It’s the biggest game of the year for LSU as it travels to Tuscaloosa to take on the No. 8 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide.
LSU is coming into this game as one of the most explosive offenses in the country with an elite passing game led by quarterback Jayden Daniels. This is something Alabama has had trouble with in the past. When they go up against a dynamic offense they can struggle on defense and LSU fits that mold.
When you look at Alabama’s previous losses a lot of them have to do with not being able to keep up on offense. As talented as Alabama is, there have been times when head coach Nick Saban didn’t have an answer to stop an offense with a lot of weapons.
Here are some of Alabama’s notable losses in recent years:
2023 Texas
Texas went on the road and put up 34 points and 454 total yards and 360 of those yards came from Quinn Ewers. Ewers was already referred to as one of the best quarterbacks in the country and had a tremendous game in September.
It also helped with the amount of weapons he had to support him. Wide receivers Xavier Worthy and Adoni Mitchell both had a touchdown in that game and tight end Jatavion Sanders led the team with yards and is one of the best at his position in the country as well. Texas put up 34 points in a 10-point victory that gave Alabama its first loss of the season.
2022 Tennessee
In arguably one of the best games last year, Alabama lost a shootout to Tennessee 52-49. Tennessee was statistically the best offense in the nation as it led the country and both yards and points per game.
Quarterback Hendon Hooker was one of the best quarterbacks in the nation before his injury against South Carolina late in the season. He threw for 385 yards and five touchdowns against Alabama with every touchdown going to Biletnikoff winner Jaylin Hyatt who also had a ridiculous statline of six receptions for 207 yards and five touchdowns.
Tennessee also had help from running back Jaylen Wright and receiver Ramel Keyton who combined for 149 yards.
2019 LSU
There’s not much that needs to be said about this game. LSU had one of the greatest teams in college football history. The Tigers led the country in total offense and had numerous weapons to support quarterback Joe Burrow.
Burrow threw for 393 yards and three touchdowns. Ja’Marr Chase had six catches for 140 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire had a total of 180 yards and four touchdowns.
With the mixture of talent with multiple first-round picks and the coaching scheme of offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger, this offense was simply unstoppable as LSU beat Alabama 46-41.
2018 Clemson
In Alabama’s worst loss under Nick Saban, the Crimson Tide were defeated in the 2018 national championship game by Clemson 44-16. Led by Trevor Lawrence, it was a shocking defeat in a highly anticipated national championship that left many people speechless.
The true freshman quarterback played extremely well throwing for 347 passing yards and three touchdowns.
Running back Travis Etienne had three total touchdowns while wide receiver Justyn Ross led the team in receiving yards and receptions, six for 153 yards and a touchdown. He also had help from receiver Tee Higgins with three receptions for 81 yards and a touchdown.
Players like Amari Rodgers and Hunter Renfrow were a big part of the offense but due to the other weapons on the team, they had quiet games. There were so many options for Lawrence and with his skill set he could pick apart the Alabama defense with ease.
The reason why these losses are important is because they all have something in common with the LSU offense this year—dynamic offenses with multiple weapons with an elite quarterback leading the team.
Daniels has looked like the best quarterback in the nation, leading the country in passing touchdowns and top five in passing yards. Daniels has options such as Malik Nabers, Brian Thomas Jr., Kyren Lacy, Mason Taylor, Logan Diggs and even more. With how LSU’s offense has been playing, they fit the form of an upset win in Tuscaloosa on Saturday night.
