No. 9 Alabama delivered a major setback to No. 15 LSU’s College Football Playoff aspirations during Lane Kiffin’s inaugural season as head coach. Quarterback Keelon Russell threw three touchdowns on Saturday to guide Kalen DeBoer’s squad to a 31-13 victory at Death Valley, dropping Kiffin’s career record against Alabama to 0-6.
Game Progression and Key Highlights
The Crimson Tide and Tigers initially stood at No. 5 and No. 14 in the initial College Football Playoff selection committee rankings, but LSU now faces the threat of missing the postseason after suffering its third loss of the year in Baton Rouge. Although LSU began strongly by forcing a three-and-out on Alabama’s second play, the Crimson Tide broke the ice when a successful handoff fake allowed Ryan Coleman-Williams to jog into the endzone during his return from a knee procedure.
LSU struggled to close out the first half, finishing their final two offensive possessions with Sam Leavitt throwing an incomplete pass on fourth-and-four followed by an interception. The Tigers regrouped to start the second half with a 10-point run, punctuated by a rushing touchdown from Dilin Jones that gave them their first lead of the contest.
Fourth-Quarter Collapse and Final Stats
The home team’s lead proved short-lived as Alabama marched 75 yards in just five plays, reclaiming the advantage on a touchdown pass from Russell. LSU’s comeback ambitions dissolved in the final period as both units faltered; Russell connected with Cederian Morgan on a 25-yard touchdown pass before the Alabama defense sacked Leavitt to force a turnover on downs, setting up yet another Crimson Tide scoring drive.
Despite outgaining Alabama 457 yards to 285 yards, LSU failed to convert on all four of their fourth-down attempts. Alabama aims to maintain this momentum next weekend in a road game against Vanderbilt to solidify its playoff position.
LSU faces a narrow margin for error and a daunting upcoming schedule, having yet to secure a victory against a ranked opponent this season ahead of hosting No. 7 Texas and traveling to face No. 13 Tennessee over the next fortnight.
