Rapid Reaction: Wild! LSU's record day ends Alabama's reign
Any questions now?
LSU answered the biggest Saturday, finally slaying Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide 46-41, ending Alabama’s 8-year winning streak in the series.
There is not a better team in the country than the one that just dethroned the most indomitable team of the past decade.
This was LSU’s 4th victory over a top 10 victory this season — and obviously its most important and impressive. This was Alabama’s first loss at home since 2015, ending the nation’s longest streak. This was the most points LSU has scored in series history.
The Tigers’ performance was as legacy-changing as it was Playoff-defining.
And, perhaps, just maybe, it signaled a long-term changing of the guard in the SEC West.
This was LSU, finally, not only matching Alabama’s offensive firepower but exceeding it.
Ed Orgeron told his team all week, and probably longer, that it was the better team, that it had the better quarterback. Saturday, they proved it.
The Tigers jumped to a 10-0 lead in the 1st quarter, cashing in on Tua Tagovailoa’s fumble just when it appeared the Tide might strike first. Instead, LSU recovered at its 8 and Joe Burrow went to work.
Burrow went 3-for-3 for 74 yards, the final 33 coming on a TD toss to Ja’Marr Chase for a 7-0 lead. The lead grew to 10-0 before Jaylen Waddle returned a punt 77 yards for a TD to make it 10-7.
Burrow struck back, hitting 4 more passes, including a 29-yard TD toss to Terrace Marshall to make it 16-7. After that throw, Burrow was 9-for-9 for 149 yards and 2 TDs — as if he were playing Alabama A&M.
Tagovailoa, hobbled by a surgically-repaired right ankle, finally found his rhythm on Bama’s ensuing drive. He hit Jerry Jeudy on 2 passes and then delivered a dime on a go route to DeVonta Smith, who got behind Derek Stingley for a 64-yard TD to make it 16-13. Joseph Bulovas missed the PAT.
York, who also missed a PAT, connected on his 2nd FG to make it 19-13 just before halftime. That represented the most points LSU had scored against Alabama since 2010.
They weren’t done.
After forcing 3-and-out, LSU took over at its 39. Eight plays later, Clyde Edwards-Helaire dived over from the 1 to give the Tigers a 26-13 lead. Burrow had 2 big runs during the drive and a beautiful throw to Thaddeus Moss to set up the TD.
They still weren’t done.
Tagovailoa tossed an interception on Bama’s next play. Burrow promptly hit Edwards-Helaire for a TD — his 3rd TD pass of the half— to make it 33-13. Only twice in series history had LSU scored more — and the Tigers still had 2 quarters to go.
It was as shocking as Alabama’s comeback.
Alabama slowed down LSU in the second half. Tagovailoa hit Najee Harris for a TD to draw within 33-20. Moments later, Harris was back in the end zone, capping another long drive with a short TD run to make it 33-27.
Could Alabama do the unthinkable and erase a 20-point halftime deficit?
Burrow provided the answer. Twice he converted key 3rd downs to keep the chains moving. His QB draw on 3rd-and-5 gave LSU a 1st-and-goal. Edwards-Helaire ran in for a TD on the next play to provide some breathing room. The 2-point conversion failed, but the Tigers pushed their lead to 39-27 with 10:07 left.
Jeudy’s TD catch pulled the Tide within 39-34.
Alabama needed a stop. Burrow couldn’t be stopped. LSU couldn’t be stopped. Burrow drove them down the field and Edwards-Helaire ran it in from 7 yards to make it 46-34.
Tagovailoa answered with an 85-yard TD pass to DeVonta Smith to make it 46-41. Tagovailoa had 418 yards and 4 TDs. Somehow, that wasn’t enough. Burrow threw for 393 yards and 3 TDs.
LSU promised its offense was better. Saturday delivered the ultimate proof.
The only question remaining is: Who’s next?
What. a. Game!
We are done.
Our run was good but recruits don’t want to come here anymore. They would rather play against us than with us. They don’t need us to get to the NFL.
