Brian Kelly, Nick Saban talk LSU's game-winning conversion against Alabama
BATON ROUGE, La. — In the end, Alabama’s season came down to one play.
Entering overtime against LSU on Saturday night, the Crimson Tide got the ball to begin the extra period before going up by a touchdown thanks to a 1-yard score from Roydell Williams followed by an extra point from Will Reichard. That momentum was quickly washed away as LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels broke off a 25-yard touchdown run on the Tigers' first play with the ball.
Then Brian Kelly decided to put all his cards on the table.
Instead of attempting to force another overtime period with an extra point, the LSU head coach kept his offense on the field, going for the win with a two-point conversion. The gamble paid off as Daniels rolled to his right before finding LSU tight end Mason Taylor at the near corner of the end zone for the score.
“It just felt like the right time,” Kelly told ESPN of his decision to go for two. “Our guys, they played so hard… I just loved the way our guys competed, and I didn’t want to keep going in overtime. It just felt like it was the right time to win the game.”
The decision caught Alabama a bit off guard as Nick Saban admitted after the game that he was not expecting Kelly to keep his offense on the field. Still, the Alabama head coach said his team was well-prepared for the play.
“We played what we would have played in that situation because the next series, you have to go for two,” Saban said. “We played what we would have played against that formation, and we had a chance to stop the guy. So, it wasn’t like we didn’t have him covered. If we would have kept him out, we would have won the game.”
Taylor caught the game-winning pass at the 1-yard and dove into the end zone, barely getting in before Alabama safety Jordan Battle came crashing in to try to keep him out. Taylor had three receptions for 36 yards in the game, including a 7-yard touchdown to give LSU a 24-21 lead with 1:47 to play in regulation. Daniels completed 22 of 32 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns while adding 95 yards and a score on 18 carries.
“We wanted to get [Jayden Daniels] on the edge,” Kelly said of the game-winning conversion. “You put him on the edge, good things are going to happen. He made a great decision. … Taylor made two great plays for us. I’m so proud.”
Recalling the play was a bit harder for Alabama players, who now have to deal with the sudden shock of seeing their playoff chances ended in the first month of November. This is the earliest Alabama has suffered its second loss since 2010 when it fell to LSU after previously losing to South Carolina earlier that year.
“I was just trying to rush and get to the quarterback and do my job,” edge rusher Will Anderson said Jr. of the game-winning conversion. “I wasn’t really paying attention what was going [on] downfield. I just want to say no matter the outcome in the game, I’m super proud of those guys. Monday through Friday, we work our ass off, there’s no bull #### or any of that. All those guys are locked in, and effort is not the issue. We just need to lock in. It’s all mental with us.”
Alabama (7-2, 4-2 in the SEC) will travel to Ole Miss (8-1, 4-1) next week. While the Crimson Tide’s ultimate goals are now wiped out, Saban said his team will now focus on reaching 10 wins. Alabama has recorded double-digit victories in every season since Saban’s first year in 2007.