LSU dominated nearly every major statistical category in the game except one - the score.
Despite outgaining Alabama 457-285, No. 5 Alabama humiliated No. 14 LSU 31-13 Saturday night in Tiger Stadium.
The loss dropped LSU to 6-3 overall and 3-3 in SEC play, while Alabama improved to 7-2 and 5-2.
LSU ran 81 offensive plays compared with Alabama’s 53, held the ball for more than 32 minutes and finished with 172 more yards of offense.
None of it mattered.
When it mattered most, LSU couldn’t get it done. LSU went 0-4 on fourth down.
The Tigers repeatedly moved the ball into scoring position only to come away empty, while Alabama capitalized on LSU’s mistakes and explosive plays to turn a competitive game into an 18-point win.
LSU advanced the ball in to Alabama territory 8 times - yet walked away with 13 points to show for it.
On the contrast, Alabama got the ball inside LSU’s 25 five times and walked away with four touchdowns and a field goal.
Alabama opened the scoring with a 43-yard field goal from Conor Talty, but LSU answered with an impressive 14-play, 70-yard drive.
That possession ultimately became a preview of LSU’s night.
The Tigers reached the Alabama 5-yard line but failed to find the end zone, settling for a 23-yard Scott Starzyk field goal to tie the game at 3.
LSU again drove into Alabama territory late in the first quarter before Starzyk missed a 56-yard field goal.
The Crimson Tide responded with an 11-play, 62-yard touchdown drive capped by a 1-yard run from Ryan Coleman-Williams to take a 10-3 lead.
LSU had another opportunity to answer before halftime, driving inside the Alabama 10.
Instead, quarterback Sam Leavitt’s fourth-down pass was batted down, giving the Crimson Tide possession at the 9.
LSU had reached the red zone twice and scored only three points.
Leavitt then threw an interception late in the half after LSU had again moved across midfield, and Alabama carried a 10-3 advantage into the locker room despite being outgained 209-143.
LSU continued to move the ball in the second half.
Starzyk connected from 41 yards on LSU’s opening possession of the third quarter, cutting Alabama’s lead to 10-6.
After the LSU defense forced another punt, the Tigers finally broke through.
Leavitt connected with Trey’Dez Green and Jackson Harris for big gains on a 90-yard drive before running back Dilin Jones punched in a 5-yard touchdown.
For the first time all night, LSU had the lead at 13-10 with 2:48 remaining in the third quarter.
It lasted just more than two minutes.
Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell immediately hit Rico Scott for a 57-yard completion, flipping the field in one play.
Four plays later, Russell found tight end Josh Ford for a 7-yard touchdown, putting Alabama back in front 17-13 with 40 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
“We took the lead with three minutes left in the third quarter,” LSU coach Lane Kiffin said. “And after that, they went down to score, and we played a really bad 18 minutes of football. I’m disappointed in that, really disappointed for our fans. And then, at that point, taking the lead, the stadium was ready to help take over, and they went down and scored.”
From there, the game unraveled quickly.
After LSU was forced to punt midway through the fourth quarter, Coleman-Williams returned the kick 32 yards to the LSU 25.
On Alabama’s next offensive snap, Russell connected with Cederian Morgan for a 25-yard touchdown to push the lead to 24-13.
LSU’s next possession ended on a fourth-down sack, giving Alabama another short field.
Russell took advantage again, finding Kaleb Edwards for a 4-yard touchdown that made it 31-13 with 6:23 remaining.
Alabama scored 21 unanswered points after LSU briefly took the lead.
LSU’s final meaningful possession ended inside the Alabama 10 when the Tigers were stopped on fourth down, fitting for an offense that consistently piled up yards but failed to turn them into points.
Leavitt finished 35 of 47 for 380 yards with no touchdowns and one interception.
Harris was LSU’s leading receiver with 11 catches for 166 yards, while Green added 10 receptions for 85 yards.
Jones led LSU on the ground with 56 yards on 17 carries and scored the Tigers’ only touchdown.
LSU finished with 457 total yards compared with Alabama’s 285, but the Tigers committed two turnovers while Alabama did not turn the ball over.
Russell completed 17 of 24 passes for 206 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. Alabama managed just 79 rushing yards, but it did not need sustained offensive production because LSU repeatedly gave the Crimson Tide favorable situations.
LSU’s defense held Alabama under 300 total yards, but several explosive plays proved costly. The 57-yard completion to Scott immediately after LSU took the lead was the biggest, while Alabama also took advantage of a long punt return to set up another fourth-quarter touchdown.
For LSU, the final score told a dramatically different story than the box score.
The Tigers had more yards, more plays and more possession.
Alabama had the only statistic that mattered - the final score 31-13.