Saban’s hair has diminished with our hopes over the years. His baldness shown from the TV cameras above make it very apparent, and he’s always been short.
It was a great run.
It’s one game dude
He is a troll…
Ahhh should have known
What the fuuu?!?!
bubbatime needs to go. Go away troll!
I’ve said it more than once.
Those who pay attention understand changes before they are apparent to the masses.
We are on our way down.
It was a great run.
I hope you are on your way down. We were down by 20 and could have been blown out. We lost but at least went down fighting. Get a grip.
I hope you are on your way down. Bama down 20 at least we keep on grinding. We could have been blown out. Losing sucks but we came out swinging and lost by 5.
Didn’t mean to post twice.
Holy sh*t, what a game, both NC caliber teams, congrats to both teams
Anyone who puts OSU over LSU should be immediately impeached.
Heck of a game. Congratulations to the tiger fans and good luck the rest of the way… Roll tide and on to next week.
Anyone want to start an emotional support group?
Wow. Great game Tigers. Think you better dust off some space in the trophy case for Mr. Burrow. Can’t wait to see LSU-UGA in Atlanta.
Hate that it started out the way it did but heck of a game. Hard to dig yourself out of a hole like that but we came close. Good Game!
Did not see that high scoring game coming. Definitely a crazy game that lived up to the hype. That last touchdown pass from Tua was wild. Best of luck to Alabama for the remainder of the season.
Smokin Joe
Congrats to LSU. Wild game from the beginning. Took Tua too long to get into the game, but what a second half from him.
Yeah the slow start was a killer… Took to long for the offense to get going.
Geaux Tigers!
What a game! It was everything it was hyped up to be. There’s no way they can deny us the #1 spot now. LSU with this win has the making to win it all this year. Great win!
Great win for the Tigers!! Wonder if Tide fans around here are still questioning LSUs schedule?
This is the best tm in Clb led by the best QB
Nobleman69, don’t know any Bama fans questioning LSU’s schedule. Before this game is was much better than Bama’s.
Ask BamaTime what his take was. There were others too.
My take was LSU didn’t beat three top ten team and they didn’t as Texas is unranked… You’re now saying they beat 4 top ten teams and again they haven’t…
Everyone says LSU has played a great schedule but you’re the one fluffing it..
theyre saying we beat teams that were top 10 teams at the time obviously. also obviously, that matters to pretty much everyone else, whether its coaches or media, except you. guess what. youre nobody and your opinion means nothing. lsu has beaten 4 top 10 teams. deal with it.
It obviously matters to the committee as they didn’t say LSU beat 3 top ten teams either….
LSU has played a great schedule.. There is no need to fluff it.
I don’t know how to view beating Top 10 teams vs unranked. I know a few years ago #1 Bama played #3 Florida St. FSU QB got hurt and their season went downhill. They finished 7-5 or 6-6 (either or). I view that at first as a awesome win. It turned out a dud for a win. My question is, was that a Top 10 win or a lousy win?
Anyway, go Tigers and beat them Dawgs in ATL!
Both teams are a bit overrated.. But so glad LSU won.. They will no doubt give Alabama an easier path to the playoffs since they get to skip the Sec championship game..
Alabama won’t get in the playoff over a 1 loss conference champion. Even if that conference champion is Clemson. Thanks to losing this game and the SEC West being down, Alabama’s best win is going to be over a 4 loss unranked Auburn team.
How are the Buffaloes fairing in the PAC12?
Agreed. Our playoff chances are pretty much nonexistent after this game. There are way too many teams still alive for the playoff. We will only get in if there is an insane amount of chaos.
Any assumption at this point is just that. Plenty of time for things to happen. Never assume in CFB
Fun game though I’m irrationally angry at LSU giving up that last TD to Bama why are you pressing playing bump and run instead of prevent like what a stupid defensive call
Way to go LSU!!!
Congrats LSU. Heck of a game
man that was a fun watch. Congrats toLSU. A really dominating first half and then extremely good play when bama mounted their comeback. Hats off to two great RB’s too. The only thing that would have made it better is if Tua was 100%. He played like a champ in the second half. Burrow was extremely impressive….. again.
