Alabama football report card: Crimson Tide takes LSU to school in Death Valley
- Story byThe Tuscaloosa News
- Alabama football report card: Crimson Tide takes LSU to school in Death Valley
BATON ROUGE, La. — Alabama football came to Death Valley facing a College Football Playoff elimination game against LSU . On Saturday in Tiger Stadium, the Crimson Tide left no question which two-loss SEC team was alive in the CFP hunt.
Alabama dominated LSU 42-13, handing the Tigers their first primetime home loss since 2021.
Alabama will host Mercer at 1 p.m. on Nov. 16 before games against Oklahoma and Auburn end its regular-season schedule.
Here are Alabama's postgame grades for Saturday's win against LSU.
Jalen Milroe took control.
He's done it before, leading Alabama to a home win against LSU in 2023 with 155 rushing yards and four touchdowns. And he did it again in Death Valley, running an offense where his dual-threat capabilities were the centerpiece, recording 185 rushing yards, 109 passing yards and four touchdowns.
There was no need for an Alabama passing game. Milroe's legs were enough to dominate LSU.
Alabama won the turnover battle: a strip-sack of LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier by Jihaad Campbell recovered by Tim Smith, a Deontae Laweson interception, the first of his career, and a Bray Hubbard interception.
But two stops that turned promising drives into first-half field goals proved to be the real difference that thwarted any chance of Tiger offensive momentum.
Alabama was not in need of a special-teams miracle.
LSU nearly had one to start its first offensive drive with a 50-yard kickoff return from Zavion Thomas, one the Crimson Tide survived. James Burnip landed his only punt attempt at the LSU 10-yard line, while Ryan Williams returned one punt for 28 yards.
After road losses to Vanderbilt and Tennessee , Kalen DeBoer had Alabama looking like the dominant team that rolled over Wisconsin in Madison, that shined against Missouri two weeks ago.
It was a Crimson Tide team that took advantage of LSU miscues and never let up until Tiger Stadium was nearly empty.
Alabama started November with dominance and left LSU stunned. The Crimson Tide leaves Baton Rouge having made a massive statement.
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama football vs LSU report card from big win in Baton Rouge