LSU entered its game Saturday against rival Alabama as a well-recognized underdog. 
But that didn’t matter to coach Les Miles and the Tigers.
LSU (8-1, 5-1) overcame familiar early offensive struggles behind junior quarterback Jordan Jefferson’s best performance of the season, including the team’s longest pass play this season, in a 24-21 victory against Alabama (7-2, 4-2).
The win vaulted LSU from No. 10 to No. 5 in the BCS standings.
“We took risks, and we’re still in this race,” Jefferson said. “Nobody is taking anything away from us now.”
Among those risks was a plethora of gutsy calls — from a third-quarter fake punt that yielded 29 yards to a reverse on a fourth-and-1 and a two-point conversion following LSU’s go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter.
The game will be remembered for a unique Miles tradition captured by CBS cameras, in which he ate a chunk of Tiger Stadium turf — and later claimed Death Valley’s grass “tastes best.”
Now Miles has tasted victory against the Crimson Tide for the first time since 2007, as LSU overcame a 7-3 halftime deficit for the win.
“I have a little tradition that humbles me as a man, lets me know I’m a part of the field, a part of the game,” Miles said.
“The grass in Tiger Stadium tastes best. The gift my team gave me today was allowing me to coach them and playing with passion and great effort.”
LSU went into halftime with just 95 yards of total offense. The second half was a different story. The Tigers erupted for 338 more yards in the frame with relatively balanced attack of 208 passing yards and 225 rushing yards.
One of the biggest plays of the day came when the offense took possession on its own 6-yard line with 8:57 left in the third quarter, as a long field stared Jefferson in the face.
Jefferson rose to the challenge and completed LSU’s longest pass play of the season, a 75-yard touchdown to sophomore wide receiver Rueben Randle to cap a 94-yard drive that spanned just 40 seconds.
Jefferson said his confidence soared in the upset victory. He finished 10-of-13 for 141 yards with no interceptions and no sacks with his highest completion percentage (76.9 percent) and passer rating (193.42 yards) of the season.
“I felt like I was in high school again, making big plays and making things happen on the field,” Jefferson said. “I had to make a statement tonight. … It’s a relief for me.”
With his touchdown catch, Randle atoned for an earlier dropped pass from Jefferson as the first half wound down. 
Randle set a career-high with 125 yards on three receptions, including a 47-yard strike from junior quarterback Jarrett Lee on third-and-13 to help ice the game.
“I told [offensive coordinator Gary Crowton] I wanted another chance to make a play for the team, and he went back to me,” Randle said.
Fellow sophomore wide receiver Russell Shepard said Randle’s mistake with 21 seconds left in the first half visibly bothered him in the halftime locker room.
But Shepard said the team made adjustments and threw the whole playbook at Alabama in the second half to edge the Crimson Tide.
“We didn’t get that respect at all. Everybody thought we were going to lose,” Shepard said. “There were a lot of situations we put [Jefferson] in that a lot of other quarterbacks wouldn’t want to be put in, but he showed why he is one of our starting quarterbacks.”
LSU snapped Alabama’s 28-game winning streak when leading at halftime under coach Nick Saban. It was Saban’s second loss in 37 occasions with the Crimson Tide ahead at the half, both at the hands of his former team.
LSU won the turnover battle Saturday, garnering an interception and fumble recovery from senior quarterback Greg McElroy. LSU senior linebacker Kelvin Sheppard had a hand in both Alabama miscues, picking off his second career pass and securing the fumble that senior defensive tackle Drake Nevis forced.
Miles called the defensive effort “knock-down, drag-out football.”
LSU senior kicker Josh Jasper kicked field goals of 45 and 39 yards to capitalize on the turnovers, although he missed a 45-yard kick four plays after sprinting 29 yards on the Tigers’ fake punt on the opening drive of the second half.
“My team likes to get in tight quarters, and they play,” Miles said. “It was a field goal kicker who came back after a disappointing miss. It’s a two-quarterback system where both contributed significantly … a wide receiver who dropped the ball and came back in and made big plays in key times.”
Alabama scored its first-half touchdown on a 1-yard pass from McElroy to sophomore running back Trent Richardson to cap an 81-yard drive. It answered LSU’s 75-yard score with a 5-yard run by junior running back Mark Ingram to regain a 14-10 lead.
LSU took the lead for good when junior running back Stevan Ridley plunged into the end zone on a 1-yard touchdown run with 8:13 remaining, and Jefferson completed the two-point conversion pass to Randle to make the score 21-14.
Alabama found the end zone one more time on a 9-yard reception by junior wide receiver Julio Jones to culminate a 74-yard drive that took 2:04.