Alabama Crimson TIde's comeback falls flat in defeat to LSU

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — A circus of pomp and circumstance swelled inside a venue that had hosted the same chaos eight years before. Paratroopers sailed into a raucous Bryant-Denny Stadium as President Donald Trump and a slew of A-list celebrities were on hand to view what was billed as a potential “Game of the Century.”

Following what appeared to be a lopsided beginning, No. 2 LSU vs. No. 3 Alabama lived up to the hype — just not the result the Crimson Tide was hoping for.

After digging itself into a three-score deficit at the break, Alabama’s second-half comeback fell short in a 46-41 defeat to LSU. The loss snaps the Crimson Tide’s eight-game winning streak over the Tigers and puts Alabama’s streak of six straight College Football Playoff appearances in jeopardy. LSU (9-0, 5-0 in the SEC) now has full control of the SEC West, while Alabama (8-1, 5-1) will have to hope things fall its way across the nation in the coming weeks.

Less than three weeks removed from surgery on his injured right ankle, Tua Tagovailoa looked poised to lead Alabama to another epic comeback when he found Jerry Jeudy on a 5-yard touchdown to trim LSU’s lead to 39-34 with 5:32 remaining.

However, a porous Alabama defense allowed the Tigers to march 75 yards down the field on seven plays capped off by a 7-yard touchdown run by Clyde Edwards-Helaire to increase LSU’s lead to 46-34 with 1:37 to play.

An 85-yard touchdown pass from Tagovailoa to DeVonta Smith with 1:21 remaining breathed one final breath of belief into the home crowd. The hope was short-lived as Alabama was unable to recover the ensuing onside kick, allowing LSU to run out the clock.

Saturday's game featured a combined 1,100 yards of total offense and 51 first downs, a far cry from the last "Game of the Century" between Alabama and LSU in 2011 which resulted in a 9-6 overtime win for the Tigers. Heading into Saturday, Alabama had held LSU to 19 or fewer points in its previous nine games against the Tigers. LSU reached that mark on a 45-yard field goal from Cade York with 4:20 left in the second quarter.

Alabama’s slow start was spurred on by a litany of early errors. Tagovailoa fumbled the ball at the LSU 8-yard line on Alabama’s opening drive. Recovering from a high-ankle sprain suffered against Tennessee on Oct. 19, the left-hander appeared to be moving well on the play but lost control of the ball while scrambling to his right toward the end zone.

Things only got worse for Alabama from there. Following a six-play 92-yard touchdown drive for LSU, the Crimson Tide went three-and-out on its next possession before punter Ty Perine muffed a snap on a punt.

LSU looked as if it would bail out Alabama on its ensuing possession as quarterback Joe Burrow was intercepted by Trevon Diggs. However, the Crimson Tide was flagged for having too many men on the field, giving the ball back to LSU for another scoring drive. Alabama ended the game with seven penalties, resulting in 53 yards.

Burrow, the leading candidate for this year’s Heisman Trophy award, completed his first 13 passes, including a 33-yard touchdown to Ja’Marr Chase and a 29-yard score to Terrance Marshall Jr. Following an interception from Tagovailoa right before the half, Burrow added to the misery when he found running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire for an 11-yard touchdown to put the Tigers up 33-13 at the break.

Burrow finished the game 31 of 39 for 393 yards — the most Alabama allowed since Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence torched the Crimson Tide for 347 yards and three scores in last season’s national championship game.

Meanwhile, Tagovailoa eventually overcame a slow start. After completing 11 of 19 passes for 172 yards and a touchdown with an interception in the first half, the junior finished the game 21 of 40 for 418 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. DeVonta Smith had his second 200-yard game of the season, pulling in seven receptions for 213 yards and two touchdowns.

Alabama’s comeback was also spurred on by Najee Harris, who ripped off 146 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries while also pulling in three receptions for 44 yards and a score. On the season, he has 788 yards and six touchdowns on the ground, more than he recorded through 15 games last year.

Xavier McKinney served as a bright spot on a day to forget for Alabama’s defense. The junior safety matched his career-high of 13 tackles while tallying two sacks and a forced fumble. Anfernee Jennings also had two sacks to go with eight tackles.

Alabama will travel to Mississippi State next Saturday at 11 a.m. CT. The game will be televised on ESPN.

Alabama's 2019 season results

W - Duke 42-3

W - NMSU 62-10

W - @ South Carolina 47-23

W - Southern Miss. 49-7

W - Ole Miss 59-31

W - @ Texas A&M 47-28

W - Tennessee 35-13

W - Arkansas 48-7

LSU's 2019 season results

W - Georgia Southern 55-3

W - @ Texas 45-38

W - Northwestern State 65-14

W - @ Vanderbilt 66-38

W - Utah State 42-6

W - Florida 42-28

W - @ Miss. State 36-13

W - Auburn 23-20

Key Injuries

QB - Tua Tagovailoa - Ankle (Probable)

TE - Miller Forristall - Throat (Out)

LB - Michael Divinity - (No longer on the team)

S - Grant Delpit - Ankle (Probable)

Key Weekend Visitors

Jordan Burch, Five-star defensive end from The Hammond School in Columbia, South Carolina

Darnell Washington, Five-star tight end from Desert Pines High School in Las Vegas

Jase McClellan, Rivals100 running back from Aledo High School in Texas (Oklahoma commitment)

Full list here

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