One of these days, people will stop underestimating Kalen DeBoer when he has a week off, time to prepare and a motivated team.
Some day. Some people. Us.
Alabama wasn’t picked to win this game by many. Nick Saban threw Alabama some love on ESPN’s “College Gameday” pregame show, but it was mostly dismissed as a former coach showing fondness for an old employer. The oddsmakers in Las Vegas found themselves in lockstep with most observers, prognosticators and analysts who had taken a look at Alabama and deemed it unfit to challenge Lane Kiffin’s most recent vanity project in Baton Rouge.
The Tigers certainly ran up their total yardage – 457, compared to Alabama’s brought-to-you-by-Ozempic total of 285. But Alabama finished the day just as efficient on offense as LSU was: Alabama averaged 5.4 yards per play compared to LSU’s 5.6. And more importantly, the Crimson Tide did it without four failed fourth-down conversions and two turnovers.
Playing mistake-free football on the road is hard, and especially difficult when it’s a venue like Tiger Stadium. Alabama’s last foray into a super-hostile environment – Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium – ended with Alabama deaf in the ears from the noise and rattled by the Volunteers’ intensity. Whether the Crimson Tide came to Baton Rouge determined to not repeat the same mistakes or not, the end result was a completely different approach to the game and a different all-around attitude, especially in the second half.
While LSU players were dunking basketballs in portable goals on the sideline following big plays, Alabama was busy dunking Tiger heads under Tidal waters.
There was immediately debate following the game as to whether this was Kalen DeBoer’s biggest win at Alabama. At worst, this game was certainly a worthy nominee for the title. DeBoer’s Alabama resume already includes such critical wins as Georgia in 2024 and Tennessee in 2025, but this game – on this stage, against a head coach who many Alabama fans openly preferred to hire instead of DeBoer three years ago – certainly has its discussion points in order.
Then there is the issue of how DeBoer rises to challenges. His career record coming off bye weeks is 9-0. His record against other so-called “big-name” head coaches bests nearly all comers. Presuming that DeBoer is still absorbing the learning curve of how to be the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide, games like this serve as hard evidence of his studiousness.
Next week against Vanderbilt, DeBoer will have to do something that Alabama has struggled with at times these last three years: Find a way to stay emotionally invested in a game against a lesser opponent the week after accomplishing a major goal. Vanderbilt doesn’t pose nearly the same threat to Alabama that it has the last two years, but the Commodores held on for their own critical victory Saturday over Mississippi State, on the road. All the goodwill crafted in Baton Rouge could be dashed to the rocks if Alabama were to lose to the Commodores in Nashville next Saturday.
We will bet on DeBoer finding a way to keep the train of success on track for at least a couple more weeks. Certainly, after watching Alabama accomplish what it accomplished Saturday in Baton Rouge, we can’t say this team lacks for grit.
Here’s the Five-Point Breakdown for Alabama-LSU:
1. It should have been clear to everyone, but the return of injured players mattered. We’ve harped on this ever since Alabama’s stars began falling like a Perseid meteor shower: Injuries matter, and anyone who says differently, or who calls them “excuses,” should be excused from ever commenting on football again. All of Alabama’s injured players are important to the success of the team, but three were more critical than the rest, and they were all back for LSU – WR Ryan Coleman-Williams, DT Terrance Green and C Racin Delgatty. Green’s return was especially felt, and not just because he recorded 3 tackles, a tackle for a loss and a sack. Green’s return allowed DT/E Devan Thompkins to return to the hybrid role he was so good at playing in the early part of the season. Thompkins recorded a pair of sacks in this game, including a late fourth-down stop that ended whatever chance at victory LSU might have had left. Ryan Coleman-Williams didn’t put up gaudy receiving stats, but he scored a touchdown on an end-around and then returned a punt 36 yards late in the game to stick a knife in the Tiger special teams unit. Everyone has that friend that likes to over-use the word “excuse,” but modern roster management in college football makes depth more important than ever. Especially in Green’s case, Alabama didn’t have anyone on his level to replace him, and it’s been showing. Thankfully, that’s now over.
