Alabama didn’t just beat LSU on Saturday night. It walked out of Tiger Stadium with a result that changes the shape of its season.
No. 5 Alabama’s 31-13 win over No.
14 LSU pushed Kalen DeBoer to 3-0 against the Tigers and gave the Crimson Tide a much-needed jolt after a rough stretch that had included the close loss to Georgia, the blowout in Knoxville and most of three uninspiring quarters against Texas A&M. This one looked different from the start.
It felt like Alabama was playing with purpose again.
The Tide’s offense set the tone early, opening with a 50-yard drive that ended in a field goal after a holding penalty stalled things out. Two possessions later, Keelon Russell put together an 11-play, 62-yard march that ate 6:32 off the clock and finished with a misdirection end-around handoff to Ryan Coleman-Williams.
That was only the beginning. After LSU briefly grabbed the lead with an 11-play, 90-yard touchdown drive, Alabama answered immediately.
Russell led a five-play, 75-yard response and found Josh Ford for the touchdown to put the Tide back in front. In the fourth quarter, Ryan Coleman-Williams flipped the field again with a 32-yard punt return, and Russell needed just one snap to connect with Cederian Morgan on a 25-yard touchdown.
He later hit Kaleb Edwards from 4 yards out to put the game away.
The defense wasn’t perfect, but it kept showing up when the moment got tight. LSU managed only three points through its first three drives after Alabama forced a missed 56-yard field goal and then got a crucial red-zone stop when Chuck McDonald blitzed to deflect a Sam Leavitt pass on fourth down.
Late in the first half, Alabama tightened the screws again. Devan Thompkins sacked Leavitt, then pressured him on the next snap, and Leavitt’s throw ended up in Luke Metz’s hands for an interception. That left LSU with just three first-half points.
The Tigers did find some rhythm after halftime, including the 11-play, 90-yard touchdown drive that was the game’s biggest defensive blemish. But Alabama answered that, too, forcing a turnover on downs on the next LSU possession. LSU finished 0-for-4 on fourth down, including a fourth-and-10 attempt from its own 25 with eight minutes left that effectively ended any hope of a comeback.
The result matters because Alabama no longer has to rely on the College Football Playoff committee to sort things out for it. The Crimson Tide entered the night at No. 5 in the CFP rankings, and this win over LSU gives them another strong line on the résumé, alongside victories over ranked Kentucky and South Carolina.
A playoff berth is still not guaranteed. Alabama can’t afford to coast from here, and a 9-3 team with a loss to LSU could have still been in the mix. But a 9-3 Alabama with a loss to Vanderbilt or Auburn would be in a far shakier spot.
For now, though, the Tide have a statement win, a signature road victory and a season that suddenly looks pointed in the right direction again.
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Stephen A. Just Turned Up The Pressure On Kalen DeBoer
Alabamas season has reached the point where every stumble gets magnified, and Stephen A. Smith made sure the latest one landed with extra force. With the Crimson Tide sitting at 6-2, the spotlight has only intensified on Kalen DeBoer, whose first year in Tuscaloosa has already been measured against the programs usual standard of near-perfection and playoff contention.
The timing matters because LSU is next, and it is the kind of game that can either steady the season or deepen the questions around where Alabama is headed. Smiths criticism only adds to the pressure surrounding a team that is still ranked, still in the mix, and still expected to look more like Alabama, even as the margin for error keeps shrinking. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Showed One New Strength Nate Oats Has Been Demanding
Nate Oats spent the offseason stressing a point Alabama could not ignore after its 2025-26 NCAA Tournament loss: the Crimson Tide had to get better on the glass. In the 2026-27 season opener against Arkansas State, that message showed up in a big way, as Alabama piled up 25 offensive rebounds, the most in the Oats era, and turned those extra possessions into a 101-86 win.
Even with the shot not falling the way Alabama would have liked, the rebounding edge gave the Tide a cushion and a clear early sign of progress in an area Oats has been pushing for months. It was also notable because Alabama did it without its best offensive rebounder, Jaxon Richardson, which only adds another layer to what the team may be capable of once that part of the rotation is fully in place. [Read more 🡒]
Keelon Russell Faces A Huge Alabama Weekend With More Than Heisman Stakes
A packed college football weekend is putting several of the sports biggest names under the microscope, and Alabama fans have a particular reason to keep one eye on the Heisman race and another on the schedule. Keelon Russell is among the quarterbacks whose performance could ripple beyond the standings, with his game carrying weight not just for Alabamas playoff hopes but also for the way the sports hottest players are being tracked in the card market.
The broader slate features other Heisman hopefuls such as Jeremiah Smith, Kenny Minchey, Sam Leavitt, Trinidad Chambliss, Gunner Stockton, Devon Dampier and Bear Bachmeier, turning the weekend into a referendum on momentum as much as talent. For collectors, the stakes are tied to more than wins and losses, since player performances can move card values quickly, and the mix of licensed and unlicensed cards adds another layer to how these names are being chased. [Read more 🡒]