The chaos of the Southeastern Conference bought two-loss LSU a mulligan in its hopes of a College Football Playoff berth in its first season under Lane Kiffin.
But the Tigers’ do-over likely was spent Saturday in a 31-13 loss to Alabama at Tiger Stadium. How it was surrendered didn’t make much sense mathematically.
LSU, No. 14 in the CFP rankings, moved the ball to the tune of 457 yards on No. 5 Alabama, which had just 285. The Tigers had 27 first downs to the Crimson Tide’s 13.
But in a consequential game, LSU (6-3, 3-3 SEC) didn’t make plays when it mattered.
Alabama (7-2, 5-1) very much did.
“If I was looking at a sheet that said Sam (Leavitt) had 380 yards passing and Jackson Harris had 11 (catches) for 166 (yards) and Trey’Dez (Green) had 10 for 85, I wouldn’t think that would equal 13 points,” LSU coach Lane Kiffin said.
The grass inside Alabama’s 35-yard line just seemed to turn into thick, sticky mud as the LSU offense was consistently bogged down.
After the Crimson Tide opened with a field goal, the Tigers drove 67 yards on 11 plays on their first drive, setting up a first-and-goal at the Alabama 8.
But Leavitt, healed from his early-season hamstring pull, was stymied on a quarterback draw. Then he was hurried on third down for a throwaway in the end zone.
Throughout the game, Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack was increasingly aggressive as LSU neared or entered the red zone, throwing Cover 0 blitzes at Leavitt. But that threat was sometimes a disguise for the opposite.
“Cut us on some Cover 0’s early on, like three in a row, and we tried to adjust,” Leavitt said. “And then when we would check our Cover 0 checks, they would check out. And when you’re in a seven-man (pass protection) and have three routes that are man-beaters and they drop eight on you, it’s a difficult situation.
“So you just kind of run around and try to make a play.”
A chip-shot field goal by Scott Starzyk would prove to be LSU’s only points in the first half, because he wouldn’t have enough leg to convert a 56-yard attempt when Kiffin decided to let it fly on a fourth-and-9 at the Alabama 38 later in the half.
On the very next drive, Kiffin would elect to go for it on a fourth-and-4 at the Alabama 9 after Eugene Wilson dropped a reception on third down. But a turnover on downs was clinched when Leavitt’s pass was batted at the line of scrimmage.
“They were really coming after us,” Kiffin said. “There’s risk in that, and we didn’t make them pay for it.”
A stuffed run by the LSU defense on third-and-1 afforded the Tigers one more chance in the second quarter, and the ensuing drive showed promise. Wilson broke a tackle on a short catch and took off for 31 yards to get to midfield.
But after pushing the ball down to the Alabama 27, Leavitt would take a sack on first down, and he’d force a throw to a receiver who was well-bracketed for an interception.
It was the first pick Leavitt had thrown in nearly a month after interception-less games versus Mississippi State and Auburn.
“I just gotta check the ball down and look for a field goal opportunity there,” he said.
There were just too many opportunities squandered, allowing Alabama to take a 10-3 lead into halftime on the strength of an 11-play, 62-yard drive.
Through two quarters, Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell was limited to 89 yards passing. It required 16 carries for the Tide to gain 54 yards on the ground. It was pedestrian but still worth more points than LSU’s efforts.
The Tigers hit another wall on their first drive of the second half, settling for a 41-yard field goal. They finally broke through with 16- and 32-yard passes to Trey’Dez Green and Jackson Harris, respectively, to set up a toss-sweep touchdown run for Dilin Jones.
But just after LSU took a 13-10 lead in the third quarter, the dam broke for Alabama.
Russell, who finished with 206 yards passing and three touchdowns, hit Rico Scott for a 57-yard catch-and-run. The quarterback then scrambled for 10 yards on third-and-9 to set up a 7-yard toss to a wide-open Jason Ford for a score.
LSU’s next drive ended up in no man’s land again, fourth-and-3 at the Alabama 36, and another Leavitt pass was tipped at the line. The next possession, Kiffin opted to punt on fourth-and-1 from LSU’s 11, but the Tigers’ punt coverage team faltered.
Ryan Coleman-Williams’ 32-yard return brought it all the way back to the LSU 25, a net gain of 14 yards on the boot. Russell effortlessly flicked to Cederian Morgan for a 25-yard touchdown as Alabama regained the lead 17-13.
Then the Tigers unraveled.
LSU didn’t punt on a fourth-and-10 from its own 25 with just over eight minutes left, and Leavitt was sacked. Alabama capitalized with another pair of productive passes from Russell, including a 4-yard touchdown to Kaleb Edwards.
“It kind of shocks you. Like, wow, it’s 31-13 right now,” Leavitt said. “I thought we were just about to go win the game with, like, 10 minutes left in the fourth.”
LSU did not, and now the Tigers’ position is clear.
They have to beat No. 7 Texas next weekend in Tiger Stadium to remain at all relevant in the playoff discussion. Then they have to beat No. 13 Tennessee in Neyland Stadium to boast a pair of signature wins to outweigh their mostly competitive losses.
“If you got a small chance, you go give everything you got,” Leavitt said of LSU’s playoff chances. “At least you’re gonna look at yourself at the end of the day in the mirror and say you gave everything you got.”
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