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LSU football: Alabama’s message to recruits was stronger than the Tigers’
By Les East
Published:
LSU players saw their victory over Alabama last season as a recruiting opportunity.
Moments after the top-ranked Tigers ended an 8-game losing streak to the Crimson Tide with a 46-41 victory, a few players ran to the stands where recruits were seated and gestured to them.
The message to recruits who were considering both programs was to come to LSU because they were the new heavyweight champions.
Alabama remembered.
And Alabama had a message of their own Saturday night.
But the Tide didn’t wait until their postgame celebration to send it.
They did it on the 1st possession of the game, and the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th.
They did it with their offense, defense and special teams.
They did it for 60 minutes.
Their message in a beatdown that exceeded what was suggested by the 55-17 final score was essentially the same as the Tigers’ message a year ago: “If you’re choosing between us and them, this game should convince you to join us.”
Both messages were reminders that the Alabama-LSU rivalry isn’t restricted to 60 minutes of football in early November – or early December, when COVID-19 sticks its nose into things.
It’s a 24/7/365 competition in which the game is merely an annual final exam. The game reveals how well the programs are doing in their year-round battle for supremacy in the SEC West.
It’s about recruiting, which often includes head-to-head competition for numerous elite recruits each season.
But it’s not just that.
It is about attracting the best players to join your program, but it’s also about coaching them to the height of their potential and retaining as many of them as you can for as long as you can.
LSU caught lightning in a bottle in 2019.
But otherwise, Alabama has scored higher on the final exam because they generally have had somewhat better recruiting classes (including more victories in head-to-head matchups), and they have done a better job of maximizing recruits’ potential and of retaining their services longer.
All of that leads to more continuity, more depth, more consistency and a greater degree of sustained success.
All of that was demonstrated Saturday night at Tiger Stadium, which was about a quarter-full because of COVID-19 restrictions. In the absence of the restrictions, the crowd size likely would have been about the same by the 3rd-quarter kickoff because of the lopsided nature of the game.
LSU’s exuberant celebration a year ago, which included coach Ed Orgeron’s less-than-respectful postgame rendition of the “Roll Tide” cheer that became less private than intended, was perhaps unwise, though nonetheless somewhat understandable under the circumstances.
But this Alabama-LSU thing is not a sprint but a marathon.
A win on your strongest rival’s home field, especially one that ends an 8-game losing streak that felt like it was decades long, is a big deal and worthy of celebration.
But it’s merely a momentary victory.
The bigger spoils are earned over time with sustained recruiting superiority and program building and maintenance.
Alabama flexed their muscles Saturday night.
Sure, LSU lost a lot of players to the NFL after their championship season, most before they ran out of eligibility. Others opted out during the summer. Terrace Marshall Jr. opted out 6 days before Alabama came calling.
But Alabama has lost a lot of players prematurely after their numerous recent national championships. Opt-outs have been a challenge for every program in America this season.
The disparity on final-exam scores Saturday night revealed how well the foundations of the 2 programs are built to withstand setbacks.
Alabama’s foundation is solid and entrenched; LSU’s is still being reinforced.
The Tide players didn’t need to make a demonstration to recruits after the game was over.
They made their statement while the game was being played.
LSU’s challenge is to outperform Alabama over the next 11 months so they score much better on the next exam.
Les East is a New Orleans-based football writer who covers LSU for SaturdayDownSouth.com. Follow him on Twitter @Les_East.
