LSU had the yards, the possession, and plenty of chances. Alabama had the points.
That’s the story of Saturday’s 31-13 loss to No. 5 Alabama, a game in which the Tigers outgained the Crimson Tide 457-285 but still watched the visitors pull away with 21 unanswered points.
LSU moved the ball well enough to make this one feel competitive for long stretches. Finishing drives was the problem, and it was a brutal one.
Sam Leavitt was at the center of it. He completed 35 of 47 passes for 380 yards, but the stat line came without a touchdown and with one interception.
Leavitt kept LSU alive by pushing the offense downfield again and again, even while dealing with pressure throughout the game. The issue was what happened after the chains moved.
The Tigers kept getting close, then coming up empty.
The passing game was LSU’s best weapon, and Jackson Harris was the biggest reason why. He caught 11 passes for 166 yards and repeatedly gave the Tigers a way to stay on schedule. The receivers as a group helped LSU pile up those 380 passing yards and kept the offense moving, even if the scoreboard never fully reflected it.
Dilin Jones added 56 rushing yards and a touchdown on 17 carries, but LSU never found a steady rhythm on the ground. The run game flashed here and there, yet it never really took hold. A lot of that came back to the blocking in front of it.
That same issue showed up all night along the offensive line. LSU gave up four sacks and struggled to create dependable rushing lanes, which left the Tigers with just 77 net rushing yards on 33 attempts. At 2.3 yards per carry, the ground game never had much room to breathe, and the line’s inability to control the front made the offense work too hard in key moments.
The tight ends were mostly quiet as pass catchers, and their blocking wasn’t enough to change LSU’s rushing fortunes. They were present, but not a major factor in the offense’s production.
On the other side of the ball, LSU’s defensive front gave the Tigers a real chance to hang around. Alabama was held to 79 rushing yards and 2.7 yards per carry, and the Tigers also registered two sacks. For much of the afternoon, that group kept the Crimson Tide from running away on the ground.
The linebackers helped in that effort, too, but the consistency wasn’t there in coverage or containment. Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell found ways to extend plays and work through openings when the game tightened up. LSU did enough to slow the run, but not enough to stay clean in the critical stretches.
The secondary had its own problems. Alabama finished with 206 passing yards, but it also found the end zone through the air three times.
The cornerbacks had trouble stopping timely completions, especially as the Crimson Tide separated in the second half. The safeties also had a hard time keeping Alabama from turning opportunities into points, and the breakdowns in the back end proved costly.
Special teams didn’t tilt things LSU’s way, either. Scott Starzyk hit field goals from 23 and 41 yards, then missed from 56.
LSU also gave up a 32-yard punt return while managing only six yards on three punt returns of its own. The kicking game added six points, but it never became an edge.
The coaching staff had to live with the most painful part of all: LSU moved the ball and still couldn’t cash in. The Tigers went 0-for-4 on fourth down and turned just two of four red-zone trips into points.
Defensively, LSU let men go free all night, leading to several wide open touchdowns for Alabama. Even with the edge in total yardage and time of possession, the Tigers didn’t execute when it mattered.
In the end, this wasn’t a game LSU couldn’t compete in. It was a game LSU couldn’t finish. The receiving corps and defensive line gave the Tigers real positives to build on, but the offensive line and the breakdowns on defense made sure the night ended the same way too many of these do: with a scoreboard that didn’t match the effort.
In Other News...
LSU Just Added A Louisiana Linebacker Worth Watching Closely
LSU kept a Louisiana linebacker in the fold with the addition of JaMarquis Hudson, who flipped his commitment from Kansas to the Tigers. The move brings him back closer to home after he built his high school profile in Texas, and it also gives LSU another defender with real ties to the state and a clear connection to the programs staff.
Hudson said family ties to Louisiana and his relationships with LSU coaches played a major role in the change, and he has already developed a strong rapport with linebackers coach Chris Kiffin. He also knows there is work ahead, planning to add weight so he can better fit LSUs defensive scheme, which makes his development one of the more interesting things to watch as this commitment settles in. [Read more 🡒]
LSUs Alabama Grades Exposed One Bright Spot And One Big Concern
Pro Football Focus postgame grades offered a quick snapshot of where LSU held up and where it slipped in the loss to Alabama, and the numbers pointed to one clear offensive bright spot. Wide receiver Jackson Harris came out with the Tigers top offensive grade at 80.7, a sign that he was one of the few LSU players who consistently made his presence felt in a tough matchup.
The bigger concern showed up inside, where center Braelin Moore posted the lowest offensive mark at 49.3. On the other side of the ball, cornerback DJ Pickett led LSU with a 76.3 grade, and the defensive chart did not feature any glaringly poor performances, which leaves the focus on an offense that still has some sorting out to do. [Read more 🡒]
Will Wade Sent LSU A Warning After That Blowout
A big win over Texas Southern did not leave Will Wade sounding particularly satisfied, and that says plenty about where LSU is right now. Even after the Tigers handled business, Wade pointed to offensive inefficiencies and turnovers as the kind of slippage that can get exposed once the schedule stiffens, especially with Louisiana Tech and Gonzaga coming up next.
Donovan Dent said the message from the coach was all about staying locked in and not letting a lopsided result blur the bigger picture. For LSU, the concern is less about the final score from one night and more about whether the Tigers can clean up the details fast enough to be ready when the competition gets tougher. [Read more 🡒]