LSU vs. Alabama: Three and Out
Well, so much for predictions.
The LSU Tigers took a whipping from the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday night in Bryant-Denny Stadium, 30-16. Every angle of the game looked gruesome as the Tigers were repeatedly stuffed on offense and failed to make plays on defense. When looking at the outcome, there are many areas of this team that deserve part of the blame. The offensive line, defensive line, special teams and poor coaching were factors in the humiliating beat down.
This loss stings for the Tiger faithful, but it hurts even more for the players. LSU has been bumped out of the top four and no longer controls its own destiny. The Tigers will have to win the rest of their games as well as rely on some external forces to reach the College Football Playoff. Heisman hopeful Leonard Fournette all but lost his lead in the race to garner the nation’s top award. What hurts even more is that he may have lost it to Derrick Henry, the Alabama running back who torched the Tigers on the national stage.
Let’s look at three important takeaways from Saturday.
1. The problems that appeared to be fixed turned out to be more troublesome than expected.
The offensive line struggled mightily against the Alabama front. This unit had come together as a group so well in the first seven games, but it proved to be no match for the Crimson Tide. The Tigers could not open up holes for Fournette or give Harris enough time to make plays. They were beaten off the line of scrimmage, constantly pushed backwards and overwhelmed by the Tide. The Alabama defensive line had no trouble holding Fournette to 31 yards on 19 carries. He had no room to run as he tried going up the middle and bouncing off tackles. The defensive front did a magnificent job of forcing Harris into making mistakes. He was sacked twice and seemed to have no time in the pocket. Whenever Harris would run his now common play-action-pass, he was swarmed by Alabama defenders immediately. He finished the day 6-of-19 for 128 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
The Tigers played just as poorly on defense. The defensive front was outmatched by the Alabama offensive line and allowed Henry enough momentum to burst through. They gave up a season-high 250 rushing yards after being ranked fourth in rushing defense in the FBS. Henry stole the spotlight, running for 210 yards on 38 carries and three touchdowns. The bruiser pounded and juked his way through the LSU defense. Many of his big runs were the result of missed tackles. The Tigers’ failure to wrap up Henry proved to be fatal. His longest run of the night went for 40 yards as he refused to go down. His backup Kenyan Drake had a decent night as well, adding 68 yards on 10 attempts. But what hurt the Tigers the most was time of possession. The offense could not stay on the field long enough to give the defense time to rest. This proved to be the Tigers’ downfall in the second half as Henry and Drake combined for 161 yards. The pair also ate up the last nine minutes of the game clock to put the nail in the coffin.
Jake Coker had a satisfactory performance, passing for 184 yards on 18 completions. He played smart and led his team calmly. He also did something Harris failed to do, which was to spread the ball. He completed multiple passes to five different targets. All five receivers had catches over 10 yards. Though Coker rarely attempted to go downfield, he utilized the spread to get his receivers open. The screen pass also worked well for the Crimson Tide. Kevin Toliver and Tre’Davious White missed several open field tackles and allowed Calvin Ridley and ArDarius Stewart to get open.
2. The Tigers were not mentally prepared for this game.
LSU knew what was at stake coming into this game. SEC Championship and College Football Playoff appearances were in sight. The Tigers had two weeks to prepare for Alabama, yet they seemed lost as soon as they stepped onto the field. From kickoff to the final snap, LSU was dominated. The offense was out of sync and the defense constantly whiffed on tackles. Brandon Harris was called for back-to-back delay of game penalties. This miscommunication between the players and coaching staff was inexcusable.
Special teams was equally as bad. Cameron Gamble failed to get the ball close to the end zone on kickoffs and had one go out of bounds. On the receiving end, Derrius Guice was mauled twice because of the lack of blocking on kickoffs.
The Tigers were intimidated by the Crimson Tide. They played as though they were underdogs and it showed. Part of this blame falls on coaching. The players simply were not motivated, which is crude considering the circumstances. When the initial offensive strategy of utilizing the run game proved to be a dead end early in the game, Les Miles and Cam Cameron were hesitant to spread the field. Harris was able to connect with Travin Dural and Malachi Dupre a few times in the first half. Had he kept passing, the outcome may have been a little different. But a number of factors, including poor blocking, made this difficult for Harris. Ultimately Miles and Cameron continued the run game in the second half, though it proved to be of no avail. By the start of the fourth quarter, the look of defeat had already come across most of the players. They had given up, which was a sign that this team was not ready to hang with the big boys.
3. Don’t give up on the Tigers just yet.
Even though it may seem as though all hope is lost for the Bayou Bengals, they are still very much in the race to secure a spot in the CFP. LSU only fell five spots in the AP and coaches polls. The CFP rankings came out last night with LSU landing at #9. LSU’s next three opponents are Arkansas, Ole Miss and Texas A&M. All three pose a threat, but they are also very winnable games. A 10-1 record would boost the Tigers’ resume exponentially, even if they do not play in the SEC Championship game. Alabama still has Mississippi State and Auburn left on its schedule, and a loss to either team would mean the Tigers clinch a berth in the SEC Championship.
As of now, there are three match-ups between top 10 teams in the final three weeks of the regular season. That does not include conference championships, which always seem to put a wrench in the rankings. The Tigers must not lose focus now. If they get back to their winning ways, they will be right back in the swing of things.