Here are some quick thoughts from Alabama’s empahtic win over LSU:

What it means: It mirrored the punch for punch, heavyweight fight most of us expected from two College Football Playoff contenders during the first few rounds before Alabama landed several right hooks then an uppercut in the third quarter for the knockout blow. You wanted vintage Alabama coming off a bye? That’s what fans in Tuscaloosa got from a dominant outing defensively. Coupled with Mississippi’s loss to Arkansas earlier in the day, the Tide now control their own destiny in the SEC West race in their quest to reach the Playoff.

What I liked: Derrick Henry’s gritty performance in the face of playing second fiddle throughout the week to Heisman front-runner Leonard Fournette. Henry’s 40-yard gallop in the second quarter to the LSU 5 summed up the Tigers’ frustrating night in a nutshell as he stiff-armed Jamal Adams the final 20 yards. Henry finished with 210 yards and three touchdowns and likely took the lead for the nation’s top award in the process.

What I didn’t like: LSU’s offensive line picked a bad time to play its worst game of the season as Alabama’s front seven steamrolled one of the league’s better units. Fournette never found a window other than a 18-yard gain off tackle in the fourth, rushing for just 31 yards — 162 below his nation-leading average.

Who’s the man:  Easily one of Lane Kiffin’s better coached games, Alabama’s OC added a new wrinkle on during the Tide’s bye week in preparation for LSU’s strength up front. By inserting 300-pound nose guard A’Shawn Robinson into jumbo sets in short-yardage situations, it gave Alabama another mountain of muscle to create space. Schematically, Kiffin did a great job getting Calvin Ridley the ball in space, managing Kenyan Drake’s touches and putting Jake Coker in position to be successful.

Key play: LSU quarterback Brandon Harris tossed his first interception of the season on LSU’s opening possession of the second half on an errant throw intended for a tight end. Alabama Linebacker Dillon Lee made a nice play on the ball and the Crimson Tide scored four plays later to push ahead, 20-10. And that was all she wrote for LSU.

What’s next: Alabama embarks on a mini-two game SEC season which decides if the Tide reach the SEC Championship. A road trip to nationally-ranked Mississippi State looms with a home finale against Charleston Southern coming before the Iron Bowl. At best, LSU can finish 10-1 in the regular season and Playoff hopes have diminished.