LSU coach Les Miles didn’t need his notoriously quirky play-calling or gimmicky fakes to pull off his greatest hat trick yet.
In leading the No. 1 Tigers to a third victory against a Nick Saban-coached Alabama squad in five seasons, Miles just needed a gritty, opportunistic defense, an admirable performance from a maligned backup quarterback and a dose of sound special teams to turn back the No. 2 Tide, 9-6, on Saturday night in Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Junior kicker Drew Alleman’s game-winning 25-yard field goal in the first overtime gave LSU its highest-ranked regular season win since the Tigers defeated No. 1 Florida in 1997.
It also marked the third road victory against a top-5 team for LSU under Miles.
LSU quieted a raucous sellout crowd of 101,821 that enhanced the game’s national title feel and created an unprecedented buzz for the first regular season matchup ever between top-ranked Southeastern Conference squads.
Alabama often threatened to break a tense, defensive slugfest open, but the Tiger defense stiffened in its half of the field to keep the Crimson Tide out of the end zone.
Alabama ran 19 plays inside the LSU 35-yard line, losing six total yards and turning the ball over on Tiger sophomore safety Eric Reid’s leaping interception near the goal-line off a wildcat pass by Alabama senior receiver Marquis Maze — changing the fourth quarter momentum and nixing ‘Bama’s best scoring chance in the process.
“That defense found ways to win that football game in spite of some things, some mistakes,” LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis said. “Any time you can keep a team of that caliber in the SEC from scoring a touchdown, that’s big-time special.”
The Crimson Tide never ran a play inside the LSU 17-yard line.
LSU also contained Heisman contender and Crimson Tide junior running back Trent Richardson, holding him to just 89 yards rushing on 23 carries. He did break a few long gains on five pass receptions, totaling 80 yards.
Alabama gained only 96 yards on the ground, its first game this season with fewer than 100 yards.
Senior starting quarterback Jarrett Lee struggled in his worst game of the season, throwing two interceptions and struggling to handle a brutal Alabama pass rush.
But it was fellow senior Jordan Jefferson — fresh from his past struggles and an early-season suspension — who took over the offensive reigns, taking care of the ball and leading LSU’s three field goal drives, while rushing for 48 yards and passing for 67.
“We felt like in this game, a couple scrambles might make a difference, and [Jefferson] had the ability to move the chains that way,” Miles said.
The win gave LSU the inside track to an SEC West championship and resulted in a nearly unanimous No. 1 ranking in the latest polls.
The game, so hyped for its national title implications and the teams’ stifling defenses, became the even, physical affair many expected as offensive statistics were low and relatively similar throughout.
“It was like running into a wall on every snap,” said senior offensive lineman Will Blackwell.
Outside of the stalemate in the trenches, LSU enjoyed a distinct advantage in the third phase of the game — special teams. Redshirt freshman punter Brad Wing dropped three punts inside the LSU 11-yard line, including a clutch 73-yarder that swung field position late.
Alleman was 3-of-3 on field-goal tries, outpacing his two Crimson Tide counterparts, who made just two of their six attempts.
“Coach Miles emphasizing special teams, that’s not an act,” Alleman said. “It’s the first thing we do every day in practice, and I think you saw why [Saturday]. It was the classic total team effort.”
LSU largely beat Alabama at its own game, limiting second-half mistakes and using an all-timer of a defense to bludgeon its way to victory.
The Tigers outgained the Crimson Tide rushing attack by 52 yards, flustered sophomore opposing quarterback A.J. McCarron into two interceptions and converted all three of its red-zone chances into points.
LSU senior linebacker Ryan Baker said he felt pride as a defender in winning the purported “Game of the Century” without some of the zany circumstances that have peppered past wins under Miles.
“It really just shows the kind of grind-out football we can play,” said Baker, who led LSU with eight tackles. “We’re known as a sort of unconventional team, but we proved for good that we can win like this straight-up. We brought [Miles’] magic a little ourselves this time. He didn’t need to.”