No. 9 Alabama dealt a brutal blow to No. 15 LSU’s College Football Playoff dreams, slamming them 31-13 on Saturday in Death Valley. This crushing defeat means Lane Kiffin is now an abysmal 0-6 in his head coaching career against the Crimson Tide, a stat that’s getting harder and harder for LSU fans to swallow as their team sinks deeper into a hole.
DeBoer’s Tide Rolls, Kiffin’s Tigers Can’t Answer Russell
Kalen DeBoer led his Alabama squad to the dominant win, with quarterback Keelon Russell absolutely torching LSU’s defense. Russell finished the day 17 for 24 passing, tossing for 206 yards and three touchdowns without a single interception. His top targets were Cederian Morgan, who hauled in one catch for 25 yards and a touchdown, Josh Ford with two catches for 15 yards and a score, and Kaleb Edwards who had three receptions for 50 yards and a touchdown. Running back Ryan Coleman-Williams, making his first appearance back from a knee procedure, also found the endzone on one of his two carries for 10 yards. For LSU, quarterback Sam Leavitt put up big yardage, completing 35 of 47 passes for 380 yards, but he couldn’t find the endzone and threw one interception. Wide receiver Jackson Harris was a beast, catching 11 passes for 166 yards, but also without a touchdown. Dillon Jones led the ground attack with 17 carries for 56 yards and LSU’s only rushing touchdown.
Fourth Down Woes Haunt LSU as Tide Pull Away
LSU actually started the game looking strong, forcing Alabama into a three-and-out on just their second play. But it was Alabama who scored first, with a successful handoff fake setting up Coleman-Williams to jog into the endzone. LSU’s final two offensive drives of the first half ended in disaster, first with an incompletion on 4th and four by Leavitt, then followed by a brutal interception. The Tigers did open the third quarter on a promising 10-point run, capped off by Dillon Jones’ rushing touchdown that gave them their first lead of the game. That lead was short-lived, though. Alabama answered back in just five plays, driving 75 yards downfield and capping it with a touchdown pass from Russell. LSU’s comeback hopes totally fell apart in the fourth quarter. Russell hit Cederian Morgan for a 25-yard dime to extend Alabama’s lead. Then, Alabama’s defense sacked Leavitt, forcing a turnover on downs, which set up yet another Crimson Tide touchdown drive. Despite outgaining Alabama by a whopping 457 yards to 285 yards, LSU’s 0-for-4 performance on fourth down attempts sealed their fate.
This third loss of the season puts LSU in serious danger of missing the College Football Playoff altogether. Alabama, currently ranked No. 5 in the first CFP selection committee rankings, will look to ride this momentum into another road game next weekend at Vanderbilt, hoping to secure their playoff spot. For No. 14 LSU, there’s absolutely no room for error moving forward with a brutal schedule. They’re still searching for a ranked win this season and face No. 7 Texas at home, then head on the road to battle No. 13 Tennessee over the next two weeks. It’s win or go home, and Kiffin needs to find an answer.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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