What We Learned from Alabama's Massive Win at LSU: Tide Takeaways

BATON ROUGE, La.–– How quickly the Tide can turn in Baton Rouge.

LSU took its first lead with 2:44 to go in the third quarter of Saturday's game against Alabama, and it looked like the Tigers had all the momentum in front of a raucous home crowd in Tiger Stadium. Less than 10 minutes of game time later, those same fans were heading for the exits.

No. 5 Alabama scored three touchdowns in quick succession to turn a close game into a 31-13 blowout at No. 14 LSU.

Here are five of my biggest takeaways from Saturday's win for the latest edition of Tide Takeaways:

Defense makes stops when needed

Despite an 18-point win for Alabama, LSU actually outgained the Crimson Tide 457-285. The Tigers put up more yards than any other SEC opponent against Kane Wommack's defense this season.

Yet when it mattered most, the Alabama defense made the plays it needed to to win the game. It started on the first drive of the game. LSU went 70 yards down the field, but on third-and-goal from the 5, the Crimson Tide got a stop to force a field goal.

The Tigers were moving the ball successfully on the next drive when a sack by Terrance Green, in his return from injury, pushed LSU back. This caused the Tigers to eventually settle for a deep field goal, which they missed.

Again, LSU was driving towards the end of the first half into Alabama territory with an opportunity to tie the game. Luke Metz's second interception of the season killed the drive and LSU's scoring opportunity.

The Tigers went for it four times on fourth down, and the Alabama defense came up with a stop every time.

"That’s what it always comes down to, is getting off the field,” Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer said after the game. “The times we’ve been successful, that’s what we’re doing, and the times we’ve fallen short, it’s been a struggle. So just, guys I thought were locked in on the plan all week long. You could feel the confidence growing in all phases, but defense specifically, you could see those really feeling like ‘Hey, the third, fourth down plan is in a really good plan to be able to keep them off-balance.”

There will be plenty that Wommack will want to clean up from this game, but his defense is full of playmakers who know how to step up.

Lane Kiffin can't get Alabama monkey off his back

LSU won the Lane Kiffin sweepstakes this offseason and paid Kiffin a lot of money to become its head coach. They also gave Kiffin a lot of money to work with to build a playoff roster in Year 1. The loss to Alabama is LSU's third of the season and all but eliminates the Tigers from the CFP hunt.

Kiffin is now 0-6 against Alabama as a head coach throughout his time at Tennessee, Ole Miss and now LSU. He can't seem to take the right risks at the right time against the Crimson Tide.

In the second quarter, he chose to send Scott Starzyk out for a 56-yard field goal attempt instead of punting to try to pin Alabama deep in its own territory. Starzyk's career-long is 53 yards. He missed the kick, giving the Tide good field position, and Alabama responded with its first touchdown drive to take a 10-3 lead.

Then on LSU's next possession, the Tigers had the ball fourth-and-4 at the Alabama 9-yard line. LSU could have opted for a field goal to cut the deficit to 10-6. Kiffin decided to go for it, and Alabama made its first fourth-down stop of the game.

Kiffin's team had a 17-13 lead late in the third quarter and could have seized momentum in front of a hungry home crowd, but Alabama closed the game on a 21-0 run.

"Really disappointing end to the game," Kiffin said. "We take the lead actually with all the stuff we did wrong, especially offensively, earlier in the game. We take the lead with three minutes left in the fourth quarter, and then after that, they go down and score, and we play a really bad 18 minutes of football."

To be fair to Kiffin, most LSU coaches have had trouble beating Alabama in Death Valley. With the win on Saturday, Alabama moves to 31-10-2 all time in Tiger Stadium.

Offense avoids too many negative plays

Nov 7, 2026; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Keelon Russell (12) is pressured by LSU Tigers safety Ty Benefield (2) during the second half at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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For the first time in a road game this season, Alabama did not turn the ball over. The Crimson Tide was averaging three turnovers a game in its previous three road games.

LSU ranked second nationally in sacks coming into Saturday's game, and Alabama had really struggled in pass protection at times this season, particularly on the road. In the loss at Tennessee, Alabama turned it over four times and allowed five sacks.

