No. 4 Alabama defeated LSU 20-9 Saturday night at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium to move to 8-1 on the season. The contest was LSU interim head coach Frank Wilson’s first game coached for the newly zombified Tigers after head coach Brian Kelly was fired two weeks ago.
Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer said his team’s focus was “on us” and that the team didn’t let the distraction of head coaching drama across the sideline distract the Crimson Tide from the task at hand.
“We were gonna get their best,” he said. “In the end, we needed to focus on us, and that’s really what we challenged our guys to do.”
DeBoer’s squad opened the game with a drive that saw multiple trick plays but turned the ball over on downs at the LSU 39. The Tigers were unable to convert the turnover into points when LSU kicker Damian Ramos missed a 30-yard field goal attempt to keep the score tied at 0 with 4:49 left in the first quarter.
The Crimson Tide opened the ensuing drive with a 33-yard pass from quarterback Ty Simpson to wide receiver Germie Bernard to set Alabama up in Tiger territory. The team’s momentum then sputtered out and the Crimson Tide was forced to punt.
LSU gave the ball right back to Alabama when tight end Bauer Sharp fumbled and the Crimson Tide scooped the ball up at the opponent 24. Simpson and the offense actually lost yardage with the great field position and the team was forced to attempt a 45-yard field goal which kicker Conor Talty drilled. The score stood at 3-0 with 1:20 left in the first quarter.
The Tigers responded with a field goal of their own when Ramos made a 37-yard attempt to tie the game at 3 with 12:27 in a game where offensive production was scarce to this point.
Alabama’s next drive was kickstarted by a couple passes to tight ends Kaleb Edwards and Josh Cuevas to set the Crimson Tide up at the LSU 33. Running back Daniel Hill finished the drive off with a 4-yard touchdown run to put the home team in front 10-3 with 9:20 left in the half.
Momentum continued to swing into Alabama’s favor after the defense shut LSU down deep in the Tiger’s end of the field, forcing a punt and great field position for the Crimson Tide with just over seven minutes left in the first half.
Alabama looked to have taken advantage of the field position by driving down to the LSU 16, but was forced to settle for a chip-shot field goal attempt, which Talty shanked wide left.
After a second straight three-and-out for LSU, the Crimson Tide drove the length of the field in 34 seconds to add to its lead. This was ignited by a 53-yard reception from freshman wide receiver Lotzeir Brooks and was sealed by a 13-yard touchdown catch from wide receiver Ryan Williams. LSU was unable to do anything with the remaining time in the half and Alabama took a 17-3 lead into the locker room.
The Tigers knocked home a long field goal to open the second half to make the score 17-6 early in the frame. Alabama was unable to respond and had to punt possession away on the next drive.
With little left to lose in a lost season, LSU decided to trot out backup quarterback Michael Van Buren for its next drive. Little to no spark was provided and the Tigers were forced to punt from midfield with 3:09 left in the third quarter.
Fortunately for the Tigers, a spark came in the form of a forced fumble on Simpson, which LSU picked up at the Alabama 38 to open the fourth quarter. LSU cashed in with a field goal to make the score 17-9.
“Our guys knew they were going to get a team that, if they were in the fight, they were going to stay in the fight,” DeBoer said. “We understand what we’re up against.”
A few drives later, Talty put the game on ice for Alabama with a field goal to make the score 20-9, a two possession affair, with 4:25 left.
A Van Buren fumble forced by linebacker Yhonzae Pierre on the next drive officially sealed the win for Alabama.
“Just doing my job man, rushing off the edge and getting home,” Pierre said of the strip sack.
In a game that looked ugly offensively at times, DeBoer praised his team’s ability to get out of the game with a win.
“We found a way to win,” he said. “That’s what matters.”
Quarterback Ty Simpson echoed this sentiment after the game saying “a win’s a win.”
Alabama’s next test will be against a playoff contender in No. 12 Oklahoma, who will be fighting for its season on Saturday.
“We got to come out next week and we’re playing a good Oklahoma team bye week,” Simpson said. “They’re going to have some stuff for us, and we got to make sure we hold onto the little things.”
Simpson and the Crimson Tide will square off at home against the Sooners at 2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday. The game can be streamed on ABC.
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