20 Tigers’ 20-13 overtime loss to the No. 4 Crimson Tide on Saturday night in Tiger Stadium, Porter bit his bottom lip and looked up before giving his response.
“It’s tough, man,” he said. “It’s tough.”
Fans of both sides watching the game must have felt a sense of déjà vu. For the second consecutive meeting between LSU (7-3, 3-3 Southeastern Conference) and Alabama (8-1, 5-1 SEC) in Tiger Stadium, the Tigers seemed poised for an upset victory. And for the second consecutive time, Alabama snatched victory from their grasp.
The loss extended LSU’s losing streak to Alabama to four games, marking a bitter end to the heated rivalry for LSU seniors hoping to bookend their careers with wins against the Crimson Tide.
“Some of those seniors are still sitting in the locker room right now,” said sophomore quarterback Anthony Jennings. “Playing in Tiger Stadium is one of the best experiences you’ll ever have. Going out with a loss like this one, it hurts me, and I know it hurts those guys even more because it was their last go-around.”
With 1:13 remaining in a game tied at 10 points, it seemed the Tigers had the game all but won when a fumble by Alabama junior running back T.J. Yeldon — who scored the game-winning touchdown in Tiger Stadium two years ago — gave them the ball at the Crimson Tide 6-yard line.
LSU had dominated the second half up to that point, controlling the ball for more than 24 minutes and outgaining Alabama 150 yards to 40.
When LSU sophomore place kicker Colby Delahoussaye’s field goal split the uprights, giving the Tigers a 13-10 lead with 50 seconds remaining and Alabama out of timeouts, the Tigers looked ready to finally put an end to the losing streak that began with the 2011 BCS National Championship game.
LSU’s defense had stifled Alabama’s offense up to that point in the second half, holding the Crimson Tide to 2.5 yards per play and keeping four of its five drives to three plays or fewer.
“The defense played great tonight,” said freshman wide receiver Malachi Dupre. “We couldn’t have asked for them to play any better.”
But once again, Alabama flipped the script on LSU in Tiger Stadium, earning a combined 80 yards and 10 points between its final drive of regulation and its overtime drive, while the Tigers lost 16 yards in their final two drives of the game.
This resulted in a 20-13 overtime loss that left Tiger fans stunned and LSU coach Les Miles wondering how a win against Alabama eluded him once more.
“I have a team that played a great game, a tough game, a very physical game and could have expected to finish first in that game,” Miles said. “I have a bad taste in my mouth from that game.”
Miles and the Tigers will have to wait another year for another chance at the Crimson Tide when they travel to Bryant-Denny Stadium with players who have never beaten Alabama. The nature of their losses makes it hard not to wonder what they must do to finally put an end to the losing streak that now seems like a curse.
“It’s tough losing this game in Death Valley — my last game in Death Valley,” Porter said. “It hurts.”
But LSU doesn’t have time to worry about that now. Contests against an Arkansas squad still searching for its first SEC win in two years and Texas A&M that toppled then-No. 3 Auburn on Saturday are looming.
The loss may have been tough, especially for LSU’s seniors, but they know better than anybody on the team that the season doesn’t revolve around the Alabama game, and Porter said they’re determined to finish their careers on a high note.
“We have strong character in the locker room,” Porter said. “We’re going to push and push and push, until we can’t push anymore. That’s the biggest thing. We’re going to keep on fighting.”