As the Tigers slay the Tide in Tuscaloosa, Mistakes will be remembered for 'Bama
Posted on November 8, 2011 by Jacob Bunn
Saturday night, well over one hundred thousand people assembled in Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa to witness the game between the top two ranked teams in the nation, LSU and Alabama. One could not request a better scene in which to play the most meaningful regular season game of the year. Alabama fans were as loud forty minutes before kickoff as they were in the fourth quarter.
The game was an instant classic. It took more than sixty minutes of regulation to complete. At the end of the first half, the score was 3-3, and at the end of regulation, the score was 6-6. A game cannot be much closer than that. When the final whistle had blown, LSU had claimed a three point victory in a game comprised only of field goals.
I have heard many so-called football experts claiming that the contest was not played at a high level because of the score being so low. I completely disagree with that. The fact that it was a low-scoring game meant that at any point, a mistake could cost one of the teams the game. What if Alabama running back Trent Richardson would have broken an eighty-yard touchdown run? What if LSU wide receiver Reuben Randle would have caught a pass and run nearly seventy yards (like he did last year against Alabama)? Or better yet, what if Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron or LSU quarterback Jarrett Lee would have thrown a pick six? Any one of those scenarios would have more than likely cost a team the game.
As a result of the pressure not to make a mistake, the game required fans to be on the edge of their seats throughout. It wasn’t just fans, though, who were uptight. On more than one occasion during timeouts, I saw LSU head coach Les Miles and Alabama head coach Nick Saban pace up and down their sidelines simultaneously what seemed like twenty times each.
LSU had a tremendous game plan coming into Tuscaloosa. The Tigers played stiff defense and allowed the offense not be overly aggressive. Alabama also had a great plan. A healthy dose of Trent Richardson on offense was countered by stifling defense when LSU had the ball. Both teams executed their strategies very well. Alabama, however, was presented with more opportunities, especially early on, and failed to convert those into points.
The Crimson Tide did a nice job of moving the football in the first half. The very first drive of the game, though, is when the woes began. After failing to convert a third down play, Alabama tried a long field goal and missed. During the course of the game, the Tide would squander three more field goal opportunities (one in overtime).
Late in the third quarter, Alabama defensive back Mark Barron intercepted Jarrett Lee’s pass and returned it to very near the goal line. The play was called back, though, because of a block in the back penalty on the Crimson Tide. As a result, Alabama’s offense went from feet from the end zone to barely in field goal range.
As Alabama began, once again, to move the ball on LSU’s defense, LSU defensive back Morris Claiborne intercepted A.J. McCarron’s pass and returned to well into Alabama territory. That set up a field goal for LSU.
Early in the final quarter, Alabama felt the need to strike LSU’s defense with a big play. So, Alabama wide receiver Marquis Maze was placed in the wildcat formation and allowed to throw a pass to tight end Michael Williams. The pass was ripped from Williams’ hands, though, by LSU defensive back Eric Reid.
Those are three examples (not to mention the missed field goals) of Alabama simply wasting opportunities. Meanwhile, as in the case of Reid’s interception of Maze, LSU made the plays that needed to be made. While Alabama seemingly outthought itself offensively for the balance of the evening, the Tigers patiently waited for the game to come to them. And it did. LSU took its first lead of the day when the game winning field goal was kicked in overtime.
It was the game of the century, and in my opinion, it did live up to the hype. Should there be a rematch of these two teams in New Orleans for the BCS Championship Game? I don’t know. If all other undefeated teams from BCS conferences lose, then there may be a case to be made for a rematch. But, Saturday night in Bryant-Denny Stadium was the moment waiting for one of these two teams to seize.
There is the argument that Alabama had its chance to beat LSU and couldn’t even pull it off on its own home field.
The bottom line, though, is LSU has an inside track to the national championship now with the win over Alabama. Considering the Tigers have won the BCS Championship the last two times it has been played in the New Orleans Superdome, I think Les Miles will have his team appearing there once again in two months.
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Email Jacob at jacob@bunnsports.com and follow him on Twitter at @JacobBunn
