Fresh off the bye week, Alabama looked ready to play in Death Valley, as the team dismantled LSU 42-13.
Here is the good, the bad and the ugly in the team’s win over the Tigers.
The good
Jalen Milroe played well against LSU once again. A year removed from a four-touchdown rushing performance against the Tigers, Milroe repeated his success and scored four rushing touchdowns this go-around to lead the Alabama offense.
His passing numbers don’t jump off the page as he completed 12 of 18 passes for only 109 yards, but his legs were the story of the game as he rushed for a career-high 185 yards, including a 72-yard touchdown run at the beginning of the fourth quarter to effectively seal the win for the Crimson Tide.
“Jalen was Jalen, he had a great performance,” team captain offensive guard Tyler Booker said. “He ran the ball really well.”
The defense impressed once again and continued to force turnovers. Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack’s “Swarm” defense took the ball from LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier three times. This marks the third game in a row the Crimson Tide defense has forced three or more turnovers.
The first turnover came on a strip sack by linebacker Jihaad Campbell, whom the Alabama defense pounced on to recover. Then, on the Tigers’ first drive of the second half, linebacker Deontae Lawson intercepted Nussmeier in the end zone to end a 15-play drive.
Safety Bray Hubbard continued to impress, intercepting Nussmeier in the fourth quarter to cap off a strong day for the Crimson Tide defense.
“We didn’t really care about their stadium, their fans and how they bring the crowd into the game,” Campbell said. “We cared about playing as a unit and going out and smashing people in the face.”
Alabama’s third-down offense excelled. Three weeks removed from a 3/14 third-down performance in Knoxville that contributed to a crushing loss, the offense responded by going a very efficient 10/13 on third down. It was mostly thanks to the rushing attack, as seven of the 10 conversions came on the ground.
The 76.9% conversion rate on third down is the highest for the team this season, and the offense extending drives helped keep the defense rested and off the field.
The offensive line hit its stride. The team will want to ensure Milroe doesn’t get hurt as the season rolls on, and allowing no sacks the entire game is a major way to prevent that.
Along with protecting Milroe, the O-line helped aid the rushing attack to 311 yards and six touchdowns.
“I think our line played physical,” head coach Kalen DeBoer said. “I think we won the trenches very well.”
The bad
Neither Ryan Williams nor Germie Bernard got going. Perhaps due to the run-heavy nature of the game, the two most productive receivers for the Crimson Tide this season were relatively quiet.
Williams caught two passes for 29 yards but had the chance for more, as what could have potentially been a 48-yard touchdown slipped just off his fingertips. Bernard was even quieter, registering only one catch for a negative yard.
The ugly
The timeouts got burnt in the first half too quickly. Death Valley is a tough place to communicate effectively as an offense, but having to already use all three timeouts with 11 minutes left in the second quarter isn’t ideal.
It included a sequence where DeBoer had to burn timeouts on two straight third downs because the offense was not ready in time. A 52-yard field goal attempt to potentially add points turned into a punt when the kicking unit couldn’t get on the field fast enough, and no timeouts were left for the Crimson Tide to spend, which resulted in a penalty.
Coming off the important win, the Crimson Tide will return to Bryant-Denny Stadium to play Mercer on Nov. 16 at 1 p.m. CT on ESPN+ and SEC Network+.
