Alabama blasts LSU, 55-17
Alabama (9-0) avenged last year’s loss to LSU (3-5) in commanding fashion as they dismantled the Tigers 55-17.
After a strong outing defensively against Texas A&M last week, LSU’s defensive woes picked right back up against the vaunted Alabama offense.
Alabama quarterback Mac Jones connected Louisiana native Devonta Smith early and often in this matchup as Alabama scored on all seven of its first-half possessions before taking a knee going into halftime.
This gave Alabama an unsurmountable 45-14 halftime lead before taking the foot off the gas in the second half.
"Early on, they hit us with some big plays, and we didn't really adjust too well as a whole defense,” LSU linebacker Jabril Cox said.
LSU allowed Jones to go 20-28 for 384 yards with four touchdowns and no turnovers. Smith accounted for 231 of those yards with three touchdowns on eight catches.
“It was pretty frustrating to see a player gain almost 300 yards before halftime,” LSU coach Orgeron said.
Alabama’s 55 points mark the most points ever scored by a team in this series. The Tide outgained LSU 650-352.
Offensively, it wasn't quite as bleak for LSU, but still not nearly enough to make the game competitive.
“We definitely left some points on the board tonight, which is another thing that we couldn't afford to do,” LSU Center Liam Shanahan said.
TJ Finley got his fifth start of the season and went 14-28 for 144 yards and a touchdown. Max Johnson relieved him late in the third quarter after the game was out of hand going 11-17 for 110 yards with no scores or turnovers.
Freshman receiver Kayshon Boutte stepped up admirably as the new top receiver with Terrace Marshall’s departure from the team in preparation for the NFL draft. He tallied eight grabs for 111 yards including what would have been a touchdown if not for a premature celebration leading to a fumble recovered by fellow receiver Jontre Kirklin.
Running back John Emery Jr. led the Tigers in rushing with 79 yards on seven attempts including a 54-yard score.
Defensively, LSU linebacker Damone Clark led the way with 13 tackles.
While the result on the field certainly was not what the Tigers were looking for on the field, Orgeron is confident about his team’s performance off the field.
"The results of this season are not affecting recruiting,” Orgeron said. “I think that's why we have the majority of our class committed already."
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