LSU fell to No. 19 in the Associated Press Poll and No. 20 in the USA Today Poll and BCS standings after the Tigers’ 27-21 overtime loss Saturday at home to still-No.1 Alabama.
Sixty minutes of football was not enough to decide the outcome of Nick Saban’s return to Tiger Stadium. But after an overtime and a 1-yard touchdown run by Crimson Tide senior quarterback John Parker Wilson, Alabama struck last in a 27-21 Crimson Tide win.
“It was a great college football game,” Saban said. “The players on both sides played their hearts out . . . Our players played hard in the game with a lot of tenacity and overcame a lot of adversity.”
That play was set up by senior defensive back Rashad Johnson’s interception of LSU freshman quarterback Jarrett Lee’s third-and-6 pass in LSU’s overtime drive. Lee struggled on a national stage for the third time this season and was 13 of 34 with 181 yards, a touchdown and four interceptions.
LSU coach Les Miles said Lee’s intentions were correct on the overtime interception despite the freshman quarterback’s struggles. “It’s a throw that he does not need to make,” Miles said. “But his view was, ‘If I hit this one, we win.’ Boy what a great view.” Miles said with more seasoning, he has no doubt Lee can rebound from the growing pains he is experiencing in his first season seeing playing time for the Tigers. “I just need to coach him some more, love him, support him and make him better.” Lee said he hopes to put his mistakes behind him the rest of the season to take momentum into next season.”You’re going to make mistakes,” he said. “That’s part of it. You have to stay positive and don’t linger over your mistakes.”
The game was sent to overtime on the final play of regulation when Alabama seemed to have the game in its grasp. But junior kicker Leigh Tiffin’s 29-yard field goal to win the game was blocked by junior defensive lineman Ricky Jean-Francois, sending the game to overtime.
“I thought [at that point] we were going to win the football game,” said LSU senior linebacker Darry Beckwith. “That game was ours.”
Both teams appeared to have nervous energy as they exchanged turnovers to open the game. Wilson completed a pass to sophomore receiver Earl Alexander who fumbled at the 1-yard-line stretching out the football, giving LSU the ball at their own 20. But three plays later Lee’s pass intended for Demetrius Byrd was dropped into the hands of Johnson setting up a one-yard touchdown run by Wilson. Johnson had three interceptions in the game and tied a school record for the Crimson Tide.
“My mindset before the game was just to focus on the things we prepared for all week and to make sure I was set up for different motions and looks they would give us,” Johnson said. Byrd got redemption on LSU’s following drive as he and Lee connected for a 31-yard touchdown strike to even the score at 7.
Alabama return man Javier Arenas fumbled the following kickoff, giving LSU the football at the Alabama 31-yard line.T he teams combined for seven turnovers, and Saban said he was not overly pleased with the way his team played.
“I congratulated our players after the game, but I also asked them if they thought they played their best game,” Saban said. “Do you think we played better than we did before? Do you think we made improvements as a team? … I didn’t think we had the same kind of intensity we had been playing with and were a little flat.”
LSU junior halfback Charles Scott punched the ball in two plays later on a 30-yard touchdown run to give LSU a 14-7 lead heading to the second quarter. Alabama had outscored its opponents every game in the first quarter before Saturday. Both teams traded punts for the majority of the second quarter before Lee threw his second interception of the day to Johnson that went 53 yards for a touchdown. Lee has now thrown six interceptions that have been returned for touchdowns this season. But LSU was able to stay afloat on the ground, outrushing the Crimson Tide, 154-52, for the half and 201-138 for the game.
Miles said his defense’s energy was the bright spot of the game for LSU. “That defense, wow, that’s the defense I came to appreciate,” Miles said.
The second half began where the second quarter picked up with the teams exchanging punts on the first three drives of the half. But Alabama broke through in their second drive of the half and marched 69 yards on seven plays to take a 21-14 lead. Lee’s woes continued throughout the third quarter as he was intercepted for the third time by sophomore linebacker Rolando McClain. After a Tigers hold, LSU’s next possession stalled on a third-and-8 when Lee had a streaking Chris Mitchell wide open for what would have been a sure touchdown, but the pass sailed off Mitchell’s finger tips and forced another LSU punt. Lee warmed up to start the fourth quarter and hit four-of-five passes on LSU’s first drive of the final quarter to complete a 14-play drive capped by a one-yard touchdown run by Scott to tie the game with just more than six minutes to play. But he was not able to make the biggest plays in overtime, something that will leave a sour taste in the mouths of the LSU players for a while.
“People are saying we played well,” Beckwith said. “But it’s hard to think you played well when you lost.”