No. 4 Alabama 20, LSU 9: Upon Further Review

Alabama football's 20-9 win over LSU at home on Saturday night marked its eighth straight victory and pushed the No. 4 Crimson Tide to 6-0 in SEC play. The offensive unit was not at its best, but the defense stepped up and played a quality brand of football for four quarters, buoying Ty Simpson and company all the way to a rivalry triumph.

The Tigers entered the game with an interim head coach, Frank Wilson, after dismissing Brian Kelly following an Oct. 25 loss to Texas A&M. Wilson was accompanied by a new play-caller on offense in Alex Atkins, who was elevated to that role after Joe Sloan was relieved of duties a day removed from Kelly's firing. The new coaching tandem did not produce immediate results; preseason title contender LSU now sits at 5-4 overall, and 2-4 against league opponents.

"Proud of the defense holding them to field goals. Four red zone attempts, and walking away with nine points. That's a great job by those guys," Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer said postgame. "Our guys knew that we were going to get a team that, if they were in the fight, they were going to stay in the fight. We knew what we were up against."

Alabama (8-1) stayed at No. 4 in both the AP and US LBM Top 25 polls following what was its third straight victory over LSU. Each week's College Football Playoff rankings are released on Tuesday evenings; that is when the Crimson Tide will find out where it lands for the coming game against Oklahoma.

Player of the Game: Wolf linebacker Yhonzae Pierre has made the most out of his increased reps after Qua Russaw's injury at Georgia in late September. Against the Tigers, he had two sacks and a forced fumble that resulted in a turnover and allowed Alabama to launch a series that ran out the clock to end the game. Pierre is particularly a game-wrecker at home: He had three sacks against Tennessee on Oct. 18. Beyond the numbers, the pressure he puts on opposing offensive lines and quarterbacks makes him a presence even if he doesn't get to the signal caller before the ball is out.

Play of the Game: DeBoer said during his postgame press conference that Simpson and true freshman wide receiver Lotzeir Brooks always seem to connect when the Crimson Tide is most covered. That connection made its presence felt late in the first half, when Simpson launched a ball downfield to Brooks for a 53-yard completion with under a minute until halftime. That directly set up the next play, a 13-yard touchdown strike to Ryan Williams, which stretched Alabama's lead from 10-3 to 17-3 at the break.

Stat of the Game: Because of the Alabama defense's stout effort, LSU was held out of the end zone all night. That means that in the last 10 quarters played between these two programs (beginning with the second half of their Nov. 2023 game in Tuscaloosa), the Tigers have only reached paydirt two times, once in Tuscaloosa. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Crimson Tide is 3-0 in that span.

10 things you may not have noticed...

1. For the first time all season, Ty Simpson did not have multiple passing touchdowns in a game.

Simpson passed for 277 yards on 21 completions against LSU, but the touchdown pass to Williams at the end of the first half was his only one of the matchup. The yardage total represented the third-highest number he's had in a game this year. In the loss at Florida State during the season opener, Simpson had two touchdown passes.

2. Ryan Williams posted his lowest number of receiving yards since the opener.

Williams bore the weight of criticism after a five-catch, 30-yard performance against Florida State. He had 33 yards on three catches (and a touchdown) Saturday night. It was a more productive outing than that August afternoon in Tallahassee, but still the sophomore's lowest output against an SEC team; he had five receptions for 43 yards at Georgia on Sept. 27.

3. Garrett Nussmeier's 121 passing yards were the least he has had in either 2024 or 2025.

LSU's offense has not had the year that the college football world expected, and that includes preseason Heisman Trophy candidate Garrett Nussmeier, who found himself benched for Michael Van Buren Jr. against the Crimson Tide after a second straight game where he posted a season low in passing yards. Nussmeier did not have any games in 2024 where he threw for fewer than 200 yards. After putting up 121 at Alabama, he now has two in a row.

4. After tying for the team lead in receptions, Lotzeir Brooks has three straight games with three or more catches.

Brooks' 67 yards against LSU were his most in a game over the course of his young career, reflective of his increased responsibilities in the passing game. He didn't play at South Carolina on Oct. 25, but in his last three showings, the freshman from New Jersey has hauled in at least three passes. His 53-yard catch Saturday was one of the most important of the game, and he's up to 322 receiving yards in 2025.

5. LSU had three more quarterback hurries than Alabama.

There were three combined turnovers in Saturday's game. All were fumbles. Two were fumbles by a quarterback. Though the Crimson Tide's defense outperformed all other units on the whole, LSU was officially credited with five quarterback hurries, compared to just two for the Crimson Tide.

6. There's a disparity in sample size, but Michael Van Buren Jr. had several more yards per completion than Nussmeier.

After Nussmeier's second-half benching gave him an opportunity to show what he had to offer against Alabama's defense, former Mississippi State quarterback Van Buren completed five passes for 52 yards. That's an average of 10.4 yards per completion. Nussmeier's 18 successful pass attempts (out of 21 total) for the above-mentioned 121 yards placed him at 6.7 yards per completion. Neither visiting quarterback was especially effective through the air, and Pierre said the Crimson Tide prepared for the game as if both would play.

7. Jam Miller had his lowest rushing output of the campaign, but not his lowest yardage per carry.

The running game has been the most significant consistent offensive issue for the Crimson Tide, and it showed again on Saturday. Senior Jam Miller's 13 yards on eight attempts equated to 1.6 yards per carry, a rough number but not low enough to beat the 1.3 yards per carry (15 yards on 12 attempts) he had against Tennessee. As a whole, Alabama rushed for 56 yards against LSU. It's an area DeBoer said "needs to be better."

8. Josh Cuevas didn't score a touchdown, but he set Alabama highs in receptions and receiving yards.

Tight end Josh Cuevas has been in the Alabama program since DeBoer was hired. Until Saturday, he had not caught four passes during a game in an Alabama uniform. He did that to the tune of 58 yards against LSU, with a long of 32 and 23 yards after his catches.

9. Team captain Deontae Lawson led by example with a team-high nine tackles.

A defense executing as well as Alabama did opposite the Tigers doesn't happen by accident, and it doesn't happen without leadership. That's what the Crimson Tide has gotten from linebacker Deontae Lawson. The team captain's nine total tackles and five solo tackles were both team highs, with the former mark setting a new season high for Lawson, who is still less than one year removed from tearing his ACL at Oklahoma last November.

10. Sophomore defensive back Red Morgan had a career night.

Crimson Tide defensive coordinator Kane Wommack spoke in October about the development of Red Morgan after the sophomore saw increased playing time against Tennessee. Wommack said Morgan's consistency on the field has improved a lot, and on Saturday, Morgan recorded a career-high four tackles, one of which was for loss. He was also responsible for one of his team's hurries.