Five things we learned from Alabama's statement win over LSU
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BATON ROUGE, La. — Alabama clinched the SEC West while proving to the rest of college football it is in a class of its own. The No. 1 Crimson Tide dismantled No. 3 LSU on Saturday night, shutting out the Tigers 29-0 in Death Valley. Here are five things we learned from the game.
1. Alabama made a statement
Before the game, Alabama head coach Nick Saban told his players they had to make a choice: “whether they were going to keep fighting or whether they were going to surrender to the circumstances and situations we were playing out there.”
The Crimson Tide chose to fight. Alabama silenced a once-rowdy Tiger Stadium, sending most of the Tigers faithful to the parking lot with their tails between their legs by the start of the fourth quarter.
Entering the game, some wondered if Alabama could keep up its stellar pace against a highly-ranked team. The Crimson Tide didn’t leave any doubt Saturday night, outgaining LSU 576-196 in total yards while controlling the game from the kickoff. Alabama has recorded 500 or more yards in each of its nine games this season, the longest such streak in school history.
“We really wanted to make a statement in this game,” Saban said. “A lot of people were talking about our schedule, and we have a lot of respect for LSU and their team. I think we played a pretty complete game on both sides of the ball.”
2. Alabama is headed back to Atlanta
After missing out on a trip to Atlanta last season, Alabama will be making its fourth SEC Championship Game appearance in the past five years.
Alabama will face Georgia on Dec. 1 inside of Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the same place the Crimson Tide beat the Bulldogs during last season’s national championship game. No. 6 Georgia also clinched its spot in the SEC Championship Game Saturday, beating No. 9 Kentucky 34-17 on the road.
Following Alabama’s victory against LSU, Saban had to be informed by reporters that his team had locked up the SEC West title.
“Is that true, because I really didn’t know that,” Saban said. “I thought we had to win one more game, but I guess you guys know more about that than I do. Look, we played a good game here today, aight, and we’re going to have to continue to improve for the game next week. We’re going to play another good team next week. Our focus is going to be on, ‘Hey, you did a great job in this game, and I’m proud of you, but you’ve got to do it again.’ That’s got to be who we are.”
Alabama returns home next week to take on No. 18 Mississippi State.