Keelon Russell was only sacked twice despite facing constant pressure from the LSU front. The young Alabama quarterback made enough wise decisions to get rid of the ball when needed, and he also made a few plays with his legs to turn potentially negative plays into positive gains.

"Understanding what Coach [Bryan] Ellis told me," Russell said about his growth from Tennessee game. "We can’t take sacks, we can’t have negative plays, and we can’t turn the ball over going into a hostile environment."

The Tigers only had three total tackles for loss. Getting behind the sticks has caused major issues for the Alabama offense this season in getting into a consistent rhythm in games. While the offense was called for six penalties, which did derail a few drives, it was otherwise able to avoid too many self-inflicted errors.

Ryan's return is meaningful for multiple reasons

Ryan Williams — Alabama Reciever Ryan Coleman-Williams 1 scores a touchdown, The LSU Tigers take on Alabama. November 7, 2026; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; at Tiger Stadium. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Ryan Coleman-Williams is the heartbeat of this Crimson Tide team. He is a team captain from the state of Alabama who stayed loyal to the program as a commit through the coaching transition from Nick Saban to DeBoer.

His presence has been missed on the field for Alabama over the last two games. His receiving stats might not look impressive (two catches for 14 yards), but Coleman-Williams had a big impact on the game.

The junior receiver scored the first touchdown of the game on a well-designed play that, when executed correctly like it was on Saturday against the Tigers, allowed Coleman-Williams to stroll into the end zone untouched for his first rushing touchdown since 2024.

UNO🤫@Ryanwms1

📺: ABC pic.twitter.com/yVxGw4JFoj
— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) November 7, 2026

"We've been prepping that for a long time," Coleman-Williams said of his touchdown run. "It's a play that I've run before here, so just being able to execute it at a high level when we needed it most, it was just fun."

Perhaps his biggest moment came in the fourth quarter when the Alabama defense had just forced its first three-and-out of the game. Coleman-Williams returned a punt 32 yards down to the LSU 25. Alabama scored on the next play to go up 24-13, and the game was essentially over.

When Coleman-Williams is on the field, Alabama is a better team.

"Ryan brings a lot to us, and it doesn't always show up on the stat sheet," DeBoer said. "He brings just an energy to us throughout the course of the week. There's a presence he has when he's on the football field. I think the opponent, it’s somewhat for that, obviously, because they know the threat he is. But for us, it's just there's a little better flow. It just seems like everything's in sync. He's been around. He's taken a lot of snaps in the system. That return and just anytime he touches the football, you know it can be electric. And so the other team's probably holding their breath anytime he does, and he showed it tonight.

“He worked hard, he worked really hard to get back. There's always more behind it than what you actually see when you show up on a Saturday, as far as the work that a guy puts in when there's injuries... He was very motivated to make sure he could get on the football field tonight."

Alabama is in prime position for CFP, but it can't start looking ahead

Alabama Linebacker Yhonzae Pierre (0) in action against LSU at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, LA on Saturday, Nov 7, 2026. | UA Athletics

This matchup against LSU was the most difficult game remaining on Alabama's schedule. However, losing games they should win has been a negative mark against DeBoer in his first two seasons with the Crimson Tide.

The next game, at Vanderbilt, is the site of Alabama's first such loss of the DeBoer era in 2024. Alabama should be heavily favored in its next three games against Vanderbilt (4-5, 1-5 SEC), Chattanooga (6-4, FCS) and Auburn (5-4, 3-4 SEC).

At 7-2 (5-2 SEC), if Alabama wins out, the Crimson Tide will be back in the CFP for the second straight season under DeBoer. Plus, Alabama is in a good spot to potentially host a first-round playoff game at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

That will quickly change if Alabama drops one of these final three games.

"It's the same mindset we've got every single week," Alabama defensive lineman Devan Thompkins said. "We take it one game at a time. I don't even know how many games we've got left. I know this next week's going to be fun going out there to Nashville, so that's what my focus is on this week."

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