The fourth-quarter Alabama drive that saw the Crimson Tide go 72 yards in five plays to shock a record Tiger Stadium crowd and kill LSU’s BCS and Southeastern Conference championship hopes was not an isolated incident.
Not only did it happen earlier in the game, but it has also happened several times over the course of the season. Of the Tigers’ 20 allowed touchdowns this season, four have come with 3:12 or less left in a half.
One other touchdown drive started with 4:54 remaining in a tight game, also threatening an LSU defense that has had difficulty containing offensive, pass-heavy surges late in halves this season.
The first time it happened could be chalked up to opening-day jitters, with the defense allowing North Texas to score half its points on an 80-yard pass after getting the ball with 2:20 remaining in the first half.
The next came against South Carolina, making it a two-point game by moving the ball 69 of 77 yards through the air starting with just under five minutes to go. The Tigers were put in a similar situation the next week by Texas A&M, when with 3:12 left in the game, freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel threw for 56 of the 80 yards needed to pull within one score of LSU.
While the Tigers gave up a minute-long, balanced drive to the Tide into the last minute of the first half, the offensive statistics on the final heartbreaker are anything but even. Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron gained almost half of his 165 passing yards after he got the ball on his 28-yard line and sailed the Tide all the way downfield to victory.
With teams needing quick scores, a gun-slinging approach is inevitable and LSU coach Les Miles knows it.
“The key is to get some pressure in those situations, tighten coverage and also reflect on when they’ll have that want for the deep ball. I think we’re doing that,” Miles said.
Miles mentioned late penalties resulting in first downs in those situations, which happened during Alabama’s first late scoring drive and in the ones given up to A&M and South Carolina. Penalties have plagued the Tigers all season, as they rank third to last in the SEC by giving up 59 yards a game.
But by comparison, the other two defenses that round out the Southeastern Conference’s top-three, Alabama and Florida, have only given up a combined three scores in the same parameter. The Tide allowed a touchdown drive within five minutes of halftime in its first game of the season against Missouri, while the Gators allowed a field goal apiece to LSU and South Carolina with the clock ticking down.
“Are they tested? You bet,” Miles said. “They’re tested at the back end of every game. But again, I think they’re young guys. They’re improving, and I think we’re fortunate to have the opportunity to correct and modify. And I think we will.”
The first and second-string defenses work on long and short two-minute drill drives every Monday and Thursday for what senior defensive lineman Josh Downs approximates as “two or three” practice periods.
They also work on “tempo” every day, according the junior defensive end Sam Montgomery, where the offense runs eight plays as quickly as possible against the defense, which can end the drill with an interception.
Montgomery said the offense has an inherent advantage in the two-minute drill with the defense having to run back and line up before every snap while the opponent pushes forward. Collegiate football rules also state that the clock will stop until the chains are set after every first down.
Whatever the reason, it’s been a point of emphasis since the last-second loss to Alabama.
“We came back and went back to the drawing board,” Montgomery said. “We worked on it and took it more seriously.”