2. Lane Kiffin couldn’t help himself, and Alabama benefited from what amounted to 6 turnovers. That’s two turnovers by traditional means and four failed fourth-down conversions, but Alabama’s defense will certainly take all of it. Alabama had LSU head coach Lane Kiffin to thank for a lot of this, because Kiffin’s modus operandi is to bang his head against a wall any time he feels like his genius has gone unrealized, to the point that he makes the game harder on both himself and especially his players. What was LSU doing going for a long fourth down with 8 minutes left, deep in its own territory? What was Kiffin doing having QB Sam Leavitt try to execute a separate fourth-down pass play one snap after getting his bell rung by a devastating hit from Alabama MLB Luke Metz? Sometimes, Kiffin just seems determined to remind everyone that he is a savvy coordinator – even when nobody is really disputing the point.
3. We previewed special teams as a big Bama edge. And was it ever. It’s a bit odd that LSU, with deep pocket books and such a proven braintrust running both its offensive and defensive units, can’t seem to get special teams right. LSU came into the game with one of the lowest-ranked special teams units in FBS. Right on cue, PK Scott Starzyk missed a field goal, albeit a very long one. The bigger issue, as we pointed out in the game preview, were the coverage and return teams. Ryan Coleman-Williams’ 36-yard punt return was a backbreaker, and then there was Eugene Wilson’s muffed punt that gave Alabama the ball back late in the fourth quarter and allowed Alabama to run out the clock. There was an earlier, long punt return for LSU that was called back for a holding penalty. LSU has far too many good athletes to be this bad on coverage and returns. There has been a consistent lack of discipline here all season, and Alabama made the Tigers pay dearly for it. Meanwhile, Conor Talty hit a long field goal for Alabama and punter Alex Asparuhov averaged 50 yards per punt. Total domination.
4. Alabama’s linebackers played solid ball, took away the Tiger running game and gave up mostly empty yards in the passing game. Alabama’s make-them-snap-it-again strategy drives some long-time Tide fans up a wall, because the scheme is meant to bend and not break while giving a fast, talented defense more opportunities to cause big negative plays. Never was that more apparent than in how Alabama shut down the Tiger running game (33 carries, 77 yards, 2.3 avg., 1 TD, meaning Alabama out-rushed LSU on the day), with LSU RB Dilin Jones a non-factor outside of LSU’s lone touchdown play. More importantly was how QB Sam Leavitt was kept frustrated and off-balance much of the day. Alabama accumulated 4 sacks, 3 QB hurries and baited Leavitt into an interception. We had previewed that Leavitt was prone to staring down receivers and ignoring jerseys of different colors, and he did both when he threw a critical interception to ILB Luke Metz. Alabama’s linebackers, as a group, were highly active and effective in this game; Yhonzae Pierre recorded a sack and a QB hurry, ILB Caleb Woodson had 8 tackles, 1 PBU and 1 QB hurry, and Metz led all tacklers with 11. In addition, Justin Hill got back into heavy rotation for the first time in weeks and recorded 4 tackles and 1 TFL. This isn’t a complete list of the contributors, either. The way Alabama contained Leavitt – 15 carries for 16 yards, plus a QBR of 77.1, 1 interception and no touchdowns on 380 yards passing; Alabama’s Keelon Russell averaged more yards per play and had a higher QBR at day’s end – is proof that what Kane Wommack and the defensive staff is doing has merit.
5. Red zone efficiency was, literally, perfect. Ryan Grubb has taken well-deserved criticism for some sequences of playcalling this season, but there’s literally no way anyone could complain today, at least not in the red zone. Alabama got there three times and scored touchdowns all three times. As previously mentioned, despite LSU racking up almost 200 more yards in total offense and 28 more offensive plays overall, Alabama averaged almost identical per-play production, had a higher passing-game efficiency rating and didn’t turn the ball over, while LSU was busy making a fool of itself in regard to game management. Even when Alabama was stopped, strong special teams play allowed Alabama to flip the field. When Alabama was on defense, it held LSU to 2-of-4 scores on red zone chances. Red Morgan’s fourth-down stop of LSU TE Trey’Dez Green inside the 5-yard line, despite giving up about 8 inches of height and around 60 pounds, was a thing of beauty. And when Alabama needed a big play the most, to answer LSU’s touchdown that briefly put the Tigers up 13-10, Grubb dialed up a middle crossing route to WR Rico Scott that ultimately went for 57 yards and set up a touchdown pass to TE Josh Ford 4 plays later.
Follow Jess Nicholas on X at @TideFansJessN