Have to admit, I wasn’t all in on O as HC. But he had a vision for how he thought a dominant title condending tm should play and its proved fruitful. With the annual top talent LSU gets at the skill positions, the future is bright in BR for the Tigers led by O. A lot of people doubted him but they can shut up now. Geaux Tigers!
I’m happy for Coach Eddie O. because there were so many so called experts that treat him like dirt and made him look like a total idiot because of where he’s from, how he talks, and his past job performance. He learned from his mistakes and his LSU on the road to a championship when the so called experts said he would last long or he wasn’t the right man for the job. I hope they like the crow. Way to go, Coach Eddie O.
Very well said. I didn’t mind folks talking about his record because it speaks for itself but all those taking shots about how talks insinuating he’s a idiot can definitely eat crow!
In Bryant Denny, well done GeauxTigers.
That’s FOUR (4) wins over top 10 tms now. Pretty impressive. If not for the early punt return TD, it could’ve been a more comfortable win. Gotta give the Tide credit for continuing to fight but the Tigers were not to be denied.
Thoughts on Bama’s playoffs chances now? Given their strength of schedule they needed this one bad. LSU and Clemson are most likely in. Ohio St will have to beat Minnesota and after today the Gophers don’t look too shabby. It will come down to who is the best one loss team.
They will have to beat Penn State – who is still a good team – and Michigan and then play Wisconsin again. Their path won’t be easy.
If LSU, Clemson, and Ohio all run the table and finish undefeated I really don’t see much of a path for Bama. Too many good 1-loss teams with a much more difficult SOS, not too mention Baylor possibly finishing undefeated…
I admit. I criticized the Ed Orgeron hire as recently as … well prior to this game. I was wrong.
As did most, including LSU fans. I thought LSU hiring Coach O as full time HC would be an absolute disaster. Boy was I wrong. Plus he is fun as hell, dude is always happy and in a positive mood.
Wow. What an absolutely incredible game! It had everything. Defensive stops, blocked and missed FG’s and punts. Fumbles, interceptions and plenty of outstanding plays.
Tua did everything he possibly could, and those receivers! Wow!
Joe Burrow may have had his Heisman moment, but Clyde Edwards-Helaire played his heart out and left it all out on the field.
Game of the year by far!
Bama may have only played one top 25 team before today, but they are the real deal. Don’t let their schedule fool you.
LSU is one heck of a team. Didn’t expect to get blown out in the beginning, and mistakes and penalties killed us early. Loved how Tua and Co. fought back at the end, but the deficit was too much. Congrats to the Tigers and Coach O, it’ll be tough to unseat this team!
It’s the year of the Tiger. Congrats to LSU, y’all have a heck-uv-a team. Bama looked extremely undisciplined most of the night, and they shot themselves in the foot a few too many times to keep up with Burrow and Co. All we can do is win the rest of our games and hope for chaos.
LSU is the real deal and they should be the favorite to win the NC at this point.
My first inclination was to rub it in. But Alabama played a great game. Tua played a great game. And the Alabama fans on here have been very decent. Kudos to Tua Tagovailoa. You have to appreciate a courageous game like he played today. But, man, am I glad LSU beat Bama! Gotta love Joe Burrow and Clyde Edwards-Helaire, too. Determined.
I have to admit: it stings a little bit. But LSU is a great team, and tonight, the better team. We dug ourselves into a hole that was impossible to get out of, but I’m proud of our guys for fighting and not laying down. LSU should win the sec and go on to the national championship, maybe even win it all. They’re the real deal. Congrats to the Tigers and Coach O
YOU did not put yourself in a hole. WE put you into a hole. Just being clear
585, I’m thankful that you cleared that up.
It was both. LSU player great while Bama made plenty of unforced errors and mistakes
Congrats to LSU Im hoping another SEC wins a NC this year little tired of seeing bama vs clemson. I think LSU vs Ohio state would be a great NC game
For the millionth time. LSU winning the national title does not benefit UF. It will help LSU recruit players that would otherwise consider UF. Ohio State recruits mostly midwestern players plus southern players looking to leave the southeast anyway. Their winning the title doesn’t affect UF. Clemson is in the southeast but they are still an ACC school. They don’t directly recruit against UF that often. (Maybe against UGA more due to sharing a border but that’s UGA’s problem.)
