Matthew Hinton/Associated Press
Three weeks after the game used to be firstly scheduled, No. 1 Alabama and LSU lastly squared off Saturday night, with the Crimson Tide pulling off a 55-17 victory at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge—the most facets Alabama has ever scored against LSU.
The contention sport used to be first deliberate for November 14 but used to be postponed attributable to COVID-19. After the Tigers snapped Alabama’s eight-sport successful hunch in the sequence final season, the Tide (9-0) took back watch over of the matchup over as soon as more Saturday, upping their all-time document against the Tigers to 54-26-5.
In accordance to DraftKings Sportsbook, Alabama entered as a 28.5-point well-liked at -112 (wager $112 to eradicate $100).
ESPN Stats & Recordsdata @ESPNStatsInfo
Mac Jones went 6-7 for 221 yards and 4 TD on passes thrown 15+ yards. Handiest 3 other FBS QB own had 4 such TD in a GAME this season.
Right here is the third time over the final 15 seasons an SEC crew has scored 45 1st half facets in SEC play. Alabama is accountable for all 3 instances. https://t.co/UdQbpVeG7F
The victory practically assures Prick Saban‘s program will remain atop the College Football Playoff rankings for one other week with handiest one regular-season sport left on the time desk. A 12 months after successful the national title, Ed Orgeron’s Tigers dropped to 3-5.
Fundamental Performers
Mac Jones, QB, Alabama Crimson Tide: 20-28 passing , 385 yards, 4 touchdowns
Najee Harris, RB, Alabama Crimson Tide: 21 carries, 145 yards, 3 touchdowns
DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama Crimson Tide: 8 catches, 231 yards, 3 touchdowns
T.J. Finley, QB, LSU Tigers: 14-28 passing, 144 yards, 1 touchdown
Kayshon Boutte, WR, LSU Tigers: 8 catches, 111 yards
DeVonta Smith Makes His Heisman Case
Alabama wideout DeVonta Smith entered Saturday’s sport with the sixth-easiest odds to eradicate the Heisman Trophy at +5000 (wager $100 to eradicate $5000). He can quiz those odds to circulate enormously in his favor after torching LSU.
Smith showed more in one half on the boulevard against the Tigers than most gamers are in a region of proving over the direction of a beefy season.
By diagram of 30 minutes, Smith tallied 219 yards and three touchdowns on seven catches. It wasn’t appropriate the numbers he posted but the spectacular kind whereby he gathered them.
The Louisiana native caught a 65-yard circulate for his first win of the day, which came with the Tide already up 21-7. The deep ball worked so properly for Smith that Jones went upright wait on to him with a 61-yard toss to circulate up 35-14.
Smith’s third win used to be arguably his most impressive.
Working against cornerback Derek Stingley Jr.—who 247Sports initiatives as a future first-round have—Smith used to be in a region to procure in the wait on of the defense and into the wait on of the conclude zone where he hauled in a one-handed circulate from Jones corresponding to Odell Beckham Jr.’s signature touchdown for the New York Giants.
LSU’s defense surely is now not forever at the stage it used to be final season, but there’s quiet heaps of abilities on the Tigers’ roster, notably in the secondary. Smith made them peek overmatched across the board.
It would now not be enough to eradicate him the Heisman Trophy but there’s no quiz Smith put forth a stable case for the award on Saturday.
Offensive Gaffes Plague Tigers
For as problematic as LSU’s defense has been this season, the crew’s offense has carried out them tiny favors.
Saturday used to be the most up-to-date example, and there had been so much of moments to grab from.
Even when the Tigers came across the conclude zone, they practically impress themselves facets by placing the ball on the bottom early. Kayshon Boutte dedicated one of many cardinal sins of operating into the conclude zone by celebrating too early and losing the ball prior to he crossed the aim line.
It’s a play that has frustrated a quantity of coaches and embarrassed countless gamers. Boutte used to be saved when teammate Jontre Kirklin rushed up in the wait on of him and secured the ball in the conclude zone to make certain that LSU bought the touchdown. It used to be a brutal gaffe for a program with expectations devour LSU that used to be compounded by the depth of playing in a contention sport against the No. 1 crew in the nation.
It used to be also one of four fumbles the Tigers dedicated against the Tide. The truth that LSU recovered three of the fumbles doesn’t procure that stat loads better.
The one fumble the Tigers didn’t increase was seven facets for Alabama.
For a program taking a peek to contend against the Tide longterm, those had been the styles of errors that Alabama is continually in a region to have away from.
Even unhurried in the fourth quarter—with the game clearly out of reach and the Tigers taking a peek to procure the deficit a bit of more legitimate—backup QB Max Johnson chose to throw an conclude zone move to freshman wideout Arik Gilbert in one-on-one coverage. The play had tiny chance and would’ve required the form of eradicate from Gilbert that Smith made over Stingley.
It used to be a unhappy resolution on the piece of Johnson compounded by a dominant Alabama defense.
One 12 months after celebrating on the Tide’s logo at midfield of Bryant-Denny Stadium, the Tigers slumped off their procure turf, showing how a long way they own to circulate to compete against the good the of the game.
What’s Next
Alabama ends its regular season subsequent week Saturday at the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Tigers quiet own two games remaining—one at No. 6 Florida on Saturday adopted by a apartment sport against Ole Miss on Dec. 19.
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