The LSU Tigers fell to the Alabama Crimson Tide 20-9 on Saturday night inside Bryant Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The loss came as the first with Frank Wilson as interim coach.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
LSU had a number of missed opportunities in the first quarter. An opening drive looked promising. However, it stalled out and Damian Ramos missed a 30-yard field goal.
Later in the quarter, LSU fumbled and gave Alabama the ball in field goal range. Bama didn’t do anything offensively, but was able to make the field goal to go up 3-0 after one quarter.
The Tigers tied it at 3, but Bama answered with a touchdown drive. They went seven plays and 75 yards, punching it in from four yards out with a Daniel Hill touchdown run.
The Tide missed a field goal of their own, but got back into the end zone before the half ended. Ty Simpson found Ryan Williams for a 13 yard score, and Alabama carried a 17-3 lead into the locker room.
LSU inched closer in the third quarter, but only via a field goal. Ramos connected again, but the lead was still 17-6.
The Tiger defense did a good job keeping the Crimson Tide off the board, but LSU could not cut into the lead any further. Eventually, they decided to bench Garrett Nussmeier in favor of Michael Van Buren.
After an Alabama fumble, Van Buren got LSU into field goal range. Ramos connected and cut it to a one-score game at 17-9.
Ultimately, Alabama finally put together a drive to extend the lead with a field goal and make it a two score game at 20-9. The Tiger offense was unable to generate anything down the stretch.
BIG NUMBER: 10
LSU committed double-digit penalties in this game. That, combined with Alabama only committing two, led to some shorter fields and easier conversions. It helped Bama clinch this one.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Ty Simpson
Simpson continues to make an interesting case for the Heisman Trophy. Despite a lack of a running game, he threw for 277 yards and a touchdown.
UP NEXT: LSU will play host to Arkansas on Saturday, November 15th at 11:45 AM. The game can be heard on ESPN 103.7 Lafayette 104.1 Lake Charles.