The No. 5 Alabama Crimson Tide beat the No. 14 LSU Tigers 31-13 on Saturday at Tiger Stadium, and the difference was finishing. LSU moved the ball better almost everywhere, then turned it over and came up empty on all 4 of its fourth-down tries. Alabama never gave the ball away.
The yardage ran heavily in LSU's favor: 457 total yards to 285, and 27 first downs to 13. None of that holds up when drives end in a fumble, an interception or a turnover on downs.
How It Happened
Conor Talty opened the scoring with a 43-yard field goal at 10:40 of the first quarter. Scott Starzyk answered with a 23-yarder at 4:48 to tie it.
Ryan Coleman-Williams punched in a 1-yard run at 8:23 of the second quarter. Talty's kick gave Alabama a lead it carried into halftime.
LSU took over the third quarter. Starzyk hit from 41 yards at 11:43, and Dilin Jones scored on a 5-yard run at 2:44 to give the Tigers their first lead of the day.
It didn't survive the quarter. Keelon Russell found Josh Ford for a 7-yard touchdown with 0:36 left in the third, putting Alabama back in front for good.
Russell then put it away in the fourth. He hit Cederian Morgan for a 25-yard score at 9:44 and Kaleb Edwards from 4 yards out at 6:23. LSU did not score again after Jones' touchdown.
Neither team could run the ball. LSU averaged 2.3 yards a carry and Alabama 2.7, which pushed the game onto the quarterbacks' arms.
That is where Alabama won it. LSU threw 48 times for 380 yards, but the Crimson Tide got more out of each throw, averaging 8.6 yards per pass to LSU's 7.9. Alabama converted just 3 of 11 third downs and still scored more, because it didn't waste the chances it got.
Key Performers
Keelon Russell, Alabama: TD passes of 7, 25 and 4 YDS
Alabama passing: 17-24, 206 YDS, 0 INT
Conor Talty, Alabama: 43-yard FG, extra point after every Alabama TD
LSU passing: 35-48, 380 YDS, 1 INT
Dilin Jones, LSU: 5-yard rushing TD
Scott Starzyk, LSU: FGs of 23 and 41 YDS
Russell's line is the story. Every one of his touchdown passes came after LSU had taken the lead, and they turned a tight game into a runaway.
LSU's passing numbers look like a winning afternoon. The interception and the lost fumble are why they weren't.
What It Means
This was a meeting of ranked teams, and the higher-ranked side won it on the road. Alabama sits at 7-2, including 3-1 away from home. Winning in a hostile building while being outgained is a result that should travel well.
LSU is 6-3. The Tigers are 5-1 at home and 1-2 on the road, so Baton Rouge has been where they do their best work.
That is what makes this one sting. LSU had the home crowd, the yardage edge and the time of possession, holding the ball for 32:45. Losing by this margin with all of that in hand points straight at the turnovers and the failed fourth downs.