Three up
Mettenberger shines: Zach Mettenberger played his best game of his career in the biggest game of his career. A few drops hurt his completion percentage, but Mettenberger still put up an impressive stat line against the Crimson Tide. He couldn’t put together a game-winning drive after the final Alabama touchdown, but if he’s around next year, he could be the one driving down the field in the waning seconds to clinch a victory against a hated rival. He showed glimpses of the Mettenberger everyone wants to see on Saturday night. Now the question is, can he find some consistency after his breakout performance?
Hill of a first start: I mean, the guy was the fifth running back on the depth chart before the season started. Now he’s the Tigers’ leading rusher. In his first start, the freshman continually and successfully pounded away at one of the best defenses in the nation. It should be old news by now, but somehow this LSU running back corps finds a way to impress week after week, no matter who plays.
A little Turnover: LSU kept Alabama on edge until the last seconds on Saturday night because it won the turnover battle. The Tigers forced two fumbles and recovered both. While Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron has been untouchable in the turnover department, Alabama has been putting the ball on the ground all season. LSU recognized that and made the best of it. If the Tigers could’ve converted both fumbles into touchdowns rather than just one, the game may have seen a different outcome.
Three down
Razzle sans dazzle: A wise man once said that if you live by the sword, you die by the sword. The Crimson Tide thrust that sword deep into LSU’s heart after LSU coach Les Miles’ trademark trickery came up short. Before the game, everybody was waiting to see what craziness Miles would pull in this game — and ‘Bama seemed to be waiting for it. The fake field goal on 4th and 12 was stopped for a two yard loss, and the Tigers’ attempt at a surprise onside kick led to great field position for Alabama. If running back T.J. Yeldon didn’t fumble deep in LSU territory, the momentum would have been all on Alabama’s side and the game wouldn’t have been as close.
One minute defense: This might be impossible to quantify, but when it came down to who wanted it more, the Alabama offense proved to be a step ahead of the LSU defense. Here are the combined stats of Alabama’s last drive of the first half, and last drive of the second half, both of which resulted in touchdowns: 11 plays, 135 yards, 1 minute, 40 seconds elapsed time. The Tigers simply couldn’t get off the field when it counted, and it showed in the final score. Good teams win games, but great teams win games in clutch situations against good teams. LSU isn’t quite on Alabama’s level yet, even after playing better for most of the game.
The flags keep coming: The Tigers were penalized seven times for 51 yards compared to one penalty against the Tide. This is a continuation of a bad trend for LSU, who has committed more penalties (75) than any other SEC team. The flags hurt the Tigers, too, none of them worse than J.C. Copeland’s 15-yard personal foul in the first half. After the Tigers recovered a fumble deep in Alabama territory, Hill scampered 19 yards to the Alabama 13. But Copeland’s senseless foul pushed the Tigers back to the 28, where they would lose two yards in the next two plays before the ill-fated fake kick. In a game the Tigers lost by four points, that was a huge play and changed the complexion of the half.