Your interest is UF being the first SEC team since 2010 to win a title other than Alabama. Not LSU, UGA or anyone else.
You’re a lot of fun, aren’t you? Why aren’t you on the Pac-12 blog? Does the Pac-12 even have a blog? If so, does anyone use it?
And yet it does. Any change up in the status quo is helpful. Florida has a pretty terrible history against bammer, however, they dont against LSU. We get LSU every year, we font get bammer every year. A strong LSU is beneficial in multiple ways, them winning the NC ultimately makes them stronger. Afa recruiting, it is what it is. LSU will always lock down Louisiana, even when they’re not good those kids still go to LSU. Just the way it is. Recruiting in the state of Florida will come with success, always does. Florida will win the East next year, not even worried about that, jawja has been regressing year after year even with all those croots. Not a lot to hang the Gator hat on this year, but losing to LSU in a relatively close game is something, albeit not a big something. But something nonetheless, and after the last two regimes that is something to build on. So yeah. LSU wing the Natty is in Floridas interest.
You literally addressed a point he didn’t make and then proceeded to lecture and wag you finger.
That was such a fun game to watch not only b/c my team won but b/c for the first time in years it was competitive. This victory was a little sweeter with the game being played @ Bama. Hats off to Bama…they played their hearts out. I knew that once Ed O. got the interim tag removed he would bring LSU back to prominence.
Fantastic game. LSU is very definitely for real.
That said, the CFP committee takes key player injuries into account and Tua was clearly not 100%. I think Alabama stays in the top four, maybe even ahead of an undefeated Clemson.
Great game. Ohio State is the best team in the nation because of their defense which is strong on all three levels. Bama’s program is not in decline in my opinion, LSU has come up. What makes the SEC elite is when Bama, LSU, Auburn, Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee are all close to each other in talent and you really can’t tell who’ll win until the game is over.
Game went pretty much how I expected. On a neutral field, I still think LSU is 2 TDs better than Alabama this year, and even in Bryant-Denny they really should have won by two possessions. After Bama’s first drive when Tua fumbled, there was really only one drive the rest of the game where it felt like LSU wasn’t pretty firmly in control, and that was the drive that Alabama cut it to 6 with 10:00 to go or so. Once LSU converted the first 3rd and 10 on their next drive to get some momentum back it seemed like LSU was destined to put the game away there, and they did. It seemed all game like it took everything Alabama had just to stay in the game and keep it competitive. Ultimately, it looked like the pressure got to Alabama more than it did LSU.
Very impressive win for LSU. If that doesn’t cement them as the no. 1 team I don’t know what will. No way UGA beats them if they play in the SEC championship. Burrow is the best QB in the nation right now and is the overwhelming reason they are rolling to the extent they are.
What a game. Alabama almost pulls it out after they wear LSU’s defense down in the second half. LSU tries being more conservative in the second half running the ball on first downs and it almost costs them the game. Only when they went back on the attack and use the pass to set up the run do they regain control. #22 is a man. He looks and runs like Zeke Elliott. Great game by both teams. Anybody who thinks Bama is done as an elite team is just plain wrong.
Sorry, Ohio State, but LSU is, to my eyes, the most impressive team in the country right now.
That was a fun game to watch. Congrats to LSU.
It was a great game by 2 of the best teams I’ve ever seen. I’ve never seen so many big plays in one game. It literally came down to the last possession. It was awesome.
Congrats to LSU. You guys earned 100% of that victory. Games like last night are why Saturdays Down South are something special. How could anyone not love Coach O? He’s the perfect coach for your program, and he too, earned 100% of the smile plastered across his face last night. If things hold up, LSU v UGA should be one whale of a game.
Enjoy this victory. It’s been a long time coming for your program, your fans, and you’re State.