Learning Opportunities in Loss at LSU Too Little, Too Late for Alabama Football

The Crimson Tide committed a plethora of mistakes on both sides of the football, ranging from simple miscommunications among the players all the way up to head-scratching play-calling.

Author:
Joey Blackwell
Publish date:
Nov 6, 2022 1:07 AM EDT

In this story:

Alabama Crimson Tide

BATON ROUGE, La. — Whelp, that'll about do it.

No. 6 Alabama lost in overtime to No. 10 LSU on Saturday evening by a final score of 32-31, with the Tigers handing the Crimson Tide its second loss of the season and dashing both its College Football Playoff and SEC Championship hopes right before its very eyes. The mistakes that it made throughout the game weren't anything new — if anything, they've become all-too-familiar familiar shortcomings at this point.

Heading into this season, Alabama was heralded as having one of the best returning rosters in the country. With a defense loaded with talent at essentially every position and the reigning Heisman Trophy winner coming back for his third season, things were looking optimistic. Many fans had already dubbed it as a 'revenge tour' after the Crimson Tide lost the national championship to Georgia.

One half of what fans were excited about came to fruition: while it struggled at times, the Crimson Tide's defense was — and still is — quite impressive. Against LSU on Saturday night, Alabama held the Tigers to just 135 yards in the first half and 7 points. Through the first 30 minutes, the Crimson Tide recorded three sacks and a total of seven tackles for loss.

With stats like that, there's simply no excuse for why Alabama was trailing at halftime. Mistakes were made on both sides of the football, and head coach Nick Saban was very aware of that fact.

"I don not think there was a disconnect," Saban said. "We drove down the field on the first drive and then we just turned the ball over. We played defense really well in the first half; much better in the first half than the second. [...] Players got to be able to do their job and execute, if they don't, we usually pay for it against good teams and that happened a couple of times today."

Alabama's offensive woes were plentiful, much like they have been at other points of the season. On the game, quarterback Bryce Young completed just 25-of-51 passes for 328 yards, one lone touchdown and an interception.

The running game was relatively effective. That is, when it was used. Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for 99 yards off of 15 carries — an average of 6.6 yards per rush. Offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien called 51 passing plays compared to 30 rushing plays. While the Alabama stable averaged 4.6 yards per carry, it managed just a 49-percent completion rate.

With that rate of success in the ground game and the lackluster passing game, that math just doesn't add up.

"We just have to learn from our mistakes and watch the film," Young said after the game. "We've got a lot of practice left. We have to do everything we can to get better. Watch the film and learn from it."

The ineffectiveness of the offense is the headline story of the game for obvious reasons. However, what makes the season all the more tragic is how well its defense plays compared to said offense. That is, except for the late portions of big games.

Heading into the fourth quarter, Alabama trailed just 14-9 — a stout defensive performance. However, LSU managed to score 10 points in the fourth quarter. Alabama responded with a 46-yard field goal by Will Reichard to force overtime. There, a touchdown and an 2-point conversion by the Tigers gave them the win.

That fourth quarter saw Alabama give up 113 yards. While it sacked LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels twice, it struggled to keep the Tigers from eating up precious time. And when Alabama did get the stops it needed, its offense finally woke up with 15 points in the final 15 minutes. However, it was too little, too late.

While Alabama's hopes of making the CFP are over and done, the season will ultimately keep trudging along next week. The Crimson Tide is slated to face Ole Miss on the road before hosting Austin Peay and Auburn to end the regular season.

As of right now, the Crimson Tide won't be making the trip to Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game barring a total collapse from LSU, which is frankly unlikely. But with that stated, this season still isn't over.

For now, linebacker Will Anderson said that it's his mission to ensure that players are focused on the team and not the individual.

"I think the biggest is that we need to get rid of all the individual stuff and make it a team effort," Anderson said. "Make sure that everybody is locked in. Make sure that everybody had two feet in and make sure that they keep Alabama football the main thing while they are here and think about the future.

"So I think that is what I am going to try and get through to the team this week."