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Alabama and LSU will meet in a top-five matchup for the fifth time in eight seasons when the No. 1 Crimson Tide travels to take on the No. 3 Tigers on Saturday at 7 p.m. CT inside Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La. This week, BamaInsider will take a look at the past four top-five meetings between the two schools. Today we conclude our series with Alabama’s 30-16 victory over LSU in Bryant-Denny Stadium during the 2015 season.
2015: No. 4 Alabama 30, No. 2 LSU 16
This was not only a top-five matchup but also a battle of Heisman frontrunners. LSU running back Leonard Fournette had rushed for 150 or more yards in the Tigers’ previous seven games, including three straight 200-yard performances against Mississippi State, Syracuse and Eastern Michigan. Meanwhile, Alabama back Derrick Henry was quietly building a Heisman campaign of his own and was coming off of back-to-back dominating performances against Texas A&M and Tennessee.
LSU came into the matchup undefeated while Alabama suffered a 43-37 loss to Ole Miss earlier in the season. Following the upset to the Rebels, Alabama’s second defeat to Ole Miss in as many years, the Crimson Tide’s dynasty was in doubt. However, a win over LSU would give Alabama control of the SEC West and put the Crimson Tide on the fast track to the College Football Playoff.
What happened
Two Heisman contenders entered, and only one emerged. Alabama shut down Fournette, limiting the powerful back to just 31 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries, an average of 1.6 yards per attempt. On the other side, Henry gashed the Tigers defense for 210 yards and three touchdowns on 38 carries.
With Fournette subdued, LSU managed to gain just 182 yards of total offense as Alabama piled up 434 yards in a physical slugfest. Leading just 13-10 at the half, the Crimson Tide kept a tired Tigers defense on the field, controlling the clock to grind out the win. Alabama held possession for 39:27 compared to just 20:33 for LSU.
