The Tide Rolls On: Bama Steamrolls LSU 55-17
Saban avenges last year’s loss to LSU and makes Coach O eat his words. Oh, how good it feels.
By: Dave in Tuscaloosa
As an Alabama fan, it's hard to think the last eight days could have gone any better for us. Let’s look at the facts:
On Saturday, November 28th, the Tide routed Auburn 42-13 to avenge a loss to the Tigers in 2019. The number of official “BOOM” motions from the Auburn sideline was held to a season-low
On Saturday, December 5, the Tide routed LSU 55-17 to avenge the only other loss of the 2019 season. The head coach on the Tigers sidelines refrained from making any statement about owning the Tide and the SEC West like he did last year, and, most notably after a long Crimson Tide touchdown, he reserved his comments to a group of his own assistant coaches
Punter Charlie Scott, senior, #85 from Colorado, punted only one time, getting his workload back to normal (after punting a college career-high four times against Auburn last week)
Speaking of Auburn...they lost again...this time to Texas A&M
Oh, the joy of following our beloved Crimson Tide! Despite missing four coaches (three on defense) due to COVID issues and getting head coach Nick Saban back from COVID measures on Friday, the revenge-minded Alabama football squad steamrolled their adversaries from Baton Rouge 55-17, thus securing its 10th SEC West title in the last 14 years and setting up a showdown with the 6th-ranked Florida Gators in the SEC Championship game on December 19th in Atlanta.
Overall, it was the most points scored by Alabama against LSU in series history (now led by Alabama 54-26-5), and it made a clear statement that LSU’s claim last year of becoming the dominant program in the SEC West was premature. The Tide utterly dominated the game from start to finish, as the final score, surprisingly, was not indicative of how dominant the victory was for those in the Crimson and White. The offense, behind quarterback Mac “Daddy” Jones, tailback Najee Harris, wideout, and (Louisiana native) DeVonta Smith, and a dominating offensive line, rolled on to the tune of 650 total yards and 32 first downs. Furthermore, Bama scored on each possession in the first half (minus Jones taking a knee on the final play of the first half) and simply scored at will. Outside of a fumble by receiver Slade Bolden and one punt from the nation’s top punter (in my opinion), senior Charlie Scott, #85 from Colorado, the Tide offense could not be stopped.
The star of the day was Smith, who has been a shining star his entire career and who has stepped up big time after the Tide lost stud Jaylen Waddle to injury in the Tennessee game. He finished the day with 8 catches for 231 yards and 3 touchdowns. Smith cannot be covered, not even by LSU’s standout sophomore Derrick Stingley Jr, regarded as the nation’s top corner, who covered Smith most of the night. In the first half, Smith found himself behind coverage for TD catches of 65 and 61 yards. The play of the day occurred right before halftime when Smith’s 20-yard insane touchdown grab in the back of the endzone while being draped by Stingley was heralded as ESPN College Football Final’s “Play of the Day.”
Meanwhile, Jones had his usual brilliant evening, going 20/28 for 385 yards and 4 touchdowns in three-quarters of work. Najee Harris continued his stellar senior campaign as he touted the pigskin 21 times for 145 yards and three touchdowns, giving him 20 for the season...so far. Overall, behind the nation’s top offensive line, the Tide rushed for a total of 265 yards against the Tiger defense. Through nine games, Alabama’s offense is averaging 49 points per game...my goodness (thanks, Uncle Vern).
The Tide defense continued to impress, and after blown assignments cost the unit two long touchdowns in the second quarter (including a bizarre 44-yard pass that went to freshman Kayshon Bouttee, who dropped the ball a yard before crossing the goal line in celebration, yet the fumble was recovered in the endzone by Jontre Kirklin for a touchdown), the defense calmed down and limited the Tigers to 3 points after the break. The good news for LSU? After being shut out by Bama the last two meetings at Tiger Stadium in 2016 (10-0) and 2018 (29-0), LSU finally scored at home against the Tide (Warning, Tiger fans...for the most part, the good news ends for you right here with that stat). At one point between the second and third quarters, the Tide defense forced LSU to punt the ball 5 straight times. The defense also had two nice 4th down stops deep in Bama territory (a stuffed run on 4th and 1 from the 15 in the first quarter and a batted down pass on 4th and goal from the 1 in the fourth quarter) that prevented the Tigers from adding on to their modest point total.
The LSU offense gained 351 yards (98 on the ground) and although freshman quarterbacks TJ Finley and Max Johnson showed promise and threw for a combined 254 yards, they simply did not have enough to generate a consistent offensive threat against the Tide defense. The Bama front spent most of the evening pushing back LSU’s young offensive line. In addition, the Tide had a season-high 5 sacks, with two of them coming from freshman emerging star Will Anderson. As a unit, they are giving up an average of 18 points per game. With Florida and Kyle Trask waiting in two weeks, Alabama's defense will need to continue to grow and improve, especially if they don’t want the SEC Championship to turn into a game reminiscent of the Ole Miss shootout in October where the offenses gained a combined 1,370 yards.
Photo: Chris Graythen, Getty Images
DeVonta Smith’s 8 reception for 231 yards and 3 TD performance against LSU had the Twitterati abuzz that he should be given a seat at the Heisman ceremony. They’re right.
There is no question that a season that includes routs of LSU, Tennessee, and Auburn constitutes a special one for Alabama nation. This Tide team is good...really, really good, as the closest margin of victory was over #3 (at the time) Georgia by 17 points. It will take an exceptional outing for any team in the country to top the Tide.
Taking a good look at this year’s team, there are several keys that have contributed immensely to Alabama’s dominant season so far:
Offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian is doing a brilliant job of utilizing his weapons and creating mismatches on offense. Week one’s 38 points against Missouri is the unit’s lowest point total and Sark is having, arguably, the best season of his career.
Defensive coordinator Pete Golding, much-maligned after last year’s unit ended up performing well below Tide defense standards and in year #3 of his tenure at Alabama, has done a terrific job growing this unit and making in-game adjustments. They continue to improve weekly, and he is using a nice mix of veterans and newcomers to create a unit that is peaking at the right time.
Outside of the injury to Waddle, the Tide has stayed incredibly healthy.
Total number of opt-outs? Zero.
Impact seniors DeVonta Smith, Najee Harris, linebacker Dylan Moses, and offensive tackle Alex Leatherwood all decided to forego the NFL draft and return for their senior years. All four have had monster seasons so far and, at the same time, all four have improved their already high draft status. What great examples for those that are entertaining a jump to the NFL, perhaps before they should.
Special teams have been strong throughout the season, especially sophomore placekicker Will Reichard. He has been perfect so far this year, nailing 10 out of 10 field goals and all 59 of his PATs. It’s been a while since Alabama has had such a reliable placekicker, and because of that, the Bama Nation rejoices.
Those that were hoping the Alabama dynasty under Sir Nick is on the downswing need not worry...you were simply wrong. The Tide machine seems to be rolling better than ever, and although the road to the national championship will be difficult, I like Alabama’s chances. There has been a lot of talk this year about what a bizarre season it has been...how it’s been hard for teams to stay focused and how opt-outs and cancellations have changed the landscape. Yet, one thing has remained constant...the Tide continues to roll, and dominate, and serve as the example for all other programs to follow. Simply put, Tide Nation remains on quite a high, as routing your most hated rivals all in one season will do that...tough life, indeed.
On to Arkansas!