Whether you love or hate them, you can’t dismiss the contributions Nick Saban and Les Miles have made to the LSU football program. This especially rings true when you delve into the Tigers’ dealings with Alabama.
Since 2000, when Saban took the reigns of the LSU football program, the Tigers have a 9-4 record against the rival Crimson Tide.
Although Saban has shifted to the dark side, he laid the foundations for the Southeastern Conference juggernaut Miles has managed to continually develop over the duo’s 12 seasons pacing the sidelines of Tiger Stadium. It just so happens many of Miles and Saban’s signature games happened against the Crimson Tide.
Here are my top-five wins LSU had against Alabama when led by either Saban or Miles.
1. LSU 41 Alabama 34, Nov. 3, 2007
In one of the craziest seasons of the BCS era, LSU took down Alabama 41-34 in Bryant-Denny Stadium on its path to the 2007 National Championship.
It was almost the same story as 2011. The Tigers put a stranglehold on the SEC West with the victory and won their fifth game against a team ranked inside the top 18 of the Associated Press poll.
LSU totaled 130 penalty yards on 14 flags and cornerback Javier Arenas shifted all the momentum in the Tide’s favor when he took a punt back 61 yards to put them up by seven with less than three minutes remaining in the game.
Then-quarterback Matt Flynn hooked up with Early Doucet on a 32-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 34, and running back Jacob Hester pounded in a score from a yard out to put the Tigers ahead with 1:26 to go.
It was the Tigers’ fourth straight win in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
2. LSU 35 Alabama 21, Nov. 3, 2001
The 2001 Tigers team went into Tuscaloosa with a 4-3 record and little momentum after losing three of their last five games. Then something happened that turned their whole season around.
Quarterback Rohan Davey and wide receiver Josh Reed had the game of their lives. Davey threw for 528 yards and Reed hauled in 19 receptions for 293 yards, including a 25-yard touchdown that put LSU up for good.
The Tigers won their last four regular season games, including an upset of No. 2 Tennessee in the SEC Championship Game, and dominated Illinois in the Nokia Sugar Bowl. LSU won its first SEC Title since 1988, and the legend of Saban began.
3. LSU 9 Alabama 6 OT, Nov. 5, 2011
“The Game of the Century” certainly lived up to its billing, with LSU pulling out a 9-6 victory in overtime.
Let’s be honest — if the Tigers had gone on to beat Alabama in the national title game, this would be at the top of the list. But let’s just forget Jan. 9 ever happened.
The undisputed play of the game was LSU safety Eric Reid ripping the ball out of Alabama tight end Michael Williams’ hands for an interception on the Tide’s 1-yard-line late in the fourth quarter. Instead of scoring to break a 6-6 tie, LSU took over and a 73-yard punt by Brad Wing sent the game into an extra period.
An Alabama missed field goal on the first possession of OT and kicker Drew Alleman’s 25-yard field goal gave the Tigers the win, and LSU fans wreaked havoc in Tuscaloosa.
4. LSU 30 Alabama 28, Nov. 4, 2000
LSU hadn’t beaten Alabama at home in 31 years. In Nick Saban’s first year in Baton Rouge, he wanted to make sure he bucked that trend.
Without starting quarterback Davey, backup Josh Booty commanded the LSU offense and Reed hauled in eight receptions for 129 yards. A 16-yard pass from Booty to Robert Royal sealed the game for the Tigers in a high-scoring fourth quarter.
Tiger fans rushed the field after the game. They knew a new era of LSU football had just begun.
5. LSU 16 Alabama 13 OT, Nov. 12, 2005
In another overtime thriller all too common with the LSU-Alabama rivalry, quarterback JaMarcus Russell’s 11-yard connection with wide receiver Dwayne Bowe in the extra period gave LSU the victory in Les Miles’ first year at the helm.
More importantly, it paved the way to the SEC Championship for the Tigers while knocking Alabama out of consideration.
After being shut out in the first half, LSU rallied to score 10 second-half points to send the game into overtime, eventually winning on Bowe’s touchdown reception.
