Whether it was on the 26th or the 32nd or 37th carry by Derrick Henry, or the fourth or eighth or 10th time that Leonard Fournette was stopped cold, there is no doubt that No. 4 Alabama broke No. 2 LSU's will on Saturday night in a 30-16 win.
Alabama’s top-4 Playoff ranking sure seems fair after that destruction of LSU
The one-loss Tide ranked ahead of several unbeaten teams in the committee’s first ranking of the year, then went out and proved they belong.
The Tide's offensive line (and fullback Michael Nysewander) opened chasms for Henry, who pounded away for 210 yards and three touchdowns. Alabama's front seven short-circuited LSU's running game, led by Heisman front-runner Fournette, holding him to 31 yards and the Tigers to just 54. Jacob Coker did nothing wrong, and neither did kicker Adam Griffith, who made all three of his field goals.
Everything went as planned, really.
This was the sort of thorough domination that Alabama’s made a staple under Nick Saban, but it’s rarely been so total against LSU, the Tide’s closest competitor in the SEC West this millennium. The Tigers’ 182 yards of total offense were their second-fewest against Alabama since 2000, and their fewest in a regular season matchup.
#LSU is at 162 total yards. They've failed to clear 195 just one other time since 2000 https://t.co/DlCM0fcfXc pic.twitter.com/0PRUhpJ0ov
— College FB Reference (@collegefb_ref) November 8, 2015 Alabama, meanwhile, threw for 184 yards, and ran for another 250.
Alabama played keep away beautifully. The Tide held the ball for 39:27, and more than 8:30 in each individual quarter. When LSU needed the ball most, in the fourth quarter, the Tigers were able to hold it for 2:48. And that was with the aid of a Henry fumble that set up their only score of the second half.
After Fournette punched in that touchdown, 312-pound defensive tackle A'Shawn Robinson jumped over the LSU line to block the subsequent extra point, because candles in the wind are meant to be snuffed, or something.
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Truth be told, this result probably has plenty to do with how Alabama is built, from the lines outward, with stopping the run and forcing opponents to pass still ranking as the priority of the Saban-Kirby Smart brain trust on defense, and play calls of Henry Left, Henry Right seemingly such sure things that Tide fans raise holy hell when Lane Kiffin deviates too far from that script.
LSU thrives on winning on the lines, too, and has been able to do that with the magnificent Fournette running behind a good line and a very good defensive line making havoc happen. Only the Tigers ran into a bigger monster and found their own teeth lacking sharpness.
The scariest thing about Alabama has been true since Saban got the talent level in Tuscaloosa high enough for pundits to debate whether this or that rare loss is a harbinger of bad things to come: This excellence is expected week in and week out. It’s what Saban demands and what he coaches his players to produce. It’s as unremarkable as the sky being blue, as common as water.
Even the explanations of the big plays merit only shrugs.
Nick's conversation w/ Griffith before 55-yarder: "I looked at Adam and said 'What do you think?'" He said "I think I can hit it." That's it
— Marq Burnett (@Marq_Burnett) November 8, 2015 Next up for Alabama is Mississippi State, commanded by maybe the best dual-threat quarterback the Tide will see all year in Dak Prescott. They’ll matter-of-factly prepare for that game, and probably win it in with the same sort of ho-hum dominance. The same goes for pre-Playoff games against Auburn and Florida, two teams with maybe a full solid quarterback between them.
It doesn’t matter that there isn’t a big pelt left, considering what Alabama’s done to date. Since losing to Ole Miss in a game that was marked by uncharacteristic turnovers, Alabama’s 6-0. It has throttled three former top-10 teams by double digits. While Georgia and Texas A&M don’t look the part of contenders anymore, Wisconsin could be ranked again, and LSU certainly will be. Alabama was arguably even more impressive on this night than in those previous wins.
The only win this season arguably more impressive than Alabama’s over LSU is Oklahoma State’s shredding of TCU, also on Saturday, and the No. 8 Horned Frogs weren’t held in nearly as high esteem as the Tigers by the Playoff committee.
You can hope that another storm of turnovers rolls the Tide. You can cross your fingers for Coker making mistakes in bunches, or for a random special teams meltdown. But nine games of evidence suggest that Alabama is a great team that had an awful night.
Alabama’s not back. Alabama never left.
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